Finally Saw the Keystoker HFH-90 Hand Fired Stove Today ...

 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Sat. Aug. 30, 2014 4:52 pm

... and it was love at first sight. Made a road trip just to see it. They are amazingly well engineered and well built. The quality shows, but at a price to match. I've never seen better welds on any stove.

By my careful measurements the fireboxes (inside the firebricks) width and length dimensions are exactly 12" x 18", and by applying my rule of 375 that makes this an 81,000 BTU stove. A bit less than Keystoker's claim of 90,000 BTU's.

12 x 18 x 375 = 81,000

Of course in the real world this must be at least halved, so I'd call it a 40,000 BTU "capable" stove.


 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Sat. Aug. 30, 2014 5:02 pm

What?!? Tease us like that with no pictures??!! Show us the goods partner! :D

 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Sat. Aug. 30, 2014 5:06 pm

Lightning wrote:What?!? Tease us like that with no pictures??!! Show us the goods partner! :D
No pictures were taken. I'm an old man who barely knows how to use his ancient flip phone.

 
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Post by coalnewbie » Sat. Aug. 30, 2014 5:15 pm

So brass rim or no? I remember getting pressured by this board about pics and had to trade in my rotary phone. They are a tough crowd, Larry they do not accept excuses.

 
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Post by KingCoal » Sat. Aug. 30, 2014 5:20 pm

i remember looking at this stove online when you first mentioned it. I got a ration from the Mrs. about why we didn't get one of those PRETTY stoves. :mad:

i still haven't seen any exploded views or description though.

what are the features that make it stand out ?

steve

 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Sat. Aug. 30, 2014 6:33 pm

The build quality is exemplary as previously mentioned (overall fit and finish is top shelf), plus the grate system looks particularly robust, and the hopper has the largest capacity of any hopper assisted hand fired stove I've yet to come across. I think you might be able to get nigh on 80 lbs. of coal into the hopper alone. Did I mention the hopper is stainless steel? The gasketing I saw looks terrific also, as does the really well done bi-metallic air inlet control system. And the optional glass top is really something. The lid is cast iron (sans for the glass of course). It comes standard with 2 ash pans, and it even comes standard with a form fit steel shield that fits into the door area while the stove is running if you want to open the door and let it cool down so you can clean the glass off while the stove is going about its business of fully functioning. And the air inlet wheel on the ash door is fully functional if you choose to use this method of air inlet control instead of the bi-metallic air inlet control (or in conjunction with the bi-metal control). And it just down right looks nice clear down to the feet.

This appears to be a case where you get what you pay for. That's probably the part that keeps people away from this stove though. With all of the bells and whistles like the glass top and the brass trim and the blower it goes for roughly $2,400.

 
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Lightning
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Post by Lightning » Sat. Aug. 30, 2014 6:43 pm

lsayre wrote:
Lightning wrote:What?!? Tease us like that with no pictures??!! Show us the goods partner! :D
No pictures were taken. I'm an old man who barely knows how to use his ancient flip phone.
Awww bummer lol.. being the techkie type that I perceive you as, you'd love a smart phone once you learned yer way around on it.. Thanks for sharing your road trip :)


 
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Post by KingCoal » Sat. Aug. 30, 2014 8:31 pm

80#'s in the hopper alone, really something if acurate.

how deep is that 12 x 18 fire box ? if it's 9" we're talking about 56#'s in there too. that's alot of coal for a stove of it's measurements. pretty impressive.

 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Sat. Aug. 30, 2014 8:41 pm

KingCoal wrote:80#'s in the hopper alone, really something if acurate.

how deep is that 12 x 18 fire box ? if it's 9" we're talking about 56#'s in there too. that's alot of coal for a stove of it's measurements. pretty impressive.
That was the only major oddity that I noticed for the HFH-90. I doubt that the depth of its firebox is even 6 inches, let alone 9 inches. I should have measured it, but my admittedly eyeball guess is more like 5" depth based on the firebrick height. But then apparently this lack of firebox depth does not matter much (if at all) when you are burning anthracite and you have a hopper overhead.

 
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Post by franco b » Sat. Aug. 30, 2014 10:03 pm

Based on your information and that of the web site, I would expect of the stove:

Pea coal would work best with a 5 inch depth fire pot.
Tending times would be shorter with a 5 inch bed as opposed to 9 inch.
CO generation would be less with the shallow bed. It breathes easier.

What is the glass top for?

The stove is handsome.

The double skin on sides and top might require the use of the blower to keep stack temp. low.

 
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Post by coalnewbie » Sun. Aug. 31, 2014 1:14 am

Still having trouble imagining the operation. A Youtube video would be great.

 
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Post by Ed.A » Sun. Aug. 31, 2014 5:45 am

There is a saying on internet forums.."No picture? Then it Never Happened". :D

 
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Post by coalnewbie » Sun. Aug. 31, 2014 6:21 am

YA see, I warned you. :)

 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Sun. Aug. 31, 2014 6:50 am

franco b, my intent (initially at least) would be to use it exclusively pea, as that is what I have in the bin for the AHS Coal Gun.

The hinged glass top is only for decoration. Under it is the cast iron cast iron top with gasketed cast iron hopper lid.

You bring up a good point regarding the double skin and the need for a blower, and this in fact may kill my dream. I do not intend to use a blower with a hand fired stove. It is only available as an option though, so I will call Keystoker and inquire of the heating functionality of the stove without the blower. It seems to me that if the blower is a requirement it should come standard. It is only a minuscule 45 CFM output blower.

Where is member SemperFi when I need him. He has burned this stove for about 7 years now. He would know for sure if this stove will work without the blower, and if it functions best with pea or nut. He only posts at most a few times a year though.

 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Fri. Sep. 05, 2014 6:53 pm

I finally got around to calling Keystoker and discussing the HFH-90 with them. They assured me that it was designed as a stove to be used without the blower, and it will radiate heat just fine. Any opinions on this?


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