I assume your considering direct vent gas inserts. I think Mendota is considered the Rolls Royce of inserts. We opted for the Jotul and are satisfied with the product. But the thing you need to be concerned about is the installation. It's complicated and takes at least a whole day. You may also need to install a special chimney cap. Any reputable dealer should show you a selection of inserts turned on so you can see how they look. Make sure you have a complete understanding of how the finished product will look. Ask the dealer for references and check them out.

Yes, sorry, I am considering the direct vent gas inserts. Installation is $350 from each of the places we are looking at, so we will let them install. Not to sound stupid, but what makes Mendota so much better than say Heat & Glo? The guy here that sells Heat & Glo is very informative, but the people in the other stores selling the other brands know NOTHING about any of the inserts they sell! I have seen the Mendota and the Heat & Glo in person, but no one has the Innsbrook on display. This is just a lot of money to spend, I really want to make the right decision!
Thanks for all your help!

If a merchant cannot tell you very much about a product as technically complicated as a gas insert, that would be an indication to me that he may not be the one to entrust with an installation because, if something is not exactly right, he may not have the expertise to fix it. I do not think you'll be disappointed with the Mendota or the Heat & Glo. They are both quality products. But I am not familiar with the Innsbrook.

What are you paying for, and is it worth it? Unless you have technical savvy in this topic, you just have to trust what they tell you -- that the gas jets and valves are of the highest quality, that the components of the firebox & the ceramic logs are the best they can be, etc. Aside from that, you have to decide which one pleases you most aesthetically. After thinking about it some more, perhaps you can ask your dealer of choice for some references. I would call them and ask to see the installations. I did not do that before our decision, and I'm sorry I didn't. Although we are pretty satisfied with our insert, I might have done things differently if I had the benefit of seeing somebody else's installation. But bare in mind that if your fireplace is very different from somebody else's your installation may also be different. Still it pays to do it, if the dealer is willing to cooperate, because it gives you an idea of the quality of his work. Another suggestion, if the manufacturer has an 800 customer service #, call them up and ask a few questions. Unfortunately, not all of them have customer service #s, and you may not want to buy a product from one that does not.

Actually, I was thinking the same thing about trusting someone to install that can't tell me anything about the unit. In that case, Heat & Glo it will be for me! That guy really knew his stuff. Plus, I'm not real keen on buying something (Innsbrook) that I have never seen! I just keep hearing on here that the Mendota is the Cadillac of inserts, I just didn't want to end up with a Yugo by buying the Heat & Glo!
Thanks for the advise!

We just bought a Heat n glo today as well -- the FB Grand. We went with that one since it runs up to 40,000 BTU, does not require any electrical install in the firebox... and was the largest unit physically (we have a large fireplace). The larger insert and Firebrick (ceramic liner) in the FB Grand really heats up, so it doesnt need a blower to pump the air out... but its an option if we want to add it later (unlikely). Also we added a wallswitch with thermostat which does not require electricity.

It was a toss up between the FB grand and the Grand XT. However we based our decision on the following:

- FB Grand (has firebrick masonry lookalike in firebox which also reflects heat). That was an option of $120 on the Grand XT.
- Doesnt require a electrical hookup (added BTUs make up for the lack of blower and we could add later if wanted or needed)
- Larger size
- Wall thermostat didnt need electricity again -- saving us a remote add on which was another $200

- No electricity saved us $200 on install of electric box probably

Worked out good. Good luck!

We are deciding between Heat & Glo & the Regency. We are confused to go with a blower or not? We are ok on the added expense for the electricity. Just want to make a smart choice if the blower is really helpful & if the noise is bothersome?
We have received conflicting opinions on this from the dealers and are hoping users can share their actual experience.

gardenrunner, I have two Mendotas and a Vermont Castings direct vent stoves. The Mendotas both have blowers and the Vermont Castings does not. I would definately have a blower installed. The space where the VC stove is takes much longer to heat and I regret the oversight.A blower really spreads the heat around and you can choose the level of output and thus the noise.On a lowish setting I don't really notice it at all but the heat is lovely and the Mendotas have a very realistic flame.They all have remote thermostats which work very well.

gardenrunner - We installed a Regency in September and I also recommend going with the blower. It adds quite a bit of heat into the room. The noise is relatively low IMO