LegendFlame Nora 25" EF484 Review: a simple way to bring fake flames and extra heat to a dead fireplace

I picked up the LegendFlame 25" Nora EF484 because I have a regular wood-burning fireplace that I basically never use. Between cleaning ashes, dragging in wood, and worrying about smoke and carbon monoxide, it just wasn’t worth the trouble. I wanted something that looked like a real fire, gave a bit of heat, and didn’t turn into a DIY project. This one kept coming up in searches and has a 4.7/5 rating, so I decided to give it a go.

First impression: it’s heavier than it looks in the photos, but in a good way. You take it out of the box, drop it in the fireplace opening, plug it in, and you’re basically done. No mounting brackets, no venting, no tools. The manufacturer clearly sells it as a log set you just place and forget, and that’s pretty much how it works in practice. It took me maybe 10 minutes from cutting the tape on the box to seeing flames on the back wall of my fireplace.

In daily use, what matters most with this kind of thing is pretty simple: does it look fake from across the room, does it actually warm up the space, and is it annoying to operate. After a few evenings with it running, I’d say it does pretty well on all three. The flames are not going to fool you if you stand right in front of it, but from the couch it passes as a real fire, especially with a screen in front. Heat-wise, it’s enough to take the chill off in a medium room, but you shouldn’t expect it to replace a real heating system.

It’s not perfect. The crackling sound is decent but a bit artificial if you turn it up too high, the remote is basic, and the cable management is just “shove it behind the logs and hope you don’t see it.” But for the price and the zero-effort installation, it’s a pretty solid way to make an unused fireplace feel alive and actually useful in winter evenings.

On the value side, I’d put this LegendFlame Nora 25" EF484 in the “good but not mind-blowing” category. You’re paying for three things: the realistic-enough flame effect, the built-in heater, and the zero-effort installation. If you compare it to the cost of converting a fireplace to gas or running real wood fires regularly (plus chimney cleaning, wood delivery, etc.), this is obviously way cheaper and easier. You get a similar visual vibe without the ongoing hassle or safety worries.

Compared to other electric log sets and inserts around the same price, it holds its own. The flame looks better than a lot of the really cheap units you see on big-box shelves, especially thanks to the height and reflection off the back of the firebox. The heat output is standard 1500W, so nothing special there, but at least it’s not underpowered. The included remote, crackling sound, and LED efficiency all add small points in its favor. The fact that it’s ranked near the top of its category on Amazon with a 4.7/5 average rating backs that up.

On the downside, it’s still basically a fancy heater with some lighting. If you expect it to replace a real fireplace experience 1:1, you’ll probably feel a bit underwhelmed. The sound is clearly recorded, the flames are projected, and there’s no real depth of burning logs changing over time. Also, it’s not a primary heat source, so if your main goal is heating a large room cheaply, a more basic space heater might give you the same warmth for less money, just without the visual appeal.

So in practice, the value is best for someone who has a dead or unused fireplace and wants to make it look alive and add some comfortable warmth without going into renovation territory. If that’s you, the price starts to feel fair. If you just want raw heat and don’t care what it looks like, this is overkill and you’re paying extra for looks you don’t need.

The design is pretty simple: resin logs sitting on a base, with a reflective panel at the back that catches the projected LED flames. From a few meters away, it does a solid job of mimicking the look of a real log fire. The glowing ember bed and the way the flames lick up the back wall are the two things that sell the effect. If you put a regular fireplace screen in front, it hides the mechanical bits even more and makes the whole setup look better.

Up close, you can obviously tell it’s fake. The logs are molded resin, and while the texture is decent, it’s not going to be confused with real wood if you’re staring at it. The flames are a projection, so if you look for it, you’ll see the light source and the pattern repeating. But honestly, this is the case with pretty much every electric log set in this price range. Where this one does well is the brightness and height of the flames: you can adjust them, and on mid settings they look fairly natural bouncing off the back of the fireplace.

One thing I liked is the size. At 25" wide and 10" deep, it fits nicely in a standard wood-burning fireplace opening without looking tiny. Some cheaper sets look lost inside a larger firebox; this one fills the space decently. A few users said it was slightly large for their smaller fireplaces, but even then it still looked fine, just a bit snug. If you have a really shallow or narrow opening, measure carefully before ordering, but for a normal masonry fireplace it’s usually plug-and-play.

From a practical standpoint, the design is also safe. The front area and logs don’t get dangerously hot, which is good if you’ve got kids or pets wandering around. The hot air blows out from the front bottom, so you feel it in the room instead of it just rising straight up. Visually, it’s not some eye-catching piece of decor, but it looks like what it is: a log set meant to revive a dead fireplace with a decent-looking fake flame effect.

There are two separate things to talk about here: the AAA batteries for the remote and the actual power usage of the unit itself. Starting with the remote, it uses two standard AAA batteries, and they’re included in the box. That sounds minor, but it means you can use it immediately instead of raiding other devices. The remote is basic plastic, nothing fancy, but it does what it needs to do: on/off, heat settings, flame brightness, and sound. I didn’t notice any lag or weird behavior. As long as you’re pointing roughly at the unit, it responds.

In terms of battery life for the remote, AAA batteries usually last ages in this kind of low-power infrared device. Unless you’re constantly mashing buttons all day long, you’re probably looking at months, if not longer, before needing to swap them. No recharging, no pairing, no firmware, no app. If you like smart-home gadgets, this will feel a bit dumbed down. Personally, for a fireplace insert, I’m fine with that. Fewer things to break.

On the power side, it’s a standard 120V corded unit with a polarized plug. It’s rated for up to 1500W when the heater is on high, which is basically the norm for plug-in space heaters. That means you should treat it like any other big heater: don’t run it on the same circuit as a bunch of other heavy appliances, and using a good surge protector like one reviewer did isn’t a bad idea. The flame-only mode uses much less power since it’s just LEDs and the projector running, so you can leave that on for long stretches without worrying about your bill going crazy.

There’s no battery backup or anything like that for the main unit, so if the power goes out, the fireplace stops. No surprise there. But for everyday use, the combo of a dirt-simple remote with included batteries and a standard plug-and-play power setup keeps things straightforward. No hunting for proprietary chargers or dealing with flaky Bluetooth connections—just a normal remote and a normal outlet.

In terms of comfort, the best part of this unit is how brainless it is to use once it’s in place. There’s no venting, no fuel, no ash, no glass door to clean. You basically have two modes: flames only, or flames plus heat. I found myself running flames-only a lot of the time in the evening just for the vibe, then kicking the heater on low when the room started to feel chilly. Being able to do that from the sofa with the remote is exactly the kind of laziness I want from this type of product.

Noise-wise, there are two things going on: the fan from the heater and the optional crackling sound. The fan is noticeable but not obnoxious. It’s similar to a small space heater on low to medium. You’ll hear it if the room is otherwise silent, but with a TV on or some music in the background, it fades out. The crackling sound, as I mentioned earlier, is better kept on the lower setting if you want it to blend in. If you hate artificial sound effects, just leave it off; the unit works fine without it.

From a safety and comfort angle, the fact that the logs and surrounding areas don’t get burning hot is reassuring. One reviewer mentioned using it in an office with clients sitting nearby, and that matches my experience: you can be fairly close to it without feeling like you’re going to touch something scorching. The hot air is focused out the front, and the casing stays at a reasonable temperature for an electric heater. Obviously, you still don’t want to block the vents or pile stuff on top, but it’s less stressful than a real fire.

Day to day, the comfort factor is basically this: you walk into the room, hit the remote, and in a few seconds you’ve got moving flames and warm air. No smell, no smoke, no sparks, no cleanup after. If you’re used to a real wood fire, you’ll lose that “wood smell” and the whole ritual, but in exchange you gain the ability to have a fire going on a Tuesday night for an hour without any fuss. For a lot of people, that trade-off is worth it.

Durability on something like this is hard to fully judge without years of use, but there are a few clues. First, the unit has a CSA certification and comes with a one-year limited warranty. That’s pretty standard, not generous but also not concerning. The body feels reasonably solid when you lift it—no rattling parts, no super flimsy panels. The resin logs are the main visible element, and while they’re obviously not real wood, they don’t feel like they’re going to crumble or chip from normal use.

The moving parts here are limited: you’ve got the fan for the heater, the projector for the flames, and the internal electronics for the thermostat and sound. Fans are usually the first thing to get noisy on cheaper heaters, so that’s something I’d keep an ear on over time. So far, noise has been stable: no grinding, no weird whines. The LED-based flame system should outlast old-school bulbs, which is a plus. LEDs generally run for many thousands of hours, so you’re more likely to get tired of the product before the lights die, assuming normal use.

From user reviews, there aren’t a ton of complaints about parts failing quickly, which is a good sign given the number of ratings. Most of the feedback is about looks, heat, and sound, not broken pieces or dead units. That doesn’t mean it never happens, but if there was a widespread durability issue, you’d expect to see more angry comments. The fact that it ranks well in its category and still holds a 4.7/5 suggests that reliability is at least decent.

Physically, once it’s in your fireplace, it’s not going to be bumped or moved around much, which helps longevity. It’s not like a portable heater you’re dragging from room to room. As long as you don’t block the vents, don’t spill liquids into it, and don’t run it 24/7 on high heat, it should hold up. I’d say the build quality matches the price: not premium, but solid enough that you don’t feel like you bought a disposable gadget.

On the performance side, I’d break it down into three things: heat, flame effect, and the crackling sound. For heat, the 750W/1500W setup is pretty standard. On high (1500W), it’s roughly like running a decent space heater. In a room around 300–400 square feet, it takes the chill off after 15–20 minutes and keeps it comfortable if your main heating is already doing most of the work. The brand clearly says it’s not meant as a primary heat source, and that’s accurate. If you expect it to fully heat a big open-plan area, you’ll be disappointed.

The flame effect is where this unit earns its ratings. The LED flames against the back of the firebox look pretty solid, especially at night with other lights dimmed. You can adjust the brightness and intensity, and I found leaving it somewhere in the middle looks the most natural. Too bright and it starts to look a bit like an electric display; too dim and you lose the depth. The ember bed glow is convincing enough that you stop thinking about it after a few minutes and just accept it as background “fire.”

The crackling sound is a nice touch but it’s not perfect. Some people online said it was tinny, and I get what they mean if you crank it up. On the lower settings, it’s actually fine and blends into the room. I ended up running it on low or medium most of the time; on high it starts to sound a bit too artificial, like a recording rather than a real fire. The good thing is you can turn the sound off completely if it annoys you and just keep the flames and heat.

One weird performance point that’s worth mentioning: one reviewer mentioned interference with a TV soundbar when turning the unit on. That sounds like a remote frequency clash. I didn’t personally hit that issue, but if your soundbar or TV reacts to random remotes, be aware it might happen. Overall though, for what it is—an electric log set with visual flame effect, moderate heat, and some sound—it gets the job done reliably and feels consistent once you dial in the settings you like.

Out of the box, the LegendFlame Nora 25" EF484 is basically one solid unit: a log set with a built-in flame projector, heater, and a small control panel on the side. You also get a remote control with two AAA batteries already included, which is nice because you can literally plug it in and start playing with the settings right away. No hunting for batteries in a drawer. There’s no assembly: no glass front to attach, no legs to screw in, nothing like that. You just pull the plastic and foam off and drop it into place.

The specs are pretty clear and match what you see in real life: 25" wide, 20" high, and 10" deep. It weighs just over 20 pounds, so it’s light enough for one person to move but doesn’t feel cheap. The heating is 750W/1500W with a claimed coverage of up to 400 square feet. That lines up with how it behaves in a normal living room: it’s more of a space heater with nice visuals than a serious heat source. The flames are LED-based, which keeps the power draw low and means you’re not dealing with bulbs burning out quickly.

Controls are straightforward. On the unit itself you’ve got buttons for power, flame, heat, and sound. The remote basically mirrors those, so you can tweak things from the sofa. There’s no fancy app, no Wi-Fi, no smart-home integration. For some people that’s a downside, but honestly, for a fireplace insert, I don’t really need to talk to it with my phone. I just want it to turn on, look decent, and shut itself off when the room is warm enough.

Overall, the presentation is pretty no-nonsense. It feels like a practical appliance, not a design object. If you’re expecting a super sleek piece of furniture, this isn’t it. But if you just want something that looks like logs burning in an existing fireplace opening and can be installed by literally just placing it down, this is exactly that. No surprises, which I appreciate for something that essentially is a fancy electric heater.