DuraflameFreestanding Electric Fireplace Stove Heater with 3D Flame Effect for 1,000 Sq. Ft. Room, Black

I have a 3-story, 125 year-old house, and for 5 years I used a similar Lowes-branded heater as my primary source of heat in my office on the 1st floor. There is a curtain separating the middle room from the front room. The middle room is open to the kitchen in the rear of the house. I have insulated curtains in all my rooms. The house has blown-in insulation. I have a smaller heating unit in my 2nd floor bathroom, and bedroom, that I use as needed. The apparel of choice is insulated sweatpants, and an insulated hoodie. This has worked well, except for periods we are experiencing a polar vortex. I have a thermometer down in the basement, and if it ever threatens to dip to freezing- the furnace goes on.I made a preemptory strike and switched out my unit with the same type, as I bought 2 at the same time. Since I like to keep a spare on-hand, just-in-case- the unit I have is no longer made; but there is a similar unit with the same specs at the same price, which had a lot of bad reviews, and I didn't want to take a chance on getting a lower quality unit. So, I began looking for another unit. It had to be at least 5100 BTUs (which is supposed to heat 1,000 sq ft), and have a standard 2-prong cord.I found this Duraflame unit which seemed to fit the bill, and with the recognizable name, I felt confident it would satisfy my needs. It's supposed to be 5200 BTUs, so it may be a tad more effective. It's bigger and more robust than what I have, so it looks nicer. In addition, the digital readout, and remote control are things I didn't have before. The heating element is bigger, and the fan is more effective. I can't really test it because it is June, so I will update this Review if it doesn't perform as expected.However, I will say that the flame effect is not very realistic compared to what I have, but it does set a mood. Here's a tip, don't use it all the time, because the lighting will eventually burn out, and/or the generator drive motor making the flames move will wear-out and need to be replaced. The motor can be replaced, I don't know about the lighting, as the manual doesn't specify. Either way, it will be a pain in the buttocks. So, activate the flame feature sparingly.I'm happy with the purchase, I believe it will work well when I eventually have to use it. And if it does perform as promised, I will buy another.

I live in a warm place and miss having a fireplace. I could not justify the expense for something I might only be able to use one month each year. I have been looking for something that would give me ambience. I am not interested in the heating element however this electric fireplace has a great heater that heats very rapidly. It has a fan, sounds like any other portable heater. Coupled with the crackler (an add on through Amazon), it helps to diminish the sound of the fan. For me, I will rarely use the heater and I love I can have the flames without the heater and no fan noise at all. I bought a crackler and the two create the desired effect, next best thing to a real fire. It is not the same as a real fire but this is a pretty close second and without the expense of a real fireplace. I was looking at every possible gas stove model from ventless to rear vented units and the price was exorbitant with the installation and running the propane line. Not worth it for me as I don't need heat, just wanted ambience. I hope this works for a long time to come. That has been some of the complaints - these units dying after a short time. I sure hope not. I am very stoked with this thus far. The company offers a one year warranty if you buy direct from them. Amazon only takes returns for 30days but then you get free Prime shipping, worth it for me living in Hawaii. Time will tell. So far so GREAT! I got the bronze color which I love and am so glad I did. It fits in very nicely. I think the black would have been too strong for my space. Super awesome. Very psyched with this purchase so far! :-) YAY - easy setup, install the legs, push the power button on. Easy to figure out the controls - suggest doing in manually before learning the remote. Thank you for this great product. So beautiful. :-)

Awesome. I cannot and will not review the 'heat' aspect of this faux fireplace insofar as I have no need to use it as a heater. I wanted a 'fireplace affect' for my high-rise two-bedroom condominium (in the living room). Is it the greatest faux fireplace in the world? Probably not. But, unless you want to pay gobs of money (or, while you're your saving gobs of money) for the current faux fireplaces on the market; this is probably the best alternative at the best price. Coffee Fan's video shows you what you need to see. The fire display is very authentic. I would surmise that it actually is on some kind of 'loop' insofar as it repeats itself; but, I gotta tell you - you can't figure it out!! To this end, Duraflame created an extremely authentic fire display that moves and evolves as naturally as a real fire in a fireplace would.In terms of 'did it live up to the proverbial hype'? I would say 'yes'. It is SMALL, for sure (roughly 2'x2'). I wish Duraflame would come out with this exact same thing with options of 3'x3' or 4'x4'. That said, however, this little puppy sufficiently creates the ambiance of a fireplace, in small spaces, if that's what you're looking for in confined and limited areas. For example, I can't have a gas fireplace here because condominium bylaws don't allow me to install extra gas lines. To this extent, I'm limited in what I can actually put in this place. As they improve technology, etc., perhaps, one day, that won't be a problem. In the meantime, this is probably your best bet if you're specifically looking for 'fireplace ambiance' in small and bylaw-limited spaces. Just the mere sight of it inspires that 'cozy inside' feeling normally attributed to real fireplaces (which is why we love them).If that 'cozy inside' fireplace ambiance is what you're looking for - and you can't/don't have a real fireplace - this is your next best option without installing some sort of $2,000 faux fireplace. It sufficiently does the trick. At the very least, given the price, try it out and see how you feel about it. That's what I did.For the heater: I have no need for it as a heater; however, I did turn on the fan out of curiosity. I agree with reviews that said it was relatively low noise level. You can hear it; but it's not obtrusive (subjective point of view, of course; but it's not loud). I live in a quasi-urban/suburban area; lots of ambient background sound (e.g., highways, sirens, dogs barking). It wasn't any more noticeable than that (more like background noise). If you live in a quiet suburban/rural area where ambient sound might be customarily relatively low, (e.g., crickets, occasional dog barking) it might sound louder to you. Apologize, I can't speak to it's ability to heat a room; I bought it specifically for a faux fireplace affect.Durability: Unknown at this time. I got this thing two days ago and have run it nearly constantly for those two days. It's early December here now....I'll try and post back a couple months from now and let you all know how it's performance was over the course of time.Sound: None. It will not provide any kind of crackling/pop noise associated with either real fireplaces or wood-burning stoves. The aesthetic is visual only (but still sufficient to provide 'inside cozy' fireplace affect from visual perspective). If you're using it as a heater, then fan noise comments above apply.Little baby fake fireplace = pretty awesome. Packs a big punch for its small size. Going to get my glass of wine, my kittens, and watch my favorite re-runs on TV while I'm enjoying my little faux fireplace. Feeling pretty snuggy warm here. That sums up the affect if you're looking for faux fireplace affect only.