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Hunter Herald 8 stove

Overall Rating:

3.5 flames

based on 38 reviews    (View rating breakdown)
Hunter Herald 8 stove

The Hunter Herald 8 stove is available with a high canopy, low canopy or with a flat top.
The Herald 8 comes as a wood burning model or as a multi fuel and can be fitted with a backboiler.

There is a double sided version of the Herald 8 available as well.

Technical Data
  • Height: 624mm
  • Width: 635mm
  • Depth: 434mm
  • Flue Diameter: 150mm
  • Fuel: Multi fuel
  • Nominal Heat Output: 7.5kW
  • Efficiency: 78.9%

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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 4 flames
Ease of lighting 4 flames
Firebox size 4 flames
How well does the airwash work 3.5 flames
Controllability 3.5 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

  • Herald double double

    Geoff Smith 2 years ago

    We''re now entering our second winter with our Herald Multifuel Stove up here in Scotland and it''s just amazing, the heat output is fantastic. Our home is a 3 bedroom detached bungalow and
    the stove is our main source of heat in the winter (we use IR Panels in spring & autumn) and we''re not disappointed with it''s performance. The whole house gets toasty warm, including the conservatory which is usually freezing in winter. We find Ash Logs burn better than others but Smokeless fuel last about a 3rd longer.
    Overall rating:

    4.5 flames

Most Popular Review

  • Hunter 8

    V. Webb 12 years ago

    We bought our Hunter multifuel stove 5 months ago and we wouldn't buy another. We were told it would heat our entire downstairs, 2 large reception rooms, a large hall and kitchen. Whilst our
    lounge is lovely and warm it leaves the rest of the house cold. We had lots of problems at the start as we couldn't get it to maintain its heat, we were advised to fit a Damper which we did (no easy task)and it has been much better, also keeping it going overnight is very hit and miss. It looks nice and it keeps our lounge cosy, but overall very disappointed.

    Stove expert replied: A room heater is what it says and if there is only a door way between spaces then the radiant heat to this space may not be that great. It will obviously raise the temperature but may not be man enough for full heating. Open plan spaces are much easier to heat from one appliance.

    Overall rating:

    3.5 flames

More reviews for Hunter Herald 8 stove (page 1 of 4)

  • Not enough heat

    Al Ripper 3 years ago

    We've had this stove for several years now and can never get a good amount of heat from it. The old, smaller, one gave off much more heat.Tried wood, coal and a mixture. Draw is fine. Top doesn
    't get hot enough to run one of those convection fans we have on it.Otherwise, it looks nice, is well made and hasn't given us any problems!

    Stove expert replied: Is there enough free air in the room for this size stove. You say the draw is fine, has this been checked? There is likely to be a reason why the output is not as expected so further investigation is recommended.

    Overall rating:

    3 flames

  • No heat

    Karen Mucklin 5 years ago

    We have had our original 5kw stove replaced with the herald slimline 8 and although the fire burns well with either seasons logs or smokeless fuel, there is hardly any heat. Our old stove belted
    our the heat. The Herald has been installed by a qualified engineer. We are very disappointed

    Stove expert replied: The average output of this stove is 5kW with a maximum of 8kW, you will need to work the stove harder than your previous one to feel the benefit of the larger model. Are you operating this on wood or smokeless fuel? Smokeless fuel provides a solid core of heat and compared to wood will sustain the output for longer periods so may be worth trying. If using wood do make sure that it is dry, seasoned with a moisture content of less than 20%, if you have a great system set to wood and close bottom vents and open the top fully to give to over draught required for efficient wood burning. Do leave the ash to build up on the base which also helps with the amount of heat generated.

    Overall rating:

    2.5 flames

  • Shocking !!

    Colin Glaister 5 years ago

    We bought a herald 8 last year to heat a very large old house that was not the issue Our fire glows red constantly we got the installer to come back and he said I have heard the phrase that
    fire was red hot but never seen anything like that. After contacting the supplier they said I was burning the wrong fuels and not setting my air vents correctly. After 7 different types of fuel and several different log suppliers our fire still glows red and is a risk in the house I feel. £1100 on a fire a can't use !!!!

    Stove expert replied: There would appear to be a high draw on this flue system that is not allowing control on the stove. A damper or stabilizer would be recommended, but initially check the doors are sealing ( put a piece of paper between the doors and body of the stove, close the doors, if you can pull the paper out the doors need adjustment. A stove operating at such high temperatures will lead to distortion of the body and this may have already occurred. The stove and flue should have been checked on installation that they were operating within the manufacturers parameters. A great shame that this seems to have been occurring for a long period.

    Overall rating:

    2.5 flames

  • Hot number

    Linda Hughes 6 years ago

    I have had my Hunter Herald 8 ce for 7 years, it took me a while to get the temperature right but I can truly say that once it's going it warms my through room 28ft long and also my 10ft conservatory
    ! Having previously had a coal effect gas fire which was useless and was expensive to run, now my dreams have come true with my Hunter Stove which is truly brilliant at heating my lounge, dining room and hallway.
    Overall rating:

    5 flames

  • GRATE NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE

    Stuart Mowle 6 years ago

    I have had to replace the grate on my stove twice now, the last one warped and the rung broke through after just 2 seasons use. Hunter said that I must be burning the wood at too high a temperature
    ? I just put logs on the grate and the vents are closed as soon as the wood starts burning so its not roaring. Hunter would not even offer a discount on a new grate. Disappointed

    Stove expert replied: When you close the vents down do the flames die down or stay busy? If they stay busy please check the door seals of the stove and the flue draw to insure that the draw is not excessive. If it is greater than recommended by the manufacturer the stove will be exposed to higher than normal working temperatures and internal parts will fail prematurely. As you have a grate this is a multifuel stove and the ash will be harder to build up which is what you need for efficient woodburning. This may not be a failure with the stove but an installation problem that needs further investigation.

    Overall rating:

    4 flames

  • Hunter

    B. Linnane 6 years ago

    Bought the Hunter Herald 8 some seven years ago to heat a large conservatory. It is very effective and has a strong updraught, until the door is opened to refuel.Then it sends puffs of smoke
    into the room til the door is closed. Also, condensation buildup in the interior on the rear hatch blank has caused rust to build up over the years, seizing the rear baffle screw and requiring treatment every spring when the firebricks, grate, and top plate are removed for the off season. All in all, a very effective stove for a big room in a stormy salt water blasted ( possibly a big contributor to the rust) part of the world, but with construction maybe suited to interior rooms in more clement climes

    Stove expert replied: If this is a single height flue system then this can possibly contribute to the smoke coming back into the room when the door is opened on the stove, is there an air brick in the room? If there is any single flue pipe on the system this can lead to condensation in the flue due to the fast cooling of the gases. A salty environment will also not be good for any stove and flue system.

    Overall rating:

    3.5 flames

  • HOT!

    Sean Starkie 6 years ago

    We bought this fire 12 months ago having previously had a gas stove. It has taken me 12 months to really get the balance right in terms of burning wood and getting the most heat out of it. It
    really is trial and error until you manage to get it right. Now we have mastered it the heat output is unbelievable. To the point where we are opening windows! We spend the first 30 mins burning with the main air control open with kindling and then some intermediary wood like broken pallets or hard wood blocks from a local furniture maker. Then we add our first logs at the 40 minute mark and turn the main air control down so it is only open about 10% of the way and the flames dance around rather than burn ferociously. We then add 2-3 logs every 60-90 mins as required. To be honest if we light the fire at 5pm 5-6 logs sees us through until about 11pm as the heat remains for an hour or 2 after the last logs stop flaming.
    Overall rating:

    4.5 flames

  • hunter herald 8 with wrap round boiler.

    7 years ago

    We were told it would heat radiators, hot water and the lounge where it's fitted, it struggles to heat the lounge never mind hot water or radiators.The engineer who installed has been back so
    many times it's unreal.We burn good wood, Oak.We cannot open the doors without choking to death, the smoke billows out, before anyone tries to tell me why, we've tried it all.The chimney is so high I need a light on the top for aircraft.It needs to be blazing to get any heat out of it at all but you are putting logs on the size of shoe boxes every 5 minutes.Go for a fire like Villager with a boiler at the top.This stove is going in the skip.

    Stove expert replied: Was the stove sized correctly for the system that you are wishing to run? If the stove is too small then it will struggle to heat a large system. These stoves are tested so that the outputs stated are achievable providing it is installed and used as per the manufacturers instructions. It seems contradictory the have smoke coming back into the room when you open the door (down draught indicating a poor draw on the flue) and then to say that you are feeding the stove with fuel every 5 minutes (more likely to indicate an over drawing flue making the stove work very hard but not producing much heat). Have you an airbrick in the room? It does seem that the installation needs to be checked fully to ensure that all aspects are correct as indicated in the manufacturers installation manual.

    Overall rating:

    1.5 flames

  • DISGUSTING SERVICE

    7 years ago

    Bought my Herald 8 slimline in December 2015 after 2 months the door seals began to disintegrate. After contacting Hunter stoves and getting into a long email conversation with a lady I was
    told this could not happen because of Hunter stoves incredible quality control people. I finally managed to get new seals on the 10th of September, this has taken 7 months. After looking at the website as to how to fix the new seals I have discovered that the screws and brackets that hold the seals in place are missing, I am so glad these quality control guys are there to check these things before dispatch

    Stove expert replied: Any warranty issues that occur during the warranty period should be dealt with by the stove supplier in the first instance, as this is who you have your contract with. They will then deal with the manufacturer to get this rectified on your behalf. It is not clear why this procedure was not followed from the above. It is a shame that you have had to wait for the replacement parts and found that the brackets were not originally supplied, quality control is taken seriously by stove manufacturers and I am sure that following this being bought to Hunters attention, improvements will be made to prevent similar from occurring in the future.

    Overall rating:

    1.5 flames

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