- What's up guys, it's Trevor
with Embers Fireplaces.
Let me tell you, it's tough getting
all five of these stoves together.
This is the 2020 lineup
for Vermont Castings.
We got all five models, all five colors.
Let's go.
(upbeat music)
Okay, so here's the lineup for 2020.
If you guys are familiar with wood stoves,
wood burning stoves at all,
you know that in May of this year,
new emission standards went into effect
and the emission standard was so low,
it disrupted the entire wood stove market.
I know you guys out there,
you're following the wood
stove market like crazy,
it's right up there with the regular news,
you want to know what's going on
in the wood market industry.
Now, I'm not that interesting,
but for those of you that are
interested in the wood stove,
it was kind of a big deal.
And so, a lot of
manufacturers had to R and D,
redesign their products to try to pass
that lower emission standards,
which ultimately allows for
cleaner burning products.
So, they had to make some
changes to the current lineup.
They also came out with a
new model, the Dauntless,
which is right here,
we'll include a link
for that specific video
if you want to see a specific
video on the new model.
We'll give you a quick run
through of all the models,
tell you what we like, what
we don't like about them.
So, let's start with the Aspen here.
So, the Aspen is the most
different out of the five,
the most radically different.
So, it has a totally different design
compared to the other four.
The other four have very,
very similar design.
So, let's talk about it.
You can see it's the smallest,
but it's also the
narrowest or the deepest,
I should say this way.
You're gonna load your wood in long ways.
The one thing with this, guys,
is it comes in only the classic black.
So, this is just your cat classic standard
black cast iron look.
And then like I said,
you're gonna load your
wood long ways here,
give you a look inside.
Can you get a closeup shot inside there?
Nothing really to look at.
You can see you got your
insulation blanket up here.
That's gonna allow for
re-burns and longer burn times.
Door handle hinge right here.
So you can see this baby's
just gonna lock you in,
get you a nice and airtight
and your little baby ash up.
It's a pretty cute little stove.
Pretty cute, pretty cute.
So anyways, what I did is got a log
because the amount of square footage
that you're gonna heat is important.
So obviously, this unit is designed
for small install spaces,
a place where you don't have a
lot of room for a wood stove.
It will heat up to 1200 square feet,
but sometimes what's more
important than room size
is how big of a log you
can fit in your wood stove.
So, you may have already a
bunch of cords of wood at home,
and it's cut to a certain length.
So, you want to make sure
that they're gonna fit within the stove.
So this is a pretty
standard size, 16-inch log.
So let's see from a
practicality standpoint
if this is gonna fit,
so you're gonna load your wood long ways.
Oh yeah, we got plenty of room to spare.
So that's what's nice about this
is even though it's small and petite,
it holds a 16-inch log
pretty easily, which is nice.
So, that sort of front to
back design is pretty handy.
Does come only in black.
And then this is kind of cool.
This top plate here, you look at this,
you can get a ceramic plate
that sits on top of this
for a cooktop, which is kind of neat.
And then it does have its own
thermostatic air controls.
So you don't have to mess
with the air control at all.
You basically are gonna
want to heat up your stove
with the door open, then like
this, then fully close it.
The stove will take care of the rest.
So, pretty simple and easy to use.
Let's move on to the Intrepid.
So, here's the Intrepid.
So again, we go up in size as far
as the amount of square
footage that we can heat.
So, this will do up to 1800 square feet.
The Intrepid is also very, very popular
for small install settings.
So you can see it's not a whole
lot bigger than the Aspen,
but instead of that front to back design,
we sort of have a left to right design
and just a different aesthetic look.
When we go to the
Intrepid from here on up,
you can order the warming
shelves as an accessory
that we have here.
And then also from the Intrepid on up,
you can do the full color range.
So, this is the majolica
brown, pretty popular color.
Again, it's a nice porcelain finish.
What I like about it is you
can see like fingerprints
and stuff on it here.
When you have this smooth finish
versus the rough cast iron,
it cleans really easy.
The downside is it can chip a
little more easy too though.
So the features of these
stoves are several.
The most popular being,
you can see we have them lifted up here,
is the top-load feature.
So, Vermont Castings is
one of the only stoves
I've seen that allows
for a top-load feature,
which is really handy so
you don't have to get down
all the time when you're
loading your wood.
Other thing is the flu
collar is reversible.
So, if you want to flip this backwards
and let's say you're putting it out
in front of an old fireplace,
you need to go out or horizontal
and then up the chimney,
you can do that.
And it's so short,
it's pretty conducive
for an install like that.
Now, as far as the technology in here,
it's using a FlexBurn
technology, what does that mean?
Well, catalytic combustor is not standard.
You can see over here, check this out.
Here is our bypass.
So, we're gonna open and close it.
So, what that bypass does is if you choose
to purchase the catalytic
feature, you put that in there,
it's gonna allow for more efficiency.
Now, this stove is so efficient,
it doesn't need it standard,
but if you want it even longer burn times
and more efficiency, you could
get the catalytic upgrade.
There's a lot of stigma out there
on catalytic versus
non-catalytic, I'll include a link
if you want to know the
differences between the two.
People think that they're unreliable,
they don't last, things like that.
And that is true in the sense
if you don't know how to use them.
What do I mean by that?
Well, if you're burning a lot
of trash, glossy newspaper,
pallet wood, if you're not burning
good, seasoned, dried hardwood,
your catalytic will fail
because it's gonna gunk up.
They're hard to clean.
You're gonna scrape off all
the precious metals on there.
So, they're not gonna work quite as good
as some other features.
So, that's sort of the little
spiel on catalytic combustors,
whether you should or shouldn't have one,
it is an option on here.
That's why it's called the FlexBurn.
It's not required, but you
can order one if you want.
Because it's already designed for it,
I figured why the heck not?
You might as well get one and try
and get the longer burn times out of it.
Have it be more efficient.
All right, and then a
cool little feature here.
You can see this stove.
Come in here, Tate so we can show you.
I mean, it is solid cast.
You got these cast iron, end irons,
and then what's pretty slick here
is you have cast iron
grate with air slots in it.
So, that's gonna help with airflow.
A couple of things help with airflow.
Then down below, that's where
our ash is gonna drop out of.
So, you got this cute little ash door,
little baby ash door,
kind of nice, oh, pinched my finger.
Gotta be careful.
And then you use this
little handle to open
and close the doors.
You can close the doors like that.
So now, let's do the test.
16-inch log.
Ah, you don't have to load it like that,
but if this was hot, be kind of tough,
but it technically fits in here.
16-inch log.
Come look at that, Tate.
So, you can get a 16 inch log in here.
You just have to be a little careful
with how you're dropping it in.
And let's try out through the front door.
We tried the back door.
Let's try the front door.
All right, let's see if it fits.
Again, you can do it.
But when this thing's
ripping, blazing hot,
you have to have yourself
a good pair of heat gloves.
So technically, fits a 16-inch log,
although not the best for it.
So also too, if you wanted to
get these to fit in easier,
you could just pop these end irons out.
Although I suppose when it's in there,
they do kind of keep your
wood from falling forward,
which is kind of nice.
Stuck.
Okay, let's move on to the Dauntless.
So, the Dauntless pretty much
has the exact same design
as the Intrepid.
So, I'm not gonna go over a
ton of the features there,
but your air control's
in a different spot.
So, it's gonna be right here.
I don't know if you can
hear that clicking or not,
but what that means is the air control
is automatically controlled.
So, there's essentially
a spring coil in there.
And as that coil heats up and gets hot,
it's gonna self-close that air shutter.
So, when that air shutter closes,
it's gonna restrict your air flow.
So, what's really cool about that
is you can sort of set it and forget it
and you don't have to
worry about anything.
Now, this guy heats up
to 2000 square feet.
So it'll heat 200 square
feet more than the Intrepid,
not substantially more.
And you can see side by
side, not a whole lot bigger.
So, I wouldn't say it's more cumbersome.
Also too, this is the twilight finish
so come get a close up of this, Tate.
So the twilight, depending
on your eyesight,
I kind of think it has more
of like a bluish tint to it,
but you can see it doesn't
have the same shine
as the porcelain, but it's
also not a matte finish either.
It's almost like an egg shell.
So, I do think it will clean easier
than the regular stainless,
but if you're not into the
super, super shiny look,
the eggshell or the
twilight's pretty cool finish.
Alright, let's do our log test here.
16-inch top-load, piece of cake.
Let's try from the front.
Even with our end irons in.
So I'm gonna say like
if you have the space
for the Dauntless and all
the wood that you cut,
if the logs are a little bit larger
and you don't have to worry
about re-splitting them
for the Intrepid, you
could get the Dauntless.
Because again, it's not
much bigger of a footprint
and you don't always have
to build a huge fire.
You don't have to have it
ripping up to 2000 square feet
all the time.
Okay, so this is the Encore.
Now, the Encore size historically
has always been our best seller.
I do think the Dauntless will
eat into that a little bit
now that they've released the Dauntless.
I just don't like the name.
I don't like saying it, but
that's besides the point.
So, this is the Encore,
bestseller to 2200 square feet.
So you kind of see we're going in
200 square foot increments here.
You notice right away the red color,
they call this Bordeaux red.
This is by far their most popular color.
I would say we sell this
and the classic black,
the two most, but again,
we're back to that porcelain finish.
I personally really like the red.
I think it's very unique
to Vermont Castings.
Very attractive, very pretty.
You can see the doors are
a little more ornate too.
So, we got a little more
webbing in the doors,
but we have one big designs change.
Everything is the same here,
except, come back here, Tate.
So, you can see when I'm
activating this bypass.
Can you see that in there?
But here's the difference.
Let's go back to the front.
Is our catalytic performance pack
is not an accessory
anymore, it is standard.
And the reason it's standard is
the stove's getting too large.
So now, it requires a catalytic combustor
to meet 2020 regulations.
So if you don't know what they look like,
this is what it looks like,
sort of that honeycomb style.
So you can see what I mean.
If you're burning a lot of junk,
a lot of creosote buildup
and you dunk all this up,
it's not gonna work.
So, the important thing is that
if you know how to use these
and you're burning
good, clean, solid wood,
you're not gonna have any problems.
Also, if you get your
chimney swept annually
like everyone's supposed to,
get all that creosote out of your pipe,
just have your chimney sweep services.
Cause they know how to take care of these.
So, if you get yourself
a good chimney sweep,
so we'll put that back there.
Okay, now let's do our log test.
So, shouldn't have any
issues going forward here.
Cause our Dauntless did it no problem.
16-inch, no problem,
through the front door.
No problem at all.
So, not gonna have any issues.
So, this bad boy is the Defiant
and it isn't in the biscuit color.
I don't know if you noticed it
in the biscuit sitting here.
This thing is enormous, it's a monster.
I think it's over 500 pounds.
All I know is even with
the appliance sliders
on these things, you're
not moving, impossible.
But I mean, this thing is
an awesome, awesome machine.
Solid, solid cast iron.
It is stinking heavy.
You should see this in red.
When you get a red one of
these, you notice it pops.
2,800 square feet, exact
same design as the Encore,
catalytic combustor becomes
standard at that point,
you can see it here.
This one's wrapped
in the bubble wrap
still, standard feature.
Let's see, not a whole lot different.
Your bypass is over here.
I guess there is one thing
significantly different
is the oval flu collar.
So, check this out.
I'll show you the bypass on here
cause it's a little easier to see.
So, there's your damper bypass.
And again, these all have
their own air controls.
So, you don't have to do
anything with the air control.
You have an eight inch oval flu collar.
You can continue with eight inch to round
or you can reduce down
to six inch if you want.
And again, you can flip this around
and go out horizontally if you want.
So, a ton of flexibility here.
And then on this guy,
here's your air control.
And then our ash drawer down here,
we showed you on the
Intrepid, but it was so small.
We'll show you here, there's the big dog.
And then this whole thing
was out if you want it to,
you gotta dispose of your ash safely.
All right, let's do our
log test here again.
Of course, we're not gonna
have any issues at all.
Fits right in without
touching anything here.
Oh yeah, really, really easy.
Even with your end irons,
no problems at all.
So, this guy is 2,800 square feet.
I think don't always pay
attention to the square footage.
What do I mean by that?
For example, let's say
you have a huge, huge,
great room and it's a luxury place.
And you're putting in a nice
wood stove, put in the Defiant.
It's gonna look the
coolest and let's face it-
Depending on where you
live or half the year,
you're gonna be running anyways.
So, if you're gonna have this big thing
in the middle of the room, it
might as well be the Defiant.
Cause it just looks the
best, it is awesome looking.
So that's only again, if
you have a big old space,
big vaulted ceilings,
plenty of space for it.
And then you just don't have to build
as big of a fire always.
That's what's nice about it.
So, here's another reason why
I think the Defiant is so cool
not to mention like if
it's in the biggest room,
but they're warming shelves,
here's one of their warming shelves.
So, this is where it's gonna mount.
Check this out, let's get a closeup.
Look what holds up your
warming shelf, a dragon.
How cool is that?
You know what's cooler than having
the biggest baddest wood
stove on the market?
Four dragons, four dragons are cooler.
Definitely gonna increase your cool level.
You have people over
and they're like whoa,
are those dragons?
That's what they're gonna...
You know they're saying that,
they're gonna notice your dragons.
So, you get four of them when
you do the warming shelves,
I'm just kind of joking around.
But I personally think
they're kind of cool.
So, definitely a cool feature
when you go up to the Defiant.
All right, so there's all your stoves
for the 2020 lineup and beyond.
I anticipate not many
changes to this lineup
for the considerable future.
So if you're watching this video in 2022,
it's probably gonna be relevant.
So, let's give a quick run through.
Aspen is the small stove,
comes in black only.
You have to load it front to back.
Then we have the Intrepid,
which is the smallest
in the top load lineup.
From here on out, the stoves
are almost designed identical.
They just go up in size
with some minor differences.
The Intrepid and Dauntless
come in all the colors
and they are FlexBurn, which
means the catalytic combustor
is an option or an
upgrade for these stoves
that is not required on these guys.
The Encore and the Defiant,
because they're so large,
the catalytic combustor becomes
essential at that point.
So, it's gonna come standard with them,
which I think personally is better
because why would you
not want more efficiency?
They're all thermostatic controls,
they don't require power.
Pretty, pretty cool.
I really like what Vermont Castings
has done with the lineup.
I think they're already such a big player
in the wood stove market.
They're gonna be that much better
because they've added a new product
and enhance an already great product.
So, I hope you enjoyed this review.
Don't forget if you're
in the Denver Metro area,
come down to our showroom today.
See these products in person for yourself.
You can check out these products
on our website at www.embersliving.com.
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