Review of Villager B series stove
Villager Flatmate
I've been running a Villager Flatmate for about 10 years. Being of traditional design, compared with a modern cleaner burning 'Clearview' for example, quite heavy tar deposits are left around the doors. I find the stove is not economical when burning just soft wood so a mix of both soft and hard wood is essential. Adding too much wood at once tends to leave tar deposits on the glass even with the top vents open so using smaller logs with the bottom vents set about halfway allows burning at a temperature high enough to keep the glass clean. Being of heavy construction it does take about an hour to reach full output. The rope door seals need replacement every 4/5 years but generally there is very little smoke leakage into the room. Overall I consider the stove to have been durable, good value for money and look forward to enjoying it for many more years to come. It also does excellent toast.