Vermont Wood Pellet make super premium softwood pellets to users throughout New England.
Summary
2018–So what is up with the confetti I see in the bag this year? There is a distinct 2 tone color going on here but that is not an issue. The pellets burned awesome and super low ash as usual!
2017–Consistency is key when in today’s market dropping $1000 to heat your house is not unheard of. I’m not sure how they do it but year after year these pellets burn super hot and low ash. We are talking West Coast Doug Fir quality milled right here on the East Coast in beautiful VT. In Fact, they are right down the road form the summer camp I grew up at called Camp Sangamon where we would go to swim in the gorge around the corner from their mill.
Pros
Cons
44 Comments
Stove Harmon Accentra Insert located in our living room:
We received a free ton of Turman hardwood pellets with our stove. Since then I have exclusively purchased Vermont wood pellets. The main difference is the softwood seems to stick to the hopper walls, meaning I have to push the pellets to the center of the hopper feed about 4 times a bag load. the Hardwood made a bit more noise in the auger, which was noticeable in our living room. As far as heat, they are about the same. Ash was less with the Turman hardwood but the ash particles were large which made it seem like it wasn’t burning efficiently. We ended up cleaning un-burned dust from the softwood pellets in and around the hopper as they seemed easier to break down. The Vermont pellets price was a bit less ($5/ton), could be because I live in VT. Overall I am very happy with the VT pellets quality and consistency.
My stove burns 24-7 when its under 45 and I only like to clean my stove once a week. This pellet burned very dirty in my stove, black soot, clinkers had to be removed from burn pot daily. Not sure but maybe I got a bad batch, I burned 25 bags and returned the rest for New England pellets. My stove is a Breckwell insert, this was my 5th season burning pellets.
1st yr with a mt.vernon quadra-fire ae insert,i have burned approx 60 to 70 bags from home depot and lowes hardwood/softwood mix they were ok seemed to burn hot and kept the glass clean,then a co-worker gave me 10 bags of vermont super softwood pellets,”THEY BURNED VERY HOT AND LEFT ASH TRY WITH LESS ASH THEN THE OTHER STORE BAGS” i will order 4 to 6 tons of vermont super softwood pellets this year before season is over…very impressed how much more heat it put out of my stove and less cleanings..
Going into my fourth winter with the Quadra-Fire MT. Vernon AE insert… Vermont Wood Pellets are the third brand I’ve used and the first softwood brand. I’m sold going forward!!! HANDS DOWN – these kick a**!!!
I took a chance with these and I’m glad I did. They burn hot, almost no ash!!! Again almost no ash. I’m thinking I’ve burned 10 bags so far and my ash pan had maybe 1/4 cup of ash. 10 bags of the past brands I’ve used would have filled my ash pan (easily 3-4 cups). The glass does get a bit more dirty vs. the past hardwood brands I used, but I’ll trade that for reduced cleanings and better heat.
OMG…What a Pellet! Tried a zilion and there is a huge difference with these pellets. Very little ash, clean burening and burns HOT! Best pellets I ever burned bar none…
ok heat, seemed like more ash than they advertised, lots of soot while igniting, lots of ash caked in the fire pot, lots of sticky fines that made a mess in my hopper. Based on the number of positive reviews I’m thinking I may have gotten bad bags. I bought 4 bags to try, only used 2, going to mix the other 2 bags with something else so I don’t throw them away
I have burned about 25 bags so far of the Vermont softies and all I can say is WOW, these things rip. I have shut down my oil burner fro 3 weeks straight and its been getting down to as low as 5 degrees at night. These Pellets burn clean and very hot “wicked” low ash output. If your thinking about them your wasting time just buy.
Thanks for this input. I had ordered 1 ton of Vermont and 2 tons of New England. My pellets had not been delivered yet so I changed the order and got all 3 of Vermont. It was about 22 dollars more, but I think it will be worth it.
Over the past 5-years I have burned over 20 manufacturers’ wood pellets (over 100-tons) and these are among the top 3. Low ash, HIGH btu and very low clinker content in these pellets rank them among the best.
I have found the difference in pellet quality to be astounding, and in some manufacturer’s pellets the variation is even from year to year. After visiting the Vermont Wood Pellet Company (among a couple of the East Coast pellet mills toured) I can say that they have had repeatable pellet quality in mind in designing their operation. No mud pits for outdoor chip storage, full debarking of whole trees, minimal contamination of and maximum protection of the feed stock.
What does this mean? A cleaner burning pellet with very little non-combustible material (to form clinkers) and very little bark (that forms ash).
I can’t say too many good things about these pellets. Truly SUPER PREMIUM in quality.
I’m a 4 year wood stove to pellet stove convert and burn 4-6 ton a year depending on the NH winter. I’ve tried NewEng Wood Pellet (no heat), Eagle Valley (good heat/hi ash),Granules (junk), Lignetics (ok heat, hi ash)and a Lowe’s Canadian brand I can’t remember (best of the bunch).
Heat or Lo Ash, take your pick but none of these brands have delivered both. My search for the “better pellet” in 2010/11 has come down to, after testing a few bags of each, buying 6 tons of Vermont Wood Pellets over Okanagans.
The VT Wood Pellet is the lowest ash/highest heat pellet I’ve ever burned (Harman) and supposedly tested in May 2010 at(.31)ash and (8455) btu. ($250-260/ton retail
Dealers in VT and NH)
The Okanagans I tested were very good, maybe a touch hotter (although rated at 8412)but had slightly more ash.
(NH Lumberyards – $275/ton)
Good luck in your own search for the “better pellet” ! Mike