WhatStove?

Review of Burley Hollywell 9105 stove

12 months on

James Wheeler 5 years ago

Hi all,

We reviewed the Burley Hollywell soon-ish after it arrived and I thought an update might be useful to people doing the tough ''what the hell do I get? quest.

So the Burley has proven to be an awesome choice. It''s been reliable, burns really efficiently and it has fulfilled all the requirements we set out to get.

Which were:

1) Large viewing window - I know people don''t always want one of these but I''m of the view that its a fire, it needs to be seen. The window does cake up with the soot easily and the self clean function isn''t really workable unless you burn a log on high heat right by the window to clean all the junk off. The bottom line is that you''ll need to give it a good going over if you want it pristine but in reality as long as the centre is clear its acceptable.

2) Size: This one is a good couple of feet high and it stands really nicely in the area. It''s definitely been a great option for size and height.

3) Seems to be well built. The handles haven''t broken and the wooden bits don''t get hot at all. In fact I''ve found that you can easily manage the wood burning inside by hand because the heat and flame is consistent and predictable on the wood. i.e. you know where its going to be hot and it is and you know where its going to be cooler and it is.

4) Efficient: This is a wood burner only so can''t speak for coal or dual. It will still burns through 10 lumps of wood in a day very easily but the amazing thing is that there is almost nothing left to clear up. You could burn for weeks everyday all day and have very little waste in the bottom of the burner.

5) Price: We paid £600 odd for it. Why go to anything else? Why pay more when this can do everything you could ever want? Its steel but that is handy if you want it to heat quickly and cool quickly. Only get cast iron if you want it to heat slowly and stay hotter for longer.

6) It''s a party piece as well as a burner: It works with the door open just as well as with it shut. It''s a great open fire if you like to see the flames in action (much less efficient though, but nice).

7) The inferno thing isn''t the easiest to get right. It takes a few logs to build core temperature and then you can change the air flow to get it to swirl around. We often don''t worry about it. If it happens it happens.

For the money, pound for actual pound this has got to be the winner. It''s big, decent, efficient, well made and its the sort of burner that if Burley were more well known would be well over a grand.

If your''e in the marker for a wood burner and not sure which one to pick check out the Burley range and check out the Hollywell and don''t buy cast iron unless you really want it or anything much over £1000 either. (Or for that matter any thing under £500)

Stove expert replied: Detailed comments on how this stove works, very informative.

Overall rating:

4.5 flames

Build Quality 5 flames (avg 4.3)
Quality of finish 5 flames (avg 4.2)
Value for money 5 flames (avg 4.2)
Ease of use 5 flames (avg 4.4)
Ease of lighting 5 flames (avg 4.3)
Firebox size 5 flames (avg 4.3)
How well does the airwash work 2 flames (avg 3.8)
Controllability 5 flames (avg 4.1)
Handle operation 5 flames (avg 4.3)
How likely are you to buy it again? 5 flames (avg 3.9)
What is your overall satisfaction? 5 flames (avg 4)