Parkray Consort 4

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Most Recent Review

• Neat little stove which packs a punch

  Eric Rayment 12 years ago

  The stove was fitted in mid September this year as an alternative to running the gas central heating. It was recommended to us by a local supplier and their heating installer/engineer. It is
  the ideal size for the standard British fireplace opening and looks very appropriate in our smallish 2 bedroomed bungalow. Like many other reviewers we had spent months researching the pros and cons of woodburning stoves and had narrowed the choice down to 2 or 3 other makes before settling on this one.In common with the other reviews the stove has many positive features, particularly with ease of lighting and with little ash generated even after a week. However we have encountered a couple of negatives such as the inefficient secondary airwash and difficulty when using the riddling plate spanner. No doubt this will improve as we become more expert. It is doubtful whether the stove would burn overnight as the firebox may not be quite big enough to support the amount of fuel necessary, but we are not that concerned. As a result of our efforts so far, we have noticed the black stove paint is already wearing off the control knobs and handle. This may well be common to most stoves but a tad disappointing after only a few weeks use. Now we know why the dealer recommended buying stove paint and glass cleaning spray too!Overall this is a great little stove which puts out enough heat to make the gas central heating redundant and the whole bungalow feels too warm at times or have we not had enough frosts yet to really appreciate it? We have no regrets about buying this stove, it is excellent value for money and we hope it will give us many years of use.
  ...[ read more ]

  Stove expert replied: No need to buy glass cleaner as a cloth dipped in woodash or vinegar works well to remove deposits or just rolled up newspaper.

  Overall rating:

  3.5 flames

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Most Popular Review

• Consort 4 Revisited

  Jack Currie 12 years ago

  When I last reviewed this stove I was pleased with my purchase. At that time I had been using the stove for only a few weeks. I was pleased with everything except controlability. I have been
  living with the stove for over a year now and thought that I should write another review from a more informed and experienced perspective. After all, at that time I was a novice in the world of stoves; now, I consider myself more experienced and more aware. So, here goes. In short, this is a great little stove. Its best features are the ease of lighting [amazingly easy], its appearance [smart, understated, a nice middle ground between traditional and modern], build quality [solid and still looks great after a lot of use], ease of use [a quick sweep up around the stove is all that's needed in terms of daily maintenance], airwash [very effective]. In my last review I indicated that I was disappointed with the controlability. That was the voice of inexperience! I now find it very controllable with fine adjustments to the secondary air control. I believe that I was being too heavy-handed previously, sliding the control too vigorously from fully closed to fully open. Now, I've learned a gentler approach and the results are fine. It just shows that hasty judgements can be wrong judgements. MY rating of 4 for burning overnight has to stand, in fact it is reduced, because I find that the stove needs frequent topping-up in order to burn efficiently and there is no way in my experience that it would burn overnight. I do use only wood, however, and it might perform differently with the black stuff. Again, inexperience! Overall, I'm delighted with this stove and the whole stove experience in general. Indeed, I've just bought another for another room in the house. No, I did not buy another Consort 4. This time I needed a bigger one and went for an Esse insert. I'm just about to fit it. I'll wait a few months and really get to know the stove before I hit the review button this time.
  ...[ read more ]

  Stove expert replied: It is great to get further reviews from the more experienced user, a fairer overview of a product!

  Overall rating:

  4.5 flames

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