ijon,
In my opinion, you hit on the 2 best brands in the business. I have a PM250, as does Marty. Marty has/is doing his best to help me with the few small troubles I have with mine. It is well built, but if I had to do over, and could get away with it here in PA, I'd buy a conventional OWB. A P&M ML36 would probably be to my liking. I'll work through my small issues. When clean, they work as advertised. If you think you will not mind cleaning on a regular basis, then get a gasser. Every 4-7-and if your lucky, 14 days and then a thorough cleaning is required to keep burning clean. Excess smoke and poor heat transfer, ie long burn times all signal cleaning time. I also have a problem with creosote build-up and am burning grade A dry hardwoods.
I do regret spending the extra for the gasser. But, I have no choice but to live with it.
Do yourself a favor and stay conventional.
Bill