LegendFlame Nora 23" Electric Log Set Review: fake fire that actually feels pretty real

I’ve been using the LegendFlame 23" Nora electric fireplace log set for a few weeks in a non-working wood fireplace, and I’ll be blunt: I bought it mostly for the look, not the heat. I wanted something that looked like a real fire without dealing with wood, smoke, or cleaning ash. This one is in the middle price range, so I wasn’t expecting miracles, just something that didn’t scream “plastic toy” when you sit on the couch.

In day-to-day use, it’s basically a plug-and-play fake fire: you slide it into the fireplace, plug it into a regular outlet, and that’s it. I didn’t have to screw anything into the wall or mess with vents. The remote was already paired, and the battery was included, which sounds minor but is the kind of thing you notice when you want to use it right away.

Visually, it does a pretty solid job. The flames are projected on the back and the logs have a resin “ember” effect that looks good in a dim room. Up close with the lights on, you obviously see it’s fake, but from the sofa at night, it gives a decent fireplace vibe. The crackling sound is a nice touch if you keep it on the lower setting; too loud and it starts to feel more like a sound machine than a fire.

In terms of heat, it’s not going to replace your main heating, and the brand is clear about that. But when I turn the 1500W heater on, it does warm up my living room enough to feel cozy without cranking the central heating. Overall, my first impression is: not perfect, but for the price and the effort required, it gets the job done and makes the room feel warmer visually and physically.

From a value standpoint, I’d say the LegendFlame Nora sits in a good spot. It’s not the cheapest electric log set out there, but it’s also not in the high-end bracket with built-in mantels and fancy glass fronts. For the price, you get a realistic enough flame effect, a functional heater, a crackling sound option, and a remote. If you compare that to the cost of fixing a chimney, installing gas logs, or running a real wood fire regularly, this is obviously way cheaper and way less hassle.

Where it earns its keep is in the flexibility: you can use it just for ambiance most of the year without burning through electricity, and then use the heat on colder evenings as a supplement. If you’re expecting it to replace baseboard heaters or a furnace, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want something that makes a dead fireplace useful and a bit warmer, it does the job. Also, the installation cost is basically zero — you just drop it in. No contractor, no permits, nothing.

On the downside, at this price I would have liked a visible temperature display or at least a clearer way to know the thermostat setting. You kind of have to learn how your room reacts and adjust by feel. The occasional remote interference with other devices could also be annoying if your TV area is right above the fireplace. These aren’t deal-breakers, but they’re the kind of little things that keep it from feeling perfect for the money.

Overall, I’d call the value “pretty solid.” You’re paying for a mix of looks and function, and it delivers both at a decent level. If you just want cheap heat, a basic space heater will cost less. If you care about the fireplace vibe and want something easy and relatively clean that you can use all year, this one makes sense and feels fairly priced for what it offers.

Design-wise, the Nora is pretty simple: black metal body, resin logs on top, and a reflective panel in the back that makes the flames look deeper than the real depth of the unit. It’s not some fancy piece of furniture; it’s just meant to disappear into your fireplace opening. In my case, that’s exactly what I wanted. Once it’s in there and the lights are dimmed, your eyes focus on the flames and embers, not the frame.

The flame effect is actually one of the better ones I’ve seen in this price range. It doesn’t look like a real wood fire if you stare at it from two feet away, but from the sofa, it’s convincing enough. You can adjust the flame brightness, and I found that medium to slightly low looks the most realistic. At max brightness, it looks a bit too orange and a bit too “electric fireplace,” but still acceptable. The fake embers in the logs glow in a way that looks decent, especially when the room is darker.

The crackling sound is where opinions will vary. On the lowest volume, it’s pretty decent — more like a gentle background crackle. On higher settings, it can sound a bit metallic or repetitive. I ended up leaving it on low or sometimes turning it off completely and just enjoying the visual. The good part is that it’s optional and separate from the flame and heat, so you’re not stuck with it.

One thing to know: the design is clearly made for safety and practicality rather than style. The outer surfaces stay relatively cool, and the hot air is blown out from the front vent. That’s good if you’ve got kids or pets. It does mean you can see the vent grill clearly if your fireplace opening is very shallow, but honestly, after a couple of evenings I just stopped noticing it. Overall, the design is practical, low-key, and focused on looking like a wood log pile with projected flames, not like a modern glass-panel fireplace.

The unit is mostly metal with resin logs on top, and the overall build feels decent for the price. It’s not super heavy at about 17 pounds, but it doesn’t feel flimsy either. When you lift it out of the box, it has enough weight that you’re not worried it’ll tip over if someone bumps into the hearth. The powder-coated finish on the metal is clean and doesn’t scratch easily — I slid it in and out of the fireplace a couple of times to adjust positioning, and it still looks new.

The resin logs are obviously fake if you inspect them closely, but they don’t look like cheap plastic. They’ve got some texture and shape to mimic split logs and embers. Once the unit is on and the ember effect kicks in, your brain kind of fills in the rest. The back reflective panel is where you can tell this is a mid-range product: it does the job, but if you stand at an angle with the lights on, you can see that it’s just a reflective surface with projected light. That said, most people will be looking at it straight-on in dim light, and in that scenario it looks pretty good.

The cable and plug are standard for a 1500W heater — a normal 120V polarized plug. I used a quality surge protector since it’s a heater, but the manual is clear you shouldn’t use cheap extension cords or power strips that can’t handle the load. The remote is basic plastic, light in the hand, and feels like any generic remote that comes with small appliances. It doesn’t feel premium, but it works and the buttons respond fine.

Overall, the materials match the price bracket. It doesn’t feel high-end, but it doesn’t feel like junk either. I wouldn’t be rough with it or move it around constantly, but as something that sits in a fireplace and gets turned on and off regularly, I’m not worried about the build quality. For a vent-free, electric setup with LED flames, it’s pretty solid and practical.

I obviously haven’t had this for years, but after a few weeks of daily use (mostly evenings, 2–4 hours a day), nothing has rattled, loosened, or failed. The fan still runs smoothly without weird noises, the flame effect is consistent, and the crackling sound works every time. The fact that it uses LED for the flame effect is a good sign for durability, since LEDs typically last a long time and don’t get hot like old bulbs.

The heater cycling on and off with the thermostat hasn’t caused any issues so far. No burning smell after the first couple of uses (which is normal as dust burns off), and the casing doesn’t overheat. The exterior stays warm but not dangerously hot, which is good if you’ve got kids or pets wandering near the hearth. The CSA certification adds a bit of reassurance that the safety side has been tested to a basic standard.

The one thing I’ll be watching over time is the fan and the moving parts behind the flame effect. On cheaper electric fireplaces, that’s usually what goes first: the fan motor starts making noise or the flame effect mechanism starts clicking. So far, this one is quiet and smooth, but obviously I can’t fast-forward two years to tell you exactly what will happen. Reading other user reviews with more than a year of use, there don’t seem to be widespread failure issues, which is encouraging.

With a one-year limited warranty and a pretty simple internal design (no Wi-Fi, no screens, no complicated controls), I’d expect it to last several seasons if you treat it like a normal heater: don’t block the vents, don’t run it 24/7, and keep it reasonably dust-free. It’s not built like an industrial unit, but for a home living room fireplace insert that mostly sits in one place and gets moderate use, it feels up to the task.

In terms of performance, the Nora is rated for about 400 square feet, and that lines up roughly with my experience. My living room is a bit bigger (around 500–600 sq ft, semi-open to a hallway), and the heater on high (1500W) takes the chill off but doesn’t fully heat the whole space on a cold day. If you’re close to the unit — say on a couch 6–8 feet away — you feel a nice warm airflow in 10–15 minutes. For a smaller room, like a bedroom or office, I can see it being more than enough as a secondary heat source.

The fan noise is noticeable but not crazy. It’s about the same as a small space heater: a soft whooshing sound. With the TV on at normal volume, I don’t have to change anything. If you’re very sensitive to noise, you’ll hear it in a quiet room, but it’s not grinding or rattling. The crackling sound, as I mentioned, is better on low; on higher volume it starts to sound a bit artificial. Thankfully, you can turn it off entirely and just keep the flames and heat.

One thing I appreciated is that the flames work independently of the heat. I’ve been running just the flame effect in the evenings when the main heating is already doing its job, and it adds that “fireplace” look without baking the room. The LED system means it barely uses any power in that mode, so you don’t feel guilty leaving it on for a few hours. Also, the internal thermostat is handy: once the room hits the approximate temperature, the heater cuts off but the flame effect stays on, so you don’t have to babysit it.

I did run into one small issue similar to what another buyer mentioned: the remote seemed to interfere with a soundbar once or twice. When I hit the remote, the soundbar turned off. It’s not constant, but it did happen. Probably some overlap in infrared codes. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s something to know if your TV/soundbar is close by. Overall, the performance is solid for what it is: a secondary heater with a decent visual effect, not a full-blown heating system.

Out of the box, the LegendFlame Nora is pretty straightforward: you get the log set unit itself, a basic remote, and the manual. No extra decorative rocks, no fake crystals, nothing fancy. The unit is roughly 23" wide, 20" high, and just under 10" deep, so it’s made to slide into an existing fireplace opening or sit in some kind of cabinet. Mine went into a standard masonry fireplace and there was still a bit of space on the sides, but not enough to look weird.

The setup honestly took less than 10–15 minutes including unboxing. You pull out the styrofoam, remove the plastic wrap, set it in the fireplace, and plug it into a normal 120V outlet. There’s no assembly of parts, no screws, nothing. The heater and flame controls are accessible on the unit itself, but I’ve basically used the remote 99% of the time. The remote is small and simple: power, flame brightness, sound, and heat. No screen, no fancy menus, but you don’t really need that for this kind of product.

Function-wise, you have a few separate things: the flame effect that you can run with or without heat, the sound effect of crackling logs, and the heater with two levels (750W/1500W). That’s actually the part I like: you can just run the visuals in the evening without turning the room into a sauna. The LED flames mean it doesn’t eat a ton of power if you’re only using it for ambiance. For the heater, you feel the warm air coming out the front grill, and it’s enough to notice the difference in a medium room after 15–20 minutes.

The only slightly annoying bit from a “presentation” standpoint is that there’s no visible temperature display. The heater has an internal thermostat and will shut off when the room hits the set level, but you’re basically doing it by feel or with a separate thermometer if you want to be precise. Still, for what it’s meant to be — a decorative heater for up to about 400 sq ft — the feature set is logical and not overloaded with useless stuff.