Jotul 602 against Vermont Castings Aspen - burn test comparison
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- čas přidán 7. 07. 2024
- A comparison between the two stoves with plenty of temperature data and comparison graphs. If I had to chose between Jotul and Vermont Castings I would pick Jotul.
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I'm an engineer. Well designed test. Combustion testing has many many variables. You did a good job controlling the fuel & air. A+
Thank you very much. It was very interesting. it's strange that no one makes such full-scale comparisons.
@@offgridsimplicity Thanks for taking the time to do this thorough comparison. Swapping out the stoves in the same space/time makes it about as even a test as humanly possible. I would like to buy a Jotul 602 for a backyard cabin we are planning for the future. Right now we have a Lopi insert for the house and it does a good job and can keep heat for about 8 hours. It is a solid stove and aesthetically very nice.
I’m installing an Aspen in my garage in the near future. I think they are both great stoves. I’ve heated my previous home with a Lopi, it worked great overnight keeping the 2300 sf home warm all night. To me a stove like the Aspen is a better deal for the entire night. But yes, the Jotul gets it nice and warm right now.
Thank you for the apples-to-apples, data based, non-biased scientific assessment of comparable wood stoves. With this information a consumer, who is about to make a purchase, can make an evidence-based return on investment decision of the extra cost of one over the other.
Interesting test. I have a different model of Vermont Castings in a bigger cabin, and this is very consistent with my experience. That thing has so much iron in it that it takes a very long time to warm up. You are trying to overcome just an enormous amount of thermal inertia at first. But once it gets hot, it provides a very nice, even heat that makes it easy to regulate the temperature. For a small off-grid cabin that you want to warm up fast, looks like the Jotul is a better choice to get things comfortable quickly. On the other hand, if you are thinking about a wood stove you are going to want to run for extended periods of time or your primary heat all winter, the slow ramp up is less important and you want something that evens out the heat spikes. Honestly, I think the burn time is the most important feature when you are living with a stove long-term. Feeding the thing at 3am gets old pretty quickly.
I’ve always been a bit obsessed with stoves since I got a Jotul 602 30 years ago. I went from freezing every night to being warm, so hence the obsession, it was survival. Always liked the look of the Vermont, but they aren’t available in Europe, or my part of Europe (Scotland) so it’s Jotul all the way for me. Still have a Jotul 602.
Someone may have said it, but you should have a dedicated fresh air intake for your stoves. Make up air, it keep the stove from drawing through electrical outlets and door weather-stripping. I had a house without a dedicated fresh air intake and it would freeze the front door shut from sucking in cold air all night, condensation formed and refroze. I put a light damper on it so air doesn't flow unless the stove is running, but funny thing is it does when the dryer is on, pulls air in since the dryer is venting out.
Awesome series, I've been enjoying all your Jotul vids. I'd love to see you do a video of a "stuffed fire box" typical of how one might load it (with the stove already hot) for a nighttime burn and see just how long of a burn you can get.
A few weeks ago, I scored a Fisher baby bear in pretty rough condition, just got finished with a full restoration to the point of installing new brick so I swung in to my local stove store to get the brick... while they were getting the brick I walked around the place and the first stove I came to was a 602, I perked up immediately as I had seen a few of your videos in the past while researching stoves for the cabin I'm finishing up in the Rockies (Montana) but I hadn't see one in person yet. I decided to go the route of restoration becasue of the $1,600 price tag of the 602 but then the gal came back with my brick and we got to talking about the price and she told me Jotul is/has let their license to build the stove expire so the store was considering heavily discounting the 2 they had left to "get them gone" After a bunch of haggling, they offered me the stove for $900, I told them to throw in a couple Jotul t-shirts and they've got a deal 😊. I'm now the proud owner of one of these puppies and can't wait to complete the break-in and get it installed to see how it performs. The Fisher will end up going into the wood shop which will be a great fit.
Great experiment, my friend planning on getting a jotul 602 to put on my deck that’s getting turned into a Fourseason sunroom.
The vermont castings has that Continuous Combustion Control feature where it automatically adjusts the air intake to achieve a constant burn temperature. So it makes sense that the graphs for the VC would be pretty flat. There is a trade off. Less fiddling with the air intake, but also less control over the burn rate and the heat it throws off.
Terrific work ,thanks
Are you going to keep that opening in the window all through the winter?
I am asking, because in my case I have to open the window every time to push out the cold air that comes into the room from the chimney -- back there to start the fire. After I have put the wood to the fire and pushed the warm air into the chimney (with the help of a gas lighter also) my stow burns pretty well. But I hate this idea of openinig the window every time to establish a draught.
My chimney is already 6 meters high, Even a bit more. I thauoght about adding one more section, but I am afraid it can make things even worse
Excellent comparison! I had looked at the Vermont Castings Aspen but wasn't crazy about the quality, then saw where someone suggested the Jotul 602 instead. Never even heard of that brand before but will definitely go with that! Jotul doesn't seem to advertise much in the U.S.
The Jotul 602 is a great stove for small spaces. It heats up fast (no fire brick), it is simple and easy to control with the air intake in front and the glass stays nice and clean. The only drawback is a relatively short burn time. You should adjust the air intake on never versions to extend a burn time. I have a video on how to do that. czcams.com/video/VM24igIXAZU/video.html
I bought a second hand jøtul 602 for my man cave a few years ago it has a little damage to the rear right hand side but it works great I occasionally cook on it, I'm thinking about having one in my living room but need a smaller version could you advise me please all the best .
very interesting thanks
Being Italian I do not understand. Ninouoi hard between the two which should you buy? Jotul or vermont ? Thank you
I have one for years now great stove burned tons of wood great stove
This test is not conclusive as it was cut way too short. It should have been let ran until each stove cooled back down. What I see is the Vermont castings would have stayed hotter longer, without as large of a spike. This is what you want if you are using a stove as your primary heat source, not the big spike with the jotul. That being said your method with the wood and 15 min measurements was great. Would just love to see the test re-ran for the full burn duration of each stove
Thanks for your comment. The data shows that the Vermont will retain the heat longer after the fuel is consumed, for me there was no point to get more data points. A longer full length burn test would be great, but I sold the Vermont stove.
It would have been interesting to see how they perform through a full burn, because the Vermont casting is supposedly a 10 hour maximum. Your data seems to confirm that it produces a more gradual consumption of the fuel, with less spiking of the temperature. I'm happy to see this because I have a small home with an electrical backup system. I just bought an Aspen, thinking that it may be ideal due to the efficiency of the burn.
The Aspen definitely burns longer and keeps the heat more even. Well easiness firewood is more important on the Aspen as well. The Jotul 602 is much more forgiving at burning slightly green wood. Good luck with your Aspen 👍
Jotul clear winner.... now I want one.
So which stove do you like more?your leaving us hanging ,bro great video!
@@offgridsimplicity the 602 is great for cooking on. Especially because the plate on top gets hot quickly and evenly. That is because the secondary combustion chamber is directly below it.
The Vermont casting is better for the application. I’m pretty sure that loading the wood every 5 hrs is not better than loading every 6 hrs. The graph also showed a relative constant heat output. Not a huge spike in temp. The space is also small. There is no need for a stove that has most of the hot air going out the window.
That was great you the man
You did a great job with the comparison. I have an Aspen for about 20 years. When I first got it the stove, it burned a lot hotter than it does now. About 5 years back, did a complete rebuild of the stove and cleaned out the air ways and replaced the fire brick and grate. It still does not burn as hot as when I first got it. Cleaned the chimney every year. I noticed the Aspen you had was an olden unit and the jotul 602 was newer. Both stoves seem to not have the capacity to burn all night. I would think the Aspen would keep the room warm longer, say after 6 hours, because of the fire brick and cast iron, but the jotul 602 could keep the room warmer due to its higher burn temperature. Thanks for the comparison. Going to look at the mfg stats on how large a area both will heat. Still looking for the perfect small stove. Again you did a great job in the comparison.
Thanks for your comment! Actually I bought the Aspen brand new in 2020 and the Jotul was about 15 years old then. Both were U.S. models. I ended up returning the Aspen back to the dealer for full refund. It did not work for me at all. Another non catalytic wood stove that is bigger than the Jotul 602 is the Jotul F-35, I have one sitting here still in the crate. You may want to look at that one.
Thanks for you reply. I will look into the Jotul F-35. Keep up the good work.
I would have liked to see which stove lasted longest before allowing the cabin to drop back to starting point. Is the Jotul a rabbit compared to the VC turtle? Or is the Jotul an Energizer bunny outlasting the turtle?
I suppose extinguishing the fire at 02:30:00 and comparing the remaining mass and volume of coals would be something to check for.
Great, fascinating experiment. Wonderful controls. 👍🏼
I would have liked to measure that as well, but this test already took up a lot of time to conduct. I like your "rabbit", "turtle" analogy and since the Jotul 602 is much lighter in weight and does not have firebrick like the Aspen, I would say the Jotul is the "rabbit" and the Vermont Castings Aspen is the "Turtle".
I have tested and owned both versions of both stoves and I am recommending Jotul 602 (old or new version) over Vermont Castings Aspen for small cabin applications.
The Jotul looks like a newer stove. Could it be that the Vermont casting has lost some of it's "air-tightness" due to age? I had seen an online review on steel vs cast iron stoves, where the later tends to lose it's seal over time. Just a guess. Great comparison! I was considering a VC stove but will now also look at what Jotul has to offer.
My Vermont Aspen that I tested here had a new door gasket and I think it was in good working order. It just never seem to get enough air for a good, hot fire. I struggled with that thing for a while. I bought a brand new one at first, that thing never worked and I returned it to my dealer for full refund. I am not saying they are all bad, but I had two bad ones in a row…
I want the stove that burns the longest , longer burns equals longer sleep times.
That would be the Aspen.
Wow, spell check is kicking my butt. I meant to type “older video “ not “ loser video “. Lol
Another great video. Sorry, I put my comments for this video on your loser video. I was unable to see if the Vermont casting burned up all of the wood after 2 1/2 hours. What do you think these temperatures indicate about creosote building? Also what do you think about these temperatures in relationship to cooking on the stoves?
@@offgridsimplicity I can tell you for a fact that the Jotul 602 will NOT burn through the night. You may/might have some glowing coals in the morning but usually not. I think it will consume a decent load of firewood in about six hours, not eight.
By the way, the Jotul Black Bear [the next step up from the 602] is not listed for sale in North America any longer. Based on the EPA data from two and a half years ago - 2019 - it probably did not meet the EPA requirements for clean burning. The 602 consumes every bit of the wood and leaves very little ash relative to the size of the wood you put in.
My 602 CB will burn for 7-8 hrs. There’s a little trick to get longer burns. Rake all the coals forward, pack the stove tight with good dry hardwood, get going hot for about 10-15 min then shit the air down to low. It should burn front to back and leave some coals in the back after 7-8 hours for relight. I also like to use a flue thermometer to better know when to shut her down.
@@wobdeehomestead1464 Thanks. I don't usually pack it tight or push the coals around. I'll have to try this.
Love my Jotul’s. Had the bear in our last home. It was much larger than our home now. The 602 is perfect for our home now.
It may not burn though the night , but retains heat really well and easy to restart.
It would’ve been more interesting if you had continued making the measurements for at least two more hours.
Yeah more data is always better. If I recall correctly I think the wood was largely consumed and for me the data was largely predictable.
@@offgridsimplicity it was not clear to me. The Vermont castings may have continued on for several hours at a much warmer temperature than the Jotul.
I’m not sure what to make of your information.
It was a good test, but you didn't run it long enough. Should have been at least twice as long .
I watched the video a few times and thought it odd that you never really showed the VC interior fire, yet most always showed the J fire while approaching each stove for temp readings, and you also commented several tines on the J fire and said nothing about the VC fire. At the end, when you pulled the plug on the VC fire you never mentioned how much fuel was remaining, only saying in the comments that you recalled it being almost gone, whereas you definitely commented that all the J fuel was consumed. A much more scientific approach when have been to confirm that the fuel in the VC had been totally consumed, so now I am left guessing. Why did you do this? I would much rather have a stove that consumes fuel more efficiently and for a longer period of time than one that uses it up quickly, albeit hotter, forcing me to monitor its temp and regulate it's air intake, ie, babysit it, which gets tiring, to say the least... I have no dog in this fight and could care less if it's a VC or J, but I do not feel that you gave the VC a fair shake, and am suspect as to why you didn't film the VC fire (nor make comments either). Otherwise, it was an interesting video and I appreciate the effort you put into it. Thank you.
Would the VC have still been putting out heat at 240 minutes, while the J had given up the ghost? Jotul better for quick heat. We didn’t find out which is better for a long burn.
The main difference is in the weight of the furnace. Jotul has 80kg and Vermont Castings Asphen 120kg of cast iron. In fact, it is more about the plin and you have to warm up more mass. The wood pivot burns up to 500 ° C and emits a large amount of energy (CO + 02 = CO2). By having more mass Vermont Castings, it takes longer than it gets to optimal combustion. And then there is perfect burning. Jotul due to less weight and other primary air inlet, reaches this temperature faster. Furthermore, it is important to close the primary, because then the secondary air under the deflector enters the game and it is preheated. This greatly accelerates the rust temperature in the heating plant and achieves the optimum and the formation of secondary burning of wood gas. Finally, it is also important to what temperature the smoke gases have what the chimney leave. In principle, therefore, it depends on the operator's behavior and the flue gas thermometer helps. A lot of information is at www.hearth.com/talk/
That's not the "main" difference in the least.
The Aspen is self regulated with an internal spring coil "thermostat". When the stove is starting to get hot, the damper self regulates and shuts down reducing the air intake.
That is why it has a longer and "flatter" burn cycle.
It is the stove to get if you want an overnight burn with a smoother heat output.
Plus the Jotul has no firebrick and its metal heats up faster as a result.
Does anyone here have an idea if the Jotul 602 will burn all night. My impression here is that it definitely will not... Thanks.
It does not burn all night. Max burn time is 6h fully choked with Maple logs. Get up and fuel it at 4 am and you will stay warm : )
Thanks!@@offgridsimplicity
The Vermont has an automatic vent design, in the test it was set wide open, for me it was not tested as it should be, and this might have some effect on heating....thanks for the test though..
My Vermont does not burn at all unless the air intake is propped wide open. It would just die if left alone to its bimetal spring magic. Sorry... .
In our experience Jotul has been a complete disappointment to us in refusing to service our wood stove, that has an oxygen intake issue since it was installed by their distributor. They were very enthusiastic about taking our money(and much of it;) yet they've failed miserably to back their claims & promises, in refusing to service or to even attempt to investigate & determine what the problem is.
The're are surely reliable company's out there & products , up to nowJotul is & has proven not to be one of the honorable mentions.
Yet in all fairness, If there's a change of heart on their part? I'll definitely update this (as winter approaches).
Yet at this point it seems unlikely from them, i.e or from their distributor by there lack of concern & condesending tone & lack of support & professionalism. . .
What country are you in? What model is the wood stove? Air intake problem should be an easy fix. You may not need your installer or distributor you bought it from.
Thanks so much for asking!
We're in Canada & weve purchase a Cabarasset @t La Maison chaleur Comfort in Joliette Qc. I'm far from being very knowledgeable when it comes to these stoves but i have read books on rocket stoves and have experience with 3 other stoves. The intake problem to me seems to be be the pipe that after 3 ft vertical from the wood box; there is a 90' turn and then a horizontal length of about 5 feet in order for it to reach it's second 90' turn that passes through the wall outdoors. The only time that the stove burns we'll is when it's extremely hot and that zone air moves out of the chimney, but its nearby or right in the pipes thermostats danger zone reading and rising.
So there is know way that I know of, to control the heat or follow the Manuel's instructions (have tried several wood placement tactics) but it's necessary to put much more wood that recommended or is comfortable or safe without making sub par charcoal. We've also vacuumed the vents out with a shop vac as well as we can several times.
Jotul's corespondents answer to this is to ask you're chimney sweeper to figure it out and that it has been installed within conforms and regardless; were not taking responsibility. .
The 90 degree turns should not matter at all. My friend has a similar setup as yours and his burns well. Any type of dampener it thermostat could be the issue, make sure they run wide open for startup. There is a column of heavy, cold air in your chimney pipe that needs to be pushed out before it starts drafting properly. Leave the stove door cracked open too for the first 5 minutes to get a good fire going. Hopefully you will figure this out. Good luck!
Jotul 602 Eco is more like Aspen.
Dude, close the ashpit, you'll melt the stove😂😂😂
No self respecting wood stove would have a grate so 602 every time.