WhatStove?

Review of Jotul F 500 stove

Time Waster

Tony Quance 12 years ago

I have never wasted as much time as I do now, sitting, gazing at the flames through the viewing window of my Jotul 500. What greater pleasure can there be on a freezing Canadian night? Bought last September, our Jotul is alight 24/7 starting early November. It is only recently we had to resort to the home's electric baseboard heaters while we waited for the sweep to clean out a creosote build-up. We are still getting used to our Jotul, and now place large logs on in the late evening with the damper slightly turned down. There are plenty of embers available in the morning to get the stove hot for the day. The baseboards cannot compete. The side door easily allows the large firebox to accommodate 22" logs, and in Canada we have a large variety of good hard woods to choose from. Very pleased with my Jotul, and I can recommend it to anyone. We need to exercise great care using metal tools though, as the enamel surface (ours is green) can chip very easily.

Stove expert replied: The advice regarding the enamel will apply to any stove, so extra care should be made if you have an enamel model.

Overall rating:

5 flames

Build Quality 5 flames (avg 4.9)
Quality of finish 5 flames (avg 5)
Value for money 4 flames (avg 4.3)
Ease of use 5 flames (avg 4.4)
Ease of lighting 5 flames (avg 4.7)
Firebox size 5 flames (avg 4.7)
How well does the airwash work 4 flames (avg 3.9)
Controllability 5 flames (avg 4.6)
Handle operation 5 flames (avg 4.1)
How likely are you to buy it again? 5 flames (avg 4.6)
What is your overall satisfaction? 5 flames (avg 4.6)