I hate to say it, having grown up with them…but Vermont castings has been bought out multiple times over the last decade + and cut quality every time. They are a shadow of what they once were. I would strongly consider the other options.
We did have a hearthstone a number of years ago but didnt own that house long enough to have a strong opinion, but we liked it. We just refurbed our current jotul f600 after 18 years. Couple new parts, sandblasted, reblacked, new seals and glass, and fingers crossed its gtg for another 10-15 years. Its our full-time heat for 2000sq ft in northern vermont, not arctic but legit winters.