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Esse Engineering Bakeheart: is it worth buying?

Wood stove by Esse Engineering. Also sold as Warmheart.

A good pick if you want lots of heat.

The catch: more smoke than most new stoves and a small firebox, so more reloading.

How it compares

Against all 156 new wood stoves, from the EPA's lab tests. Longer bar = better.

HeatBetter than 87%
up to 48,685 BTU an hour
Clean burningBetter than 24%
2.15 grams of smoke an hour (legal limit 2.5)
Heat from each logBetter than 54%
75% efficient
Burn time (firebox size)Better than 12%
1.09 cubic feet

Source: EPA certification record 5043, checked Nov 1, 2026. Smoke compared as a share of each stove's legal limit, since stoves tested on real cordwood get a higher limit.

Better-matched picks with similar heat

If one of these matters more to you, start here.

Want less smoke? Woodstock Soapstone Absolute Steel Hybrid 211 Cleaner than 97% of new wood stoves, with similar heat.
Want to burn less wood? Blaze King King KE40 Gets more heat from each log than 96% of new wood stoves.

Other questions

What size chimney liner does it need?

Match the liner to the flue collar size in the Esse Engineering Bakeheart owner's manual, and have a certified installer confirm it fits your chimney.

It's non-catalytic. What does that mean?

There's no catalytic combustor, so no combustor part to replace down the road.

What do these numbers mean?

The EPA tests every new stove before it can be sold. "Heat" is the most heat it put out in the test. "Clean burning" is smoke per hour. "Heat from each log" is the share of the wood's energy that reaches your room. Firebox size tells you how much wood it holds, which drives how long it burns.

Check today's price: Esse Engineering Bakeheart