Woodwarm Phoenix Eco Review

The one I tested was the Woodwarm Phoenix Firebug 8 tall, but they do make it in several sizes. They also make a convection version for the freestanding versions for lower distances to combustibles, which is very useful.

These stoves are very heavy and toughly built in Britain from steel and cast iron, they’re also designed here locally to me and I’ve actually watched parts of the process happening here in Somerset from the ground up. They come with 10 year guarantees and Woodwarm is the only company I’ve seen who will still refurbish your old Woodwarm stove even after decades of use. They bring it right back up to original condition and then send it back for its next few decades of use, you literally couldn't ask for better service.

Lighting: 9/10

This stove lights very easily we’ve got the biggest version here, but even so it’s up to temperature in a few minutes. Thanks to its lower air and grate.

Clean 9/10:

This stove runs at around 78.5-80% efficiency, and comes as standard with DEFRA approval and is Eco-design too. I actually removed the DEFRA screw on this stove to see what differences it made, but despite this the glass has stayed spotlessly clean. Even after running the stove overnight and all day. You could make it black if you shut everything after removing the DEFRA stop but I felt in tune with this stove, and I actually didn’t clean it once.

Controls 10/10:

This stove comes with a Woodwarm glove, a stay cool handle and a very nice tool for riddling the grate and removing the ash pan.

Riddling the grate is very effective and quick, so if you do plan to burn coal based fuel, this is a very serious and capable stove for that use. And then we get to the controls. Turning this stove up and down is something I could do all day

I love the rack and pinion design to the controls, beneath the stove, it’s exciting, plus on a log store version, you can see it all working.

Fuel economy 9/10

This stove can run for 11-13 hours, which is actually longer than the Fireview we tested despite this being larger. This is down to the higher precision to the controls, it perhaps needs a more experienced hand, but it does enable you to keep the temperature right at the base of operating temperature. That accuracy translates to longer burns, but it is also helped by its sheer weight and thermal mass.

What I thought:

There are a couple of very small elements that aren’t quite as nicely finished as the rest of it, but I am being picky, because overall I loved this thing. This stove did basically everything right. In spite of the grate and ash pan it burns wood overnight no problem at all, it burns beautifully clean, I have a full range of control. I love the heavy toughness, Britishness and I like the look too.

If you like the look, you want a multi-fuel stove, which I have to say they’ve cracked, this is genuinely multi-fuel, rather than most which are good with coal and rubbish with wood, or compromised with both. If you’re after accuracy, thermal mass and serious use then this stove is a bit more costly, but you very quickly workout why, once you’ve used it. Riddle the grate, drop the ash, open the grate up and shut the vent and with every movement and change you come to love this thing more and more