It’s been two years since I installed the Jøtul F 602 eco, long enough for a thorough assessment; here is my full review of this little Norwegian wood burner.

BTW: if you’re a fan of cosy wood burners, mountain cabins, and wild places, you may enjoy my travel-memoir Dormice & Moonshine: Falling for Slovenia – which is all about moving from England to a rugged part of Slovenia to restore a 300-year-old cabin.

Why did I buy the Jøtul F 602 eco?

I needed a stove that would fit into a very small space, to heat a small area. The Jøtul was one of just a handful of wood stoves that was the right size, shape, and energy output to tick those boxes

I also knew that Jøtul was a respected company, with a long history of making quality stoves. Indeed, I’d read that the Jøtul 602 is the world’s best-selling stove, but strangely, I could find no mention of such a claim to fame on Jøtul’s website. Nevertheless, Jøtul do state that they’ve sold over two million F 602s – so it’s clearly an extremely popular stove.

The Good

I like the look and shape of the stove. With its long body and four legs, it’s like a loyal wood-burning black Labrador. Made of thick cast iron, it really holds the heat and compared to my Italian Piazzetta e905 which has a ceramic outer, the Jøtul stays hot to the touch for much longer.

I like the little glass door which stays relatively soot-free, and the embossed detailing of the lions on the sides is an attractive touch.

The firebox is small, although one of the advantages of the F 602 over other small stoves is that it can still handle logs up to 40cm (15.7’’) long, you just need to split them quite thinly.

The 602 has a simple design; there is no grate, no removable ash box, and just one vent. The cooking ring on top is a handy addition; I have only required it once so far but it had my kettle whistling in no time.

Overall, the Jøtul just feels solid, has a classic aesthetic, and belts out the heat.

The Bad

My only grumble about the Jøtul F 602 is that he can be a fussy little fire. It often requires a bit more effort to get it started; I need to leave the door ajar for much longer than the Piazzetta (which I can close as soon as I light the paper) to give it sufficient oxygen to get going. If I close the door too soon, it often fizzles out.

And sometimes, when I throw a pair of larger logs in, I return thirty minutes later to find a smoldering, smoky firebox, rather than a roaring blaze, even with the air vent opened on max. Perhaps I just need to be more attentive and add smaller logs, sooner, rather than reloading with larger logs after it’s burned down to embers.

Conclusion: how good is the Norwegian wood burner?

I burn hardwood – mostly beech and oak – and I use the stove from late autumn through early spring. When it’s burning well, which is most of the time, it quickly heats up the small space – and radiates heat for hours, even when the temperature outside is down to -10c (14f).

I especially like that there are normally enough embers left overnight to just throw in some paper and kindling, crack open the door and ten minutes later – whumfff – the Jøtul is lit.

Its habit of sometimes being tricky to start, or maintain when larger logs are used, is a small downside but overall I recommend this stove for smaller rooms, or where your stove position limits you to a smaller firebox.

The build quality seems excellent, and with such a simple design but such thick cast iron construction, I think it will give me decades of hot service.