10 TOP Rated Wood Burning Stoves: Modern, Traditional, Small, Large, Cook Stoves…

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What is the best wood-burning stove?

We’ve had a wood stove in our home ever since we bought it and it runs for 8 months of the year. It heats the entire home very well (our visitors can find it uncomfortable), is a focal point of the room, and also is on a wet-back heating our hot water.

To top it off, it’s perfect for boiling water or cooking. When the power goes out, as seems to be happening more and more regularly, we are kept warm and we have a way to cook food and heat water.

Best Wood Stoves

Ashley Hearth Wood Stove

  • A range of different sizes
  • For 1200, 2000, 2500, 3200 sq ft homes
  • Basic affordable wood stoves that perfrom well
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Englander Wood Burning Stove

  • A solid affordable wood stove
  • For 2000 or 2400 sq ft homes
  • A popular model to buy online
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Drolet Wood Stove

  • Good for heating small homes and cabins
  • 75000 BTU heat output
  • Max log length 20", includes air deflector
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Another of the best options is a high-efficiency wood-burning stove by Timberwolf which we’ll start with below.

The EPA2100 can heat a 1,500-square-foot room, and the firebox can hold a piece of wood up to 16 inches long. Timberwolf is undoubtedly one of the most popular brands and a commonly found brand of stove.

Timberwolf has been operational since 1976 and was initially founded in Canada but has grown in availability in the United States.

What’s more, Timberwolf has various models, and each has different benefits.

1. Timberwolf EPA2100: Best Overall Affordable Wood Stove

best wood stoves

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Specs:

  • Heating BTU: 52,000
  • Heating area: 500 – 1500 square feet
  • Efficiency: 85%
  • Fuel: wood burning
  • Dimensions: 32″ high x 26″ wide x 22″ deep
  • Meets EPA 2020 standards: yes

As previously stated, the Timberwolf Wood Burning Stove EPA2100 is the best overall option for an affordable, basic wood stove.

With one of the best prices in the market, the EPA2100 will meet all of your wood-burning stove needs.

The stove boasts 52,000 max BTUs and has a heating capacity of about 1,500 square feet. What’s great is that this wood-burning stove can keep your home heated even in the most frigid temperatures.

The Timberwolf Wood Burning Stove EPA2100 offers one of the highest efficiency ratings at over eighty-five percent, which means that this stove helps you get the most warmth from your wood.

Furthermore, Timberwolf offers stoves in varying sizes that make selecting the best option for your space easy. Additionally, you can fit the stove with both legs or a pedestal, which best suits your previously established home decor.

Other additions to this stove include an ash pan or blower so that you can customize this stove to your liking. As an aside, wood stove ash has many uses.

Pros:

  • One of the cheapest wood stoves
  • Looks good in most settings
  • Really high user reviews
  • 5-year firebox warranty
  • Great for heating efficiently

Cons:

  • It’s cheap, so it doesn’t have the best of the best componentry
  • Door latch is a bit flimsy

2. Nova Wood Burning Stove Tower: Best For Built-In Wood Storage

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Specs:

  • Heating BTU: 50,000 max
  • Heating area: 500 – 1400 square feet
  • Fuel: wood burning stove
  • Dimensions: 43″ high  x 20″ wide x 22.5″ deep
  • Meets EPA 2020 standards: yes

The Nova Wood Burning Stove Tower is the best option for built-in wood storage.

With an opening under the firebox for wood stacking, this stove offers not only exceptional wood-burning efficiency but also provides a readily available stash of wood.

The stove is more vertical than others on the list and offers a sleek design that allows firewood to be close at hand while the furnace is in use.

If your home tends to be more modern in design, this contemporary modern wood-burning stove will be an excellent accent piece because of its simplicity.

Furthermore, it appeals to modern homeowners because of the sensors it uses to work with the Catalyst Smart App, which provides heat level information and safety updates directly to your smartphone.

The Nova Tower is 43 inches in height, with the actual firebox comprising 24 inches of that total, demonstrating the amount of available storage space.

Additionally, the Nova 2 Tower is slightly smaller but offers the same percentage of storage compared to the stove.

What’s interesting for homeowners is that this stove is a qualified appliance for a federal tax credit of approximately twenty-five percent!

Pros:

  • A stylish, unique look
  • Rear venting
  • Fits standard 6″ chimney connector
  • Exceeds 2020 EPA standards
  • Don’t have to bend down to load wood

Cons:

  • Not cheap
  • Not for large areas

Bonus Find: Nova Wood Stove

The Nova Wood Stove is a high-quality option for wood burning.

This version does not include the built-in storage but offers all of the other highlights and benefits of the Nova brand. The Nova Wood Stove produces the most heat for the comparable use of wood that is burning within the box.

3. Ashley Hearth AW3200E-P

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Specs:

  • Heating BTU: 89,000 max
  • Heating area: up to 2000 square feet
  • Dimensions: 43″ high  x 20″ wide x 22.5″ deep
  • Meets EPA 2020 standards: yes

The Ashley Hearth AW3200E-P offers a heavy, traditional look and is an excellent option for wood-burning stoves at the $2500 price point.

Specifically, the Ashley Hearth Pedestal Wood Burning Stove is exceedingly sturdy and can hold up to thirty pounds of wood!

While it has the traditional look and feel of an old-fashioned stove, it weighs about 375 pounds, so ways to move the furnace should be considered when purchasing this wood-burning stove.

Notably, this stove can heat up to 3,200 square feet and emit warmth in the space for several hours.

The Ashley Hearth Pedestal Wood Burning Stove is also a beautiful addition to any home or living room, but more importantly, it is an effective heating source.

The ceramic glass window consolidated within the firebox allows you to enjoy viewing the burning logs while protected behind the safety glass.

Cleanup from a fire is easy since the stove has a large ash pan with a smooth brushed nickel handle, adding a bit of aesthetic flair to the product.

If you are most interested in adding that certain je ne sais quoi to your home via a wood-burning stove, then the Ashley Hearth product is your best option, specifically the Pedestal Wood Burning Stove.

Check out the entire Ashley Stove range here.

Pros:

  • Great for larger areas
  • Takes larger logs
  • Easy to use and work with
  • Suitable for mobile homes

Cons:

  • Wood capacity isn’t great
  • Ash falls out when opening the door
  • Not the most efficient

4. Drolet Austral: For 90,000 BTUs

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Specs:

  • Heating BTU: 90,000 max
  • Heating area: up to 2300 square feet
  • Dimensions: 41″ high  x 29″ wide x 34″ deep (double-check if important as dimensions vary from retailer to retailer)
  • Meets EPA 2020 standards: yes

Drolet products are high quality for a variety of wood-burning stove needs.

Specifically, the Drolet Austral is an excellent value and can be delivered without charge. In combustion quality, warming efficiency, and construction, very few other Drolet stoves can defeat them.

The Austral III wood stove is a medium-sized stove perfect for warming areas up to 2,300 square feet.

Furthermore, this small but mighty stove offers a maximum heat output of 90,000 BTU.

The Austral III is outfitted with side panels to lessen clearings to flammable materials and an air deflector to increase air movement within the space.

This stove comes with cast iron legs, an ash drawer, ceramic glass, side panels, and an air damper. If this is your first wood-burning stove, this is a good choice for novices.

Rated for use in mobile homes and alcoves.

Pros:

  • Made in Canada
  • Lifetime warranty (limited)
  • Puts out a ton of heat
  • Tough steel construction

Cons:

  • Not ultra-unique or stylish

Bonus Find: Drolet Columbia Wood Stove

The Drolet Columbia Wood Stove is another dynamic model of the family because it has a 77 percent optimal efficiency.

Furthermore, it requires fewer logs to produce a sustainable and lasting amount of heat for your space. Finally, the particulate and CO emission rates are comparatively low.

5. Ventis HES240 Wood Burning Stove: Best for Energy Savings

indoor wood burning stove

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Specs:

  • Heating BTU: 75,000 max
  • Heating area: up to 2100 square feet
  • Dimensions: 32″ high  x 26″ wide x 26″ deep
  • Meets EPA 2020 standards: yes
  • *Also for sale on Ebay

The Ventis HES240 Wood Burning Stove is produced in one of the USA’s largest wood stove manufacturing facilities and is a great wood burner.

It also is covered by a limited lifetime warranty.

Its simple design makes it a perfect addition to any home, no matter the decor.

The Ventis HES240 Wood Burning Stove will decrease your gas and electric bills because you will derive heat from a fire rather than an outlet.

You can watch the fire as it burns through a large ceramic glass window in the front of the stove.

This wood-burning stove heats up to 2,100 square feet of a home and is 77 percent efficient in wood burning. The maximum burn time for this stove is about eight hours and can hold logs up to twenty inches in length.

Pros:

  • Large firebox volume
  • Mobile home approved
  • Made in the US

Cons:

  • Blower not included

6. Buck Stove Model 21: Best For Heating Smaller Homes

cast iron wood stove

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Specs:

  • Heating BTU: 41,000 max
  • Heating area: up to 1800 square feet
  • Dimensions: 20″ high  x 22″ wide x 18″ deep
  • Meets EPA 2020 standards: yes

The Buck Stove Model 21 is an economic region heating stove insert exceedingly apt at heating smaller homes.

What’s more, the Model 21 is easily fitted into an existing fireplace with an available face-plate kit. Furthermore, it can be used as a stand-alone stove by purchasing a leg kit from the manufacturer.

The Buck Stove Model 21 produces 41,200 BTUs and warms up to 1,800 square feet. If choosing to use this stove as a freestanding warming source, its dimensions are 29 1/4 inches in height, 23 3/8 inches wide, and 18 1/2 inches in depth.

It is a cube shape, so to ensure your space has enough room to fit comfortably, you will need a hearth that is at least 48 inches by 48 inches.

Not only is this stove great for small homes, but it is also approved for usage inside mobile homes!

If you live in a mobile home, installing this stove requires an outside air pedestal or outside air kit.

The stove manufacturer, Buck Stove, has been in the business for forty-four years and is considered by many to be an elite stove manufacturing company.

Buck Stove is located near the mountains in North Carolina, so that weather has affected their design and desire to keep homes comfortable and warm.

Check out our best small wood burning stove round-up for more options for tiny homes, mobile homes, boats, and other small spaces.

Pros:

  • Great for small areas
  • Mobile and prefab home approved
  • Includes blower kit
  • Made in the USA
  • Reasonably priced
  • Simple design

Cons:

  • Very small

7. Vermont Bun Baker 750 Wood Cook Stove: Best for Cooking

soapstone wood stove

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Specs:

  • Heating BTU: 30,000 max
  • Heating area: under 1,500 square feet
  • Dimensions: 34″ high  x 24″ wide x 21″ deep
  • Efficiency rating: 78%

The Vermont Bun Baker 750 Wood Stove is an unprecedented and valuable addition to any home.

The Bun Baker is versatile and naturally elegant because of the soapstone that surrounds the stove. This feature is lovely but also is effective at holding heat for a more extended period (more about soapstone wood stoves here).

What’s more, you can use this wood-burning stove for baking, broiling, or cooking.

Logs up to 14 inches long can fit into this charming stove.

The Vermont Bun Baker 750 Wood Cook Stove effectively provides warmth throughout a given space. Still, it is also a visually appealing unit that allows its owner to bake bread buns and much more!

This stove is easy to use and great for those looking to add some rustic atmosphere to their home or kitchen.

Furthermore, this wood stove is cast iron, so it is long-lasting. Cast iron is a great material for all sorts of fire and cooking equipment – one of our favorite uses is in these top-quality cast iron fire bowls.

The Bun Baker provides up to 30,000 BTUs per hour in addition to being an effective cooktop. This version is about 13x11x15, but check out our bonus find!

Pros:

  • Great for cooking
  • Oven and cooktop
  • Looks awesome

Cons:

  • Doesn’t put out a lot of heat

Bonus Find: Offered in Various Sizes 

Depending on your needs and budget, the Bun Baker stoves come in various sizes, from the Bun Baker XL to the Bun Baker 1200.

If a functional wood-burning stove is your ultimate aim, then looking at some different sizes might be an excellent option for you!

What’s more, the manufacturer also offers a soapstone baking deck and a matching hearth so that you can streamline the appearance of your Bun Baker and its effectiveness as a warming mechanism.

Check out our complete Vermont Bun Baker Wood Stove review here for all the info, or the Pioneer Princess Cookstove review for another option altogether.

8. Guide Gear Outdoor Wood Stove: Best for Outdoors

best outdoor fireplace for camping

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Specs:

  • Heating BTU: No BTU rating
  • Heating area: outside wood stove
  • Dimensions: 20″ high  x 11″ wide x 13″ deep

If you enjoy camping and backyard parties or you have a recreational or living vehicle that traverses the county, then this Guide Gear Outdoor Wood Stove will be a great fit for all of your needs.

That is if you wouldn’t prefer something like a portable propane fire pit.

All users need to add to this stove is the wood fuel to start the fire.

The stove is built from cast iron and has a high-temperature finish to protect the furnace from everyday use and wear and tear. The external hinged door is composed of cast iron, and it includes vents that help to regular and control the fire.

The Guide Gear Outdoor Wood Stove is built to last for years to come and to provide warmth to friends and family.

Additionally, this outdoor wood stove functions as both a heater and a cooking stove. It is ideal for a camping set-up because it keeps coffee pots or cooking pans hot – it can even bring water to a boil!

While traveling or moving, this type of wood-burning stove might logistically seem impractical; the Guide Gear stove is exceedingly portable. Not as portable as the Firebox Stove or a small charcoal grill, mind you.

The legs detach, and the pipes fold so the entire stove fits inside for comfortable storage and smooth transportation.

At 12 inches wide and weighs in at 47 pounds, this relatively small yet affordable outdoor wood-burning stove will keep you cozy while camping, lounging, or traveling.

Pros:

  • Strong cast iron wood stove
  • Easy to transport
  • Creates an atmosphere while outside
  • Works well

Cons:

  • Can be difficult to put together and take apart
  • Reports of dangerous defects

9. Cast-Iron Logwood Stove: Best for Vintage Vibes

us stove small log burner

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Specs:

  • Heating BTU: 54,000 BTUs
  • Heating area: 900 square feet
  • Dimensions: 33″ high  x 22″ wide x 25″ deep

If you are interested in the vintage, farmhouse, or cottage-core look, then this is the best wood-burning stove for you.

This cast-iron wood-burning stove blends perfectly with the vibe of a log cabin.

Notably, the Cast-Iron Logwood Stove by the US Stove Company is intended for smaller spaces; the stove can heat about 900 square feet.

Whether you have spotted this type of wood-burning stove on Pinterest or have always dreamed of creating a cabin-style escape in your own home, this Cast-Iron Logwood Stove is an excellent option for you!

The stove is a rustic, built-to-last, cast-iron-formed wood stove perfect for those who enjoy the outdoors or simply those who have a more nostalgic identity.

Mainly, if you want to purchase a reliable, cost-efficient method of heating a small space or cavern, this is the best option for your heating needs.

The interior of this traditionally rugged exterior is a contemporary EPA-certified stove affording a clean-burning heating solution. It is ideal for garages and workmans’ shops. The durability of this wood-burning stove is unmatched.

Additionally, the top can be used as a cooking surface!

Cooking atop a wood-burning stove can be an exciting adventure and can take you back in time. Using conducted heat to cook breakfast, lunch, or dinner is fun to use a wood-burning stove and engage with the entire family.

Especially if you are vacationing in a cabin away from the amenities of a traditional kitchen, this stove can function as a heating and cooking source.

Pros:

  • Cooktop
  • Unique style
  • Heavy duty cast iron
  • Very affordable
  • Good for cabins

Cons:

  • Bad for back drafts
  • Door design isn’t great

10. Pleasant Hearth Stove: Home Depot Wood Stove

wood stove reviews

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Specs:

  • Heating BTU: 65,000 max
  • Heating area: 1800 square feet
  • Meets EPA 2020 standards: yes

The Pleasant Hearth Wood-Burning Stove is certified by the Environmental Protection Agency and offers a more than 85 percent efficiency rating.

Furthermore, because the stove is available in various sizes, customers can select which size best fits their home and heating needs.

Pleasant Hearth’s non-catalytic wood-burning stoves heat homes by a highly effective and valuable method. Every wood stove in the Pleasant Hearth line is EPA certified and boasts an over eighty percent efficiency score.

The wood stoves are stylish, high efficiency, and comparatively more environmentally friendly than the traditional catalytic wood-burning stoves.

From smaller-sized rooms of 1,200 square feet to larger rooms up to 2,200 square feet, one of the Pleasant Hearth stove options will fit your needs.

With the massive visual appeal, these wood stoves stand out in any room and can add to the room’s decor, meaning that gathering around the fire becomes a favorite place for family and friends.

Pros:

  • Range of sizes
  • Very affordable
  • Plenty of good reviews

Cons:

  • Not the most efficient

Variations Of Efficiency And Heat Output

best wood stove for cooking

It can be confusing to purchase a new wood-burning stove because there are various aspects to consider.

This includes:

  • Efficiency
  • Heat output
  • Desired features
  • Design
  • Cost/ease of installation

For instance, current stoves are about thirty-five percent more effective than an older-style, conventional stove used decades ago.

Nevertheless, as a potential buyer reads and researches manufacturer’s brochures, it becomes apparent that each type of wood-burning stove has different ratings on heat production, the area, measured in square footage, of the heating space, and the length of the burn time.

Ratings can help a buyer decide which stove is the best fit for their needs. Still, because there is no consistency between manufacturers on the definition of ratings, it is impossible to standardize the process for comparison.

The Cubic Grizzly Wood Stove is one of the best options for RVs, tiny homes, and other small spaces.

Finalizing Your Selection

When hunting for the most desirable wood-burning stoves, consumers should study the primary options and evaluation procedures.

Buying a new stove should undoubtedly work within a delineable budget, but monetary limits do not have to dictate your ultimate selection.

Many of the most popular brands have different options and various sizes to make sure you can find exactly what you may be looking for to purchase.

As you review ratings to finalize your decision, be sure to compare and understand what each number might mean across different manufacturers.

Generally, it is a good practice to base your determination on numbers as a combination, alongside overall appearance, personal choice, guidance by a reputable dealer, and reviews submitted by other users.

A wood-burning stove dealer can help you consider all available options and help navigate the giant sphere of particular products.

Choosing the best wood stove can change based on your precise requirements and expectations.

However, after reviewing rating and overlaying with needs and budgets, installing and enjoying your wood-burning stove will make all of the hassle of selection worthwhile.

How Efficient Are Wood Burning Stoves?

Contemporary wood-burning stoves perform much more efficiently than traditional fireplaces.

Environmental Protection Agency-approved wood stoves have wonderfully low emissions and are incredibly energy-efficient, resulting in a nearly twice as efficient stove as a conventional fireplace.

These agency models are at about sixty percent effective; however, some models have up to an eighty percent efficiency rate, a noteworthy development over years of past unsophisticated, non-certified models, usually having only a fifty percent or lower efficiency rate.

In short, for the most efficient stove, seek out an EPA-approved choice.

Find out how hot a wood stove gets here.

Is Wood A Sustainable Fuel Resource?

Wood is an entirely renewable resource.

Fossil fuels, like natural gas, are limited in supply and are substantial resources. Consuming fossil fuels at a rapid rate will expedite depletion.

The same goes for coal-burning stoves.

Wood is a renewable resource, so it will never run out if appropriate forestry systems are positioned.

Notably, in the United States, sustainable forestry work is at an all-time high because the United States Forestry Service requires that those who harvest wood plant more trees than they remove.

Therefore, even if you plan to spend money to purchase wood rather than harvest natural fuel yourself, you can take comfort in knowing that your home heating method does not contribute to environmental harm.

But, if you choose to purchase wood rather than harvest it, consider purchasing it from a local timber mill, farm, or grocery store. Local lumber purveyors have a stake in the environment around them.

They are more motivated to use eco-friendly harvesting and milling efforts to ensure the success of future growing seasons.

Can Wood-Burning Stoves Help Conserve Energy?

Wood-burning stoves assist in conserving energy because heating the wood and creating fire is less expensive than relying on electricity, oil, fossil fuels, or other natural gases.

A stove can reduce energy costs by up to forty percent even if you choose a hybrid method of heating that would utilize a wood-burning stove in select rooms.

Meaning that if your traditional heating bill via electricity is around $100, using heating from a wood-burning stove could reduce your cost by nearly half!

Again, look to those wood-burning stoves that are EPA approved for more information regarding environmental energy concerns, but also take comfort in knowing that if a furnace is certified, it has met rigorous quality standards.

Outdoor fireplaces are another story, of course.

Wood Burning Stove Review

Wood-burning stoves are built in different styles that span traditional to contemporary.

Most are made of cast iron, steel, metal, tile, or a combination of those materials. Lots of the newer models prioritize viewing the burning logs and having windows for protection and aesthetic needs.

The best one for you will also depend on your space.

A small option like the Dwarf wood stove or Pipsqueak stove might suit those in cabins, RVs, or tiny homes, but not for those in regular-sized homes.

Other conveniences with modern models include removable ash disposal pans, insulated handles, thermostats, and air circulators.

Today’s wood-burning stoves combine vintage comfort with modern technology to deliver an efficient, aesthetically pleasing, and cozy experience for homeowners, party hosts, and vacationers.

Researching which wood-burning stove is now made easy by this extensive review of which types of wood-burning stoves are best for every kind of whim and fancy.

Warming your home and incorporating exciting decor can both be accomplished by purchasing a new stove. Add some fiery flare to your home, and consider installing a wood-burning stove.

Alternatively, consider a corner electric fireplace (though they don’t compare, do they?).

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6 thoughts on “10 TOP Rated Wood Burning Stoves: Modern, Traditional, Small, Large, Cook Stoves…”

  1. You’re stupid if you don’t have a word stove on cold climates. You can’t trust or be dependant in the grid, outages are becoming more frequent and deadly. Wood stoves are multi purpose appliances that can save your life as we saw in some states in 2021.

    Reply
    • Exactly why I’m here mate. Want something that will heat well and also good to cook on and in. The cookstove here too expensive. What do you recommend?

      Reply
  2. Those small cast iron stoves sold on Amazon, Walmart, Lowes, and Home Depot aren’t that good. They don’t draw smoke well. I have one in a cabin and it’s never worked great despite trying everything. Wish I’d got the Dwarf stove.

    Reply
  3. Where can I find good unique wood stoves? Other than the Vermont Baker Oven they’re all a bit boring. I want something that is more exciting if you know what I mean…

    Reply
    • Really depends on your location, size of your home, budget, and a million other things! A heater will be better for some, while a wood stove better for others. Generally speaking, a wood stove is better. It creates a hotter drier heat that tends to spread through the house to a greater extent. Heaters are good for mild climates or during that part of the year when it’s not so cold.

      Reply

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