interesting article. i bookmarked it...
any thoughts on them gizmos that go on the flue pipe that one blows air through to get more heat from the flue? i forget what they’re called, but they mostly are just tubes, and some have small fans on one side...
There are different versions of this(stove fans). Some like you describe, some just sit on the stove, or you can place a regular fan in the room to blow across the stove.
The biggest difference is in your stove selection. If the woodstove is in your main living area, a fan can help you control heat distribution to create more comfort, not necessarily more efficiency. Flue pipe ones can actually increase creosote and decrease efficiency by reducing flue temp. It is a toss up.
The layout of where the stove is and natural airflow makes a big difference. Personally I have not used one of those fans. If I were to put the stove in the main living area I would probably place a normal fan in the room to control airflow. I really like ceiling fans and high ceilings in passive solar homes. Normally people recommend against high ceilings because when you have to burn fossil fuel to heat that extra space it is costly. When you are getting free solar energy though there are many benefits. Also ceiling fans are much more energy efficient than your typical fan.
I have no experience with those gizmos