WhatStove?

Review of Charnwood C 7 stove

Avoid the Charnwood Cranmore 7

Stephen Lobb 3 months ago

I bought a new Charnwood Cranmore 7 in March 2025. It has not been an edifying experience. The suppliers, Kernow Fires, were very good - they came back on two occasions to interrogate the poor performance of the appliance, and improved it to the standard it is now. That standard is still not nearly good enough, though. I have now learned how to “drive” the appliance as well as it can be driven, but not without significant drawbacks. Firstly, it takes around half an hour with the door ajar to reach a temperature at which combustion of logs is then sustainable. The logs also need to be stacked quite high - and therefore tend to fall out when the door is opened, with attendant risks. (The horizontal front bar is too low to prevent this, and I question why its supports run full depth along the sides from front to back - is this arrangement perhaps designed also to support a grid above the ash box, which would improve air flow and reduce the number of logs needed for adequate performance?) Also, ash fouls the front lower ledge every time the door is opened, and has to be brushed off (along with the lower ledge of the inside of the door itself) to enable the door to be closed again. When further logs are added, the performance diminishes for an extended period. When I bought this device for my lounge, Kernow Fires also supplied and fitted a TermaTech appliance in my dining room. That works spectacularly well, thus making the poor performance of the Charnwood particularly galling.

Overall rating:

2 flames

Build Quality 3 flames (avg 4.3)
Quality of finish 3 flames (avg 4.4)
Value for money 1 flames (avg 3.7)
Ease of use 1 flames (avg 3.9)
Ease of lighting 1 flames (avg 3.8)
Firebox size 4 flames (avg 4.5)
How well does the airwash work 3 flames (avg 4.4)
Controllability 3 flames (avg 3.3)
Handle operation 1 flames (avg 4)
How likely are you to buy it again? 1 flames (avg 3.6)
What is your overall satisfaction? 1 flames (avg 3.6)