Heta Scan-Line 900 Review

You don't very often get sent a top of the range all singing and dancing stove worth thousands of pounds, but that's what Heta UK decided to do and I'm very grateful, mostly because the stove was unbelievable. 

They make 1 Scanline 900, but you can customise to within an inch of your life.

There are ovens, side glass, revolving base so the stove can spin, stone cladding, over 40 ceramic finishes, grey or black standard paints, glazed over glass doors too.

It also comes as standard with a huge ash pan which means most users might empty it a handful of times per year. And when they do it has a convenient handle and high sides, which makes carrying it through the house and outside without dropping bits, or the wind blowing ash everywhere easy. It also has a full companion set with a poker, brush and shovel hidden within the lower door, and also a small space for a few relevant bits and pieces beneath the large ash pan. It also has a riddling grate that is controlled by the right hand handle beneath the door, this looks really smart as it echos the main door handle, keeping the design symmetrical and sleek. The door itself also just slams shut which is very convenient.

Lighting the stove: 5/10

This stove works exceptionally well, but that does mean that your lighting technique needs to be on point. Once you've learned how to do it, it's easy, but don't expect to get it on your first try. Once you've got it worked out, it's a simple matter of just setting the logs and kindling up, lighting the stove, leaving the door on the latch and getting on with other things for 15 minutes. When you return and close the door it soon starts repaying you for your efforts and patience.

Cleanness: 8/10

Stoves like this have to be clean, it's like asking if a Ferrari is fast. I did have one occasion when I closed the stove down over night that it all went black (I had shut the vent too far), but on all other occasions including when running overnight it did run clean. It also goes over and above the requirements for Eco-Design and DEFRA.

Controls & controllability: 9/10

Every control you touch has just the right amount of grip, not too tight nor loose. The handles stay cool too so you can operate them at any temperature and even when they're hot everything feels perfectly damped, and slick. Then when you want to close the stove down or open it up, it's so accurate it works almost like a gas fire. One turn and the stove will go from a roaring flame to completely doused, and then with a slight nudge back open and the stove will burst back into life with flames which literally float in mid air. It is stunning and does exactly what is asked of it.

Fuel economy & burn time: 9/10

I often describe these types of stoves as part of the supercar segment of the industry, and with good reason. Stoves like these tend to be very expensive, not all that practical and greedy on fuel. The shape is generally annoying for getting logs in, and the designers are so focused on form that function often flies completely out of the window. This 900 however is even more expensive than most, but does benefit from function that surpasses even most functional/traditional stoves. It's size allows for standard logs to fit with ease and the fuel economy is simply unbelievable for this type of appliance. It burns overnight with ease on a few logs and all day on a net of logs, and it looks better than everything else whilst it does it. If this was a waiting for cost it couldn't be a 9, but leaving that aside there aren't many stoves that can compete.

Who's it for:

Well if you've got deep pockets, and want the best the industry has to offer in a cylindrical appliance then you'll be hard pushed to find the Scanline 900's equal. For some it will be more than they need, it has a big output and is a very competent heater, but for those that want more than something that looks pretty, this is the best cylindrical appliance I've ever used or seen.