Thanks for all the followups. To answer the questions: 1) I currently have a wood fireplace insert, looking to replace with a wood stove insert 2) Direct vent insert - what does that mean? Does that mean it's got a flue that runs all the way outside? For efficiency everything I've researched says what I currently have is about 40% efficient, whereas a stove can get upwards of 75% efficient. 3) The current insert is stuck into an exterior wall, with a 'chimney' built out around it. The chimney is just normal wood/vinyl siding, I think inside it there is a metal flue pipe. Actually I just found a link to one that is basically the same as what I have: http://www.hansenwholesale.com/fireplaces/lennox/hc-42.html Mines a HC 3820A though. Mine also doesn't have the blower. Thanks for the hearth.com tip, I'll check that out. On the final follow up - Our house is about 2000sqft, but I'm not looking to the wood stove to be the sole heat source. We have propane forced air as well, my goal for the wood stove is just to put a significant dent in the amount of propane we go through. Thanks

Boy, talk about a thread coming back from the dead! If you are still looking, Msmico, the mendota 42 and 45 take the same log sets. It falls a couple inches short of the ends of the firebox on each side, which seems to bother a lot of people. Once its installed and burning in your home, I doubt anyone would really notice. I'm leaning towards Mendota just because their burners are more controlable: you can actually turn them way down, whereas on most gas FPs, turn them dosen't use less gas, it just dumps heat outdoors, not a good choice environmentally or economically, IMO.

I'm a compulsive shopper. I way way way way way overthink any purchase of more than $100, and I live in terror of not getting the best deal possible. I have been known to waste $5 in gas to save $1 in groceries. So when, like many homeowners, I was caught last Winter with my pants down and heating oil $4/gallon, I started wishing I had something else. We don't have a good spot for a stove, which would have been my 1st choice, but we did have a wonderful masonary fireplace/air conditioner so we decided to go that route. So I started to do my homework to pick the "best" insert for my fireplace. I wanted ease of install, plain black w/ no frills, STEEL FIREBOX, the most glass. I narrowed it down to two: PE Summit and Lopi Freedom (I found the Regency dealer too late). After figuring the demensions and installation constraints I realized the Summit wasn't going to fit easily, and that I'd have to do som major demo to get it to fit. I wanted the biggest firebox I could get. I also wanted the option to completely flush mount the unit, and that was something the Lopi would allow me to do. I went with the Freedom,(not the bay I swear those things look so gawdy in the pictures). It was more when factored on a price/cubic ft of firebox but I really wanted the largest firebox I could get. Larger firebox=more heat right? Well, yes and no. You can get more heat but you may not want it. My insert is in a room about 300sqft, and at a perpetual 80 degrees. The rest of the main floor of the home fluctuates between 65 and 72, depending on how long I'm burning hot and how many fans I have blowing. I expected this. I think I could've easily gone with a smaller insert, because save for 1 overnight burn I'm tending the fire every 2 hours anyway, so I could just as easily toss in more wood at that time. Also, I did the survey/install myself. An experienced dealer may have known from experience whether a larger Regency (in hindsight my fist pic) or PE Summit would have fit, but I was hung up on flush-mounting the stove into the hearth. I love the stove. Its a quality/lifetime item. The large glass is great, and I don't miss the hearth at all. It stays clean with dry wood, and if I choke it down and it gets dirty I run it hot the next morning and it burns right off. I'm buring my own wood from my land. If you have to buy wood I'd suggest you get a pellet stove. This being said, to do it again I'd get the mid-size Regency or PE. Afte all the concern of wanting to flush-mount the insert (little ones) we mounted it forward, so we could have a stovetop. It was the right decision, and when the power went out for 7 days it was a really really good decision. I can't move all the heat this stove puts out, and the other ones are just as good and cheaper. The regency is close to the same insert, and the blower is standard on their unit. My friend has the mid-size Regency, and he saved $500 over what I paid, which is like getting free installation. DO NOT BOTHER WITH AN INSERT IF YOU DON'T GET THE BLOWER. Trust me, you'll be disappointed and you're wasting your money.

Hi Windslam, Any advice for our fireplace. We bought a house some time ago with a space ready to install a gas fireplace, so we bought one installed it and now our builder hasn’t come up with how to do surrounds so it looks flush to the rest of the original build. see photos please need help with this one! ‍♀️