The Clock Blithfield was the most requested review in 2022/23, and I'll start by saying I can see why!
They make a few versions, the compact, the 5 (which I used), the 8 and then a double sided version. They are British made and designed from steel with cast iron doors. They are multi-fuel, but the design leans towards wood burning, they do have a static grate and ash pan for when you do happen to have a bit of coal based fuel around. They also have a few colour options and you can also pick brass handle fittings if you prefer.
Lighting: 10/10
The multi-fuel grate and ashpan definitely give this stove an advantage for lighting, but it is a big stove , with a lot of thick metal to heat up. Even so I could get it up to temperature in 10 minutes which did surprise me.
Cleanness: 10/10
Like most stoves nowadays this is an important thing to get right, the Clock however went over and above. Of course it has all the relevant approvals and high efficiencies, but impressively it will run overnight clean with relative ease, and if you do ever get it wrong with damp fuel or you shut it down too much, then running hot can almost clean the glass back to spotless on its own. This was another area that the Clock shoved itself into the top spot.
Controls: 9/10
We didn't have any issue with smoke spillage thanks to this big deep shape. It comes with gloves and an ash pan tool, and is very smartly designed. Its handle does get hot, but is carefully and beautifully designed and then we get on to the controls. The left hand control is the main one you will use as this is best for wood burning and is used to keep the glass clean too. The right hand side is controlling the air beneath the grate which is primarily opened during lighting or when burning coal based fuel. When you control the stove the speed at which it reacts and the affect you can have on temperature and burn rate is simply staggering. This stove was great fun to use and the control party piece really is the icing on the cake.
Economy: 9/10
This stove ran for 10-12 hours on a single net of kiln dried logs. It is also incredibly tough and simple so cost of running and maintaining is almost impossible to beat. The other thing to mention is that this stove can run as high as 9kw, so not only is it the most powerful "5KW" stove we've tested it is also impressive that even with that large output it can run for so long on such little fuel.
What I thought:
The handle gets hot and the interesting clock style air vents do make a bit of noise and do involve a bit of twiddling about with. But leave that aside I'm not sure there are any downsides, the biggest question to ask with this stove is what colour do you want it in.
3 comments
In your opinion which is the better stove, the heta ambition or the clock blithfield.
You mention that the heta has unbeatable heat pushing power. Would you say it is better than the clock
Torn between a Clock (Blithfield 5 or Sudbury) or Clearview (Pioneer 400 / Vision 500). Can you help me to choose?
Considerations – large connecting rooms to heat in a drafty house.
Like the Clearview brand and heritage.
Like the slightly bigger viewing window of the Clock
Want something to stand the test of time so not concerned with the price difference
Mainly burn wood
Prefer not to introduce a vent but can do if absolutely required.
Your advice is very much appreciated.
Hi Gabriel you’ve got my dream job 😉 and loving the reviews. They are also extremely useful as it’s difficult for me as a retailer to test them all , and I do prefer to try before I sell.
Will you be putting the clock blithfield 8 through it’s paces? If you do I’d recommend adding a rear heatshield to deflect more heat back into the firebox and the room. With the 8 we’ve tested here one of the qualities of having a humongous grate is that it takes the stove 8 hours to cool down once the fire has burnt out – in our not that well insulated house. In a modern house it could stay warm all night potentially , even after it’s gone out, which I think is what makes the clock slightly different to the others. Evening out heat spikes and background warmth for long periods is definitely a big selling point for damp West Wales at least . Wondered if you’d noticed the same with the 5 you tested?
Also would like to point out that Clock stoves are closer to the bottom of the quality stove market than the top in the big 5 kw widescreen/ slimline ranges as it’s essentially in the same size category, but many hundreds cheaper than many. Only a minor point tbf, but thought should be mentioned
Please keep up the great work – much appreciated by me , but not my wife who , due to lack of headphones, has cursed your ramblings more than once 😂 I’ll listen all evening which on occasions I have 😉Rx