The Ø range is Morsø's first foray into steel stoves. Morsø are famous for their castings, which have been used in a range of products from picture framing to Pizza ovens, but the Ø range is primarily made from steel. Steel has become widely used in stove production, due to its cost and speed of manufacture. It also lasts longer and due to its suppleness is far less likely to suffer cracks or any other potential warranty claims. The internal components and door are still cast iron as nothing beats the raw strength and rigidity of cast iron, particularly with internal parts like the grate. This stove appears from the outset to have the best of both worlds in terms of its construction, and its multi-fuel design with a grate and ash pan also make it very flexible.
The 5KW Ø4 is the only iteration of the range that Morsø decided to prepare for and put through the testing of Eco-Design and DEFRA approval. This coincided with Morsø wanting to streamline their stove range, so the Eco-Design requirements of January 2022, was a good excuse.
The stove has a long warranty, a tough build and a clean look. As far as first foray's go, this one hit the ground running.
Morsø Ø4
Morsø Ø6
Lighting: 6/10
The stove is set up primarily for coal, which makes it very easy to light. It's a heavy stove with a lot of metal in it so it does take a while to heat up and the control is frankly unnecessarily complicated, but once you're used to it, you'll light with no issues.
Cleanness: 5/10
This stove was stunningly clean, it was easy to keep in overnight and remained clean until morning too. It's obviously also DEFRA approved and Eco Design so it has all those boxes ticked too, and it runs at 82% efficiency.
Controls: 3/10
Its handle does seem to stay cool enough to handle. It's solid stainless steel so will get hot, but lost it's heat enough by the end of the handle to make it usable for the likes of me who constantly lose their glove. The main control is also cool enough to use, however it is a bit complicated. You operate the stove by pushing the control all the way in to control the air when burning wood, pulling it into line with the end of the ashlip to fully close it down. If burning other fuels you pull it all the way out and again bring it in line with the ashlip to close it down. Even I (in my video) got confused and demonstrated it the other way round. It is a little complicated, but you soon forget most things and just hang on that somewhere in the middle is closed down and anywhere else is open.
It also comes with a tool for riddling the grate and removing the ashpan. This works well and the ash pan is easy to carry with it. Morsø stoves often drop ash outside of the pan and this slowly builds up over time. Having an ashpan with a back makes you less likely to drop ash, but it does mean that you can't scoop ash up that was left in the stove. This isn't the end of the world, but it does mean you need to manually clear the stove out slightly more regularly.
Fuel economy: 5/10
This stove's design focus is toward coal usage. If you're burning coal it will work excellently, but seen as most of us burn mainly wood and that is what I tested in the stove I will base this on wood fuel economy. I obviously tested the larger Ø6, this stove is more controllable than the Ø4, but runs at 75% efficiency (rather than the Ø4's 81%). I achieved a good burn time with the Ø6, but if you're hoping for long burns from the Ø4 you will rely much more on coal based fuel. On wood you will be able to shut it down and keep it in for several hours, and if the grate was stodged with ash you may even get it to run overnight, but this is not easy. This will probably suit a lot of you, as you have wood for a hot clean fire in the evening and some smokeless fuel to keep it in, but for many others storing different fuels and putting up with dirty coal based fuel is too much trouble.
Who's it for:
This stove is a long way from cheap, the controls are a weak point and its flexibility may appear helpful, but does also cost you in fuel economy. But it is smart, very flexible and tough. If you're planning to use a bit of coal and wood then this may really suit you. It has all the look, cleanness and control, when burning wood for the evening, and then if you need a longer ticker then just switch to smokeless and it'll run all day and night without any issue.
I've always liked Morsø, this design may be showing its age a little as we move away from coal based fuel, but we're not all travelling in the same direction so it may be just what you're looking for. The name Morsø still commands a lot of respect and it's contemporary look will suit almost any setting.