Pleasant Hearth 20" Electric Crackling Natural Wood Log

Background: my husband and I both grew up/live in central Florida. We just bought our first house which has a fireplace that was in an unknown condition. Our home inspector did not have a great knowledge of fireplaces and suggested we have a specialist take a look at it since he thought the firebox might need replacement. Honestly, neither of us know a single thing about fireplaces or how to use or maintain one, but we liked the idea of one. We looked into several different options including conversion to gas or one of those electric units that cost several hundred dollars. We really don't need a heating option as there are very few days of the year which we use our central heat - or even turn off the AC. Since we didn't want to drop several hundred dollars on an electric unit that was going to look totally cheesy, we decided to give this a try just to create an ambiance for Christmas... Let me tell you, I would pay DOUBLE what this cost. It is an excellent value. The thing arrived on our doorstep around 6 days after ordering. The most difficult part of installation was getting our existing fireplace doors open! lol... It was literally: unbox, put in grate, plug in. I was really afraid it was going to look cheesy but the material of the logs is... actual wood. The area where the "flame" is seen is plastic, there is a turning spindle of essentially cheap christmas tinsel that hits another piece of plastic and reflects/casts shadow with the help of an amber bulb. That's it. All in all it probably cost $5 to manufacture but the simplicity of it is really smart and the effect is really nice, WAY nicer than the fake electric fireplaces I've looked at in the stores. I pushed the piece of plastic all the way against the spinning part and the sound is honestly perfect... its definitely audible as a background to the TV but not distracting. I also grabbed a few sticks from the yard and stacked them in the grate along with a couple of leftover pieces of firewood that was in the fireplace just to give it some extra dimension. I also pulled it to the front of the firebox so that it would project more onto the back. It looks nice in the daylight but once the lights went out is when we were really impressed by the effect. My mother in law (who grew up with a wood burning fireplace) thought it was real. I know there are some super realistic fake fire options out there (like that crazy misty one for, oh, $2000), but for $40 you CANNOT beat this. If you're looking for a product to create an ambiance without heat, do not hesitate. This is one of the best purchases i've made in quite a while.

I have a brick wall with a wood burning fireplace that I wanted to use again. I checked into gas logs and was just about ready to put the $800+ into getting a working fireplace. I would still lose almost 70% of heat up the chimney but I would be able to start my fireplace when I wanted to enjoy it without the mess and danger of using wood. I wasn’t really looking for extra heat of a fireplace so except for wasting natural gas, I thought what the heck. I happened to see an ad for ‘electric fireplaces’-essentially heaters with glowing ember-like lights. I started researching the various models and looked at them at local stores. Then I came to Amazon to check out reviews and found Pleasant Hearth. I figured for the cheap price I’d give it a try. I am extremely glad I did. I was impressed when I opened the box. The unit was VERY well made and as realistic looking as many of the mid range gas log sets. I did a little prep work- blocked off the damper and closed off the flue with a reflective insulated board to fit. On the bottom of the fireplace I placed small pieces of bark and branches and liberally scattered glass beads as another reviewer suggested. I put the unit on the grate I had from the wood fire which raised the unit up and allowed the flickering light to glow under the ‘fire logs, really enhancing the ‘burning ember’ look. I had also purchased the remote controlled outlets and plugged the unit into 1 of those. The wall outlet is 2-1/2 feet from the fireplace and I was able to run the cord under the unit and along the hearth to the outlet with no problem. Since I planned on using the remote to operate the outlet I didn’t need to worry about being able to reach the switch on the cord. I placed a few small pieces of wood on the unit as well and closed the glass fireplace doors. I pressed the remote ‘on’ and had as realistic a fireplace as the gas logs would have provided. I don’t really hear the crackling sound as it is behind the glass doors, but late at night when it is very quiet and I concentrate, I can faintly hear it. What I really do enjoy are the dancing flames the unit provides. They are reflected from the top, back and bottom of the fireplace. Friends are amazed that it is electric. Many knew my plans for getting gas logs and at first sight thought that was exactly what I had done. When I told them what I had really done they admitted it was hard to tell! My grandkids love it and my 2 year old grandson asks to ‘put the fire on to get warm’. We all love being able to use the remote to control the fireplace! It may not be for everyone but I love my Pleasant Hearth fireplace. I saved a LOT of money and got everything I wanted. The unit has run everyday, many hours a day for 4 months without any problem. I did try a red bulb to see how it looked but went back to the orange bulb that came with it. It gives a much more realistic colored flame. I would highly recommend this unit!

Great product. Only problem I faced is that the bulb was damaged during transit.

For the price, I admire this product. Is it the most beautiful and "natural" looking? No. I admire that the manufacturer did their best in the design and manufacturing. For that reason I give it 5-Stars for effort and the price. To a lesser refined eye this would be very pleasing. To me it looks "cheap", which it was. It does the job and fills the black void in my fireplace, and it is worth the lower price I've paid. I may want to buy a grate to raise it a bit higher, and also a gate to make it look even more "real". FYI: the cord is much too short. UPDATE: It lost it's"crackling" sound. The bulb burnt out really quick but I found an Amber LED at wallymart. Product is still okay though for the price. Otherwise, I do recommend this product.

Mon foyer étant condamné, j'ai acheté ce feu électrique. J'ai du couper certaines branches pour qu'il puisse entrer dans mon foyer. Le look est pas mal naturel ! Quand le portes du foyer sont closes, on dirait un vrai feu. Notez que j'ai remplacé la petite ampoule orange par une ampoule LED scintillante du genre flamme ( https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07KFF89JQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ) . C'est encore plus réaliste.

a great fireplace insert it looks great , I painted inside the fireplace black and it really makes the flames pop out , great price also

The Pleasant Hearth 20" Electric Crackling Natural Wood Log looks and works well. Very happy with it.