WhatStove?

Review of Woolly Mammoth 5 Stove

Poor build quality.

Paul Clark 4 years ago

The first stove purchased had a shabby build quality including a hinge that was 4mm proud of the other. This meant air was getting into the stove causing logs to burn quickly without being able to shut it down as you would any other stove. After much fuss from the supplier (They first tried blaming my installer then me!), they accepted a return & said they''d return it to the manufacturer.

They sent a replacement but didn't supply their courier with a pallet. It fell heavily in transit. Upon installation by a very experienced HETAS engineer this stove has no ability at all to shut down. I raised this issue with the supplier & this time they blamed me for buying an "entry level stove"! £500 for a 4.9kw is not entry level & even if it was it should be fit for purpose. They have since informed me by email that this stove does not "shut down" - who wants a log burner that you cannot control? If this is the case, why is it fitted (albeit poor quality) with air vents & controls? The customer service has been appalling from start to finish. I am now forced to contact trading standards & look at a bank charge back or court action. Based on my experience I would not buy anything from these people let alone this poor stove.

Stove expert replied: This stove is produced so that it complies to the current regulations for smoke controlled areas and therefore the air controls will not fully close which is quite normal. This does not mean however, that the stove should be uncontrollable. The flue draw test taken on installation should comply to that recommended by the manufacturer. If the draw is in excess, then the likely hood is that you will use more fuel and get a poor heat output as a result of the heat being sucked up the chimney. The door seals need to fit well and you can test this by shutting a piece of A4 paper between the door and body of the stove (when cold), if you can pull it out then adjustments need to be made to improve the seal. If all of the above are satisfactory, then a flue damper can be fitted that will give you manual control on the flue draw, which should help to get better control and getting further assistance from your installer is advised.

Overall rating:

2 flames

Build Quality 1 flames (avg 3.4)
Quality of finish 2 flames (avg 3.4)
Value for money 1 flames (avg 3.2)
Ease of use 1 flames (avg 3)
Ease of lighting 5 flames (avg 5)
Firebox size 5 flames (avg 4)
How well does the airwash work 1 flames (avg 2.8)
Controllability 1 flames (avg 3.4)
Handle operation 1 flames (avg 3)
How likely are you to buy it again? 1 flames (avg 2.6)
What is your overall satisfaction? 1 flames (avg 3.2)