Century Heating vs Drolet: Same Factory, Different Warranty

No Sales Tax in any state. We are an authorized dealer for both Drolet and Century Heating, so this comparison comes from someone who sells you either one.

If you are cross-shopping a Century Heating stove against a Drolet, there is something you should know before you compare anything else: they are built by the same company. Century Heating is Stove Builder International's (SBI) value brand, made in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Quebec, in the same operation that produces Drolet, Osburn and Englander. Century's own manuals carry SBI's name and address.

So this is not a comparison between rival manufacturers. It is a comparison between two tiers of one company's range, and the specs are closer than the tiering suggests.

The Century FW2900 against the Drolet Escape 1800

These are the volume sellers in each line, and the headline numbers from each manual are identical.

	Century FW2900	Drolet Escape 1800
Firebox	2.4 cu ft	2.4 cu ft
Max output	75,000 BTU/h	75,000 BTU/h
Coverage	500–2,100 sq ft	500–2,100 sq ft
Max log	20 in	20 in
Burn time	up to 8 hrs	up to 8 hrs
Emissions	2.3 g/h	2.3 g/h
Combustion	Non-catalytic	Non-catalytic
Side panels	No (top heat shield)	Yes
Warranty	5 years on firebox welds and door frame	Drolet limited lifetime
Availability	Ships in 1–3 days	Ships in 6–10 weeks

Identical firebox, rated output, coverage, log length, burn time and emissions. The real differences are the Escape 1800's side panels, which change its clearance table, and the warranty.

Century publishes three different efficiency numbers

This is the clearest illustration we have found of a problem that runs through the whole category. The FW2900 manual lists all of these for the same stove:

• 72% average overall efficiency, dry cordwood (HHV)
• 77% average overall efficiency, dry cordwood (LHV)
• 79% optimum overall efficiency

Seven points of spread, one appliance, no dishonesty: they are simply three different measurements. HHV is the conservative figure used in EPA certification. LHV runs higher. Optimum efficiency is measured at the stove's best operating point rather than across a realistic burn cycle, and is always the most flattering.

When one brand advertises 79% and another advertises 72%, they may be describing the same performance. Compare HHV to HHV, or compare grams per hour, which is measured identically for every EPA-certified stove sold in the US. Our guide to efficiency ratings goes deeper on this.

The manual also publishes the tested overall heat output range, 14,200 to 44,500 BTU/h. Set that against the 75,000 BTU/h headline figure and you have the honest picture of what a stove this size delivers in sustained operation. That is true of every stove; most brands just do not publish it.

Century or Drolet: which should you buy?

Buy the Drolet if it is in stock and the warranty matters to you. Century's warranty covers the combustion chamber welds and cast iron door frame for 5 years and most other parts for 1 to 2 years. Drolet's coverage is materially longer. On an appliance you expect to run for two decades, that is the biggest difference between the two brands, and it does not show up on a spec table.

Buy the Century if you need heat this season. Drolet and Englander stock is tight this fall, and several of the most popular models have no confirmed restock date. The Century models are built on the same SBI platform and are shipping now. If the alternative is waiting into the new year, the shorter warranty is usually the better trade.

Budget for the extras either way. On both brands the blower, thermodisc, ash drawer and firescreen are optional add-ons. Each Century product page lists the exact accessories from its manual's parts list, so you only buy what fits.

Because Century is built by SBI, its replacement parts come from the same factory as Drolet's, and we stock them too: the FW-series Century ash drawer and its ash drawer guide, the FW2900 stove door, the FW2800 cast iron door (shared with the Englander Blue Ridge 300L and 300P), and for the S250 a replacement S250 door and S250 glass frame. Every part by model is in Century stove parts.

The rest of the Century range

Century model	Heats	Max output	Burn time	Closest Drolet / Englander	Availability
FW2800	500–1,800 sq ft	65,000 BTU/h	7 hrs	Drolet Escape 1500	Ships in 1–3 days
S250	250–1,200 sq ft	45,000 BTU/h	5 hrs	Drolet Escape 1200 N	Ships in 1–3 days
CW2100 insert	250–1,200 sq ft	45,000 BTU/h	7 hrs	Englander Blue Ridge 150-I	Ships in 1–3 days

The FW2800 matches the Escape 1500's 500–1,800 sq ft rating. The S250 covers the same area as the Escape 1200 N, but at 45,000 BTU/h against the Escape 1200 N's 75,000, so the Drolet is the stronger stove when both are available. The CW2100 is a compact insert with a tapered body for small masonry fireplaces, and it also comes as a bundle with the faceplate and a 25 ft or 35 ft liner kit.

If you are shopping the large end, the Drolet HT-3000 runs 3.5 cubic feet, 110,000 BTU/h, a 22-inch log and coverage to 2,700 sq ft, above anything Century currently ships.

Bottom line

The Century FW2900 and the Drolet Escape 1800 share a factory and match on firebox, output, coverage, burn time and emissions. Drolet buys you a longer warranty and, on the Escape, side panels. Century buys you a stove that ships now. Both come from us with No Sales Tax and free shipping, and we will size either one to your space.

Related comparisons

• Who makes Drolet, Osburn, Englander and Century
• Osburn vs Drolet: same factory, different price
• Enerzone and its Drolet equivalents
• Every Drolet wood stove compared

Buying a Century or Drolet stove

We are an authorized dealer and ship the full Drolet line and the Century range direct to your curb across the lower 48. No Sales Tax in any state, and free shipping on stoves. Call 1-888-914-0022 and we will size one to your space.

Updated October 2026