Vestal Manufacturing Fireplace Grate Size: 23.75" W

I've been burning through flat-style cast coal grates on a regular basis, replacing them every few years in an old wood stove that is my primary winter heating source. I bought this (curved) one primarily to try one that I hope will outlast the others, and I like the fact that the curved grate helps the fire self-feed. Note that the grate is narrower at the back than the front, to accommodate conventional fireplace boxesThe self-feed feature works quite well, particularly for Presto Logs. Time will tell (and so will I) how long this grate lasts. Initial durability evaluation is promising, as evidenced by what appears to be a denser casting; I haven't noticed any adverse effects from the fires I've built so far.

The quality is very good, nice and solid... But I am not a fan of the self feeding design. I had previously had a flat grate and loved it. This one however doesn't impress me. Not a bad purchase as far as quality though.

This is a very good fireplace grate. Its design helps to keep the heat of the fire focused in one area. It has a lot of vents for good airflow. This product would have gotten 5 stars, but ours came with a bunch of spots, almost like rust spots, and it looked like it may have been stored outside in wet conditions. This doesn't affect how it works.

I really liked this grate a first... it was way better than my wrought iron grate since kindling didn't fall through the slots so easily and the self feeding design was nice. The problem is the grate cracked after 6 months and entire chunks broke off until I had a hole in the middle of the thing. So now forget about kindling staying in place, it falls through the giant 8" hole in the middle. I dealt with that for about a year since at least it still held logs, but then the other day it got another crack and an entire corner broke off where a leg is so now it's a 3 legged grate, which is the straw that broke the camels back. Really disappointed since it wasn't cheap and it didn't even last 2 years before catastrophic failure (6 moths before it failed at what set it apart from other products). I would contact the seller about a replacement but it shows that it's no longer available so I guess sharing my feedback is my only recourse. Oh well, gonna buy something else with taller feet since I'm guessing it just got brittle from sitting too close to the bed of hot embers and "work hardened" the iron. I'd love to recommend it as I really did think it was a great grate at first, but now it fails to do the one thing it's supposed to do. That deserves 1 star unless the manufacturer/seller stands behind the product when things fail in less time than it takes to make a baby.

This grate makes it a little harder to light but, once going, does a great job of concentrating the embers. Every log, after the first few, catch almost immediately. I spend almost zero time fidgeting with logs. They naturally keep dropping into the center of the grate. Further, the glowing embers sit in the basin ensuring that logs are completely burned. Extremely satisfied with this purchase.One note, some fireplaces don't draw very well and I developed the habit of pushing logs towards the back of the box to maximize the draw. This grate brings the logs forward a bit. I was concerned at first but the higher heat generated by the concentrated coals helps reduce the amount of smoke generated. While the fire heats up it may be an issue but I've worked around that but pre-heating the flue with some lit newspaper. Once it's hot, there's little smoke.

This product was on my son's wish list for his birthday. However FedEx messed up the order and it did not arrive. I contacted the manufacturer and they did everything the could to find out what happened. Turns out it was sent to an old address for some reason. FedEx went to the old address and no one was living there. The manufacturer contacted me and said they would send my son another one and no cost to me. Every time I contacted the manufacturer, there was an immediate response. They came through. My son called me and said it finally arrived and it was in place and working great (No pun intended). So a great Grate, and great customer service.

I chose 4 stars because I'm not sure just how long this grate will last. It works fine and is definitely as advertised, but the grate that it replaced lasted for 15 years with a considerable number of fires each winter.

2 winters burning oak and grate disintegrated. Complained to company through Amazon and got no response. Awful. Don't waste your money.