I bought this item early in September and am Happy with it, But your opportunity for success is to make sure you read the manual first as the burn in process needs to be followed properly. There is 3 steps to follow it simply relates to the time for the burn in to allow the oil etc. used to preserve the finish for shipment. After doing so you will realize the need for proper ventilation, the final stage will require a longer hot burn to finish the burn off and there may be some smoke from it doing so that needs open windows and/or a fan to assist. This is not like a fire in your home but enough to realize this step. After unpacking the stove I did not realize the boxes behind the well placed foam used to protect the glass hid the boxes inside of the stove could be removed to lighten the stove considerably (make sure you are aware of this step) This stove weighs over 300 pounds with those items in it. Now after the burn in process we had a pretty cool night in the upper 30's to lower 40's for a good test run which was quite impressive. The burn time after the ash buildup and the coals from the logs (2 of them) burned for 3 hours and left enough coals to restart the fire easily. The use of the thermometers simplify the observation of the flame temperature which helps the burn rate for you to know a correct burn and not overfire or choke the stove out. I have heated this home for 40 years with various stoves and for the money and quality of this product and the real heat it holds after the log burn time is complete you will be content with your choice here. My only complaint is the opening for the door could be the opposite from right to left for my needs, leave that thought in your mind prior to your choice if this an issue. By the way the door and the little damper on the top that pulls in and out is all you need to control the fire, use the damper all the way out toward you when starting the stove with the door open. It does not move too far but it does work properly when you get accustomed to use it, strange at first thogh.

Let me start by saying I have used several different wood stoves over the past 40 years and this one does not seem to burn properly. With the damper all the way open, the stove does not seem to let in enough air to keep the fire burning well. I get a good fire burning, close the door, keep the damper open and the fire seems to get smothered out. On mine, the Lower Primary Air Orifice (LPAO) does not seem to have a hole from the ash pan side as show in the picture in the manual. Maybe some body forgot to drill it at the factory? I will probably be returning it. I really wanted this stove to be good, I hate it! I posted a video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1SEhW7j77U or just search "Grand Teton Yellowstone wood stove from Tractor Supply first impression" on YouTube.