WhatStove?

Review of Dru 44 stove

DRU 44 stove is ideal

Tony 11 years ago

Ive had this stove for 2 years with the short legs and felt like I should write a review if anyone is interested in buying this model. I live in an old granite house in Aberdeen with high ceilings making it hard to heat, but with this in the living room it makes even the coldest winter day nice and cosy.

I started off burning wood and it was brilliant at that, glass kept clean and a lot of heat given off it, can take a while to get used to the controls for the perfect temperature but what stove doesn't. Now am lazy so start off with wood until a red hot bed of wood is burning then get the anthracite on it. With anthracite this stove can easily burn 6-8 hours with a strong heat output and you not having to do anything but soak in the heat, by closing the air flow for an over night burn, up to 12 hours is possible, dont forget to riddle.

You can have this burning constantly for a week at time but then its worth letting it burn out after around 6-7 days so you can give it a quick clean out then start all over again due to the ash build up as not all is removed from riddling and emptying the ash pan. Cleaning is easy as is a simple construction and the removable ash pan is ideal, I've had it stripped completely down over summer to give it a good clean and its really easy to put back correctly.

A stove thermometer is worth sticking on the upper side of this stove to give a good indication to see if you getting the best out of it.

In all a great stove which after a bit of practice is easy to use and will keep you warm for years to come, easy to clean and has a got plain yet stylish look about it. This has knocked quite a bit of money of our gas bill as we have an old boiler so use the central heating much less now especially during the day. I would happily have a second one installed in the rear of the house to warm the kitchen and dining room, maybe even next size up.

I have only use wood and mainly use anthracite, have used coal once but it stinks produces loads of ash and not really good for the health of you stove.

Stove expert replied: Household coal is not recommended in a closed appliance due to the dirty nature of the fuel and the fact that it burns with a longer flame than smokeless fuels. This can lead to failure of the baffle plate!

Overall rating:

4.5 flames

Build Quality 5 flames (avg 4.8)
Quality of finish 4 flames (avg 4.7)
Value for money 4 flames (avg 4.2)
Ease of use 4 flames (avg 4.6)
Ease of lighting 5 flames (avg 4.8)
Firebox size 4 flames (avg 4)
How well does the airwash work 4 flames (avg 3.8)
Controllability 5 flames (avg 4.2)
Handle operation 5 flames (avg 4.3)
How likely are you to buy it again? 5 flames (avg 4.2)
What is your overall satisfaction? 5 flames (avg 4.2)