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Esse 500 stove

Overall Rating:

3.5 flames

based on 17 reviews    (View rating breakdown)
Esse 500 stove

The Esse 500 is a multi fuel stove.

This model has a 5kw output & has 1 plain door with glass in it -

the glass has a curve on the top edge & secondary air wash system to keep it clean.

Some Esse stoves are cast iron while others are a mixture of steel & cast iron.

Technical Data
  • Height: 545mm
  • Width: 428mm
  • Depth: 348mm
  • Flue Diameter: 125mm
  • Fuel: Multifuel
  • Efficiency: 80%

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Review Ratings Breakdown

Build Quality 3.5 flames
Quality of finish 4 flames
Value for money 3.5 flames
Ease of use 3.5 flames
Ease of lighting 4 flames
Firebox size 3.5 flames
How well does the airwash work 3 flames
Controllability 3 flames
Handle operation 3 flames
How likely are you to buy it again? 3.5 flames
What is your overall satisfaction? 3.5 flames

Most Recent Review

  • Esse 500

    Ben Allen one year ago

    I have had experience of a lot of stoves, the Esse 500 gives off plenty of heat but I find the riddle grate system with handle a very poor design. The riddle gets constantly blocked and would... []

    Stove expert replied: Did you try alternatives fuels to see if they still blocked the grate system. Different fuels may burn to a finer ash and therefore would not get caught in the grate, they do vary greatly so trying more than one fuel is a good policy to adopt until you find the one that suits your stove best.

    Overall rating:

    2.5 flames

Most Popular Review

  • Esse 500

    Lynne Koker 6 years ago

    This was our first stove and initially we loved it. It looked great and was easy to light and control. We found wood caused a lot of soot/tar to form on the window so we used mainly solid fuel... []

    Stove expert replied: Very surprised by this experience, Esse is a well established manufacturer, it did take several years for the failure. Difficult to explain why, I have not heard of similar experiences.

    Overall rating:

    3.5 flames

More reviews for Esse 500 stove (page 1 of 2)

  • smoke on loading

    Allan Lockie 3 years ago

    The Esse is OK until I load the fuel, then I open the door and its still OK until new fuel is added. This smokes and comes out of the door and into room and stinks the room out.

    Overall rating:

    2.5 flames

  • door handle impossible to move

    Sandra Laird 3 years ago

    had stove for 4 monthswhen the stove is hot I find it impossible to move the door handle to put more logs onso stiff that the stove moves before I can open it(not much use if you cant add fuel... []

    Overall rating:

    3 flames

  • Esse 500 A Good Stove!

    Rob Woller 4 years ago

    We had an Esse 500 (2013 model) multifuel stove fitted in July by a reputable and qualified supplier, it is straightforward to operate, heats up quickly and does an all round good job, it looks... []

    Overall rating:

    4.5 flames

  • Air Wash Query

    Colin Mason 4 years ago

    We've just bought the Esse 500 but the installer was a bit vague about how to use the stove. The instruction leaflet doesn't explain how you can tell if the air wash system is open or closed... []

    Stove expert replied: Air wash controls are normally open when slid to the right and closed when to the left, you should be able to see the change when the stove is lit if you can't see anything from the outside of the stove.

    Overall rating:

    3 flames

  • Esse 500 Air wash adjustments !

    Mark Maish 5 years ago

    The Esse 500 has a long air wash inlet approx 9cm either side of the control lever itself. Using high temp silicon I carefully applied a bead to either side of the inlet allowing the central... []

    Stove expert replied: A flue damper may well have done the same job and the airwash will have been made in the way that Esse require it so altering quite possibly invalidates your warranty.

    Overall rating:

    3 flames

  • Esse 500

    Frank Woods 5 years ago

    We opted for this model because we wanted a small stove, but big enough to take normal sized logs. It creates plenty of heat, and the central main vent lets you generate a blast furnace effect... []

    Overall rating:

    3 flames

  • Esse 500 dont buy an Esse

    Fancis 6 years ago

    Replaced all removable parts within 2 years - most within a year, parts replaced regularly, now at age 4yrs the back has fallen off. I won't buy an ESSE again.

    Stove expert replied: Very disappointing comments.

    Overall rating:

    2 flames

  • Could Do Better

    TomP 7 years ago

    Had this stove for about 5 years now and never been 100% happy with it.We bought it as it looks simple, un-fussy and has a good size firebox for the size of stove. We went for the optional woodburning... []

    Stove expert replied: Have you thought of a flue damper or stabilizer which should give you more control of the stove unit?

    Overall rating:

    3.5 flames

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