Lennox O23V oil furnace vs. Thermo Pride OH5-85

[mojopin24]

I am replacing my old forced hot air oil furnace and have pared down my choices to two contractors, offering two different systems in comparable price ranges:

Contractor 1 - Lennox 023V - quote includes 12 years same-day parts/labor warranty, plus first 3 years annual maintenance

Contractor 2 - Thermo Pride OH5-85 - quote includes 5 yr parts, 1 yr labor warranty, and 20% discount on maintenance contract

Based on the quality of the initial consultations and service guarantees, I prefer to use the first contractor; however, the Thermo-Pride system itself seems like it may be superior to the Lennox. Does anyone feel that the difference in the actual systems being installed is big enough for me to strongly consider going with the second contractor over the first?

Thanks for any input anyone may have...

B.

[BaldLoonie]

The big question for #1 is who is backing his warranty? If through Lennox or Equiguard, you are fine. If it is the dealer's own warranty, I'd be leery. You are stuck with him and he could cancel at any time or go out of biz. The Lennox oil furnaces are OK but nothing tops a ThermoPride.

[jdenyer]

I believe Thermo-Pride has lifetime warranty on the heat exchanger, I could be wrong though. Thermo-Prides are built like tanks. My mother has one that is heading for 30 years, still in great shape.

[iheatncoolinnc]

The Thermopride used to have a 13 gauge copper coated heat exchanger. I assume it still does. What is the gauge of the Lennox heat exchanger and is the Thermopride still the same? The Thermopride use to have a limited lifetime warranty on the heat exchanger to the original purchaser. What is the Lennox heat exchanger warranty and is the Thermopride still the same? I got out of the oil business in the late 1980's. When we sold oil, the only oil furnace we would use would be the Thermopride. My employees hated installing them because they were a lot heavier than the gas furnace that we used. How heavy are the two furnaces? Is one built like a YUGO and the other built like a station wagon.

[ascj]

The new O23V is a nice furnace. We just installed 3 of them. They do have a limited lifetime warranty on the heat exchanger. The variable speed blower is nice to see on a oil furnace. The only beef I have with the furnace, is you cant pick the Riello burner like you can on the O23. You have to get the Beckett AFII.

[mojopin24]

Thanks for your responses, everyone. Both of these systems are "variable-speed," but they describe their capabilities differently. If I understand correctly, the Lennox system is a 2-speed system (running at 50% or 100%). The Thermo Pride sounds like a more advanced (and efficient) system, with "infinite blower speeds" (not to mention a 2-speed Riello burner, as opposed to the Beckett). Would this difference in system performance be noticeable in my heating/electric bills, or is it somewhat negligable?