I bought this after many many hours of research. I want to score it lower but the reality is I still like the look!

Pros: I like the looks and size options available. The flame and coal effects are really better looking than others out there imo.

Cons: These firms don't care about product survival. First the manufacturer - The material used for the log set doesn't lend itself to shipping around the World. It looks to be a thin ceramic or fiberglass construction... it's brittle. First one I bought was broken in multiple places, fragments littered the floor of the unit. Second unit received is broken as well! Handlers/shippers - they don't care what it is - just move it! First unit box was beat up, clearly it had been tossed around. Second unit box was so beat up as well to a point it was repaired. See my other review on my second unit.

I really have no complaints about this 26" version that I recessed into a wall. The flame pattern and flickering log set are very real especially when viewing from further away. Other reviews are correct about how well made and sturdy the firebox is. Upon unboxing I just plugged it in and turned it on. The white power cord is connected to the upper left side of the unit (if you are looking the back end) and extends about 5 feet. In my case, I cut a hole in a wall slightly larger than the size of the fire box and slipped it in. The cut out was made directly in front of an open space behind the wall which happens to be below a staircase landing. So I had plenty of room for at least 8 inches of depth for the unit.

I left about an inch and a half of space between the top of the unit and underneath the top wall cutout. Be advised the inside top of the unit gets very warm when the heat is on high so I will be keeping a close eye on heat build up inside that wall. I can always install a strip of cement board to prevent heat from going up the inside wall. For power I am fortunate this unit is installed about 12 inches above the ceiling in my basement so I ran a dedicated line/receptacle to the ceiling joist and dropped the power cord through a hole in the floor. Wires are totally concealed. Keep in mind this is a glorified space heater so plugging into a plug nearby should be fine as long as there is not too much on that circuit. Because of resistance and voltage drop over length it is never a good idea to use an extension cord for any electrical heat.

The unit simply slides in and there is no need to anchor the frame to the wall unless you drill noticeable holes in the front of the frame. Although the weight of the unit keeps it in place inside the wall I may make a shelf so the back bottom surface can rest. The top, left and right sides have a 1 inch lip; there is no lip on the bottom. I can very easily pull the unit forward from the top and extract it from the cut out if needed for any reason but, as long as the unit works well, I may just caulk the bottom edge and leave it alone.

Heat is blown from the upper left of the unit and the fan is very quiet on high; kind of like the sound of forced air through ceiling vents in a quiet room or computer fan. The room is about 13 X 9 and the ceiling height is about 9 feet and there are 3 good sized windows in the room with lounge chairs directly in front of the windows. There is also two long, forced hot water baseboards for regular heat. The windows in this room (they are about 10 years old) make it drafty in there on very cold days (if highs are in the 20s F) so we hope this will help . I don't think it would heat the room very well if only this unit was used. In fact, I was slightly disappointed with the heat output but a stronger fan would have meant more noise. So we'll see how it goes. That said, if you just came in from being out in the cold and stood in front of the unit it will help to warm you up more quickly.

It is a relatively nice fireplace, although I found as nice as this one (if not better) but cheaper. I like it's light and easy to move around during the installation. One thing I was a little disappointed about is the amount of heat this fireplace emits. Don't expect this to heat up your living room or basement at all. I think it's more for the look than anything else.

My home has a large, double - sided wood burning fireplace. As I have aged gracefully, I find that I don't really want to haul in wood and deal with the ashes. A friend recommended this. I got it, installed it, and I am very pleased with it.
I will not be using the heater part of it , but I do like the realistic flames and glowing coals.
The customer service is very good also. I emailed the seller with a couple of questions, and they responded very rapidly and with the right information.
I'm impressed with the unit itself and the company that sells it.
I highly recommend this to everyone!

Fits well in the space we build for it. It looks nice when it's turned off. Not impressed with how fake the "flames" look and disappointed that it doesn't put out very much heat at all.