The Crator Multi Fuel Stove has a nominal output of 5kW and is made
from premium quality steel using the latest technologies to get
consistency in both quality and dimensions that you can't get in cast
iron construction. Stainless steel fittings and strong airtight doors
add to the stoves durability. The dual air vents give you great flame control and the pre-heated air-wash system keeps the glass clean and free of deposits. The Crator is also suitable for smoke control areas.
after reading the reviews on this site I bought one in oct 2016. Great unit, good clean lines, easy to operate, a doddle to keep clean and efficient. Recommended.
We've bought two James Smellie stoves, one each of the Crator and Ivanhoe models. They are installed in very different chimneys so I'll review both separately. The difference in the reviews
are more "low draw, solid fuel" and "high draw, wood burner" than "Crator" and "Ivanhoe". The two stoves are essentially identical apart from styling. The Crator is square whereas the Ivanhoe has a few curves to the design.We installed the Crator in a small room in our early Victorian house that can be very cold. The room is on the ground floor but open to the rafters, and it has two solid outside walls. Past owners of the house had blocked off the fireplace and installed a gas fire. We opened this up, which exposed how damp the wall was, and installed the Crator, which soon dealt with the moisture in the walls. The chimney here is not much more than the minimum required so there isn't a great draw. However, given we have the luxury of comparing two identical stoves in different chimneys I can vouch that several factors scored in these reviews (e.g. ease of lighting) are affected FAR more by the chimney than by the stove.With this short of chimney it can be tricky to get a fire started but once the flue is warmed it burns well and it puts out plenty enough heat. With the room door open it easily heats the adjoining rooms too. Because this room is used sporadically during the day and is occasionally used as a spare bedroom we've tended to use smokeless fuel in this one. That makes it much easier to keep ticking over without attention, and happily keeps going overnight after loading it up last thing. Once established, we usually have both air controls fully closed. The smokeless fuel we've used is Homefire. We're about to try using the Homefire-ovals that are slightly cheaper. The recommended fuel, Ancit, isn't easily available locally.I liked the simplicity of the design and in particular that the ash pan drawer was covered by the door, resulting in a very 'clean' appearance. The size was good for us especially in this small room, and it being multi-fuel and DEFRA compliant. Being only 5kw there's no requirement to have a vent in the room wall - last thing this house needs is more drafts. We find the air wash works very well in the other installation but with the low draw from this one, and possibly because of using more solid fuel rather than just wood, the window does tend to blacken up over the day. If you lit this daily there'd be no problem with a quick wipe with a damp cloth each morning. There's more comments about wood burning in my Ivanhoe review.Both stoves were installed using the top flue connection. Both installed easily.James Smellie was unknown to us and we were going to buy a stove at twice the price, that we'd seen demonstrated. This stove isn't quite so impressive in its degree of control (part of that is the DEFRA multifuel compliance), but we did buy TWO of them for the same price, and it's perfectly controllable enough. Various factors resulted in us choosing this stove over a few others our installer had suggested. One factor was that it was UK-made. Where a local equivalent is available I see no reason to cart one half way around the world for all sorts of ethical-shopping reasons. Also, I liked the ability to get in contact with the designer should I have any problems. I've been in contact, for general advice, and found them friendly and helpful.
I had this stove fitted in June 2015. I researched lots of different stoves and finally settled on this one. I liked the company history, ethos and the lack of hyped-up OTT advertising...just
plain honest information. I don't like companies that boast about how superior their stoves are. The stoves should speak for themselves. I have not been disappointed. Even though I do not live in a smoke-controlled area, I wanted a multi-fuel stove that was low in pollution and exempt for use in such zones. I did have a 6" flue lining fitted, not being confined to a 5" flue. The stove is made of steel and gives out a great heat.The technical skill of the James Smellie stoves lies in the tertiary air inlet system. First there is the controllable primary air control that comes from under the grate, which you open while getting the fire going and also need for burning smokeless coal. Then there is the controllable secondary airwash that delivers a variable amount of air above the wood and keeps the front glass clean (and it keeps it perfectly clean...no sooting up at all so far). Thirdly there is the clever permanently-open tertiary air inlet that wafts through vent holes behind the fire and ensures a complete burn of the wood fuel, very little smoke and makes lovely swirling patterns in the flames. It is now the middle of October and it is the first day I have used the stove all day to heat the house. The first "paint cure" burn a week or two ago went well, apart from repeatedly setting off the smoke alarm. There was a good draught up the chimney and no smoke in the room, but the invisible burnt paint fumes must have set off the alarm.Today, on getting the fire going, there was quite a paint smell again for a while but thankfully the alarm was not set off. I have kept the top light of the main window ajar all evening for extra ventilation.The temperature of the room rapidly improved from 16C to 20C within 45 minutes. Now, after 5 hours it is 21.5C, very pleasant indeed, with fresh air trickling into the room too through the window.The fire is easy to light. I just use some kindling and screwed-up newspaper. I need to start getting a newspaper again! I have lots of seasoned hardwood dotted around the garden in piles from pruning and felling trees and also lots of old wooden pallets and battens to supply kindling. I bought a moisture meter to check the dryness of the wood...my logs are generally around 10% moisture and always less than 20%.I have looked at the chimney top and can see no smoke at all coming out.. just a shimmer of the hot air. Very reassuring! I can certainly recommend this Crator stove for quality, effectiveness and ease of use.
I had this stove fitted in August, the service and knowledge of the product was perfect. The instructions that come with it are so clear and really easy to understand, as long as you follow
them you can't go wrong. So now the cold days are here I can make the most of this stove. I have hardly used the central heating. This is defiantly a good investment. Well worth the money
Having built ourselves a new home this year we could not resist incorporating an inglenook and wood-burner into the design. We spent many hours viewing a number of different branded ones on
the market e.g. Esse, Aga, Clearview etc. but we found the Smellie Crator Multi-Fuel stove suited our needs best.It is a good looking, robust stove and the heat output is superb. We are very pleased with the decision that we made and our bank balance is also in a more healthy state having chosen the James Smellie option.
After searching for ages for a stove that looked modern but not outrageous we settled on this stove and have been extremely happy with the stove the heat output is excellent and it will pay
for its self in no time at all as since fitting it we have not used our gas Central heating
I looked at loads of woodburners before selecting the Crator and have been delighted with the quality and efficiency of this stove.It may cost a bit more than some and a lot less than others
with the same build quality.Good to see a British company producing high quality products.
I bought the Crator last March so this is my first real season. I really wanted a British Defra approved stove so I went for this one and I love it! I find it easy to light and control. The
air wash works great and it gives off plenty of heat. I use wood and smokeless fuel, no problems with either. I would highly recommend this stove.
