Hunter Herald Allure review

Hunter have a new range called the Allure, and it's excellent. Having looked closely at the air system I can say I'm pretty confident I recognise it from another high end manufacturer, but if you can't beat them, join them! The result is an exceptional wood only stove that comes in 3 sizes:

Allure 4 (4-5kw)

Allure 5 (5-6kw)

Allure 7 (5-7kw)

They have no grate or ash pan so are fully focused on burning wood, as such they won't produce as much ash or need emptying anywhere near as often (perhaps 2-3 times a month with normal use and dry fuel), but it is supplied with a small yet smart shovel and some leather heat proof gloves which will assist with this. It has a huge viewing area and a very neat and slim cast iron door which gives you a plain and uninterrupted view.

Lighting the stove: 6/10

If you're used to lighting a wood burning stove then it is easy. Just leave the door ajar for 5-10 minutes, with some logs, some kindling on the top, and a firelighter on top of that, and away you go. It's nice and deep too so getting logs on without the risk of them falling forward is very easy.

Cleanness: 7-8/10

This stove can run spotless on the glass and can even remain keen when left closed down for long periods, but this will take dry fuel and some practice. It's also DEFRA approved and Eco-Design, so you can be sure that it's not just clean on the glass, but also on the flue and to the environment.

Controls & controllability: 7/10

The controls are a little marmite, the main handle is hidden within the door, which makes it very discreet, but some will feel more difficult to use. The main control however is very easy to use and access, it is a simple slider from left to right under the door. However it does feel a little loose and I know this is a little picky, but I just wish it had that very smooth resistance that enables you to feel its effectiveness and ensure that it doesn't move easily if knocked. Having said that the way the stove controls is exceptional, this stove doesn't have a removable DEFRA kit and yet it controls better than basically every other stove with a DEFRA kit fitted. It even out performs the high end Scandinavian stove that I would guess has influenced this stoves design.

Fuel economy & burn time: 8/10

This stove for the money it retails at is astonishing and it is this along with it's controllability, that is the reason it was my 2021 stove of the year. It burns for hours and hours on a load of logs and even when using it hot for the evening you don't at any point feel like its being greedy, because of the huge amount of heat you're getting.

Who's it for:

Well you've gotta like the handle and burning wood, but if you do then it's for you. The price is good, the quality is there, its heavy well finished and I'm not aware of any inherent issues out there, I would recommend it to nearly anyone and even members of my family have this stove.