Drolet Atlas Wood Cookstove DB04810 vs Drolet Outback Chef Wood Cookstove

The Outback Chef is the more serious cooking machine: a larger stainless oven with an adjustable grill, a cast-iron top, four access doors and a hot-air bypass for oven heat control. The Atlas is the taller, lighter unit with a bigger firebox opening for 18-inch logs and a simpler layout. Owners of both praise the radiant warmth and solid steel build, but reviewers note neither is a high-efficiency slow-combustion heater, and the Outback Chef's 545 lb shipping weight makes it a two-person install. Buy the Outback Chef for real baking and roasting; buy the Atlas for smaller spaces and longer logs.

• Choose the Atlas if you want a compact cookstove that takes 18-inch logs, fits a corner, and keeps a bottom storage compartment.
• Choose the Outback Chef if cooking is the main job and you want a bigger oven, a cast-iron cooktop and a bypass to control oven heat.