Compare Our Electric Fireplace Systems To The Big Box Retailers

After visiting several big box retailers, including Home Depot and Lowe's, where electric fireplace systems are now offered in a variety of styles and sizes, we could not believe the difference that quality makes when trying to buy an electric fireplace system. The fireplace opening, and the logs and grates were obviously plastic molded and disappointingly "fake" looking. The subtle details that are designed into a Magic Flame electric fireplace are so real, that even when the unit is turned off, it is difficult to tell the difference. The detail is so refined, that you have to look very closely at the logs and ember bed to discover that it is an effective simulation and not the real thing. Also, the control panel inside the fireplace opening was so large and clunky looking on most models, that it detracted from the look of the fireplace opening, making it more an obviously glorified space heater. When the big box retailer units are turned on, the simulated effect is even more obviously not well designed, with the flame effects not having that dancing, fleeting, and darting about kind of detail, as in the Magic Flame electric fireplace system. The simulation looks like a cheap reflection, and with standard incandescent bulbs for backlighting, rather than the LED system used in the Magic Flame product, the cost to operate their units, and the lifespan of the system are obvious design flaws. Most of all, though, the cabinetry work, and the quality of the materials in the mantel section, or media cabinet (though the selection was very limited and not as diverse as the Magic Flame line) was almost ghastly. Thinner laminate woods, cheap bracing and fewer anchoring hardware connections abounded. A Magic Flame electric fireplace has that "already built in" kind of feel, as if was crafted by a couple of burly carpenters and built right in to your wall, a real sense of permanence and mass. The big box retailers systems were flimsy, and cheap looking, even the more expensive units, while slightly less expensive than the Magic Flame line, the tradeoff was very obvious.