I used these pellets as I ran out of what is typically available in this area, Pres-to-logs and stove chow and a few other off brands and I must say that these were the worst pellets I have ever used. I ended up taking back several bags to home depot because they were about 50% saw dust. Not sure if it was a bad batch or what but the ash content and heat output were not great in the bags I was able to burn. Bottom of the pile for me!
had a friend give me 4 1/2 bags of nations choice he got at home depot since his wife was scared to use their stove. i just bought a quadra fire classic 1200. have used it maybe 3 times for at most 30 mins after i get home from work. i decided to add the 1/2 bag to the hopper which still had most of the pellets that were initially brought by the stove installer. there was so much dust that it repeatedly killed the fire due to not being able to breathe and also clogged the auger. had to dig out the pellets i could, get the stove company to come out and unclog the auger. since it wasnt working for me what i was doing to get the stove to feed pellets.. ended up having to sift the pellets i scooped out into a bucket thru my collander to sift out the dust. i will not buy this product after sifting and using the 4 bags i have left
I have been buying Nations Choice Pellets for the last 5 years and they really have been great to use. Not a lot of ash nor dust. This year they are the WORST I have ever seen. I think they must of increased their softwoods substantially. I will have to look for another brand. I would rather pay more and get quality, than go through what I did this year with these pellets.
Burns very poorly with lots of ash and clinkers. I have to clean the fire box twice a day or the clinkers and ash build up to the point the stove will not light. Have no plans to ever buy this brand again.
I bought 10 bags of Nation’s Choice from Lowes last week. Worst decision I could have ever made. I was running low on my normal brand I bought 3 tons of last summer and wanted to top off my supply. I normally have to clean the stove once every 2 weeks. I’m on bag 8 of Nation’s Choice and have cleaned the stove 3 times in the last week. The pellets won’t even start on their own. I have to use a half hand full of the other pellets to get the fire started and then burn the crap Nation’s Choice.
Waste of money. Clogging my anger daily. I can’t get these to burn for more that :30 minutes prior to clogging. They smell strong and create way too much ash. Don’t buy this brand. I purchased the white bags.
Nation’s Choice causes our auger to jam. the pieces are too long, they get stuck. They cause hard, chunky bunches of ash. A Fireside bag burns once every 24-26 hours. A Nation’s Choice bags, same size poundage wise, burns once every 16 hours, maybe a little longer, and we aren’t having freezing weather here in New Hampshire. It has been mild compared to past years. With Fireside ash, you have to empty the bin out every few days. With Nation’s choice, you have to empty it out for sure every other day at most. I bought four ton from Home Depot. I want to return them.
There are two types of “Nation’s Choice” pellets – The White bag (horrible) and the green bag (“OK”).
Facts – I burned a 1/2 ton so far this winter of the green bag – Good heat and NO clinkers, moderate amount of ash. Had to vacuum the stove every three weeks. Actually very clean. Bought locally at Home Depot in East Haven, CT (Stove = Quadra-fire 1200i, “Classic Bay” insert. I was amazed at the very clean burn pot – didn’t even have to scrape it.
White bag – Same pellets? These are a total disaster – purchased in Greenfield, MA Home Depot – Burning 50% more pellets on same settings and had more ash (a lot ore as in more than quadruple the amount) in 1 week than I had in three weeks with the green bag. Also, they produce less heat and totally clogged my fireboat – had to scrap and loosen large ‘clinkers’ that were too big to go up the vacuum nozzle. (The bags are nearly identical except green vs. white. The labels are the same except for the white bag says “premium hardwood pellets” and the green bag says “premium wood pellets.
Bottom line = Green bag were good; white was a joke/disaster.
68 Comments
I used these pellets as I ran out of what is typically available in this area, Pres-to-logs and stove chow and a few other off brands and I must say that these were the worst pellets I have ever used. I ended up taking back several bags to home depot because they were about 50% saw dust. Not sure if it was a bad batch or what but the ash content and heat output were not great in the bags I was able to burn. Bottom of the pile for me!
had a friend give me 4 1/2 bags of nations choice he got at home depot since his wife was scared to use their stove. i just bought a quadra fire classic 1200. have used it maybe 3 times for at most 30 mins after i get home from work. i decided to add the 1/2 bag to the hopper which still had most of the pellets that were initially brought by the stove installer. there was so much dust that it repeatedly killed the fire due to not being able to breathe and also clogged the auger. had to dig out the pellets i could, get the stove company to come out and unclog the auger. since it wasnt working for me what i was doing to get the stove to feed pellets.. ended up having to sift the pellets i scooped out into a bucket thru my collander to sift out the dust. i will not buy this product after sifting and using the 4 bags i have left
I have been buying Nations Choice Pellets for the last 5 years and they really have been great to use. Not a lot of ash nor dust. This year they are the WORST I have ever seen. I think they must of increased their softwoods substantially. I will have to look for another brand. I would rather pay more and get quality, than go through what I did this year with these pellets.
Burns very poorly with lots of ash and clinkers. I have to clean the fire box twice a day or the clinkers and ash build up to the point the stove will not light. Have no plans to ever buy this brand again.
I bought 10 bags of Nation’s Choice from Lowes last week. Worst decision I could have ever made. I was running low on my normal brand I bought 3 tons of last summer and wanted to top off my supply. I normally have to clean the stove once every 2 weeks. I’m on bag 8 of Nation’s Choice and have cleaned the stove 3 times in the last week. The pellets won’t even start on their own. I have to use a half hand full of the other pellets to get the fire started and then burn the crap Nation’s Choice.
Waste of money. Clogging my anger daily. I can’t get these to burn for more that :30 minutes prior to clogging. They smell strong and create way too much ash. Don’t buy this brand. I purchased the white bags.
Nation’s Choice causes our auger to jam. the pieces are too long, they get stuck. They cause hard, chunky bunches of ash. A Fireside bag burns once every 24-26 hours. A Nation’s Choice bags, same size poundage wise, burns once every 16 hours, maybe a little longer, and we aren’t having freezing weather here in New Hampshire. It has been mild compared to past years. With Fireside ash, you have to empty the bin out every few days. With Nation’s choice, you have to empty it out for sure every other day at most. I bought four ton from Home Depot. I want to return them.
There are two types of “Nation’s Choice” pellets – The White bag (horrible) and the green bag (“OK”).
Facts – I burned a 1/2 ton so far this winter of the green bag – Good heat and NO clinkers, moderate amount of ash. Had to vacuum the stove every three weeks. Actually very clean. Bought locally at Home Depot in East Haven, CT (Stove = Quadra-fire 1200i, “Classic Bay” insert. I was amazed at the very clean burn pot – didn’t even have to scrape it.
White bag – Same pellets? These are a total disaster – purchased in Greenfield, MA Home Depot – Burning 50% more pellets on same settings and had more ash (a lot ore as in more than quadruple the amount) in 1 week than I had in three weeks with the green bag. Also, they produce less heat and totally clogged my fireboat – had to scrap and loosen large ‘clinkers’ that were too big to go up the vacuum nozzle. (The bags are nearly identical except green vs. white. The labels are the same except for the white bag says “premium hardwood pellets” and the green bag says “premium wood pellets.
Bottom line = Green bag were good; white was a joke/disaster.