Insert

This will be a fairly lengthy review as I would like to be as fair as possible about this unit. First, and most importantly, the unit is extremely small. You may think that you are receiving a 28 inch unit however the viewing window is ONLY 20 INCHES. That means, if you have a fairly large size room you will not be able to view this fire from very many locations in the room. It also just looks awkward because it’s so small. I read other reviews about how it does not look realistic if you are not sitting in front of it and that is true. You cannot see the flames whatsoever if you are at any angle. The only time it looks real is if you are directly in front of the unit and the unit is raised off the floor. I will say, if you are sitting directly in front of it, in the dark, you would be hard-pressed to tell that it wasn’t real. When we unboxed this unit and put it together I was trying not to cry because I was so upset that we paid over $3000 for what is clearly a $1500 piece of equipment. I’m still mad about it and it’s been a month. Let’s move on to customer service. It just plain sucks. You will get no help and no response. I’ve sent two emails to this company with no response regarding the glitchyNess of their unit. My best guess is that this guy is about to go out of business otherwise he would respond to his customers when they have inquiries regarding the operation of his equipment. I should not have to unplug the unit every single time I want it to completely shut off. Sometimes I can’t get the flames to go on and other times I can’t get the logs to go off. So I wind up just unplugging it. This will not work for us once we have the unit installed into the wall. I’m not sure what we’re gonna do about that. Let me think of some positives that I can say about this machine. I do love the crackling noise and the many different flame options available. I like the app, when it works, and I like that it does heat up a small room. I know that it heats up a small room because we put it on a dolly and wheeled it into our bedroom. haha that should give you an idea how small it is. The app that they love so much and go on and on about in their videos doesn’t work all the time and the remote control they give you as a joke. Wait wasn’t trying trying to be positive here. Lastly, their return policy. As others have stated in their reviews it’s between seven and $800 to return this unit. Also who’s to say that once it gets back there they won’t blame you for something that got broken along the way. That’s just speculation on my part I don’t know that that’s what happens. Truthfully, you have no recourse once you purchase this unit. Nobody else is going to spend $3000 on this thing especially once they see it. So you cannot even sell it on Facebook marketplace or craigslist. You can return it for another $800 but now you spent $3800 for what???? I think this unit would be great for a small condo or apartment but for a 2000- 2500 square-foot home or larger do not get this unit.!!!!!! **Edit** update… from 2 to 5 stars. We’ve had this unit for a little over a year and I wanted to update you on my experience with this unit. I LOVE it! The fireplace is perfect now that we have built a surround and installed it. The unit puts out alot of heat. It is really hot! Not like some of these other units that put out a puny amount of heat, this is the real deal! The company helped us figure out why we were getting all the electrical glitches though it does sometimes still get out of whack. Theres a certain order in which you must turn on and off different features on the fireplace. If you don’t do them in the right order then the power off button will not power everything off… meaning, the blower might still be on, but the unit will be off. Or you won’t be able to get the blower on without pressing the button manually inside the grate of logs. I have included a picture of what it looks like in the surround. I still think the unit could be larger but, after purchasing a different electric fireplace for our bedroom, I can see that you get what you pay for. If I had the money I would’ve purchased an additional MagikFlame for the bedroom. Instead, I went with a unit that was $2000 cheaper (so I still bought one that was $1000) and it has none of the features that magic flame offers and it looks fake. Also the heat output sucks. I don’t think anything can match up to the MagikFlame. See above picture for how it turned out in the surround. . If you have the money and you want the most realistic electric fireplace on the market, this is the one for you.

I bought this with the HoloFlame log set and installed both two weeks before Christmas. It has added an unbelievable ambiance to our living room. Full disclosure: it is obvious, especially when viewing from the sides of the room, that this is not a real fire. But sit or stand in the front of the fireplace, and the gentle flames (there are many flame types to choose from) and cracking sounds make the whole room a zone of relaxation. We let it "burn" all day long, and makes even a brief walk through a relaxing event. The pictures do not do justice to how this insert looks while sitting in front of it. The electric heater (HoloFlames logs) all provides a pleasant warmth coming from the fireplace. No venting issues, and no loss of house heat through the chimney. I priced the installation of propane gas for our fireplace. $11,000 plus the cost of the propane. Wood costs are high, and clean up and house soot are real problems for AC filters and health. This unit is very easy and inexpensive to operate, and ignition and clean-up happen with clicks on two remotes. I read several reviews on this unit before buying that stated the insert "broke" within two weeks, in one case one week, after installation. Here's my experience. Right after Christmas, after two weeks of enjoying the flames, the unit froze. The log set worked, but the more expensive insert locked up. Since it is basically a computer displaying digital flames, I "rebooted" the insert by unplugging the power for 15 seconds, and then plugged it in again. The insert re-booted and worked perfectly. I have had no further problems since. Yes, it is an expensive investment. But the result (given the much higher priced and inconvenient alternatives) is -- as of today -- well worth the money. I have had one experience with the company customer service, and they could not have been more helpful to me (I was missing a simple instruction on remote use, and they quickly and happily helped me). I could not be more pleased, except perhaps for the difficulty in installing the optical glass brackets with the provided nuts and hex bolts. I ended up using metal screws instead, which worked just fine.

Customer service gets 6 stars, they will help you with any questions you may have. Give them a call if you are undecided. Great unit and very real looking flames. Higher price = higher quality. I am happy we purchased this unit.