Dimplex Revillusion Electric Fireplace Log Insert - 20 Inch Faux Wooden Logs, Plug in Electric Heater; Remote Control Included - Supplemental Zone Heat | Model #RLG20

The media could not be loaded. Great little log set! At a fraction of the cost of a full install this log set looks insanely real in person has decent heat output and is super easy to install. The only negative in my opinion is that the remote control is a bit weak and you have to be really close and point it right at the log set for it to work.I went a few steps further and added some black lava rocks to blend the ember bed. I then added an Alexa echo dot inside the fireplace so I could play fireplace sounds (very realistic crackling and flame sounds) as well as a Bond Bridge to make the log set “smart” as you cannot do this by plugging it into a smart plug. Using a smart plug would let you turn the fire off but not back on as there is a safety shutoff when the power is cut and you have to use the remote to run it back on. The Bond bridge mimics the remote button press and solves the problem. I can now control the flame effect and heater separately with Alexa.Lastly I got some campfire scented essential oils and placed them in cotton pads in front of the heater. When it kicks in it emits a very subtle, very pleasing and realistic scent of pine wood and smoke. It’s quite convincing in person. I like it much more than I thought I would.To clean up the wires I ran them all together through a cable management raceway down the front of the fireplace and along the baseboard to the nearest plug.Overall I’m extremely happy with the setup and it was much less expensive than having a built in unit installed. And this way if I ever want to go back to real fires I can just pull it out.

The media could not be loaded. PROS:How many ways can you think of to improve the your quality of life instantly for about $220? This electric log set instantly added coziness to my new (budget) apartment built in 1980 and helped to aid in relaxation immediately post-move. It has a meditative quality to it. Now, I just can’t imagine if I had moved into this apartment without it.If you have some slight social anxiety (or like the typical jitters when meeting someone new or new-ish), this is nice to have as a focal point while sipping wine. (:With the heater “off,” electric inserts are considered safe to leave on (like just the lights/illusion part "on").It is plug and play! Just put the mirrored plastic piece in its place, plug in, and you’re good to go! In my size fireplace, I had to situate the base in first and kinda finagled the plastic piece in after that. I was worried that it wouldn’t fit, but it ended up being perfect (top of arch extends a bit but does not make it look any less pretty).Overall, this is beautiful and as realistic as one may reasonably expect - for this price point and well on up. I still cannot believe the value!CONS:Although turning the side/backlights on (and to the flickering setting) helps to disguise the shine of the plastic piece (as will a screen - great if you have one built into your surround already), you can see a bit of a glare on the plastic (the part that makes the realistic looking “flame” possible). However, this is not a major drawback as when the lights in your home are super dim or off at night (or even with just the TV on), you can’t really see the glare - especially with the side/backlight feature on.The remote could be more intuitive. For safety, I keep the instructions on the shelf with the remote. I may type up and laminate a simpler set of instructions on a card to keep with it. To avoid a panicked moment after you’ve enjoyed your cozy evening with the heater on, READ the instructions beforehand.Finally, this product could be more accessible. If you are unable to hear the “beeps,” you may not know how you have just changed the settings via the remote. There could be changes made to add indicator lights to the side of the base and/or remote to fix this. This would make usage more intuitive for everyone right out of the box.

We replaced a ventless gas log set. Even though it was ventless, it still emitted some odor and the natural gas fumes tend to gradually yellow some items in the room over time. We like using the fireplace for ambience more than for heat, so we hardly ever used the gas logs because of the odor.We bought a free standing electric fireplace made by SEI to put in a different room, and really liked it. So I started looking for alternatives to convert our gas log fireplace into an electric fireplace, and came across the Dimplex RGL25.The beauty of the Dimplex is the ease of installation (we already had 120 v available where needed). No building in or trimming out required in our case - just remove the gas log unit, slide in the Dimplex, and plug in.The flames look pretty realistic, but you can see some undesirable ambient light reflection in the clear plastic flame projection screen and the outline of that circular screen, which is the biggest downside IMO. Some comments about that:1. I did black out the edge of the the plastic screen with a sharpie as some other reviewers suggested to help. We also have a wire mesh screen in front of the fireplace that helps hide the outline. I think if you have glass doors, the reflection from them would help hide the circular outline from reflection off the flame projection screen.2. I found that the outline of the clear flame projection screen was more visible with some fireplace light settings than others - primarily the backlight color and brightness settings changed things. Depending on these settings, the circular outline of the plastic was anywhere from very obvious to almost invisible. Viewing angle made a difference as well.3. Our fireplace is not in direct light, so ambient light reflections aren't bad - not sure if I'd recommend it if the fireplace was close to an exterior window that gets direct sunlight.4. Before I bought it, I noticed some reviews about the circular clear plastic outline, but thought if it was too bad I'd just buy a sheet of clear plastic locally, and make a rectangular piece to fit my opening snuggly. I thought that would make the entire opening look more uniform and more like glass doors instead of seeing the outline of a round piece of plastic in a square hole. But after receiving the item, the clear plastic is not entirely clear. There is an area coated with a mirror type gray paint, and some add'l area of it splattered with what looks like that same paint of covering. So my idea of making a new fitted rectangular plastic screen won't work unless I can determine what that coating is.5. I did see a review that suggested leaving the clear plastic out of the grooves designed to hold it in a curved upright position and instead just laying it back against the logs and leaving it flat. I have not tried that yet.Heater component thoughts:1. Doesn't put out a lot of heat, but works ok as a little chill chaser. Not an issue for us as we bought the unit primarily for ambience.2. Heater is quiet.Final thoughts:With careful settings and installation, the outline of the circular flame projection screen can be minimal, and we had a lot of compliments. Ideally, I would have preferred that it shipped with an oversized square plastic screen to allow cutting to fit the entire size of the fireplace. Admittedly I am very particular and somewhat of a perfectionist by nature, so take some of my criticisms with a grain of salt.I think square firebox style fully enclosed front glass (example: https://www.amazon.com/PuraFlame-Western-Electric-Fireplace-Control/dp/B01LA3VHHU/) looks better as related to ambient light reflection. But the install for that style is more involved (in our case I would have had to do granite surround trim) and in many brands the flame doesn't look as realistic.UPDATE: As another reviewer suggested, I've now tried leaving the clear plastic "projector screen" out of the curved groove holder as mentioned in #5 above. So instead of being upright and curved, it's now straight across and leaned back some. We like that a lot better! That positioning has greatly reduced the reflection of ambient room/window lighting, and it makes the flames appear a little bigger. Also I did check to make sure that doing this did not subject the lower edge of the plastic to overheating when the heater is running, and the lower part of the plastic closest to the heater still stays cool.Thank you to the other reviewer that recommended this!