Candyman, yes they are cheap and seemingly reliable! When a similar sized furnace of another brand costs 2k more then they are cheaper!!!!
Also, I to have talked to many customers and talked to the company on numerous occasions. That is where I learned that by talking to customers "they seem to be reliable". Isn't yours still sitting jn the barn???
I myself to offer this to my customers as you saw, so I have no reason to mislead anyone.
As far as the testing of fireboxes, yes I've seen a lot of data on it and its been discussed many times. Natures comfort did some testing, there 1/4 thick fire box models were over 13% more efficient than the same stove with a 3/8 firebox. I have also assisted several people in a neighboring county who build a few units a year.. They always struggled with getting there stoves to heat as much as they thought they should. They were using 1/2" fireboxes and for the size and capacity they weren't getting the results they had planned. I pleaded my case time and time again with them.. Finally they started using 1/4" firebox material and there burn times extended by around 4-5 hours, and the only change was the firebox material.
With a fire inside the box the btu's can go through the steel or out the stack, the thicker the steel the longer it takes for heat to transfer to the water hence giving it more time to escape. Some folks think thick steel stays hot longer, but that fails in comparison about heat transfer. Were using water to transfer btu's!
As far as as asking earth about dealer support? My customers will get taken care of No Matter what the company I'm representing has to say. To downplay the role of the importance of dealers isn't good, if it's mid January with temps near zero what good is a pump sitting on the shelf in the middle of missouri going to do you? A good dealer program is essential, generally things that fail are things a dealer can take care of in a matter of minutes. Rather than waiting 2-4 days for a company to ship a part out.