Ā This stove is obviously one heck of a special stove. It is made from thick steel, with some very smart, black firebricks. It can have Direct Air, a whole range of different bases, and even a version that is suspended from the ceiling. DG is a Dutch company that makes its stoves from steel, and this one due to its shape has particularly impressive in coming air and convection systems, but obviously the primary focus is creating that "Wow factor" which I think it does with ease!
Ā
Lighting: 7/10
This stove is wood only, so does need some good general technique for lighting, but as we know wood stoves will repay you for your efforts with good fuel economy. Ā It's also a large appliance, so will want a good sized fire to ensure it gets up to temperature and all its air systems work correctly.
Ā 
Cleanness: 10/10
This stove runs at 76% efficiency, and obviously it has the approvals from DEFRA and Eco-Design.Ā This stove whilst being tested was used in my parents home, this means it was subject to lots of fuel sources and qualities and despite this it still didn't struggle to run clean. We also need to bear in mind that this stove is a big stove, which is not only much rarer in these very interesting styles, but it's also far harder to keep clean, and yet it was clear that no compromise had-had to be made.
Ā 
Controls:Ā 6/10
There is only one control, and a simple door handle which interestingly did seem usable even with a bear hand. Everything is very nicely put together and feels premium, there's no rough edges or finishing issues, and everything you handle has a smooth feel, and a solid stopper at either end. The control itself was not superb, the control makes a difference, but it was very clear that this stove was more focused on look, cleanness and efficiency than running for longer periods. That being said, if I was designing a stove quite as special as this, the last thing I'd want is someone shutting it down and running it looking all clouded over on the glass and untidy. This stove wants to run beautifully and I think to be fair that is what any potential buyer of this would want too.
Ā
Economy:Ā 7/10
This stove ran forĀ 8 hours on a net of logs, and really proved itself in its ability to drive heat around a cold house. The room it was tested in was quite large, single glazed and stone floored and despite this, getting that room warm and pushing heat effectively around that home was surprisingly easy. It was always the "Wow" of the room, but very quickly became the hub of the home due to its low running costs and huge heat output. It didn't do the long burn times of some, but what it did achieve was the very high efficiencies that achieved far more whilst the stove was alight.Ā
What I thought:
Ā
The stove isn't designed to run on low, it's designed to wow you, with its engineering, look, fit & finish and efficiency. It does these things perfectly. If you're after a serious heating source to run all the time, then this isn't your stove, but if you're looking for an ultimate back up and focal point, if you plan to use a stove in the evenings and weekends, then you won't find anything else of this size and style that comes close. It's beautifully clean, gives loads of heat and drives people to look at it. It would struggle to run overnight, and I realise that called Amy to therefore question it, but I cannot think why a buyer of this would want that? If you want a serious every day car, buy a Land Rover, but this stoves car equivalent is a Pagani or a Ferrari. These things are with a different mind set, and if you've got it then the choice is obvious.
Ā
Ā
Ā