Giantex 28.5" Electric Fireplace Insert Review: budget-friendly fake fire that actually heats

I picked up the Giantex 28.5" electric fireplace insert because I wanted the look of a fireplace in a small living room without dealing with wood, gas lines, or any renovation. I’ve used a couple of cheap electric heaters before, and one older electric fireplace that looked very fake, so my expectations were pretty moderate. I mainly wanted something that looks decent, gives a bit of heat, and doesn’t sound like a jet engine when it’s on.

After a few weeks of use, my feeling is pretty simple: this thing is good value for the price, but it’s not magic. The flame effect is better than I expected, the heat output is solid for a 1500W unit, and the remote is handy. On the other hand, the flames are still obviously electric if you stare at them, the fan makes some noise, and the controls are a bit old-school. If you expect the same vibe as a real gas or wood fire, you’ll be a bit let down.

I used it in a medium-sized living room and also tried it in a bedroom for a few days. I didn’t recess it into the wall; I just used it as a freestanding insert in an old non-working fireplace opening, which is probably how a lot of people will use it. Setup was basically “take it out of the box and plug it in,” which I appreciated. No tools, no assembly headache.

Overall, my first impression is that it’s a pretty solid compromise: you get a cozy look, useful extra heat, and not much hassle. But you do feel the price point in some details like the remote quality, the realism of the flames if you’re picky, and the slight fan noise. If you’re okay with those trade-offs, it does the job.

On the price side, this Giantex unit sits in that affordable to mid-range electric fireplace zone. You can easily find more expensive ones with fancier flame tech and Wi-Fi, and you can find cheaper no-name heaters that look awful. For what you pay here, you get a pretty full feature set: two heat levels, thermostat, timer, multiple flame colors, brightness settings, and both wall-recessed and freestanding options. It’s hard to complain about the spec sheet at this price.

Where the value really shows is if you compare it to buying and running a real gas or wood fireplace. No chimney work, no gas hookup, no venting, no wood, no ash cleanup. You literally slide it into place and plug it in. Obviously, it doesn’t give the same feel as real flames, but for someone in an apartment, a rental, or an older house with a dead fireplace opening, it’s a simple, cost-effective way to get some of that atmosphere plus actual heat.

The corners are cut in predictable places: the remote feels cheap and doesn’t give you clear feedback on what heat level you’re on, the flame realism is good but not top-tier, and there are no smart home features or extra bells and whistles. Customer support and spare parts, especially for the remote, don’t seem to be a strong point based on user feedback. If those things are important to you, you might want to spend more on a higher-end brand.

For most people who just want a decent-looking electric fireplace that heats well without draining their wallet, this is pretty solid value. You’re paying for function and basic aesthetics, not luxury. If you go in with that mindset, you’ll probably feel you got your money’s worth. If you expect high-end realism and premium materials, you’ll find its limits fairly quickly.

Design-wise, the Giantex fireplace leans more simple and modern than fancy. It’s a black rectangle with a big glass front and a subtle frame. No fake stone, no fake bricks, no decorative trim. If you’re building your own mantel or sliding it into an existing opening, that’s actually nice because it doesn’t clash with anything. If you just plop it against a bare wall, it can look a bit like a TV turned sideways, but once the flames are on, it’s fine.

The flame effect is probably what most people care about. I’d rate it as good but not mind-blowing. On the warm orange-red setting with medium brightness, it looks pretty cozy from a few feet away, especially with the room lights dimmed. Several reviewers said guests thought it was gas at first glance; I can see that if you’re not staring at it. Up close, you clearly see it’s a light-and-reflection trick, and the “logs” look like molded plastic, which they are. On the blue or mixed-color setting, it starts to look more like a decorative effect than a real fire, which some people like and some will find cheesy.

The 5 brightness levels are actually useful. On the highest level, the flames are almost too bright in a dark room, but that’s nice during the day when sunlight usually washes out cheap flame effects. On the lowest level, it gives a softer glow that works well if you’re watching TV and don’t want the fireplace to be the main light source. I mostly ended up using level 2 or 3 in the evening.

One thing to note: the interface is basic. There’s a small control panel on the front with icons, but it’s not super intuitive at first, and you don’t get fancy digital feedback on the remote. You sometimes have to look at the unit to see where you are with heat or brightness. Overall, the design is clean and practical. It blends in, doesn’t scream “cheap,” but if you’re hunting for something that really mimics a high-end gas fireplace, this is a step down visually. For the price, though, it’s decent.

From a comfort point of view, this fireplace mostly does what you want: it makes a room feel warmer and cozier without a ton of effort. The biggest plus for me is the ability to run the flames without heat. That means on mild evenings you can still get that “fireplace vibe” without turning the room into a sauna. I used this a lot while watching TV; it’s basically a visual comfort thing more than anything.

When you do use the heat, it’s a different kind of warmth compared to a real fireplace. It’s more like a fan heater: the air comes out warm from the front vent and slowly spreads through the room. If you sit a few feet in front of it, you feel the warm air blowing on you, which is actually pretty nice in winter. It doesn’t dry the air as badly as some heaters I’ve used, probably because the power level is pretty standard and the fan isn’t blasting like crazy.

The adjustable brightness and flame color helps with comfort too. On low brightness with the orange-red flame, it’s easy on the eyes and doesn’t compete with the TV. The blue flame is more of a decorative, modern look; I didn’t find it very relaxing, but some people might like it for a different mood. Having five levels means you can tweak it to your room lighting instead of being stuck with one harsh setting.

The only slight downside for comfort is the fan noise when the heater is on. It’s not screaming loud, but if you’re sensitive to background noise, you’ll notice it in a quiet room. After a couple of days you kind of tune it out, especially if there’s any other sound in the room. For me, the trade-off of a gentle background hum in exchange for a warmer, nicer-looking room was fine. Overall, comfort is good, not perfect, but definitely better than a plain ugly space heater sitting in the corner.

In terms of build, the unit feels sturdy enough for the price. The tempered glass front is solid, the housing doesn’t flex like thin tin, and nothing rattled or felt loose on mine. It’s not premium metal all around, but it doesn’t feel like a toy either. At around 25 pounds, it has some weight, which helps it sit firmly when used as an insert. I didn’t feel like I had to baby it when moving it in and out of the fireplace opening.

What really convinced me on the durability side were some older user reviews mentioning 4–5 years of use with no major issues. One person said theirs is still working fine after 5 years, which lines up with the feeling you get when you handle it. The heating element and fan are pretty standard electric heater parts, so as long as you don’t block the vents and you keep dust from building up too much, it should hold up. There’s no complicated moving flame mechanism that looks like it’s about to break any second, which is good.

The weak point, based on both my impression and other reviews, is the remote control. It works, but it feels cheap. The plastic is thin, the buttons are basic, and one reviewer mentioned that after 5 years, their remote was falling apart and they couldn’t get a replacement part from the manufacturer. That’s not shocking at this price, but it’s still a bit annoying. If the remote dies, you can still control the unit from the panel, but you lose some convenience.

Overall, I’d say durability is above average for the price bracket. You’re not buying a luxury appliance here, but you’re also not getting something that feels disposable. As long as you use it with a bit of common sense (don’t cover it, don’t run it 24/7, keep the cord safe), it should last several seasons without drama. The only thing I’d treat gently is the remote, and I wouldn’t count on easy spare parts from the brand.

On the performance side, think of this as a 1500W space heater with a fake flame screen. That’s basically what it is. On high (1500W), it puts out enough heat to noticeably warm a medium living room after 20–30 minutes. In my case, in a roughly 250–300 sq ft room with average insulation, it took the edge off the cold easily. It won’t replace a central heating system in the middle of winter, but as a supplement or for shoulder seasons, it’s pretty handy.

There are two heat modes: low at 750W and high at 1500W. Low is more of a gentle background warmth, good if you’re just trying to make a slightly chilly room more comfortable without roasting. High is where it actually starts to feel like a real heater. The built-in thermostat (62°F to 82°F) is nice in theory, but don’t expect thermostat-level precision like with a wall unit. It more or less keeps the room around the target temperature, but it’s not perfect. Still, better than just on/off with no control.

The 8-hour timer is a practical feature. I used it mainly at night: set it for 2–3 hours so the room warms up while I fall asleep, and then it shuts off. It helps you not forget it on all night, which is both a safety and an electric bill thing. The overheat protection is another good layer. I didn’t trigger it, but it’s there if something goes wrong or a vent gets blocked.

Noise-wise, with just the flames on, it’s basically silent. Once you turn the heater on, you get a fan hum. It’s not insanely loud, but you hear it. I’d compare it to a small space heater on low to medium. If you’re watching TV or playing music, it fades into the background. If you’re in a very quiet room reading, you’ll be aware of it. For me, the noise level was acceptable, not great, not terrible. Overall, performance is solid: it heats, it doesn’t smell after the first burn-in, and it’s easy to live with day to day.

Out of the box, you get the fireplace unit, a basic remote, and a manual. That’s it. No fancy accessories, no fake stones to arrange, nothing like that. The unit itself is a 28.5" wide, 21" high, 6" deep rectangular box with a big tempered glass front. It’s about 25–26 pounds, so one person can move it without much trouble, but it feels heavy enough to not be flimsy. It’s meant for three types of use: wall recessed, wall-mounted, or just freestanding in a fireplace opening or against a wall.

The features on paper are pretty packed for the price: 750W and 1500W heat modes, adjustable thermostat from 62°F to 82°F, 3 flame colors (orange-red, blue, and a mix), 5 brightness levels, and a timer from 0 to 8 hours. You can run the flames with no heat, or heat with flames, and control it either from the front panel or the remote. It’s ETL-certified and has an overheat shutoff, which is important if you plan to run it often or leave it on a timer at night.

In practice, the unit behaves like a compact space heater with a built-in fake fireplace screen. At 1500W, it’s not going to heat an entire big house, but for a living room, bedroom, or office it adds a noticeable bump in warmth. The flames are just a light and reflection system behind the glass, so nothing is actually burning and the glass itself doesn’t get hot, which is good if you have kids or pets that like to touch everything.

If you’re expecting some hidden “premium” tech under the hood, you won’t find it here. It’s a straightforward electric heater with some decent visual effects. But that’s also the upside: there’s not much to mess up or overcomplicate. You plug it in, press a few buttons, and that’s it. It does what the listing says, without any big surprises, good or bad.