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The Tortoise
Великобритания
Добавлен 10 мар 2019
My family have been manufacturing, designing and selling stoves for generations. I started my own stove company at 21 and enjoyed a lot of success with it, until my wife got ill and I sold my company to care for her and our 3 children. I handed my company to my brothers and father and I now make videos about all things stove related and a few other projects just to keep you entertained. I've no idea whether what I make is of any use or interest to anyone, but I've always wanted to do it. I love making things and stoves are in the blood!
I'm very lucky to have a family with a good reputation in this industry, and I have a wealth of knowledge and experienced built up over generations, which enabled me to help thousands of people get the best product for them. My reviews are independent and as unbiased as I can make them.
Also check out my other channels, which are all about wisdom, success and making things:
2nd channel "And"
3rd channel "The Hare"
Thanks!
Gabriel
I'm very lucky to have a family with a good reputation in this industry, and I have a wealth of knowledge and experienced built up over generations, which enabled me to help thousands of people get the best product for them. My reviews are independent and as unbiased as I can make them.
Also check out my other channels, which are all about wisdom, success and making things:
2nd channel "And"
3rd channel "The Hare"
Thanks!
Gabriel
Full review of the Archer Vulcan L
This is a full independent review of the Archer Fires, Vulcan, L. We test the stoves real world performance in:
Clean glass
Fuel economy
Ease of lighting
And controlling
I also give my views and a bit of background information. The videos are designed to be quick with only the key information, but you are welcome to ask questions in the comments.
We are a little independent channel that started doing this purely for a love of the industry. Over time it has become what we do, and we have been fortunate enough to cover our costs and make living. This is achieved through:
Manufacturers sending us stoves, that they allow us to keep.
Some paid work, making videos for RUclips or a manufacturers own web...
Clean glass
Fuel economy
Ease of lighting
And controlling
I also give my views and a bit of background information. The videos are designed to be quick with only the key information, but you are welcome to ask questions in the comments.
We are a little independent channel that started doing this purely for a love of the industry. Over time it has become what we do, and we have been fortunate enough to cover our costs and make living. This is achieved through:
Manufacturers sending us stoves, that they allow us to keep.
Some paid work, making videos for RUclips or a manufacturers own web...
Просмотров: 1 289
Видео
1st look at the Archer Vulcan
Просмотров 55214 часов назад
These videos are a bit more vlog style and less edited to give you an authentic first look at the Archer Fires Vulcan L. This new range of stoves already has a special place in my heart, as I count the creator as a good man and friend and I'm very much hoping he's created another winner, like all the other stoves he's designed and made. Visit Archer here: archerfires.com/tt
Full review of the Charlton and Jenrick, Go Eco, BakeChef
Просмотров 88321 час назад
This is a full independent review of the Charlton and Jenrick, Go Eco, BakeChef, we test this cookers real world performance in: Clean glass Fuel economy Ease of lighting And controlling I also give my views and a bit of background information. The videos are designed to be quick with only the key information, but you are welcome to ask questions in the comments. We are a little independent cha...
Independent review of the FireMizer
Просмотров 2,2 тыс.День назад
This is a look at something of a stove gadget, called the FireMizer. It was interesting enough to grab my attention, pick up the phone and give them a call. It's not all smooth sailing, but this product definitely has its place. Thank you so much to all of you for your support!!! If you would like any further information about the stove or us please feel free to drop me a comment or you check c...
Top 3 stoves for overnight running
Просмотров 90314 дней назад
Over the course of the next few months, we will release a number of shortcut videos that will hopefully help you find some examples of appropriate stoves (given your intended use). If you have any alternate suggestions then chuck them in the comments, because that too will be very useful to anyone looking to buy a stove that will service a particular function, or type of use. Also, check out ou...
1st look at the Go Eco BakeChef
Просмотров 96814 дней назад
This is our first look at the Go Eco, BakeChef. This is a bit of a change from the norm, as we get our first look at full blown cooker, with a full sized oven and all the trimmings. I had unfortunately hurt my back getting the stove into place, so my heavily pregnant assistant was required to do the heavy lifting. These videos are generally a bit more chat/vlog based, where we get our first loo...
Full review of the Jotul F205
Просмотров 1,3 тыс.21 день назад
This is a full independent review of the Jotul 205, we test the stoves real world performance in: Clean glass Fuel economy Ease of lighting And controlling I also give my views and a bit of background information. The videos are designed to be quick with only the key information, but you are welcome to ask questions in the comments. We are a little independent channel that started doing this pu...
1st look at the Jotul F205
Просмотров 1,5 тыс.Месяц назад
This is our first look at the Jotul F205 stove. This is an all cast iron, top of the range stove, so it should be a good one to get a look at. Visit our website here: thetortoise.net
Full review of the Woodwarm Phoenix Firebug 8
Просмотров 1,5 тыс.Месяц назад
Full review of the Woodwarm Phoenix Firebug 8
Our first impressions of the Woodwarm Phoenix Firebug 8
Просмотров 3213 месяца назад
Our first impressions of the Woodwarm Phoenix Firebug 8
How and why has my stove glass crazed
Просмотров 1,6 тыс.4 месяца назад
How and why has my stove glass crazed
This is very helpful, thank you very much! Between the C5 and the jotul F205, what would be your preference? They are very close in price and features and I have a hard time deciding. The Charnwood seems to heat up faster, be easier to adjust, while the jotul has the strength and perhaps slower heat diffusion. Both seem to be very good quality from your videos and it makes sense to buy them for a long time
Hi Gabriel, We love your reviews and are just about to buy a new stove. We are torn between the Allure 7 and the Parkway Aspect 7. We love the looks of both but we are worried about how stiff the handle on the Allure is and your review was slightly less enthusiastic on the Aspect 7. As both are similar prices do you have a preference for one or the other? Any advice would greatly appreciated. Thanks Chris & Lucy
Beautiful self-managing showpiece occasional use stove. Would fit perfectly into a Bond villains pad! At twice the price of more functional stoves (please test the Hwam Wiking Mini 4!) it's a big ask to buy new British against EU best selling Scandinavian competition, but I hope Archer live long and prosper. It's a beauty. The TVR car of stoves - bespoke.
I’m keen to try a Hwam, but I’m with you on the TVR. A very nice Sagaris with the side facing exhausts 🤤
£3,150.00 for a 5kw stove?! Am I missing something? They cost between £400-£600 for a decent one. I understand the handmade bit but it doesnt cost 10 time more to make!
That’s like saying a Ferrari has 4 wheels, just like a quad 😅 A standard 5KW stove will tend to cost between £700-£2000. Tall cylindrical appliances can cost generally from £1,500-£6000, so it’s far from out of the ordinary. Plus I’m a big fan of hand made too, it’s special and deliberately not the norm. If a Ferrari cost £10k it would lose its appeal and exclusivity, so I’m a fan of the price distinction. Not to mention that given what goes into something like this, it’s genuinely far from expensive (I’ve been to see the build process and we’re releasing a video of it, so hopefully that’ll be interesting)!
Bargain price - I will take a dozen!! not
🖖
Nice ambiance type stove! Lit up my 602 CB today for the first time this season. Got the workshop nice and toasty, took a good nap next to it 😂
😆 you weren’t doing too much work then. Should call it the “sleepshop” 😅
This might be your best review yet. Any pricing guidance? I've clicked on eight dealers from the Archer website & am still none the wiser.
Thanks a lot. That’s strange regarding the dealers, but hopefully it’s because they’re doing in store deals of some kind! Definitely worth a phone call to a couple tomorrow, as they will have correct pricing, however I believe that the RRP is roughly £3,150.00 Inc VAT.
@@TheTortoise Thank you - that's useful guidance. I love the idea of buying fully British, however, that's a strong price point - practically 2x DG Ivar 5s. I suppose they're very different designs, but ouch!
Yea, this is definitely not your usual everyday thing. Being hand-made too, it definitely positions itself as something altogether different to almost anything else. But as you say, these things definitely come at a price 😆
Great video thanks for the review
It was a pleasure, thanks!
Your enthusiasm for stoves is awesome. Thanks for the update on the lighting and burn
Thanks a lot! I have the dream job for a stove nerd, so I can’t keep it in 😅
great vid....looking forward to winter.....!!! cheers
Hi , today I’m getting the clock Sudbury compact being delivered , do you know how to remove the defra kit ?
Do you get less heat in a room with an inset stove?
I cover this better in some other videos, but yes typically you will get less heat initially. On the flip side you will build up thermal mass in the masonry fireplace, which will continue to bleed heat into the room much more gradually.
The wood used...? Is it softwood or hardwood in all the tests? Please.
Can you explain why this stove can’t be used all the time
It’s not that it can’t, it’s just this stoves focus is not in that direction. You could daily use a sports car, but that was never the intention. Similarly this stove is focused on very clean burning, and a bright, fantastic look. This generally will mean that it will need re-loading more often, which is less conducive to a constant use stove. Having said that, you can keep this in for longer periods, it just requires a touch more forethought.
Hi. Love all your helpful videos. I justed your opinion on our situation. We are fitting a peanut 8 but can only fit a 5" liner as our chimney is narrow. Our chimney is already clay lined, in good condition and had a successful smoke test. Do you think it would be ok in this instance to not use a steel liner? Thanks
Great review, we’re glad you enjoyed it and cooked some tasty food on it! A black heatshield is normally sent in the box with these stoves which hangs on the silver rail covering the fire box blocking most of the heat once the fire is up to temperature. This helps to make cooking more comfortable, apologies for this.
Don’t worry at all, another person has mentioned this. It’s even better thought out than I thought 😅
🖖
Terrible looking
Thats a really nice looking fire. By the way your audio balance is a bit skewed to the right for some reason.
That’s strange, I can only guess this was the mic positioning 😬. I’m a fan of the look too though, defo better than the audio 😅
In Star Trek the captain of the Enterprise in the series Enterprise was Jonathan Archer. That logo is definitely ‘starfleet/star trek’ and calling it Vulcan definitely suggests the makers are Trekkies …. I hope this is not a Kobayashi Maru… 😂
Oh mate, you’ve got it all going on. If only I’d had this inside pop culture knowledge, I could have played on this even more! Jonathon Archer, I had no idea 😆
@@TheTortoise for my sins I’m a Trekkie
🖖 🖖 🖖live long and prosper!
Shorts and a shirt, you win the perfect balance of business and casual 😎. Very modern, like the fashion version of a mullet. Loving it.
Haha. A friend of mine just text me the same thing 😅. It was just soo hot during filming!
Would like to know about the different types of liners, twin wall, insulated and the like so I can be better informed when I come to replace mine
I have made a video on 316 vs 904 liner too if that’s useful: ruclips.net/video/mV2KMy3zmVc/видео.htmlsi=qxG9OTHaotbJGgoB
@@TheTortoise Thank you I did find that one after my comment! :)
how much
So hypothetically if I live in a smokeless area can I still install a stove which doesn't comply? E.g. Clearview stoves?
Yes you can. The rule is that if your stove is not DEFRA approved (FYI Clearview do make DEFRA approved stoves), then you must burn smokeless fuel. You can use wood for lighting, but the primary fuel source needs to be smokeless.
Do you think this would be worth it on a roughly 10 year old charnwood island 1? Its a multifuel that burns through wood quickly! Or failing that any issues with placing a firebrick cut to size to match the grate for the top of the grate?
Yea, I think this exactly the situation that I would use it.
I like it. Great if have lots of powercuts and live in a rural area or just like cooking with wood. Could do with a larger model with back boiler for hot water.
Back boilers are very tricky to get approved nowadays, but I like your thinking.
Great review. Interesting stove.
Such a wonderful opening statement about the current state of society and the future of the channel, you and Amy seem wise beyond your years, bravo. As for the stove, it sums up your opening statement perfectly, some things are worth the wait, the journey and the prize, I hope your children remember these years and lessons and look back on them with fond memories. Always a pleasure to sit down and watch a new video from your channel pop up. Kind regards Tony
You’re too kind. I’m sat right now with our latest little one, full of hiccups, but good as gold! Thanks for the comment.
Nice looking unit! Too bad there isn’t some kind of hot water hook up. It would be perfect for the off grid cabin.
There is a company that makes a flue boiler, and I always think that’s a great product in these situations.
@@TheTortoiseWhat company is that please
Charnwood (part of the A J Wells group)
I’m a little Leary of something like that which can rob some of the heat from the stack for proper draft. These new clean burning stoves are so efficient that they don’t have much heat going up the stack anymore.
Valid point for sure, but I do like that these possibilities are still out there. If you use some nice dry fuel then you’ll keep any possible problem in the very much unlikely category.
I love this review. I have had our Charnwood Haven going for a couple of weeks now and glad to see there are a lot of similarities... some things better, some less so, but what at asset to a house these things are!
I’d love to try one of those, it looks fantastic and I like the size too! How does it burn?
@@TheTortoise It lies in really well. The firebox is little bigger than the size of a shoebox, but after about an hour of getting up to temp, the wallpaper is threatening to slide off the walls.
😆 nice!
Perfecto 🤌🤌
We cooked 6 Cornish pasty’s in ours and a casserole ontop! In reference to standing in front of it and cooking- C&J didn’t send you the optional heat shield that goes over the front of the stove glass, drops the temperature right down.
Interesting. That sounds excellent. Presumable it just rests on the grab rail?
@@TheTortoise yes it hangs on the front, and when your not using it you can hook it onto the side of the stove.
This is neat, it just gets better and better 😅
Been waiting for this review 🎉
Love It 👀❤️❤️❤️❤️
The Esse Bakeheart works differently. It does not divert the gasses to heat the oven therefore the stove and hot plate gets up to temperature way before the oven does. The coals heat the oven. You just need to adjust your preparation time, the stove heats the room / house all the time you are waiting on the oven reaching temperature. Many full meals can be completed just using the hot plate.
Yea that’s true. And I figure most users will tend to keep this going anyway.
Yes, I've got an esse as well, does the rads, oven, hotplate, heats the room, all on a bit of wood, I use anthracite as well, I keep it in 24 hours in winter. Had the gas taken out.
That’s the dream mate 👌
@@TheTortoise OK till it goes out and you wake up to a freezing house bud.
But at least it’s real life! I’ll take a bit of real, over a faceless gas company!
It does come with a insulated cover as an additional attachment so you can get it hotter faster and don't scorch yourself making your carbonara sauce. Looks good for those places that would suit it.
Or even the Ecco stove...?
Interesting 🧐 do you know when a Stanley might be coming (don’t they own AGA and Rayburn too)?
Won't be long till we see a Stanley....?
I tried something similar with a sheet of stainless steel, drilled small holes in it. Anyone have any experience with Mazona stoves? They have a good deal on at the moment.
Did your sheet work?
@@ofah6378 I found that the fire had to be kept hot to efficient. If you let it die down, it was very hard to get it to respond.
The mazona stoves (I suspect) are relatively simple imports with their own door design. Assuming I’m right then watching a review of a: Woodford The ACR we tested Or a Saltfire Will give you an idea of them. Often these are quite similar stoves with different doors.
@@TheTortoise Ah I knew the stove wizard would have an answer. Thank you sir.
🙋🏼♂️you got it 😅
Thanks for the information it’s been very useful. Can you advise if I can mount my tv over my log burner? I’m moving into a house with log burner and ideally I’d prefer the tv mounted above fire due to space. What’s your thoughts on this ? Thank you
There are certain distance rules and it’s a good idea to have an oak beam or something below the tv to push the heat away from the tv. Strangely I’ve never heard of it going wrong, because I would assume the heat would wear things quicker, but so far I’ve never heard of an issue.
Love hits. How did you get your hearth shiny?
This is just normal slate with an oil finish. You can polish slate thought, that’ll get a nice sheen if that’s what you’re after.
@@TheTortoise I think I have black limestone but it’s dull and my installer said I could use tyre grease or something but wondered if you knew a way!
Best idea is to polish it. Which essentially means using a sander with 60-80grit to flatten the stone. Then step up the grits to 240, and finally a slate oil and you should be golden. Or if you prefer a more riven look, then just use a slate oil, which is all I’ve done on mine.
Really useful review. Have seen comment elsewhere, but expert analysis here is most useful. Strikes me that manufacturers with metal base trays or grates already have the heat disruption sussed. So that leaves the oxygen flow issue, which a bed of ash normally regulates? So in most modern stoves where is the improvement? Hope manufacturer comes back with more on what else it adds beyond these 2 factors, as we all love an effective stove add on (if it is durable, which mesh isn't?). Great review - thanks.
Yea it’s an interesting one. I think this does have some real uses to open fire users and use on older (less efficient) stoves too!
Amazing stove! I was told you leave the grate shut when using coal and just use the bottom air vent ? I’ve only used coal once but it did work
Yea I think you can do this, but if you want to keep the stove lit for longer periods this added stodging of the ash can also work against you (unless you’re remembering to riddle the grate from time to time). I tend to find that if I’m using coal based fuel it’s because I want to run for long periods, and in this situation I found it being open worked better. No doubt if you tend to use coal based fuel for the evening, closing it has its advantages.
@@TheTortoise Appreciate the response. I only burn wood tbh but I’ll try it with the grate open when I next use coal and see how that compares
Seems like a great option for people looking to get more efficiency out of their open fireplace
Are you boris johnsons brother...ahww, ahwww, wwwhhaaa. ????
Honestly I get told I’m like Bo-Jo all the time! What has happened to my life 🤦♂️😬😅
@@TheTortoise 😂😂😂😂😂
Nothing wrong with an open fire, throw a few logs on, I get loads of heat off mine.
I’m a fan too!
Iv used them 4 or 5 years back ,they are as you describe in your video ,they noticeably improve , i liked the product ,hmm but as much as i remember the disappointment was they didn't last that long before disintegrating .
Interesting I’m still using this one to try and work out its weaknesses and strengths. Mine is still in good condition, but perhaps it’s temperature related, or I simply haven’t had it long enough. Thanks for the feedback though!
Do you think that our clock would benifit from this or is it another case of it been too efficient? We will be just burning wood this time round.
Yea it’s an interesting one. I wanted to wait before testing this, to use the right type of stove that I thought it would improve. As I say, with modern stoves the difference is not easily apparent, but older stoves and open fires it was great. Your Clock will be a fairly impressive thing on its own, but you could certainly try it. It’s not too expensive to be fair.
👍👍