The first thing to know about this range of stoves is, I'm not sure what to call it, because there are so many stoves that fit in this range:
Dartmoor 5 Eco
Foxworthy Low Eco
Foxworthy high Eco
Baker 5 Eco
Baker 5 plus Eco
Dartmoor W5 Eco
Huccaby Eco
Baker W5 Eco
Baker W5 Plus Eco
Dartmoor 8 Eco
Baker 8 Eco
Baker 8 Plus Eco
They are all genuinely British built stoves from the ground up, made from steel with cast iron doors. And then you have the options:
They make several colours
Black, fluted and silver handles
Cool wall so it can be fitted in front of a combustible wall
Wider cooking top plates for the baker stoves
Full multi-fuel kits
and thanks to a well thought out design all of them including the baker versions can be swept through the stove too.
Lighting the stove: 7/10
There is a lower air vent even in the Wood only versions making this pretty easy, though it is a high efficiency stove so good preparation goes a long way, so does kindling!
Cleanness: 8/10
This stove runs at around 82% efficiency it can run overnight cleanly too, but dry fuel is important and so is achieving a good temperature during the lighting phase, get these things wrong and you can make the glass black.
Controls & Controllability: 6/10
This stove can spill a bit back into the room during re-loading. Mostly it is fine, but if your chimney isn't perfect then this stove is less forgiving than some. The controls also as standard do get hot and whilst there is a tool and gloves to assist there is a certain amount of crudeness to the way this has all been designed and put together.
Fuel economy & Burn time: 7/10
The fuel economy is very good, so is its exceptionally simple and strong build. This is the sort of thing that should out live me and cost an awful lot less to maintain. It is a piece of post war England, it's tough and over engineered with steel, its stubborn, uncompromising, stoic and fantastic.
What I thought:
This stove is not beautifully put together, it is a little unrefined in a couple areas and there's quite a few things to play around with when you're using it. But if you're the sort who wants a car with a choke, something that never breaks and if it ever did could be fixed in no time with something you've found in the garage, then Dean Forge are the company for you. I loved the stove particularly making cheese on toast in it, there's a sense of occasion with it, and yet it will reliably chug on far beyond your use for it. Have a look at one, and if even a part of you wants it, its charm will surely win you over the moment you open a door.