Home > Learning Center > Vermont Castings Defiant

Vermont Castings Defiant

General Review:
Vermont Castings is very experienced in creating powerful and long lasting wood stoves and heaters. Their products have been strongly tested in their state of the art labs. The Vermont Castings Defiant is a true heating workhorse.

The great thing about the Vermont Castings Defiant is that it is the largest Vermont Castings wood stove. You get the world famous quality and massive heating power to boot. It delivers an impressive 65000 BTUs of heating. To make things easier and more convenient, the Vermont Castings Defiant has top loading and it offers an innovative swing-out ash pan. To protect their customers, their product also features a cover and a bottom heat shield.

There are two types of the Vermont Castings Defiant wood stove. These types are the Catalytic Defiant wood stove and the Non-Catalytic Defiant wood stove.

Key Features:
The Catalytic Defiant wood stove has the following features:
. auto control thermostat for steady heat
. clean and convenient top-loading
. heat shield at the bottom so that it accommodates standard hearth pads
. the fire back is protected by a firebrick
. innovative swing-out ash pan and cover
. reversible flue collar


The Non-Catalytic Defiant wood stove has these features:
. a non-catalytic combustion system called Everburn
. top and front loading conveniently set up
. innovative swing-out ash pan and cover
. full gasket construction
. heat shield at the bottom
. clean glass with over fire air wash
. economical 8" flue with reversible collar
. griddle for stove top cooking
. durable interior lined with brick

Both types of Vermont Castings Defiant wood stoves have the same choice in colors - Classic Black, Ebony Black, Biscuit, Enamel Bordeaux and Majolica Brown.

Advantages:
It looks good and is well designed. It also heats the area quite well once it has been adjusted. Appealing burning wood feature. Also, using it without a catalyst does not damage it - it is just a filter and it works well without it. Using a non-catalytic wood stove is environmentally friendly, which is a big advantage. The company is therefore making more and more non-catalytic wood stoves.

Disadvantages:
It can over fire to levels that are considered dangerous, meaning around 700 to 800F when using an oval-round converter. Doors are sometimes loose and the same goes for the ash drawer. Damper fails to close completely, so some people use various means to close it properly, which in some cases prevents over firing. It also seems leaky in some places because the air valve is not doing much to prevent it. The instructions tend to be contradictory with regard to the required clearances for unshielded versus shielded operation. Regardless of what the instruction state, the bottom and the back shields are now standard. The oval connector does not fit well, probably because it is not a standard connector. There are some reports that the cement cracks.

Final Thoughts:

In summary, the Vermont Castings Defiant is a powerhouse of a stove. A stove this large and powerful will require a solid installation and using a double wall converter can help. If you want trademark strong quality and a massive heating device this is a solid bet.

Wood Stove Parts Used Wood Stoves Wood Stove Reviews Pot Belly Stove Cast Iron Pellet Stove Firewood Chimneys Chiminea Wood Stove Pipe Wood Stove Blower Antique Wood Stove Wood Heater Wood Stove Steamers Aarrow Ashley Austroflamm Avalon Blaze King Breckwell Buck Century Dovre Drolet Dutchwest Fisher Harman Pellet Stoves Hearthstone Jotul Lopi Morso Napoleon Osburn Regency Soapstone Timberline US Stove Vermont Castings Vogelzang Whitfield Pellet Stove