Harman TLC-2000 or Keystoker HF

Hello all, I am new to the forum and in the process of trying to buy a coal stove. I have come to the determination that a hand fired stove is the way to go . I am considering the Harman TLC-2000 or the Keystoker HFH. Can anyone point me in one direction or the other ? Everything I have read to this point seems to be positive about the Harman. Although there is not as much info about the Keystoker , it seems good as well. I'm having a hard time deciding one way or the other , and figured the experienced people here may be able to help me out . All else being equal , the Harman is priced $200.00 less around here ( central CT.).

If you want to go modern, then consider a Hitzer (the 50-93) or a DS Machine circulator. Both great products, great service, and probably less money too. While the Harman is a nice stove they are not noted for their after the sale customer service. Keystoker is a good company but I'm not familiar with their hand fired stove. I thought they only made stokers.
PS: Welcome to the site!

I really like my TLC-2000. It has a large ash pan, and can go two to three days on a low setting(250-350) without being tended. The large glass door is nice, and stays quite clean if you don't burn wood. Although they say it is designed to burn both; I would say it burns coal excellently, and wood,so-so.I find the over-the-fire draft controls difficult to control the burn when burning wood. I think that is why one of our members has had a hard time burning soft coal. But I guess he got control of that with a manual pipe dampner.( MPD) I have never tried it as an open fire-place. I do like the option of top-load, or through the front door. The front door is great if you are livening the fire slowly with a few shovels at a time strategically placed. But if you have a hot bed of coals; you can just dump down through the top. I tend it every twelve hours on a regular heating day. Only once a day when idling. It puts out as much or as little heat as you desire. The blower option is quite quiet, and really maximizes the heat output.(72,000 btu)
I was torn between it and a Hitzer. But the Harman dealer is close by. My dealer must have a good contact or relationship with the company; because they don't complain about dealing with them. I ordered an extra ash pan, and had no trouble getting it.
I did like the looks of the Reading Swatara. But have never heard anything about them on here.
What ever you choose, I'm sure you will be glad you chose to burn coal. Be sure to to let us know, and post pics.
Charlie

Having that dealer close by and a good personal relationship with him is a definite plus Charlie. Everyone that owns your model speaks highly of them too, so I'm sure they are a good stove. I just wish Harman themselves would step up the service a notch. That said, if you have a good stove, you're probably not going to need much for years. Wouldn't hurt to know you could get it though. These days a new appliance purchase is a big nut and I for one, expect it to be long term. (Look at my two lol) It's nice to know corporate has your back.

I've had my TLC 2000 for 6 years and have not had any problems yet. It replaced a Temp Coal 2 I had for many years. I think the blower is a must have if you want a low burn and want to wash as much heat off the stove as possible. It also can be great to get the maximum heat out of the stove. In the early fall or late spring I just Idle with no blower at all. The blower was an extra option at the time. This allows me to burn 3 tons (or less) of nut or pea for the season. My home is very tight so depending on your home your mileage may vary. I usually light it off around mid October or later and run it until around mid April or later depending on the weather
I reload once every 24 when its not to cold, and every 12 when its cold.

Edit: Don't forget to check out the Connecticut forum. There is going to be a meet & great in November you might want to attend.

I see you live in my general area. If you need any more info send me a PM and I give you my number.

A stove with thermostat and hopper will be easier to tend with less fussing and should run more uniformly. The Harman does not have these while the Hitzers do. It's just a more advanced design and well worth it.

BullDog, I am in central Connecticut as well. I have a Hitzer 50-93, a Harman Mark I and a Goodin stove. All hand fired. I really like the Hitzer, it burns very well and is easily adjustable for a low burn, which I have on right now, or I can crank it and heat this large 2 story Victorian. I heated it all last winter solely on the Hitzer because my steam boiler died after 25 years of service.

I have not burned either the Harman 2000 or the Keystoker you spoke of. I know both to be solid stove manufacturers though. I would suggest taking a look at as many stoves as you can. If you would like, PM me and I'd be happy to show you the Hitzer.

Also, I would not worry too much about Harman's lack of service. I'm sure the dealer would service you if you had an issue shortly after you bought it. With a hand fired I think if you make it the first year with no major issues, there is not much to go wrong with the units.

Good luck and have some fun in your stove shopping.

Steve

"With a hand fired I think if you make it the first year with no major issues, there is not much to go wrong with the units."

Thats true enough. Most of the reason for that is there is a minimum of moving parts with a hand fired stove. And they are fairly easy to operate. This also gives me a chance to be be involved in its operation.They all may differ a little in design,and have few different little features, but basic operation is the same. Its still shake and fill.
When I bought mine. It was availability and price, and of course my wife liked the looks.
I just want to outlive this last stove.

Thanks to all for the comments. Actually my 1st choice in stoves was the Hitzer 50-93 but that particular stove is about 1200.00 more than the Harmon. I wish cost wasn't a factor but unfortunately .... I guess for that reason I am leaning toward the Harmon. As far as this area , there are more Harman dealers than any of the other stoves. Most dealers were quoting me straight MSRP , at least with the Harmon, there were multiple dealers trying to get my business, therefore lowering the cost. The blower remains an option on the TLC , and I will definitely be purchasing the blower with the stove. Franco , the hopper is the reason the Keystoker HF is still in play in my mind. Not knowing enough about the process , I assume that it would be a bit easier to be able to load 50lbs. into a hopper. Oh well , hopefully I get some more browsing in this weekend and make up my mind ! Looking forward to the future with a new stove for sure, thanks again guys for the comments .

bulldogg wrote:the hopper is the reason the Keystoker HF is still in play in my mind. Not knowing enough about the process , I assume that it would be a bit easier to be able to load 50lbs. into a hopper.

The hopper is far more important than easier loading. When shaking down, the hopper feeds very hot coal which ignites much quicker than feeding cold coal, with more of the gasses burned. There is also much less chance of puff back. Heat output will be more uniform and if there is a thermostat to control the air there will be no need to make adjustments to it except to change heat output if desired. The hopper will also feed some coal between shakes.

There are Hitzer 50-93 stoves on craigslist used for about 1000.

I'm new to coal. We just purchased a TLC 2000 about 10 days ago, and it's been running 24/7. We have lower grade coal, which the unit wasn't designed for - but it still burns well overall, so I can only imagine that higher grade coals like Bit and Anthracite will do really well.

We don't burn wood except starter fires, but the wood starter fires ignite easily. We burn around 100 lbs of coal a day because of the low quality of the fuel, and 100 lbs of coal when burned just fills the ash pan. I've found an MPD and a Baro-Damper have helped me control the stove, but that may be just an issue of my chimney draft and the quality of the fuel, not the stove.

The only things I'd change on the unit is to design the ash drawer/pan without a lip on the inside, which sometimes causes extra ash to build-up and spill in the drawer compartment when cleaning, and I'd ask for more detailed operating instructions in the printed material - and like BodyHammer mentioned above, I'd make the over-the-fire draft controls on either side of the unit easier to access and control.

Because we don't live close to a dealer, we may purchase a backup window for the unit as apparently there can be problems if a hot coal is allow to set on the glass by mistake.

Knowing what I know now, I may have chosen a hopper fed unit better designed for large volumes of low grade coal. Being where you are, this probably isn't a concern. Overall, the Harman has presented itself as a well made quality unit, and is stepping up and delivering for us when we need it - and I do not regret buying it, I just wish I had better guidance from our dealer on helping us steer to a stove that is more specifically suited to our application.

I have no experience with any other coal stoves with which to compare.

Niel,

Have you seen that Mt Klappan (sp?) article on an enormous anthracite deposit they have been test mining over the past several years. Be nice to volunteer your TLC as a test stove! I hope that pans out up there as they are saying it contains more coal than everything that has ever come out of NEPA. Wouldn't that be nice.
**Broken Link(s) Removed**

Kielanders,

Good idea about a spare glass, but I bought the entire door kit. It includes the door,glass,gaskets,handle,and pins. This way I can just pull 2 door pins remove the door and replace with the new door in about a minute or so. I never have to shut the stove down.
If I remember correctly the kit was about $220 from my dealer, but that price was from a couple years ago. The parts number was listed on their parts list online.

Well , the decision has been made and the Hitzer 50-93 has been ordered. I have a three week wait time , that'll be hard as I anxiously await my new piece of equipment. Cost wise it turned out pretty good , 1796.00 for the stove with the blower. Thanks again for the advice and suggestions. I will get some pics up as soon as I can .