Leisure Line Ponoco or Harman Mag Stocker?

 
morrison250r
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Post by morrison250r » Thu. Nov. 28, 2013 12:56 am

i didnt realize that the hyfire was only a rear vent. I must have a top vent. So im back to either the ponoco or the mag stocker.


 
morrison250r
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Post by morrison250r » Thu. Nov. 28, 2013 12:59 am

ok next question....why are some people fittting the coal-trol to the harmons? what are the advantages?

 
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Post by coalnewbie » Thu. Nov. 28, 2013 2:13 am

why are some people fittting the coal-trol to the harmons
Better temp control, don't leaved home without it. In Maine the Pocono is a natural, if I lived South of Key West I would go Harman.

 
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captcaper
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Post by captcaper » Thu. Nov. 28, 2013 6:26 am

My Super Mag Harman has been running since Oct. It's perfect. The new Supermag is awesome. Simple in build and simple to use. Parts are Generic in case you need one. No need for a Coal Trol. I use the room probe extended out to 38 ft from stove and it keeps the house living area were the probe is to within 1 degree and never changes no matter what the temp outside does. The hot air is ducted to the living area. Temps have ranged from 8 deg to 60 here.
The ash pan will fill up so 200 lbs isn't that great and that size hopper takes up a lot of room. The beauty with the Harman is that all air can be blocked from coming out the front vents and redirected to the duct work for forced air. My basement stays at 68 and so does my upstairs due to this setup.
We have folks here who use the Super Mag now for 6 years and have never had an issue. And these are NH winters not girly type winters the guys get down south :)
Their Customer service has been fine. They have emailed back a few times helping me with my installation. My Blazchek coal dealer has one now for years and raves about it. Never had an issue. He's a excellent auto mechanic as his main business and I got it because of his recommendation.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Nov. 28, 2013 8:02 am

In my opinion they are both fine stoves. The biggest difference is the company that makes the stove. Harman is a large company with very little focus on coal products. Since coal heat is not very popular, many Harman dealers are only familiar with the pellet stoves. I have heard that Harman has gotten better about helping folks that can't be helped by their local dealer, but I will let one of the other guys weigh in on that. Leisure Line is more of a niche company that focuses on coal burning products, and you can call the owner(s) directly if necessary.

It seems like the decision might come down to features. Do you need a hot air jacket? Are aesthetics important?

 
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dcrane
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Post by dcrane » Thu. Nov. 28, 2013 8:23 am

captcaper wrote:My Super Mag Harman has been running since Oct. It's perfect. The new Supermag is awesome. Simple in build and simple to use. Parts are Generic in case you need one. No need for a Coal Trol. I use the room probe extended out to 38 ft from stove and it keeps the house living area were the probe is to within 1 degree and never changes no matter what the temp outside does. The hot air is ducted to the living area. Temps have ranged from 8 deg to 60 here.
The ash pan will fill up so 200 lbs isn't that great and that size hopper takes up a lot of room. The beauty with the Harman is that all air can be blocked from coming out the front vents and redirected to the duct work for forced air. My basement stays at 68 and so does my upstairs due to this setup.
We have folks here who use the Super Mag now for 6 years and have never had an issue. And these are NH winters not girly type winters the guys get down south :)
Their Customer service has been fine. They have emailed back a few times helping me with my installation. My Blazchek coal dealer has one now for years and raves about it. Never had an issue. He's a excellent auto mechanic as his main business and I got it because of his recommendation.
on a more serious note the Harman is not simply nor generic... its electronics systems are akin to an F-14 dashboard and its parts (including the grape vines, fine etched panels of glass, tinsel coverings N trimmings as well as its castings are not generic at all). Its a peeeerty unit to be sure (nobody can deny that!) but its also very costly chiming in at $5,000+++

some words from Harman : "Sophisticated temperature controls and a blower system" , " sensing technology constantly monitors and adjusts heat levels ", "Climate Control technology"... with all this sophistication I sure don't see "simple" stated anywhere :fear: lets just hope they keep their coal products and your never required to buy spare parts (cause they gonna getcha' if you do) ;)
Last edited by dcrane on Sat. Apr. 01, 2017 6:01 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Don't be obnoxious

 
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Post by Wiz » Thu. Nov. 28, 2013 8:33 am

lewis wrote:
Hambden Bob wrote:Nice try at de-sensitizing the origin facts with some lil' 'ol progressive "don't worry about where it comes from" technology. Sounds like you have your own rant or personal problem. There are those of us that support someone who's heavily involved here at the very Board that You have come to for no-cost information and advice. Touch a nerve? Nope,but I wish more of you would look at the facts. No one ever faces the facts that the other guys have zero presence here,by choice......That's progressive 'fer 'ya !
Thanks for reading my post, Let's support the industry.

Bashing certain brands won't help anything. If you like a certain brand of Stove just say it without casting dispersions on the other manufacturers. Last I looked Alaska, Reading, Hitzer etc. do not have a presence here either but I'm sure they have a solid product or they wouldn't exist in a niche market like home coal burning.

I try to appreciate what manufacturers do. Guys like LL Co. who put their personal touch on service and the chance they took to buy the company and Harman for linking to a corporate partner to allow the brand to exist innovate and continue to supply a product for those of us that use Anthracite.
:clap: So as I read the topic, I knew the bashing was about to start. Doug what's up with the Hate, it's reminds me of a sour divorce. :crazy: I've had several Harman products with no complaints. IMO you'll be happy with leisure or Harman product. Have you look at keystoker products :?:


 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Nov. 28, 2013 8:37 am

if someone wanted to be a jerk they could say "Lets hope LL doesn't close up shop" anytime soon. Not saying that is the case, just pointing out that the future direction of either company is pure speculation. I don't have a horse in this race, but I do request that we keep the discussion on topic and stick to the facts.

People that own one of these units are in a good position to comment on their experience (good or bad), don't bash them for sharing their story.

 
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Post by freetown fred » Thu. Nov. 28, 2013 9:10 am

The only thing I can & will say from personal knowledge is that LL has an outstanding reputation as far as customer service--quick & efficient. It is also a REAL plus that the owners are FORUM members:) Other then that, there are, not many at all, individuals on here that just like to flop their gums together bad mouthing products:(

 
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Post by morrison250r » Thu. Nov. 28, 2013 9:30 am

The Harman is about $500 more. Im leaning tward the Harman because of the hot air jacket, it seems to be easier to clean, and looks much better. However, im not buying it to look at and the cost of replacement parts sems steep. I'd think that if they have a hopper that takes 20lb of ash, the ash pan would be able to accomidate it, correct?

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Thu. Nov. 28, 2013 9:33 am

Do not assume the ash pan is sized to handle an entire hopper worth of coal. Generally 150 lbs of coal burned produces about 1.25 cubic feet (1 bushel) of ash, but that can vary depending on the characteristics of the coal. I believe the LL unit has a large ash pan, but I am not sure about the Harman.

I thought there was a hot air jacket available for the Ponoco?

 
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Flyer5
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Post by Flyer5 » Thu. Nov. 28, 2013 9:46 am

morrison250r wrote:The Harman is about $500 more. Im leaning tward the Harman because of the hot air jacket, it seems to be easier to clean, and looks much better. However, im not buying it to look at and the cost of replacement parts sems steep. I'd think that if they have a hopper that takes 20lb of ash, the ash pan would be able to accomidate it, correct?
I don't understand what you are saying about the hot air jacket. We also have a duct top for the Pocono if that is what you mean. Another thing we have done in the past is put 2 of the brass colored rails between the doors and an ash vendor on the bottom to help dress it up a bit. The 2 stoves are almost apples and oranges as far as purpose the Pocono is more of a basement whole home heating unit, The super Mag was built for aesthetics, don't get me wrong they heat well and are well made. But the Pocono will put out more heat when needed. Its all up to personal choice.
Thanks, Dave

 
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Post by Hambden Bob » Thu. Nov. 28, 2013 10:48 am

As I was Basting "The Bird" this a.m.,I thought long and hard about this whole deal. Don't Throw darts at Fellow members and not expect some to Launch right back at You. I own a Harman Stoker. 'Twas built in the day of Dane in firm control. My God,what a killer it is. Same goes for their Mark Series of Hand Fired's-Hands Down Killers of a Stove. I hate what Harman has become. I've never hidden it. There is a significant problem when a guy comes here for info,and the Thread ends up looking like a "Cow Blast" in a Field instead of what we're all capable of. The "Message Is The Medium" . We already know how we all side up. I'm glad Morrison250r came here to get some answers and actual user reports. He may find that we're actually pretty helpful. He may find out that we've got some Folks who,as has happened in the past,may live close enough to him to have him over for a test drive of the units in Operation....On Thanksgiving,I think the Thread's headin' the right way. Enjoy the Precious Day,Gang !

 
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Post by Paulie » Fri. Nov. 29, 2013 2:12 pm

Not bashing any brand, but really and easy pick. LL is the way to go. The units just work great, dirt simple and robust engineering, parts
readily available if needed. Many owners here and available for help, the factory guys are here too. Made in the USA a bonus, and yes, it DOES matter.

 
morrison250r
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Post by morrison250r » Fri. Nov. 29, 2013 11:10 pm

I dicided that I could squeez a rear vent in and picked up a used hyfireii for $1800


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