Duraflame 3D Infrared Electric Fireplace Stove Review: a cozy fake fireplace that actually throws heat

I’ve been using this Duraflame 3D infrared electric stove as a secondary heater in my living room, and honestly, it’s pretty solid for what it is: a decorative heater that also puts out a good amount of warmth. If you go into it thinking it’ll replace a real heating system, you’ll be disappointed. If you treat it as a space heater that looks nicer than a plastic tower, it makes a lot more sense.

The big thing that stands out is the flame effect. I’ve seen plenty of cheap electric fireplaces where the flames look like a screensaver. This one is clearly a step up. It’s still fake, obviously, but the mix of logs, embers, and the 3D layered flame with the beveled glass and side windows gives it more depth than the usual flat panel flame. You can also tweak the brightness and speed, which I actually used instead of just leaving it on default.

In terms of heat, it claims up to 1,000 sq ft with 5,200 BTU and 1,500W. Realistically, I’d say it comfortably takes the edge off in a medium room or an open living/dining area, but it’s not magically heating a whole drafty house. It’s good as supplemental heat, not as your main furnace replacement. That lines up with what long-term buyers say: they use it daily, but always as an extra, not the only heat source.

Overall, my first impression after using it regularly is: it looks nice, it feels cozy, the heat output is decent, and it’s easy to live with. It’s not perfect—remote is basic, controls hidden behind the door are a bit annoying, and the metal shell can get warm—but for the price and the look, it gets the job done pretty well.

In terms of value, I’d put this Duraflame stove in the “not cheap, but fair for what you get” category. You can find electric fireplaces for a lot less, but those are usually the ones with flat, fake-looking flames, plastic bodies, and questionable safety or lifespan. Several reviewers mentioned owning a cheaper stove before this one and having problems—overheating cords, damaged flooring, or just very weak heat. After that, they were willing to pay more for something that felt safer and looked better, and this model seems to hit that middle ground.

From a running cost perspective, it’s a standard 1500W space heater, so you’re paying roughly the same per hour as any other 1500W unit. Where the value comes in is how you use it. One user in a poorly insulated double-wide said they combined this stove in the main living area with other small heaters and managed to cut their electric bill by over 30%, just by turning down the central heat and only warming the spaces they actually use. That’s basically how this product is meant to be used—as supplemental zone heating to avoid running the whole-house system all the time.

You’re also paying for the ambiance factor. If you just want raw heat, a basic ceramic heater will be cheaper and heat about the same. But it’ll look like a toaster on a stick. Here, you’re getting a unit that actually adds to the room visually: 3D flames, glass windows, brick-style back, and a metal stove shape. For people who care about how their living room looks, that matters and can justify the extra cost.

Considering the 4.2/5 rating from over 13,000 reviews, the long-term durability reports, and the realistic flame, I’d say the value is pretty solid if you’re looking for a decorative heater. If your only concern is the cheapest way to stay warm, this is overkill. But if you want something that heats decently, looks cozy, and doesn’t feel like a disposable gadget, the price is reasonable.

From a design standpoint, this Duraflame stove is one of the reasons I’d pick it over a basic ceramic tower heater. The metal body, the little legs, and the faux brick back panel inside give it that classic stove look without feeling super cheap. The Bronze finish is more of a dark, traditional color than a shiny metal look, so it blends pretty well in a living room with wood furniture or a more rustic style. If you just glance at it from a few feet away, it passes as a small wood stove.

The glass door actually opens, which is pointless functionally but helps the illusion. You’ve also got glass side windows, and that’s a nice touch because you can see the flames from an angle instead of only head-on. The beveled front glass also adds to the 3D flame effect. It’s not high-end furniture, but it doesn’t scream “cheap plastic heater” either. A few people mention using it in older homes, double-wides, or converted porches, and it fits into those spaces without looking out of place.

One thing I liked is that the vent is on the top, not at the bottom front. That matters if you have laminate or vinyl flooring—someone in the reviews had a cheaper heater with a bottom vent that literally warped their floor. With this one, the hot air blows out the top vent and a bit out the ends, so you don’t fry the floor in front of it. Just keep in mind, the front vent area does get hot, so you don’t want curtains or bedding hanging over it, and I wouldn’t let small kids get right up in front of the airflow.

The only design choice I’m not a big fan of is the control panel location. It’s behind the door, down low. It keeps the front clean, which looks nice, but it’s a bit annoying to bend down, open the door, and poke buttons if you tweak settings often. That said, most people—including me—set the thermostat and flame once and then mostly use the remote just to turn it on and off, so it ends up being a minor annoyance, not a dealbreaker.

From a comfort standpoint, this stove mostly does what you’d hope. The infrared quartz heat feels less drying than those harsh glowing-coil heaters. The manufacturer talks about maintaining humidity; I can’t scientifically prove that, but at least it didn’t give me that dry, scratchy throat feeling some heaters do after a few hours. Sitting a few feet away, you feel a steady, warm airflow without it being a blast furnace on your shins.

The fan noise is one of the nicer surprises. Several reviewers mentioned that they’re picky about noise, and I’m the same way. This one is present but not annoying. It’s more of a low whoosh than a high-pitched whine. You can easily read, watch TV, or even nap with it going. One user even said they would’ve returned it if it were loud, but they kept it, which tells you it’s acceptable for most living rooms or bedrooms.

Daily use is pretty simple: I mostly use the remote to turn it on when I sit down in the evening, and off when I go to bed. I only open the front door to mess with the thermostat or flame mode if I want something different. Some reviews complain about the control placement, but once you realize you don’t need to touch it constantly, it’s not that big of a deal. The flame-only mode is actually something I use more than I expected—having the fake fire going without heat on mild days gives the room a cozy look without making it stuffy.

One comfort warning: while the body doesn’t get dangerously hot, the front vent area and the air blowing out of it can be quite warm. A long-term user mentioned using a screen when kids are around and checking the cord temperature occasionally. I did the same: the cord gets a bit warm, but not scary-hot as long as it’s plugged directly into a wall outlet (which you should absolutely do—no cheap power strips). So, comfort-wise, it’s pleasant to be around, but it still needs normal space-heater respect: keep kids, pets, and fabrics a bit back from the front.

This is where this model actually stands out compared to a lot of budget heaters. One of the top reviewers has had their unit since 2019 and came back multiple times (up to 2025) to say it’s still running like new. That’s six winters of regular use, with the flames running most days all season. They specifically mentioned the LED flame lights still working, no major wear, and the stove still looking good after being stored each summer. That’s a pretty good sign the internals aren’t junk.

The metal body helps here. It feels more solid than the flimsy plastic heaters that crack or discolor after a couple of seasons. At about 28.6 pounds, it’s not super heavy, but it’s not feather-light either, which usually means the components inside aren’t paper-thin. The glass panels and door haven’t shown any warping or weird clouding in user reviews, and the paint/finish seems to hold up as long as you don’t bash it into walls when moving it.

A few people mentioned their previous cheaper fireplaces failing—one even had the cord and plug get dangerously hot and ruin their flooring. That’s exactly why they upgraded to this Duraflame model and have stuck with it. The same user checks the cord temperature occasionally (a good habit with any space heater) and reported it only ever gets slightly warm, not hot. In my use, I saw the same thing: a mild warmth on the cord after long runs, which is normal for a 1500W appliance, but nothing alarming.

There is only a 1-year limited warranty, which is pretty standard in this category, not generous. But given the number of long-term reviews (4–6 years of use) still rating it highly, I’d say the real-world durability seems better than average. It’s obviously not indestructible, and if you expect to drag it around by the cord or knock it over regularly, you’ll break something. But treated like a normal appliance—stored clean, no power strips, not jammed into a tight corner—it seems to last several seasons without much drama.

On performance, I’d split it into two parts: heat and flame effect. For heat, this thing is rated 1500W/5,200 BTU and “up to 1,000 sq ft.” In actual use, I’d say it easily handles a medium to large room as a supplemental heater. One reviewer in a poorly insulated converted porch uses it to make the space workable, which lines up with my experience: it won’t turn an icebox into a sauna, but it takes a cold edge off a room pretty reliably. Another user in a double-wide at 5,000 ft altitude runs it all winter and seems happy with how it keeps the main area comfortable.

The thermostat is fairly accurate for a space heater. It cycles on and off instead of blasting nonstop, and one user even mentioned it “stays pretty true to the thermostat.” You don’t get ultra-precise temperature control like a fancy HVAC system, but for a plug-in stove, it’s good enough. The fan noise is also reasonable. You can hear it, but it’s not a loud roar, and several people pointed out they would’ve returned it if it were noisy. I could still watch TV or talk without raising my voice.

Now the flame effect: this is where it beats a lot of cheaper units. The 3D flame with layered LED effects, the glowing logs, and the ember bed look fairly realistic for an electric unit. You can tweak brightness and speed across several levels. I ended up turning the brightness down in the evening so it wasn’t blinding, and that made it feel more like a real low fire. A few buyers who were really picky about realism said they were pleasantly surprised and specifically called out the beveled glass and side panels for adding depth.

Overall, in day-to-day use, it heats well for a single room and looks cozy while doing it. Just don’t expect it to heat a whole badly insulated house by itself. Used as intended—supplemental heat plus ambiance—it performs well. I’d give the flame effect an 8/10 for this price range, and the heating a solid 7–8/10 as a space heater.

On paper, this thing is a freestanding electric fireplace stove with a 3D flame effect, rated for up to 1,000 sq ft. It runs at 1500W, puts out 5,200 BTU, and is meant as a vent-free, plug-in heater. The model is DFI-5010-02-3A, and the color I’m talking about here is the Bronze version, which has more of a classic stove vibe than the plain black. Size-wise, it’s about 24" wide, 13" deep, and 23.4" high, so basically a compact little stove that can sit against a wall without dominating the whole room.

The setup is very basic: you take it out of the box, screw on the legs, plug it in, and you’re done. There’s no venting, no wiring, no assembly nightmare. The controls are on a panel hidden behind the front glass door, and you also get a remote (2 AAA batteries included). The remote lets you turn it on/off and control basic functions, but if you want to mess with more detailed settings (like thermostat and flame style), you end up opening that door panel. That part is a bit old-school, but once you dial it in, you don’t touch it much.

Features-wise, you get an adjustable thermostat, independent flame/heat controls, several flame brightness/speed levels, a glowing log and ember bed, and a fan-forced heater. The flame can run without heat, which is actually how I use it most of the shoulder seasons—looks like a fire, no extra warmth. It’s also vented at the top, which matters if you’ve ever had a cheap heater blow hot air directly at the floor and mess with your flooring, like one of the Amazon reviewers explained.

So in practice, what are you buying? You’re getting a space heater that looks like a small cast-iron stove, with decent heat, a pretty convincing fake flame, and simple plug-and-play usage. No smart home stuff, no Wi‑Fi, nothing fancy—just a heater with a nicer face than the usual plastic box.