I also have very little personal experience with other makes of stoves other than word of mouth and what can be found on the internet. Sometimes it's difficult to sift through the B.S., especially after someone spends $8,000-$12,000 on a unit. It's not on the list, but I love my Hawken HE-2100. Actually, the reason I followed a link to this site was to read a customer complaint about a Hawken stove. I was not surprised to find out it was a Stainless model and also not surprised by the, well, let's just say the "attitude" or gripes from the individual. Even God himself cannot make 10% of the world's population happy, how can you expect an OWB company to. I'll be completely honest, I absolutely love my stove, but the buying experience was a catastrophe! If I had to go through the same experience I would not buy a Hawken again. However, I have heard of a few great dealers with happy customers so research the dealer and make sure there is a certain comfort level before plunking down 12 grand. I will say this, as soon as Hawken knew about my dealer problem they solved it the very next day and also called several times to ask if I was happy and if I needed anything to give them a call.
The reasons I like the stove is I can pack it full for an approximate 24 hour burn (depending on a lot of typical "wood burning" variables; ambient temp, wind, type of wood, etc.) or load it twice per day, like I typically do. I went on a snowmobiling trip last year and loaded the burner Thursday night and when I returned Sunday at midnight the fire was still glowing. The reason, of course, was no hot water was used, the T-stat was turned down, and I opened the bypass so water was not circulating to the garage or workshop. It also has the dual outlet which is convenient because the size (almost 400 gallons) allows a multitude of heating options, up to as much as 10,000 S.F. The main reason I love it: my propane tank was filled in September 2008, it still reads 90%. I saved $3,600 in propane from August 08-August 09 and the house is no longer a chilly 66-68 degrees. I no longer have to time showers or constantly fight my wife over the T-stat setting. The house is always 72-73 in the winter. Now I just have to get used to wearing shorts instead of flannels.