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Saturday, April 19, 2025
520 Heco Wood & Coal Cookstove
The Heco Elite by DS Manufacturing in Gordonville, PA. Heco wood burning cook stoves are the latest kitchen cook ranges available in the North American market.
The Heco product line of cooking and heating ranges displays the quality you expect from the Amish, with upgraded features to meet the demands of modern-day cooking.
- Description
- Specifications
- Photos (43)
- Pricing
- Extended Info
- Videos (17)
- Reviews (1)
- Add Review
This beautiful wood cook stove offers everything you would expect on an Amish heating stove, with a Limited Lifetime Warranty to boot! Designed to meet the demands of the modern day cooking.
The Elite HECO 520 & 420 Series cookstoves are designed to burn either Wood or Anthracite Coal.
Customization options for the 520 & 420 cookstoves include: three different stovetop styles, solid or glass doors, and warming shelf or warming closet.
Optional accessories for the 520 & 420 cookstoves are: summer grate, rear heat shield, 22 gallon stainless steel water reservoir, water coils, and floor protection mat.
As standard for the HECO cookstoves, each includes: DS hot air draft regulator, air wash control, easy-access cleanout, scraper / poker rod, and ashpan.
Enjoy a lifetime of reliable heating & cooking with a HECO cookstove from DS Stoves!
The 520 wood burning cook stove provides the oven cleanout located on the front of the stove for easy access cleaning, perfect for tight clearance applications.
-NOTE: When installing Duratech Double walled pipe on this stove it is possible that the pipe will hit the rear of the backsplash, causing the pipe to be tilted to the rear of the stove
Interested in using this stove to heat Domestic Hot Water? Check out the Vaughn Range Boiler for more information on setting up a Domestic Hot Water system.
Heco wood cookstoves are manufactured by the Amish in Lancaster County, PA - original Amish country.
The model 520 is a wood and coal burning cooking and heating range built to quality Amish standards with 18 gauge plate steel stove body, and 1/4" thick cooktop with reinforced steel frame. The 520 wood & coal burning stove with baking oven is designed with functionality, and ease of use in mind. The firebox door comes in either solid door, or a glass window with a large viewing area, so you can see a first class view of the blazing fire. The oven is also available with a solid insulated door or glass door option for the ability to view your baked goods without opening the door!
All Heco cook stoves meet WA State Standards. All Wood Burning Cook Stoves are currently EPA Exempt from regulations.
Obadiah's is the exclusive online retailer for Heco wood cook stoves.
Obadiah's has contributed various design ideas which have been collaborated into these wood burning cook ranges. This wood cookstove is sure to please all your heating, cooking, baking, and hot water needs. With upgrades options and styles to fit any style decor.
Heco wood cook stoves are made from American steel.
Features:
- Heating capability up to 2,500 sq. ft.
- External Shaker Handle (for coal burning)
- Automatic Thermostat Damper Control
- Ash Pan below Firebox
- Oven Cleanout located directly below Baking Oven
- Burn times up to 13 hours or more*
- Black porcelain enamel finish standard
- Large firebox with easy loading access
- (3) damper controls - Bypass Damper on Front, Airwash on Front, Thermostatic Damper control on rear
- Food Grade Porcelain Enamel Lined Oven
- Fully Removable Oven for Easy Cleaning
- Removable tray in bottom of oven for easy cleanup
- Secondary combustion system
- 1/4" Thick Steel Cook Top or Standard (3) Piece Removable Porcelain Cook Top
- 7" Round Flue
- Oven Thermometer
- Air tight firebox and oven doors
- (3) Stove Clean Outs - Front Oven Cleanout, Rear Sidewall Flash Cleanout, Rear Chimney Cleanout
- EPA Exempt (learn more here)
- Washington State Approved (learn more here)
- Limited Lifetime Warranty
*Depending on fuel quality and type of fuel being burnt.
Options:
- 22 Gallon Stainless Steel Water Reservoir
- Glass Firebox Door
- Glass Oven Door
- Stainless Steel Water Coil (For Domestic Hot Water Heating)
 The heco 520 Wood and Coal Burning Cookstove |
 Back splash and Shelf  Firebox View |
 Glass Oven Door |
 Glass Firebox Door |
 Thermostatic Damper Control |
 Hotwater Coil |
 Damper Control |
 Oven Cleanout |
Resources:
| 520 heco Wood and Coal Burning Cook Stove Product Specifications | |
| Overall Dimensions | 33.5” L x 51.5” W x 35.25” H |
| Floor to very top of Warming Oven | 66.375" |
| Floor to very top shelf of Warming Oven | 62.25" |
| Minimum Chimney height | 20' |
| Stove Top to bottom of Shelf or Warming Oven | 17" |
| Hearth Pad Requirements | 62” W x 48” D |
| Cooking Surface | 46.5” W x 21” D |
| Warming Shelf | 7" D x 37" W x 55.5" H |
| Back | 37" W x 20.25" H |
| Firebox Glass Viewing Area | 14 3/4"W x 8 /3/4"H |
| Oven Glass Viewing Area | 16"W x 10 3/4"H |
| Oven Dimensions | 21” D x 18” W x 13” H |
| Oven capacity | 2.84 cubic feet |
| Firebox Dimensions | 19” L x 16” W x 17” H |
| Firebox Size | 2.99 cubic feet |
| Log Length | 18.5" |
| Firebox Door | 16” W x 9.5” H |
| Approx. Burn Time | Up to 13 hours |
| Approx. Heating Area | 1,400 to 3,500 sq. ft. |
| Output | Up to 90,000 BTU/h |
| Fuel | Wood and Coal (Anthracite Coal Only) |
| Flue Outlet Size | 7" round |
| Water Reservoir Capacity (sold separately) | 22 gallons |
| Weight | 825 lbs. |
| Safety Tested to UL 1482 and CAN/ULC S627 | |
| Warranty | 5 Year |
| Clearances | |
| Unit to Left Wall | 18” / 457MM |
| Unit to Back Wall *from flue collar not from back of stove | 18” / 457MM |
| Unit to Back Wall w/ Heat Shield | 12" / 305MM |
| Unit to Right Wall | 12" / 305MM |
| Front | 48" / 1220MM |
| Unit to Ceiling | 36" / 915MM |
| Chimney Connection to Wall | 18" / 457MM |
| Corner Installation | 10" / 254MM |
| Flooring Protection | |
| Set the cookstove on a solid, noncombustible floor | |
| Use a code approved noncombustible floor board (Type 1 Board) | |
| The material must extend at least 16” in front of, 8” on either side of, in back of and underneath of the chimney connector |
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Cookstove
420 / 520heco Wood and Coal Cookstove
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Cook Range
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Cooking Range - Porcelain Enamel Finish
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Burning Cook Range - Backsplash and Shelf
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Burning Cook Stove - Glass Firebox Door
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Burning Cookstove - Firebox
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Fired Cook Stove - Oven Door Handle
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Cook Stove - Domestic Hot Water Coil
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Cook Range - Oven Clean Out Access
420 / 520heco Wood and Coal Cookstove
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Cook Range
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Cooking Range - Porcelain Enamel Finish
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Burning Cook Range - Backsplash and Shelf
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Burning Cook Stove - Glass Firebox Door
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Burning Cookstove - Firebox
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Fired Cook Stove - Oven Door Handle
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Cook Stove - Domestic Hot Water Coil
420 / 520 heco Wood and Coal Cook Range - Oven Clean Out Access
This product qualifies for free residential delivery with lift gate service within the lower 48 states (subject to location). A large freight truck (18-wheeler up to 60' long) is standard on all deliveries. If you need a smaller truck, please call our office (406) 300-1776 to request a smaller truck size. Note: an upcharge may apply for small trucks.
** Residential, curbside delivery via freight truck with a lift gate is included for shipping in the Continental U.S.A. (some exceptions may apply). Please inquire with our sales staff if you have specific shipping needs such as international, freight terminal and/or business deliveries or if you need a smaller truck size. Click here to see Obadiah's Shipping Terms.
Please call or email us today to order! One of our sales consultants will help you on your way to great, home wood-fired heating!
CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR NEWER WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN FIND PRICING AND MORE INFORMATION
Be sure to check out our newly improved Cookstove Community website cookstoves.net; the best place online to connect with other cookstove users over stoves, self-sufficient living, alternative energy, and more! Take a look at our selection of videos, articles, and photos, and be sure to visit the forums to connect with like-minded folks from all over.
If you are planning to cook with a cookstove, you will need to understand some basic fire safety. Remember, extinguishing a grease or oil fire with water is not a good idea.
Heco 420/520 Wood & Coal Cook Stove - Product Overview
Heco 420/520 Wood & Coal Cook Stove - First Burn
Heco Wood Cookstove Comparison - 420, 520, and Obadiah 2000 Cookstove
420 and 520 Heco Wood Cookstoves - The Firebox
Changes to Heco Cook Stoves
Heco Cookstoves - Options For Heco Cookstoves
Obadiah’s - Summer Kitchen Customer Review (Heco 420 Wood Cookstove)
Heco Wood Cook Stove – Cook Top Options
Shopping Wood Cook Stoves - Domestic Hot Water Wood Cookstoves
Shopping Cookstoves - What Wood Cook Stoves Have Water Reservoirs?
How to Easily Move a Heco Cookstove - Moving a Heavy Cook Stove
How to Operate your Heco Cook Stove - Damper Controls for Wood Cookstove
Heco Cook Stove - Heat Shield Option for the Heco Cookstove
The Heco Series Wood Cook Stove by DS Stoves
The 520 & 420 HECO Wood Cook Stove by DS Stoves
Heco Wood Cook Stoves - Features
Heco - 520 & 420 Three Panel Top Installation
Lotsa heat, In my case too much
November 5, 2021
Reviewer: Joe Thomas
Was going to buy the 420 but opted for the 520 for the bigger firebox. Mistake on my part. Our house is too small at 1500 sqft for this stove. Looking to buy the 420 and sell this one. Boy moving it in was a real task. This stove is built really well and weighs a ton. I doubled up the floor joyces underneath just to be safe. Used my tractor fork lifts to get it to the back porch door and then two floor jacks with blocks to move it. This thing rocks and if you have a big airy old farmhouse to heat, this one is for you. We choose to get the porcelain and the polished steel tops as an option. The black porcelain for non heating season for looks and the steel for cooking on during the cold months. Great quality and this thing puts mucho heat out. Creosote was minimal in the the Class 1 chimney but heavier in the single wall black pipe getting to it. Probably cause we damped it down too much because it was oversized for our house. Overall I would say it is the Cadillac of cookstoves after having using them for twenty plus years.
Best wood cookstove in the world. 5 year Review
November 11, 2020
Reviewer: hugh owens
Well we are starting our 4th or 5th year with our Heco 520. I replaced our Kitchen Queen we bought from Woody because I wanted a bigger cooking surface and oven and firebox glass doors. Our smaller kitchen Queen was excellent and the price was excellent.
I lived in rural Europe and became acquainted with a variety of wood and coal cookstoves, Scandanavian, English/Irish and German. They worked well but suffered from efficiency compared to their heatstove brethren. We have heated and cooked with wood in Wyoming for 46 years with both cookstoves and heating stoves. We currently have 2 heating stoves besides our Heco, both made by Pacific Energy. I have very high regard for that Canadian company and our small Spectrum model is without peer IMO. The Heco 520 puts out awesome amounts of BTUs and we have had to quiet it down a bit by installing extra firebrick to shrink the firebox and to keep the firebox side of the stove nearest a combustible surface much cooler. Our stove is surrounded by 800 lbs of rock and bricks which stores the heat very nicely. Not quite a masonry stove but good enough. There are two air supply channels. The primary comes from underneath in the back and has a bimetallic heat control dial to give ample air when starting and gradually closing as the stove gets hot to prevent over firing. This may take some adjustment to get it just right. When burning wood you may not need it open more than a crack after the stove hits its optimum temperature but plan on adjusting it initially. The other lever is a secondary air rod on the left of the firebox which provides air to the secondary SS tubes and the glass air wash. We normally leave it wide open, all the way out unless we are baking and need to cool down the oven. The glass stays amazingly clean if the stove is run hot enough but the door gaskets need to be perfectly tight for this to work well. The secondary air system is adequate but Our Pacific Energy stove is much better with an amazing swirl of flame and gasses but the Heco does pretty good. Our stove came designed for a 7" flue but that is an oddball size and we stuck with our existing 6" and put a reducer at the back of the stove after conferring with Woody and the crew. This would reduce the heat output a bit which we wanted to do anyway. It doesn't seem to smoke when opening the door. Remember our firebox is smaller so 6" is fine. Our only repairs to the stove have been the ceramic fireboard under the top which burned out. It was not covered under warranty and cost over $150 but was easy to pop in. I'll list the pros and cons now. Pros: It is a very Handsome stove in an Amish Buggy sort of way. The glass firebox is a joy as is our glass oven door. An interior light would have been nice and I may install one. The stove burns exceedingly clean. We inspect our flue annually and have never had to clean the flue after the first year. The chimney cap gets plugged however and needs annual cleaning. We had to lengthen our flue 4' to get better draft. . With these modern EPA stoves if you burn them hot the flues stay clean and I think chimney fires are a thing of the past if they are operated properly. The stove is easy to clean inside and out. We Easy Off the top porcelain occasionally. The back splash is nice and big and high and really contains grease splatters well. The 5/16" allen head machine screws attaching it to the top are difficult to access with insufficient clearances and I replaced them with hex head flanged SS machine screws. The oven cooks exceedingly well and we have added a variety of flat stone and tiles to moderate the expected hot spots adjacent to the smoke path and we easily bake 3 or 4 loaves at a time with excellent results especially if you rotate them once. I oven thermometer works very well and matches the other thermometers hanging from the shelves. It is easy to adjust the oven to get a useful 350-400 temperature and we can get it to 500 for Pizzas by adjusting the airflow. We preheat our domestic hot water with an array of copper pipes in the back near the flue. The water circulates by convection and we also have a pump which we use occasionally. The door and firebox gasket system is excellent unlike the poor design of one of our Pacific Enery stoves. Cons: The plane Jane Heco is not as pretty as some of the other cookstoves and this beast is HEAVY, 900 lbs plus and we had to install it with our large wheeled engine hoist.Pay attention to flue length. We have a lot of exterior exposed flue which gets very cold making it hard to start on subzero mornings so we sometimes have to preheat the interior flue with a heat gun. This wonderful stove will likely be a treasured heirloom. Finally, Woody and his family do a fine competent job and are a pleasure to deal with. Look no further.
I lived in rural Europe and became acquainted with a variety of wood and coal cookstoves, Scandanavian, English/Irish and German. They worked well but suffered from efficiency compared to their heatstove brethren. We have heated and cooked with wood in Wyoming for 46 years with both cookstoves and heating stoves. We currently have 2 heating stoves besides our Heco, both made by Pacific Energy. I have very high regard for that Canadian company and our small Spectrum model is without peer IMO. The Heco 520 puts out awesome amounts of BTUs and we have had to quiet it down a bit by installing extra firebrick to shrink the firebox and to keep the firebox side of the stove nearest a combustible surface much cooler. Our stove is surrounded by 800 lbs of rock and bricks which stores the heat very nicely. Not quite a masonry stove but good enough. There are two air supply channels. The primary comes from underneath in the back and has a bimetallic heat control dial to give ample air when starting and gradually closing as the stove gets hot to prevent over firing. This may take some adjustment to get it just right. When burning wood you may not need it open more than a crack after the stove hits its optimum temperature but plan on adjusting it initially. The other lever is a secondary air rod on the left of the firebox which provides air to the secondary SS tubes and the glass air wash. We normally leave it wide open, all the way out unless we are baking and need to cool down the oven. The glass stays amazingly clean if the stove is run hot enough but the door gaskets need to be perfectly tight for this to work well. The secondary air system is adequate but Our Pacific Energy stove is much better with an amazing swirl of flame and gasses but the Heco does pretty good. Our stove came designed for a 7" flue but that is an oddball size and we stuck with our existing 6" and put a reducer at the back of the stove after conferring with Woody and the crew. This would reduce the heat output a bit which we wanted to do anyway. It doesn't seem to smoke when opening the door. Remember our firebox is smaller so 6" is fine. Our only repairs to the stove have been the ceramic fireboard under the top which burned out. It was not covered under warranty and cost over $150 but was easy to pop in. I'll list the pros and cons now. Pros: It is a very Handsome stove in an Amish Buggy sort of way. The glass firebox is a joy as is our glass oven door. An interior light would have been nice and I may install one. The stove burns exceedingly clean. We inspect our flue annually and have never had to clean the flue after the first year. The chimney cap gets plugged however and needs annual cleaning. We had to lengthen our flue 4' to get better draft. . With these modern EPA stoves if you burn them hot the flues stay clean and I think chimney fires are a thing of the past if they are operated properly. The stove is easy to clean inside and out. We Easy Off the top porcelain occasionally. The back splash is nice and big and high and really contains grease splatters well. The 5/16" allen head machine screws attaching it to the top are difficult to access with insufficient clearances and I replaced them with hex head flanged SS machine screws. The oven cooks exceedingly well and we have added a variety of flat stone and tiles to moderate the expected hot spots adjacent to the smoke path and we easily bake 3 or 4 loaves at a time with excellent results especially if you rotate them once. I oven thermometer works very well and matches the other thermometers hanging from the shelves. It is easy to adjust the oven to get a useful 350-400 temperature and we can get it to 500 for Pizzas by adjusting the airflow. We preheat our domestic hot water with an array of copper pipes in the back near the flue. The water circulates by convection and we also have a pump which we use occasionally. The door and firebox gasket system is excellent unlike the poor design of one of our Pacific Enery stoves. Cons: The plane Jane Heco is not as pretty as some of the other cookstoves and this beast is HEAVY, 900 lbs plus and we had to install it with our large wheeled engine hoist.Pay attention to flue length. We have a lot of exterior exposed flue which gets very cold making it hard to start on subzero mornings so we sometimes have to preheat the interior flue with a heat gun. This wonderful stove will likely be a treasured heirloom. Finally, Woody and his family do a fine competent job and are a pleasure to deal with. Look no further.
extended review
February 21, 2020
Reviewer: Hugh 0wens
I recently made a brief review of the Heco 520 and shortly after realized a more detailed review might be more useful. Simply put, the Heco stoves are the best designed cookstoves in existence. I have heated our farmhouse and shop for almost 50 years in one of the coldest places in the country, NW Wyoming. This entire week nighttime lows have been -24 to -31 for example. We have two other stoves and we heat an area of over 4000 ft not including an attached garage but we have two Pacific Energy heating stoves as well which are used on cold nights. The structure is mostly log which has low R-value. WE have always cooked on wood stoves except in the summers. We have had some wonderful antique woodstoves such as the legendary Copper Clad and several others. We purchased a Kitchen Queen from Woody and Annette which was head and shoulders better than the antiques, We purchased the Heco 520 to get a bigger stove with glass doors and I was intrigued by the design. It has performed almost flawlessly for 4 years. It goes on in the fall and we stop using it in June and it runs oftentimes 24/7. It bakes very well and we bake 4 loaves every week. IT is warmer in the back of the oven and on the side facing the firebox and rotating the bread halfway through is sometimes necessary to get an even crust. The stovetop temperatures with a modest charge of dry wood quickly yield temperatures of 650-700 on the left fading to 350 on the right. The unique feature of thermostatic damper in the back allows good control of oven temperatures. You can adjust it to get Pizza Oven(500-700)to bread baking temperatures. We normally use it as a bakery oven and have it set so we get a pretty steady 350 which is the most useful temperature. Cookies bake perfectly, better than on our big propane stove, never burned on top or on the bottom. The construction and fit an finish are Mercedes quality. Door design with gaskets are fabulous and we have never replaced them. Cleanout is a breeze with most done from the front, unlike the Kitchen Queen. And others which are done from the sides or rear. Setback distances must be respected as this beast can put out a lot of heat. We used a 6” flue with a reducer at the stove because 7” flue pipe is an oddball size. It does reduce the output and you can get a little puff of smoke opening the door sometimes. I actually had to reduce the firebox size by adding additional 2” thick firebrick to the sides and back because it put out TOO MUCH heat. Firebox temperatures seem to have increased and they are often times blue. If you burn it hot the glass door stays clean The glass oven door is a plus but an electric light would be nice. There are a few cons to the Heco 520. It is extremely heavy almost 1000 lbs and we moved it with an engine hoist on wheels. We preheat our electric water heater with an array of ¾” copper pipe behind the stove powered by a small pump and it never gets hot enough to pose an explosion hazard even with the pump off. We had recent failure of a ceramic board over the secondary air tubes where the oven diverter flapper dropped down on the top. Over years it cracked it. I have fixed it by limiting the travel of the flapper with a hose clamp . Ceramic boards have a life but the left board still is perfect. The green enamel top and back require easy off cleaning from time to time especially with frying. The Hecos are not beautiful and resemble an Amish buggy. I would imagine these stoves are heirlooms which might last several lifetimes and with the coming deindustrialization of the world they will be an essential tool to cook and to be warm.
Heco 520
December 7, 2018
Reviewer: New Mexico Joe
I purchased the Heco 520 from Obadiah's In the fall of 2018. I have absolutely no regrets about purchasing this stove. With all the choices out there, I think we got the best stove for the money.
There are some things about the stove you should know. First and foremost it is an incredible heater. I was a little skeptical about the thermostatic damper control, but, I can tell you first hand that it is an amazing feature. The stove brings in air from the bottom rear. As the stove heats up this damper feature will slowly close. This is really nice if you are leaving the house after stoking your fire. There is nothing to worry about because the stove will not get hotter than what it is set for. That said you can always set the damper full open and burn it wide open (no real need to ever do this though).
I believe there have been design changes to the stove since Woody posted his videos. More specifically, the smoke path on my stove has a larger, more direct path to the chimney pipe (when not using the oven) than the one on Woody's video. This is a good thing. When the oven is engaged it works just as shown on the videos. I believe this change also has the effect of heating the surface of the stove more quickly. I will say that when I received my stove, this design difference confused me, and I wasn't sure if there had been a mistake made. But I can tell you it works and works well.
The stove itself is covered in sheet metal much like a modern oven. Some of the sheet metal is removable (like the side panels). This is what makes the stove much more attractive (my opinion) than other stoves like the Kitchen Queen. Make no mistake though, underneath the sheet metal is thick plate steel. If you buy this stove, you need to have a plan for moving it into its final location because it weighs a ton (well almost half a ton...)
Something else about the video...Woody likes to light his wood with a torch.
If you look closely at the video the smoke just pores out of the firebox when he does this (almost kept me from buying it). I light my stove with kindling stacked on top of those little fire starter bricks (cut in 1/4's) like you can find at Tractor Supply. The firebox is HUGE. With the rear damper open the fire catches like a forge receiving forced air and gets hot quickly. This is by far my favorite feature. To be honest, the stove will smoke some if you open the firebox door before the wood is caught, but what stove doesn't do that?
As far as cooking and baking goes, I am glad I purchased the porcelain top. It fits tight and there is no smoke. I also like the fact that when it comes to cleaning out the top of the stove I will have easy access. I know Heco is making some of these stoves with a solid polished steel surface that even have the round pull outs on the top if you want to use a wok. Again I think this was made possible by the design change. The oven thermometer on the door is useless. There is a 100-150 degree difference in what the thermometer reads and the actual temperature. Keep that in might before you bake that first batch of brownies. That said, I love the oven (slow cooked pot roast...yum).
I haven't had the stove long enough to worry about having to clean it, however, with the clean outs in the front and the removable top, it will be a cinch.
A couple of other things. We bought the glass firebox door. It stays relatively clean. We just keep the top air intake open all the time. The control for this is located on the left top side (if you are looking at the front).
My one criticism of the stove (you know there had to be at least one) is that it is designed with a shaker grate that allows ashes to sift into the ash pan, BUT, you can't use it if you are burning wood because you are required to put a plate in the bottom of the firebox otherwise the stove burns to hot (think voided warranty). So instead of using the shaker handle, you have to rake the ashes through a cut out in the bottom plate, or just shovel them out. Heco provided us an tool to rake the ashes through the slit in the plate, but I can't help wishing I could just shake them down using the shaker handle.
Like I said in the first paragraph, I love this stove and would without a doubt buy it again. I wanted to give a thorough review of it because, from what I could find, there wasn't much written about it from actually buyers.
There are some things about the stove you should know. First and foremost it is an incredible heater. I was a little skeptical about the thermostatic damper control, but, I can tell you first hand that it is an amazing feature. The stove brings in air from the bottom rear. As the stove heats up this damper feature will slowly close. This is really nice if you are leaving the house after stoking your fire. There is nothing to worry about because the stove will not get hotter than what it is set for. That said you can always set the damper full open and burn it wide open (no real need to ever do this though).
I believe there have been design changes to the stove since Woody posted his videos. More specifically, the smoke path on my stove has a larger, more direct path to the chimney pipe (when not using the oven) than the one on Woody's video. This is a good thing. When the oven is engaged it works just as shown on the videos. I believe this change also has the effect of heating the surface of the stove more quickly. I will say that when I received my stove, this design difference confused me, and I wasn't sure if there had been a mistake made. But I can tell you it works and works well.
The stove itself is covered in sheet metal much like a modern oven. Some of the sheet metal is removable (like the side panels). This is what makes the stove much more attractive (my opinion) than other stoves like the Kitchen Queen. Make no mistake though, underneath the sheet metal is thick plate steel. If you buy this stove, you need to have a plan for moving it into its final location because it weighs a ton (well almost half a ton...)
Something else about the video...Woody likes to light his wood with a torch.
If you look closely at the video the smoke just pores out of the firebox when he does this (almost kept me from buying it). I light my stove with kindling stacked on top of those little fire starter bricks (cut in 1/4's) like you can find at Tractor Supply. The firebox is HUGE. With the rear damper open the fire catches like a forge receiving forced air and gets hot quickly. This is by far my favorite feature. To be honest, the stove will smoke some if you open the firebox door before the wood is caught, but what stove doesn't do that?
As far as cooking and baking goes, I am glad I purchased the porcelain top. It fits tight and there is no smoke. I also like the fact that when it comes to cleaning out the top of the stove I will have easy access. I know Heco is making some of these stoves with a solid polished steel surface that even have the round pull outs on the top if you want to use a wok. Again I think this was made possible by the design change. The oven thermometer on the door is useless. There is a 100-150 degree difference in what the thermometer reads and the actual temperature. Keep that in might before you bake that first batch of brownies. That said, I love the oven (slow cooked pot roast...yum).
I haven't had the stove long enough to worry about having to clean it, however, with the clean outs in the front and the removable top, it will be a cinch.
A couple of other things. We bought the glass firebox door. It stays relatively clean. We just keep the top air intake open all the time. The control for this is located on the left top side (if you are looking at the front).
My one criticism of the stove (you know there had to be at least one) is that it is designed with a shaker grate that allows ashes to sift into the ash pan, BUT, you can't use it if you are burning wood because you are required to put a plate in the bottom of the firebox otherwise the stove burns to hot (think voided warranty). So instead of using the shaker handle, you have to rake the ashes through a cut out in the bottom plate, or just shovel them out. Heco provided us an tool to rake the ashes through the slit in the plate, but I can't help wishing I could just shake them down using the shaker handle.
Like I said in the first paragraph, I love this stove and would without a doubt buy it again. I wanted to give a thorough review of it because, from what I could find, there wasn't much written about it from actually buyers.