I choose the Drolet brand over brands with similar products; because of the overall appearance, the quality of the door hinges and latch, other reviews I read, and the fact that it was made in Canada vs. China. I chose the Escape 1800 based on the size o

I choose the Drolet brand over brands with similar products; because of the overall appearance, the quality of the door hinges and latch, other reviews I read, and the fact that it was made in Canada vs. China. I chose the Escape 1800 based on the size of the space I'm heating, the large viewing area of the glass door, the large ash collection box, and the optional front screen that allows the stove to be safely operated with the door open. The stove was crated and packed very well. Directions were straight forward and easy to understand. We set it in place and connected the double wall Selkirk adjustable stove pipe. Very little paint smell on the first low temp. burn. I have had several weekend long fires in it and it has performed as expected. I'm heating a well insulated 900 sq.ft. using the stove without the optional electric blower. It does a fine job at keeping the room very comfy and even got the temperature up to 90 deg.f. The finish looks nice and seems durable. The stove is very simple to clean when it is cold. I use a 4" putty knife to push ash out through the bottom into the ash collection box. As for as wood size goes 16-17 inches for left to right and pieces 12-13 inches front to back work very well. If they are longer than this it gets a little tricky getting them in to and moving them around inside the firebox.