Wood stoves have been popular since ages. Metal wood stoves have been around since the 1500’s. The concept of wood stoves was popularized in the 18th century, when wood was scarce and open fire heating was literally burning the wood too fast. Containing the wood in a small space and regulating the airflow proved to be a better way to control the heat production and wood-consumption.
To this day, wood stoves are considered not only an efficient way to heat spaces, also the charm of wood stoves holds value to many house-owners. Especially when using well-designed wood stoves by Cubic, which we’ll discuss in today’s blog.
In the 20th century we’ve seen houses expand in size. The bigger the better was the credo. In current days, however, we’re seeing a different trend. More and more people are downsizing their homes. Tiny living has become popular (again). With this trend also the demand for mini wood stoves increased.
Mini wood stoves being, of course, downsized versions of regular wood stoves. These small wood stoves are often used for heating cabins, sheds, garages, of course tiny houses and even there are wood stoves for RV’s.
Today we’re reviewing the awesome wood stoves of Cubic, a Canadian company creating high-quality products.
What are mini wood stoves
A mini wood stove essentially is a small-ish metal container in which wood burns. The smoke caused by the burning wood is led through a chimney of some sort. The amount of heat generated is dependent on the amount of wood that’s burning, combined with the regulation of airflow. The more airflow, the more aggressive the flame, the more heat is expanded.
The beauty of mini wood stoves is that you don’t need enormous amounts of wood to produce the warmth needed to heat your home. Also because of the many designs and the small nature of mini wood stoves, it’s a lot easier to fit a mini wood stove into your space than regular wood stoves.
Benefits of mini wood stoves
If you’re in the market for a heating solution, you might be on the fence about which solution is right for you. Let me sum up the benefits of mini wood stoves.
Minimal material
The material needed to construct a mini wood stove is minimal. Also the material used in most cases is just metal. The ecological impact of these stoves are minimal as well.
Easy set-up
Gas-heated or electricity-power heating requires extra material and often times more complex set-ups. Also if you live off-grid, or want to be independent of gas and electricity, a mini wood stove will solve that problem.
Efficient burn-rate
When lighting a mini wood stove, you instantly generate heat. When you regulate airflow, you get a controlled burn-rate which is efficient and comfortable.
Independent of gas and electricity
Gas prices have been on the rise for a while. Noone knows what the future holds concerning the gas prices. The same goes for electricity. Many tiny house owners seek some form of independence, some even strive to go completely off-grid. A wood stove only requires wood as fuel. It’s cheap(ish) and you’re not dependent on gas- or electricity.
Regulates humidity
On cold days, you might have trouble with regulating humidity in your tiny house. Moisture from cooking for example can linger in the air, which you’ll see when the windows are condensing. If you allow some ventilation and heat up your wood stove, you’ll notice the condensation absolving and humidity being controlled.
What’s the background of Cubic?
Onto Cubic, one of our favorite mini wood stove companies. They operate from Quebec in Canada. The founder, Alex Tzabanakis, created his first wood stove from personal frustration. When sailing, he was missing a solution to heat his boat in an efficient way. He created his own mini wood stove, which led a bunch of friends and family asking for one too. This is when Alex decided to build a company creating mini wood stoves.
Where can you place mini wood stoves?
There are many places you can place a wood stove, and it really depends on what you need. If you have a cabin or boat, the stove might be more of a focal point in the room. If you live in a tiny home, the stove might be better suited to the kitchen or living room.
Which kind of wood stoves does Cubic make?
Cubic basically has two models to choose from. They have the Cub line, which is ideal for heating rooms from 100-200 sq ft. For larger areas from 200-400 sq ft they sell the Grizzly line of tiny wood stoves.
For both models you’ll have:
- The regular free standing wood stove.
- Floor mounts that lift up the wood stove.
- Wall mounts for space-saving or esthetic purposes.
- Different flue systems.
- Accessoires like tool kits, replacement parts, even a mini roaster.
Cubic Grizzly mini wood stove
The Grizzly Cubic Mini Wood Stove is a compact wood stove that is designed for small spaces. It burns wood at a high efficiency and it is also smokeless. This stove can be used to heat up to 400 sq. ft of space with the help of its 3-inch firebox.
The Grizzly Cubic Mini Wood Stove has an impressive list of features that make it stand out from other wood stoves on the market. It has a durable stainless steel construction and it also has an airtight door with double seals which keeps the smoke inside the stove.
The primary features of this wood stove are:
- Safer than a diesel or propane
- Removes humidity
- Easy to install
- Little smoke
- Eco-friendly
Learn more about this mini wood stove: Grizzly Cubic Mini Wood Stove
Cubic Cub mini wood stove
The Cubic Cub is a small, compact wood stove that can be used in smaller spaces from 100-200 sq ft. It has an output of 5800 BTU and is designed to be used with small-diameter split wood.
The Cubic Cub is available in three different colors: natural, black, and stainless steel.
It’s features are:
- Measures only 11″ (Wide) x 12″ (High) x 10.5″
- The same pro’s as the Grizzly, but it’s smaller
Accessoires
What’s awesome about cubic is the accessoires they make for their two small wood stove models. Here’s a few of our favorite accessoires:
Water Heater & Dispenser
This accessoire for the Cubic Grizzly wood stove allows you to boil up to 2.5 liters of water in just over half an hour. It’s made of stainless steel and doubles as a humidifier.
Mini Roaster
This mini roaster also is an accessoire for the Grizzly wood stove. The perfect way to cook up some sausages for breakfast or even complete lunch or dinner meals. The roaster has two air vents to control the airflow and a thermometer, so you won’t over- or undercook your meals.
Toolkit
No wood stove is complete without a matching toolkit. Fortunately Cubic has you covered with this stainless steel / brass handled toolkit.
What we love about the Cubic mini stoves
Naturally we love everything purpose-built for tiny houses. The owner, Alex, built his own first tiny wood stove for his boat. This means he lives the life, knows what’s important for users of wood stoves and implements these needs into his product line.
What you get are energy-efficient stoves that not only are practical and environment-friendly, they also look awesome. Personally I love the Black / Brass combination, but there are multiple color-combinations to choose from.
The focus on the user also translates to their awesome website. It’s full of valuable information, great graphics and the FAQ answers all your questions.
Have a look at their collection at cubicminiwoodstoves.com
