Love this insert! The flame is very realistic and honestly that was my biggest concern. I bought it to go in our fire place before a holiday home showing. We got a TON of compliments on it.

I love this Dimplex Electric Fireplace Log Insert. We are using it in our wood burning fireplace, instead of burning wood. It is very realistic and adds warmth to the room. We bought it for ambiance, not heat, although it does put out a little heat. I definitely recommend this.

Bought this because I didn't want to shell out a few grand to have a full electric fireplace installed. It does the job, but could have been better. This is really designed for people who want a simple, easy to install electric fireplace on a budget.

Pros -
Set up can't be simpler. Attach the plexiglass, attach the ember bed, plug it in. That's it.

Fire effect looks great, and even fooled my in-laws at first glance. The ember glow also looks very realistic.

The heater works great, but have realistic expectations. The heat throw distance is very short, so you're only going to feel it up to around 6' or so from the fireplace. It's fairly quiet though.

Cons -
As many reviews have stated, the plexiglass screen is visible. The brightness of the room will have an effect on how much of it you see. If your room is bright, you may want to consider a different option, because the screen will stick out like a sore thumb. For my setup, it's visible, but only if you really focus on it. I also keep the metal mesh ember guard closed when using it, and it does help hide the screen somewhat.

No sound effects. I feel this was a real missed opportunity, and something that could have been very easily implemented. I purchased a white noise machine that has a campfire effect, so that solved the issue.

The variable brightness setting is a joke. There are three levels of brightness, and there is barely any difference between them. I'm serious when I say I thought it was broken at first because it didn't even look like it got any brighter with each button press. Had to get up close to it before I even saw the difference.

The flame effect is achieved by a rotating cylinder with several small metal patterns that reflect the light. At times you can hear the cylinder rotating, and it makes a clicking sound when it does this. While it isn't loud, and background noise can drown it out, it can be annoying.

The additional lighting option is kinda useless. I don't know why anyone would even use it. For one, it makes the plexiglass even more visible when turned on. Secondly, it drowns out most of the flame and ember glow effect. I honestly don't know what they were thinking when adding this feature. They should have removed this and replaced with a crackling sound effect option. Really stupid feature.

The remote is really small and cheap feeling. I am pretty much guaranteed to lose this thing at some point. If you have ever bought a set of those cheap mini-leds, you're basically getting the same type of remote. It also has terrible range and you need to point it dead-on directly at the sensor. Thankfully, there are controls on the unit itself, but not ideal since you will need to reach into your fireplace to turn it on or off, or change settings each time.

I'm very satisfied with this purchase. There is so much attention to detail that it looks realistic. I put a Bluetooth speaker behind it to enhance the realism with sound. I also put black electrical tape on the edge of the screen to minimize the visibility of the screen at night. Now it really fools most people.

I love this Dimplex Electric Fireplace Log Insert. We are using it in our wood burning fireplace, instead of burning wood. It is very realistic and adds warmth to the room. We bought it for ambiance, not heat, although it does put out a little heat. I definitely recommend this.