Clearview Vision 500 Review

The Vision 500 is a multi fuel stove manufactured by Clearview Stoves. Its classic design helps to create a focal point for any room, and its great heat output helps to warm even the largest of rooms.

We’ve been using this model of multi fuel stove for a number of years and has been a welcome addition to our home. Compared to our previous open fireplace, the Vision 500 puts out incredible amounts of heat and has been a pleasure to use since the day we got it.

I’ve put together this review to explain what it’s like to own and use the Clearvision Vision 500 multi fuel stove as a way to provide heat to your home.

You can check out the Clearview Vision 500 multi fuel stove and see the latest price right here.

We had the Vision 500 installed in our existing open fireplace a number of years ago and we haven’t looked back since. The stove blends in nicely with the décor of our room and has a number of features that makes it enjoyable to use.

Here’s a picture of the Vision 500 in our fireplace:

For us, the best features of the Clearview Vision 500 include:

• A traditional stove look.
• A large door with great viewing area of the fire.
• Air wash system to help keep the glass door clear.
• Solid steel frame that’s well built and very durable.
• Large firebox and great heat output.

I’ve gone into more detail below about the main features of this stove and our experiences with it.

Heat Output

I won’t lie; this multi fuel stove puts out a tremendous amount of heat. We can happy sit on the other side of the room and still feel warm thanks to the heat generated by this stove. It also reaches higher temperatures quite quickly.

We chose to get the optional thermometer when we bought the Vision 500, and it’s highly recommended if you’re looking to buy this multi fuel stove.

The thermometer helps us to keep an eye on how hot the stove is running, and also gives us the ideal temperature range in which the stove is most efficient.

When I took this photo the stove was running ‘too hot’, but it’s easily done with the Vision 500 because it’s just so good at putting out heat.

The Vision 500 has ‘A’ energy rating and an efficiency rating of 71.6%, meaning that it does a great job of converting energy stored within the fuel into heat. The stove also has a max heat output of 8kW, which is perfect for the size of our room.

Build Quality

Everything about the Clearview Vision 500 speaks quality. The stove has a very solid appliance and nothing feels cheap or low quality to the touch.

Weighing in at 125kg (275lbs) thanks to a strong steel construction, the Vision 500 isn’t the lightest multi fuel stove but it doesn’t need to be. The metal body helps to radiate the heat from the fire into the room, and helps to keep our room warm for hours even after the fire has gone out.

The knobs and door handle are made of solid brass, and the door feels heavy and sturdy when opening and closing it.

The baffle, located at the top of the firebox and takes the full heat of the fire, is still in great condition even through years of use.

As the Vision 500 is a multi fuel stove, it has a grate at the bottom of the firebox with an ash tray compartment located underneath to catch the ashes.

The ash tray is made from stainless steel and so still looks great.

Ease Of Use

We’ve never had any problems building and lighting a fire in the Vision 500. The controls are easy to use and you’ll quickly learn how to use them to get the most efficient fire burning.

One of the hardest parts of having a fire in a stove can be keeping it lit once started. The Vision 500 does a great job of providing plenty of air to the fire through the air vents, and we’ve never needed to leave the stove door open after lighting a fire to keep it from going out.

There are two controllable air vents on the Vision 500.

One is located on the front of the stove, which feeds air to below the fire and helps to control the fire when burning coal. This vent is a cylinder than can be rotated to open and close.

The second vent is located underneath the stove and is controlled using a handle that sticks out the front. Sliding the handle in and out closes and opens this vent respectively.

Features

The grate at the bottom of the firebox can be rotated to help the ashes fall into the ash tray.

A knob located to the side of the stove controls this rotating grate. Simply pushing this handle in and out rotates the grate.

The ash tray can be removed for easy cleaning of any leftover ashes from a fire.

The Vision 500 also has a built-in air wash system that helps to keep the glass door clear throughout a fire. Air from the vent located underneath travels around the body of the stove and heats it up along the way, before falling down the inside of the glass and helping to prevent soot from settling on it.

We find that this feature works very well, and we rarely have to give the glass a clean with any form of conventional cleaning equipment.

To help you with installation, the flue can come out either at the back or the top of the stove. In our case, the flue is fitted to the top of the stove and heads straight up through the chimney.

Options available when purchasing the Vision 500 include:

• Seven different colours.
• Satin chrome handles and fittings.
• Heat shield for reducing offset distances to combustible materials.
• A 10,000 Btu stainless steel boiler.

DEFRA Approved

The Clearview Vision 500 is a DEFRA exempt appliance meaning that it can be used within smoke control areas in the UK.

We don’t live in a smoke control area and so we didn’t get the optional smoke control kit. Unfortunately the smoke control kit can’t be retrofitted, and so you must select this kit when ordering the Vision 500 if you live in a smoke control area.

Pros

• High heat output
• Great build quality
• Easy to get a fire going

Cons

• Can’t retrofit a smoke control kit