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Review of Broseley eVolution 5 woodburning stove

Lovely looking stove, nicely built.

Chris N 11 years ago

This is the first wood burning stove I've owned, although I've used them in other people's houses. I've owned it for about 3 months now and have got the hang of it, so thought I'd leave a review while I remember.

Overall, it's a very nicely built stove and I'm very happy with. Aesthetically it's great and in terms of airwash and the way the fire looks, I don't think I've ever seen a nicer one. You honestly tend to forget the glass is there and I only need to wipe the glass every couple of weeks.

I had trouble lighting it at first, but I think that was down to my expectations that it should really only take a couple of minutes with the door ajar - in fact it takes me about 4 minutes to get the blaze going before I can shut the door tight. Once it's going it is very controllable using the single front slide. It burns very cleanly, as you'd expect.

Only a very few niggles that you might want to be aware of - the top edge of the stove is raised, which means you can't easily leave (say) a kettle on top, if your flu is vented from the top, rather than the back.

The door handle, which is grey plastic gets fairly hot to the touch after several hours operation - not too bad, just be aware. It can also tend to get a bit grubby.

Finally, the one component of the firebrick is a bar drilled with holes - it's a bit delicate, so be careful how you handle it - I managed to break mine, but Broseley replaced it for just under £7. Probably me being cack-handed, to be honest.

Overall, we love it and I'd really recommend it for people who want a stove, but also want to gaze at a fire. Oh - and the heat output is good too.

No idea how to rate firebox size, so I left it at an average 3 in the ratings.

Stove expert replied: Good review, thank you. The door handle on this stove is in fact made of steel.

Overall rating:

4 flames

Build Quality 5 flames (avg 3.6)
Quality of finish 4 flames (avg 3.8)
Value for money 4 flames (avg 3.8)
Ease of use 5 flames (avg 3.7)
Ease of lighting 4 flames (avg 3.8)
Firebox size 3 flames (avg 3.5)
How well does the airwash work 5 flames (avg 4.2)
Controllability 4 flames (avg 4.1)
Handle operation 4 flames (avg 3.6)
How likely are you to buy it again? 5 flames (avg 3.4)
What is your overall satisfaction? 5 flames (avg 3.7)
  • Damian Findlow said 10 years ago:

    Hi Chris, I have just had one of these stoves put in and i keep finding that lots of smoke comes into the room every time i open the door. Is there a knack to stop this from happening? Apart from that im very happy with the stove. Thanks for your help.