Brand Review
Nippa sauna stove review: the Legacy Series costs less than a Kuuma for the same room
Nippa's Legacy stoves are built in Beulah, Michigan, and run $1,699 to $2,599. Their safety test reports date from about 1980, so check with your county.
Buy a Nippa Legacy Series stove if you want a steel wood stove built in the US for less than a Kuuma. Nippa builds the Legacy in Beulah, Michigan, from what it calls American steel, in four sizes from $1,699 to $2,599. The weak spot is the paperwork. The UL 1482 test reports Nippa posts date from about 1980, and we couldn't confirm a current listing for today's models. We read Nippa's store, its Legacy manual and the test reports it publishes, and compared the Legacy with Kuuma's Classic.
The four Legacy stoves step up by room size
Every Legacy stove is 18.5 inches wide and 28 inches high. They grow in length, and the firebox deepens with them, so a bigger room takes longer logs.
| Model | Room size (maker) | Weight | Firebox depth | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WB-15 | 400 cu ft | 192 lb | 15 in | $1,699 |
| WB-18 | 525 cu ft | 211 lb | 18 in | $1,999 |
| WB-21 | 775 cu ft | 231 lb | 21 in | $2,299 |
| WB-24 | 1,000 cu ft | 248 lb | 24 in | $2,599 |
Nippa's prices for the stove alone, and sizes and weights from its Legacy manual, read Oct 10, 2026.
The Legacy heats the same room for less than a Kuuma
The WB-24 covers a 1,000-cubic-foot room for $2,599, and Kuuma's largest Classic covers the same top size for $2,795. At the small end the gap is wider, with the WB-15 at $1,699 against $2,395 for the small Classic. Kuuma's price includes a glass window. Nippa sells the glass door as an option, added in June 2025.
Nippa says an insulated sauna reaches about 220°F (104°C) in 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the temperature outside, per the Legacy page. It can burn coal or coke as well as wood.
Where to buy
Nippa Heaters & Stoves
Nippa Legacy Series Wood Sauna Stove
Built in Beulah, Michigan
- Wood-Fired
Kuuma Heaters & Stoves
Kuuma Classic Legacy Wood Sauna Stove
Built in Tower, Minnesota
- Wood-Fired
Check the listing before you build around one
Nippa posts UL 1482 test reports for the WB-18, WB-22 and WB-24, from a test lab around 1980. We couldn't find a current listing for the stoves Nippa sells today. Where your county requires a listed solid-fuel appliance, ask Nippa for the file number, or look at the Kuuma Classic, which carries a current one.
The manual wants 36 inches to unprotected walls at the sides and back, 14 inches to a protected wall, and 7 inches with Nippa's own heat shield. The flue is 6 inches into a lined masonry or approved insulated chimney.
Rock surrounds and water tanks fit the Legacy
Nippa sells a body rock surround for $250 and a stovepipe surround for $300. The stovepipe surround is a 26-inch steel cage that holds about 150 pounds of stone around the flue, so the pipe's heat goes into rock. Stainless water tanks run $350 to $750.
Where to buy
Nippa Accessories
Nippa Stove Pipe Rock Surround
Built in Beulah, Michigan
- Wood-Fired
- Sauna Stone
Nippa has built stoves in Michigan since 1930
Leo Nippa started the company in Bruce Crossing, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, in 1930, and it moved to Beulah in 2005, Nippa says. It calls itself the oldest sauna stove maker in North America.
The homepage says the stoves are made from American steel, and the Legacy manual names Nippa LLC in Beulah as the maker. Nippa's smaller T-Series tent stoves don't carry their own build statement, so we've left them out of the catalog for now.
How we reviewed Nippa
This review draws on Nippa's Legacy Series product page, its Legacy manual and the test reports on its manuals page, all read Oct 10, 2026, and Kuuma's Classic Legacy page for the comparison. Owner reviews weren't part of this review.
Common questions
- Where are Nippa sauna stoves made?
- Nippa builds its Legacy Series wood sauna stoves in Beulah, Michigan, and the maker says it uses American steel. Nippa's T-Series tent stoves don't carry their own build statement.
- Is a Nippa sauna stove UL listed?
- Nippa posts UL 1482 test reports for three Legacy stoves from about 1980. A current UL listing for today's Nippa Legacy models is unconfirmed, so ask Nippa for the file number if your county requires one.
- How much does a Nippa sauna stove cost?
- A Nippa Legacy Series wood sauna stove costs $1,699 for the WB-15 up to $2,599 for the WB-24, before chimney, stones and freight, at Nippa's prices in October 2026.
We review from makers’ documentation, owner reports and published research. How we choose products and write reviews.