Best Wood Stoves of 2024

Dating all the way back to the mid 1500s, wood-burning stoves have been keeping people warm for hundreds of years. The technology has come a long way since then, and manufacturers have boiled the process of radiant wood heating down to a science.

But that doesn’t mean all wood stoves are created equal.

If you’re shopping for one, you want to skip the rest and go right to the best — and this guide is designed to help you do just that.

At HY-C, we manufacture stove boards for wood stoves, wood burning furnaces, and dozens of other hearth products and accessories. We know wood heating products very well, and in this piece, we want to take you through five of the best wood stoves on the market today.

We’ll take a look at the cost of each stove, their heating capabilities, some special/proprietary technology and features each stove uses, and much more.

By the time you’re finished here, you’ll have the information you need to pick the best wood stove for your home.

Note: This list only contains wood stoves that meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s New Source Performance Standards. All specifications listed for each stove were taken from the EPA-Certified Wood Stove Database. Stoves are listed in no particular order.

Table of contents (click to jump to a wood stove model):

• Vermont Castings Dauntless FlexBurn
• Drolet Deco II
• Lopi Stoves Rockport NexGen-Hybrid™
• Blaze King Ashford 30.2
• US Stove Company Ashley 3,200

Model comparison:

Vermont Castings Dauntless FlexBurn

Overview:

Vermont Castings is well-known for making high-quality wood stoves that perform year in and year out. Their Dauntless FlexBurn is no exception. Its high burn times, 78% efficiency rating, and 42,000 BTU per hour output are already impressive enough. But the Dauntless FlexBurn’s bells and whistles truly put the stove in a league of its own.

For one, there’s the FlexBurn technology for which the stove is named. Once you get a fire going and your flue is warm, closing the stove’s damper initiates a secondary combustion process that burns the wood’s gas byproducts for a hotter, cleaner, more efficient burn.

The Dauntless also features thermostatically controlled combustion with a thermostat that requires no electricity. The stove automatically adjusts the level of air required to maintain the temperature you want for maximum convenience.

But as with many Vermont Castings wood stoves, the Dauntless FlexBurn comes standard with the brand’s famous top-load technology. Dropping wood in from the top is much, much easier and safer. Plus, the smoke-free design ensures little to no smoke rollback.

The Dauntless FlexBurn is a world-class wood stove. Its $3,329 asking price is right down the middle for this list, and the features you get for your money make it absolutely worth the price.

Drolet Deco II

Overview:

Drolet is another huge name in wood burning, both for wood stoves and wood burning furnaces. In this case, it’s their Deco II stove that garnered enough attention to make this list.

For one, it’s the only stove here that features under-appliance wood storage capabilities, which is a nice touch to mitigate trips to your firewood rack. It’s the most cost-effective stove here at $1,299, but it also comes with the lowest efficiency rating at 68%.

Where the Deco II really stands out, though, is through its add-ons. Drolet offers a fresh air intake kit that allows the stove to suck in air from the outside, resulting in a fiercer, more efficient fire. The kit is also good for air-tight homes to prevent negative pressure issues and cold draft problems.

This stove is also compatible with Drolet’s 100 CFM blower (with variable speed control) to help circulate heat. You can also add a quick-connect thermodisc to that blower to control its output automatically. Or, if you prefer a self-powered option, Drolet also offers a 180 CFM heat-operated fan. Simply set it on top of the stove and let it go to work.

With a sleek, modern design that hangs in there with other stove models on this list at one third of their prices, the Drolet Deco II is a budget-friendly welcome in just about any living room.

Lopi Stoves Rockport NexGen-Hybrid™

Overview:

According to EPA test data, the Rockport NexGen-Hybrid™ by Lopi Stoves boasts the highest efficiency of any stove on this list at 80%. With burn times up to 10 hours, a maximum heat output of nearly 43,000 BTUs per hour, and a heating area of 2,000 square feet, it’s a fine stove with fantastic specs.

It comes with a bypass damper for easy startup and reloading, an easy-glide ash pan for quick, easy cleanup, and, like the Drolet Deco II, it’s compatible with Lopi Stove’s outside air kit to help boost its already-high efficiency. But perhaps the most interesting feature of this stove is its optional fire starter.

Lopi’s GreenStart Igniter helps to make starting a fire in the stove easy and hands-free; all you have to do is push a button. Pressing the ignition lights an igniter that pushes super-heated air into the firebox. Combined, the hot air and the igniter light up firewood in minutes, making the entire process completely hassle-free.

With a price north of $4,500, the Rockport NexGen-Hybrid™ is a bit expensive. But if it’s quality you’re looking for in your wood stove, you’ll have a tough time finding anything better.

Blaze King Ashford 30.2

Overview:

Available with a metallic black, gast gray, and chestnut brown colorways, Blaze King’s Ashford 30.2 is a great aesthetic match for nearly any room in any home. It’s also one of the cleanest-burning stoves on this list, producing a miniscule 0.8 grams of byproducts every hour.

The company touts the stove’s adjustable, dual-action door latch and its “positive lock feel” that helps provide a sense of security and safety upon closure. Its ash drawer is mounted on Easy Glide runners for a smooth, easy-to-use operation, and the ash pan (and lid) are removable for easy cleaning.

Accessory-wise, the Ashford 30.2 is available with a dual fan kit that helps distribute and circulate heat more effectively. Blaze King also offers a cast iron leg option, should you feel so inclined.

But perhaps the most stand-out feature of this stove is the mobile home kit that the company manufactures for it, allowing for the Ashford to be installed in living spaces beyond that of traditional houses.

At $4,550, the Blaze King Ashford 30.2 is definitely one of the pricier wood stoves around. But it’s a workhorse unit that will deliver quality heating burning season after burning season.

US Stove Company Ashley 3,200

Overview:

Rounding out our list is the US Stove Company Ashley 3,200. Its pedestal-style mount supports a 2.68-cubic-feet firebox with an air-washed, ceramic-glass viewing door that opens by way of a brushed nickel handle. The unit stands 32-½ inches tall, 24 inches wide, and 39 inches deep.

Other wood stoves on this list have the option to add a blower, but the Ashley 3,200 actually comes with one: a 100 CFM fan that helps distribute heat evenly. As its name implies, this stove is advertised as being able to heat areas up to 3,200 square feet.

Its burn times clock in at a respectable 8 hours. At its highest operating capacity, the Ashley can deliver just under 68,000 BTUs per hour — the highest on this list by over 15,000 BTUs. And it can still deliver almost 20,000 BTUs per hour on the low end.

Its 71% efficiency rating is on the lower end of the spectrum relative to other stoves on this list. But US Stove’s Ashley 3,200 is forged from 10-gauge reinforced plate steel and plenty strong and durable enough to keep you warm for winters to come.

Which Wood Stove Should You Get?

So there it is: a look at five of the best wood stoves available on the market today. But if you’re still wondering which one you should get, here are some tips to help you decide.

If you’re buying on price, your best two options are the Drolet Deco II and the US Stove Ashley 3,200. Both are the only stoves on the list with retail prices under $2,000 that can still hold their own in terms of efficiency, delivered heat, and overall performance.

If you’re environmentally conscious, the Lopi Stoves Rockport NexGen-Hybrid™ and the Blaze King Ashford 30.2 have fantastic emissions specs at 0.73 g/hr and 0.8 g/hr, respectively. They burn incredibly cleanly while heating spaces 2,000 square feet or more in size.

If you want a balanced option, try the Vermont Castings Dauntless FlexBurn. It does well in just about every category without leading or coming in last place in any of them. It’s just a solidly built, evenly priced unit with some nice features and optional additions to boot.

Consider what kind of wood burning experience you want out of a wood stove and buy the option that best matches your preferences. What you’ll be left with is a time-tested heating appliance that combines age-old wood-burning methods with modern technology to help you stay nice and warm all winter long.