Best Wood Burning Stove for Indoor and Outdoor Use (Reviews + Tips 2020)

Had enough of the messy performance of a conventional fireplace but don’t want to pay high electric bills for an electric stove? We have the perfect solution for you!

Why not go for this efficient and clean-burning wood stove that a lot of people are raving about? The best wood burning stove has a unique and cost-effective way of heating your home.

As compared to the conventional wood stove, these EPA-certified wood burning stoves exhaust less gas, thus less polluting the surrounding air.

If you want to know more of the benefits that the wood burning stove has over the traditional open fire wood stove, read below:

Wood Burning Stove Vs. Traditional Open Fireplace Stove

There are perhaps more aspects for comparison between the wood burning stove and the traditional open fireplace stove. However, for this article, we’re only going to focus on the three major aspects that most consumers actually consider when shopping for a wood stove.

We’re going to compare the wood burning stove and traditional open fireplace based on the following: cost-effective, eco-friendly, and style & design.

Cost-effective

Cost-effectiveness refers to how productive the product is in relation to its cost. Between the two stoves, many people vouch for the cost-effectiveness of the wood burning stove, especially during winter.

One particular reason for this is the rising rates of fuel and electricity these days. Thus, during colder months, people get to open their fireplace overnight. And this can cost you more money.

Innovations nowadays allow wood burning stoves to keep the fire for as long as 8 to 12 hours. Moreover, you can even adjust the flame to stretch the warming effect a bit more. Finally, the best wood burning stoves have a high energy rating with some models having 95% energy efficiency.

Eco-Friendly

Meanwhile, some people actually believe that wood burning stoves are dangerous to one’s health and the environment because of the smoke they produce. But the truth is that wood burning stoves nowadays are usually clean-burning.

As mentioned earlier, these wood stoves are EPA-approved, which means that they underwent quality and safety check before they are even released in the market. So, the assumption that wood burning stove is not good for the environment is nothing but an exaggeration.

Style & Design

If you think that all wood stoves look the same, then you couldn’t be more wrong. Most stoves are made from cast iron materials, but some have detailing and other styles. While the most common shape is either a square or a rectangle, outdoor wood stoves can be cylindrical or have a drum-shape.

On the other hand, wood stoves can also be catalytic and non-catalytic. The main difference being the combustion system of the two. In the catalytic wood stove, the exhaust gas passes through the ceramic honeycomb. The non-catalytic wood stoves do not have a catalyst. Rather, they rely on firebox insulation and the large baffle to produce warmer and longer heat.

EPA suggest to use non-catalytic wood stove as this is better for the environment.

Tips for Buying Wood Burning Stoves

EPA-Certified

Always check that the wood stove is approved by EPA or the Environment Protection Agency. This guarantees that the wood stove is safe to use, does not pose threat to the environment and is economically productive.

Efficiency Rating

Consider the efficiency rating. If you’re reason for switching to wood burning stove is to cut cost on electricity bills, then you need to consider the efficiency level of the stove.

For instance, if the stove has 85% efficiency, this means that 85% of the heat produce is actually use to warm your home, and only 15% of the heat is exhausted and wasted.

Heat Output

The heat output of the wood stove is also important. What does heat output refers to? It actually means how much heat the stove can produce. Therefore, you should also check the BTU range of the stove.

For every 14 cubic meter space, you need around 1 kilowatt of heat to achieve a comfortable heating temperature.

Initial Cost and Installation Cost

Some products are cheap to buy but requires complicated and expensive installation process. Well, that doesn’t actually help you save, does it?

Since installing wood burning stove is a risky job, this is better handled by professionals instead. But no one wants to pay a huge sum of money for it.

Therefore, the best thing to do is to always check the installation process of the wood stove. Choose a wood stove that has a straightforward yet classic design that would be much easier to set up.

Top 10 Best Wood Burning Stoves

1.  Pleasant Hearth 77,000 BTU Wood Burning Stove

A highly efficient wood burning stove that will warm your home without leaving a mess. This is an EPA-approved wood stove and is non-catalytic which makes it easier to operate.

This is a powerful wood stove that can cover up to 2,200 square feet. With its elegant black finish paired with a ceramic glass window in the front, this not only makes a great wood stove but as well as an eye-catching piece of furniture in the living room.

Just a word of advice, this wood stove is quite heavy. You definitely need a hand transporting this product.

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2.  Vogelzang TR004 69,000 Colonial Wood Burning Stove

One amazing thing of modern wood stove products is that they can keep the room warm for a much longer time. Just like the Vogelzang TR004 wood burning stove; it’s a colonial fireplace that covers area of up to 1,800 square feet.

Made from reinforced plate steel with firebrick lining and cast iron feed door, you can guarantee that this wood stove is sturdy and really durable.

This, too, is quite big and takes a lot of space. Also, please note that he blower fan may be loud at times.

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3.  Drolet HT2000 96,000 BTU Wood Burning Stove

With 78% efficiency, this wood burning stove by Drolet is also one of our best wood burning stove options. It produces 95,000 BTU of heat, which is quite high as compared to other large and extra-large wood stoves in the market.

Albeit heavy, this wood stove actually has a compact design that allows to easily install the stove. The metallic black color also adds to the product’s vintage look.

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4.  Hi-Flame FF-905 21,000 BTU Wood Stove

This is a smaller wood burning stove with a maximum log length of 12-inches. But don’t let its small size fool you. This small cast iron wood stove produces insane heat with up to 21,000 BTU per hour. Really impressive!

The Hi-Flame FF-905 wood stove is suitable for rooms with maximum space of 800 square feet. And with its 6-inches flue, exhaust gas can easily be blown in an instant.

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5.  US Stove Company 89,000 BTU Medium Wood Stove

If you have a slightly bigger room and want a freestanding wood burning stove in particular, then this medium wood stove by US Stove Company is your best bet.

The 89,000 BTUs of heat it produces is enough to cover every corner of a 2000-square feet room. In addition, this wood stove is EPA approved. Thus, you can guarantee that this doesn’t emit harmful gas or smoke.

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6.  Ashley Hearth Direct Vent 89,000 Wood Burning Stove

Constantly appearing in many wood burning stove reviews, Ashley Hearth Vent is a stunning favorite by many.

It’s a box-like wood stove with 4 feet that keep the stove stable. The glass upfront gives you better view of the fire. Moreover, it has an elegant design consists of metal fleck black finish. This wood stove is 50 pounds heavy and compatible with 6-inches flue diameter.

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7.  Woodpro WS-TS-1500 68,000 BTU Wood Stove

For a medium sized wood burning stove that can give off subtle heat, your best pick is the WS-TS-1500 Wood Stove by Woodpro. This EPA certified wood stove produces 68,000 BTUs of heat, enough to warm up a 1000-square feet room.

Wood burning stove reviews from users reveal that people love this wood stove because of its compact design and powerful CFM blower. It does offer great value to your money with its amazing features.

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8.  La Nordica Rosa XXL Wood Stove with Baking Oven

The La Nordica Rosa Wood Stove is s state of the art stove. This is made from high quality cast iron with well-though partitions to give you more than just a wood burning stove.

This wood burning stove weighs around 202 kg and has a complete dimension of 1074 x 861 x 669 mm. In terms of look, this one has a pretty standard square shape but has a smart design. But what impresses people the most is that it also functions as an oven. Like you can literally bake with this wood stove.

To top it all, this wood stove also has a great energy efficiency rating with 86% efficiency. Amazing!

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9.  EcoZoom Portable 23,000 BTU Wood Stove

Looking for a wood burning stove that can be used for camping? The EcoZoom wood stove is the perfect product for that job. It produces 23,000 BTU of heat and has a really great design that is convenient for camping.

Being the best wood burning stove for backpacking in the market recently, it is not at all surprising why people fell I love with this wood stove. It has a rocket stove design, which helps send heat directly to your cookware. Moreover, it helps protect the flame from strong winds that can put out the fire. This is particularly important when camping since you want to keep the fire burning for a longer period.

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10.  Kotulas Outdoor Wood Burning Stove

If you rather have a small wood burning stove that you can use outdoors, then the Kotulas wood stove is the wood pellet stove for you.

This is an outdoor wood burning stove that only measures 11.75-inches x 16.25-inches x 10.75-inches. It is actually a small stove but weighs about 47 pounds as it is made from hinged cast iron material.

This small yet durable wood burning stove can also to boil water, fry bacons, eggs, and keep coffee and food hot while you’re enjoying your time in a campsite.

Please note that you can only use this for outdoors. It is not designed to work well indoors.

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Frequently Asked Questions

 Are wood burning stoves safe?

We surely have different opinions about wood burning stove. However, most people would probably think that wood stoves are dangerous. But if you actually think about it; it’s not the stove itself that poses a threat. It’s actually how you install the wood stove as well as how you handle the fire.

Even a gas stove can be dangerous if we are being careless. Hence, to answer the question “are wood burning stoves safe?” the direct answer is YES. It won’t be release in the market if it isn’t.

Make sure you read and understand the wood burning stove safety instructions including the installation, operation, and maintenance.

Are wood stoves bad for your health?

Another concern that people have about using wood burning stove is whether it is bad for the health. Wood burning has become controversial for the last couple of years as it is known to produce smog that affects one’s health.

However, researchers from Norway revealed in 2012 that the particles combustion from wood stove may worsen cardiovascular diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary. However, it has least effect on the lung cells of healthy individuals and can actually be removed quickly from the system without causing any serious health problems.

Still, the smog from the conventional wood burning stove may drastically affect the health in the long run. For this reason, experts recommend using a wood burning with clean-burning technology. The clean-burning stoves emit low emissions, thus contributing to cleaner air.

Is a wood burning stove cheaper than gas?

This is a tricky question, should we say. This is because some parts of the world have abundance of wood resources, thus gathering logs and wood pellets is easy. But in the United States, wood logs and pellets have become expensive, owing to the continuing depletion of resources.

Therefore, we cannot say that wood burning stoves are cheaper. In fact, you can find a lot of cheaper gas and gas alternatives as a fuel source. On the other hand, wood burning stove is a lot cheaper than electricity stove.

 Conclusion

All in all, wood burning stove still remains the most efficient heating option.

Why?

It is because it produces heat that is three times more powerful than that of a gas fireplace and an electric stove. Wood burning stoves are also great for outdoor use. But it also has its own drawbacks. For instance, a conventional wood burning stove produces a lot of smog that not only affects our health but the environment as well.

Fortunately, there are now wood burning stove equipped with clean-burning technology. These clean-burning wood stoves, also known as clean heat stoves, can burn wood efficiently while emitting fewer smoke particles in the air.

While such wood stoves can be quite expensive, but we think that it’s a worth it investment, especially if you love camping and doing outdoor grill often.