how real do your electric 'fireplace' flames look?

dahkota wrote:
We have a fake fireplace - made by a company called Dimplex. It came with the RV. When we first got it, I figured it was another thing we probably wouldn't use. It isn't a real fire; you can tell if you look at it. It has glowing 'coals,' glowing 'wood,' and 'flames.' All of them are constantly dimming and glowing in an attempt to make it look more real. I can adjust the amount of light and the speed of the 'flames' and glow. If you adjust the speed and the light just right - not too fast, not too bright, you can fool people when they first walk in. But, if you look at it for more than a second, you know it isn't real. Kind of like looking at a mannequin; out of the the corner of your eye, you aren't really sure - you need to look directly at it.

But, as fake as it is, it is nice to have. If we are plugged into electric, I turn it on in the mornings and evenings to warm up our space. It works wonderfully doing this, without taking up floor space like a portable heater. It is also pretty silent, much quieter than our heat pump and furnace. It puts out constant heat rather than cycling on and off so we don't have to turn up the music or the tv every time it comes on. It produces a nice warm glow in the room, much nicer than the bright white LEDs we have all over the place.

We can't roast marshmallows or chestnuts on it, but our house doesn't smell of soot either. Nothing to clean, no wood to gather. It is safer than a gas fireplace - no actual flames or gas. It doesn't look, sound, or smell as real as a campfire but, at 6AM on a chilly morning, it throws off enough warmth and light to be comfortable. Will you be fooled? No. But for us, it turns out to be a great addition to our home.

For people who camp only on weekends or occasional vacations, having a campfire every night is a treat. We live full time in our RV. A campfire every night just isn't as exciting for us. And it can be expensive. Nor are we always in a location that allows a campfire. The fake fireplace we have is a space heater than happens to have a personality. It is not a replacement for a campfire. We don't sit in front of it keeping our hands warm or roasting marshmallows. We turn it on and watch the news or pay our bills or have a cocktail. You know, what you do at home when you don't have a campfire.