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Review of Thornton Dale stove

Thornton Dale by Town and Country

Gavin Mitchell 11 years ago

Bought this stove for our annexe where the main room is 19ft square. My parents had bought a smaller Little Thurlow I was very impressed with how it performed but needed something with a higher output. There is no fireplace in the room so it has a stainless flue from the ground floor right up and over the roof line.

Living on top of a moor I was concerned the wind might impact on the burn and potential back draft but this was unfounded. Really belts out the heat so much so you need to let the heat out of the main door into the rest of the house. As a result we managed right through last winter without the central heating on a timer. Just as a when we felt we needed it. As a result I would estimate we've saved around £500 in heating oil so in 4 years its liable to have paid for itself including installation.

It's very controllable through the side vents and burns well but even on softwood does not move through your log pile very quickly. If you close it right down you will end up with a brown hue on the glass but it comes off easily with a rub from some newspaper.Curved glass gives a great view of the fire from a wide angle. Handle needs gloves to open. Never managed to keep it burning overnight but I haven't tried hard as its used as a bedroom and it simply makes it too hot to sleep in. If you set the fire well its very easy to light particularly compared to our open fire in the lounge. No issues at all with build quality. I think its built to last.

This is probably the best investment we have made in our home and the best bit is that its generating a return on heating oil. We were so impressed we bought another for the lounge that's about to be installed. Cheapest place I found to buy was Mole Valley Farmers. They normally have two heating days a year and offer a discount and free coal. For the price I think it represents great value. I've now invested in two proper wood stores and as a result even softwood like Larch performs very well in this stove.

Stove expert replied: Customer so impressed he has purchased another, a very good review.

Overall rating:

4.5 flames

Build Quality 5 flames (avg 4.3)
Quality of finish 5 flames (avg 4.3)
Value for money 5 flames (avg 4.1)
Ease of use 4 flames (avg 4.2)
Ease of lighting 4 flames (avg 4.8)
Firebox size 5 flames (avg 4.2)
How well does the airwash work 4 flames (avg 4.8)
Controllability 5 flames (avg 4.8)
Handle operation 4 flames (avg 4.1)
How likely are you to buy it again? 5 flames (avg 4.7)
What is your overall satisfaction? 5 flames (avg 4.7)