PelPro vs ComfortBilt: Big Hoppers vs Certified Performance
PelPro built its reputation on one thing: enormous hoppers. The PP130 holds 130 lbs of pellets standard and takes an extension to 330 lbs, which is genuinely a different way to live with a pellet stove — you're filling it every few days instead of daily. Sold through Tractor Supply and farm-and-ranch retailers, it's the value big-hopper option.
Worth knowing before you shop: PelPro is being rebranded as "Forge & Flame." The PP130 now appears under that name at Tractor Supply with the same model number, so if you see both names on the same stove, it isn't two products.
The PelPro lineup: PP60, PP70, PP130 and PP150
Four freestanding models share the same basic layout: a manual dial with 10 heat settings, automatic ignition and a large ash pan. Here they are on the numbers Forge & Flame and its retailers publish:
| Model | Heats up to | Hopper | Burn per fill (low) | Advertised efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PP60 | 1,500 sq ft | 60 lb | up to 40 hrs | 79.4% |
| PP70 | 2,000 sq ft | 70 lb | up to 48 hrs | 88.5% |
| PP130 | 2,500 sq ft | 130 lb | about 3.5 days | 87.5% |
| PP150 | 2,500 sq ft | 150 lb | up to 96 hrs | 87.5% |
The PP130 and PP150 also take the optional PPHE200 hopper extension. At the time of writing the PP130 lists at $1,499.99 at Tractor Supply and the PP150 starts at $1,929 direct from Forge & Flame.
The hopper argument, honestly
The PP130's headline numbers, per PelPro and Tractor Supply listings: up to 50,000 BTU input and 40,600 BTU output, coverage to 2,500 sq ft, a 265 CFM variable-speed blower, mobile home approved, fresh air intake included, auto-ignition, and a dial thermostat with 10 heat settings. The 130 lb hopper is advertised at roughly 3.5 days of steady heat.
That hopper is a real advantage and we won't pretend otherwise. If daily filling is the thing you dislike about pellet heat, PelPro solves it more cheaply than anyone.
Two caveats on the spec sheet:
The 87.5% efficiency figure needs context. PelPro advertises 87.5%, well above the 80–81% that EPA-certified ComfortBilt and Drolet stoves publish. Different efficiency metrics produce very different numbers for the same appliance — EPA-certified HHV is the conservative, comparable one, and optimum or LHV figures run several points higher. Forge & Flame's own footnote on the PP150 confirms it: the 87.5% is a weighted average of LHV and HHV results from EPA testing, not a straight HHV figure. Check which metric any 87%+ claim refers to before weighing it against a certified number. Our guide to reading efficiency ratings covers this properly.
Control is a dial, not a thermostat schedule. Ten heat settings on a dial is simple and durable, but it isn't the same as programmable weekly scheduling and wired thermostat support.
The big-hopper matchup: PP130 vs ComfortBilt Alpine HP42 and HP22N
The closest like-for-like is the ComfortBilt Alpine HP42 ($1,499): a 120 lb hopper rated up to 80 hours on low, up to 42,000 BTU/h and coverage to 2,500 sq ft. That is within 10 lbs of the PP130's hopper, the same coverage rating, and the same price point. Where the HP42 pulls ahead is control: manual, temperature, weekly-schedule and wall-thermostat modes plus a remote, against the PP130's dial. ComfortBilt lists its efficiency as up to 87.5% HHV on the lowest setting, which is a best-case figure, so read it with the same care as PelPro's. The PP130 keeps the edge if you plan to add the 200 lb hopper extension.
Step up a tier and the ComfortBilt HP22N ($2,599) carries an 80 lb hopper good for up to 32 hours — less than the PP130's 130 lbs, but it answers with 80.5% EPA-certified efficiency, 1.01 g/h emissions, up to 42,000 BTU/h and 2,800 sq ft coverage, and the full control stack: five heat levels, Temp mode with ECO cycling, 7-day programmable scheduling, thermostat support, and a remote.
Straight version: against the HP22N, PelPro wins on refill interval and price. ComfortBilt wins on certified efficiency, emissions, coverage, and controls. If you want to load the stove twice a week and don't care about scheduling, the PP130 is a rational buy. If you want the stove to manage itself to a temperature, it isn't.
Against the Alpine HP42 the price is a wash and the hopper gap is 10 lbs, so it comes down to a dial versus a thermostat, plus No Sales Tax from us, which is worth about $100 on a $1,500 stove in a typical state.
If you want the longest burn available
Worth naming: the Drolet ECO-65R ($4,129) runs up to 105 hours per fill from a 125 lb hopper — over four days — at 0.77 g/h, the cleanest stove we carry, with a 500 CFM blower and coverage to 2,600 sq ft. It's a considerably more expensive appliance than a PP130, and it's aimed at someone who wants both the long refill interval and certified clean performance. The Drolet ECO guide covers it and the smaller ECO-55.
The USA-made Englander 25-CBPAH ($2,199) is the middle path: a 120 lb hopper running up to 75 hours, with the outside air kit included.
On a tighter budget: PP60 and PP70 vs the Alpine HP40 and HP41
The PelPro models most people compare on price are the PP60 and PP70, and the ComfortBilt Alpine line sits right against them:
| Model | Price | Heats up to | Max BTU/h | Hopper | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine HP40 | $1,099 | 1,500 sq ft | 26,000 | 25 lb | 81% (EPA certified) |
| Alpine HP41 | $1,299 | 2,200 sq ft | 32,000 | 52 lb, up to 20 hrs | 80.3% (EPA certified) |
| Alpine HP42 | $1,499 | 2,500 sq ft | 42,000 | 120 lb, up to 80 hrs | up to 87.5% HHV (lowest setting) |
Against the PP60 (1,500 sq ft, 60 lb), the Alpine HP41 covers more house with a smaller hopper and adds temperature control and weekly scheduling. The Alpine HP40 matches the PP60's coverage in a 17-inch-wide cabinet, which makes it the one for a cabin, sunroom or any room where floor space is the limit, though its 25 lb hopper means filling it most days. Against the PP70, the HP41 is the match on coverage; if you want PP70-style days between fills, go to the HP42.
One step above the Alpines, the HP50S ($1,899) is 80.4% EPA-certified in a slim European cabinet, with the same controls and remote as the rest of the line. Smaller 47 lb hopper, but full scheduling and thermostat support.
Bottom line
PelPro (now Forge & Flame) is a legitimate choice if refill interval is your priority and a dial is enough control. Just compare the efficiency claims like for like, and know you're trading modern controls and certified emissions numbers for hopper size and price.
If you were shopping PelPro on price, the Alpine HP41 and HP42 meet it head-on with the thermostat control the PelPro dial doesn't have.
Everything we sell ships with No Sales Tax in any state and free shipping. Browse the full pellet stove lineup, compare models in the ComfortBilt roundup, or call 1-888-914-0022 and we'll size one to your space.