PuraFlame Klaus Electric Fireplace Insert Review: a realistic look without the hassle of real wood

I picked up the PuraFlame Klaus 33" insert to replace a dead gas setup in an older brick fireplace. I wanted something that actually looked like a real fire, added a bit of heat, but didn’t involve hauling wood, cleaning ashes, or paying someone to mess with gas lines. This one kept coming up with good reviews, so I went for it and lived with it for a few weeks before writing this.

Right out of the box, my first reaction was that it’s heavier and more solid than I expected for an electric insert. It’s about 57 pounds, so not a flimsy plastic box. I slid it into an existing masonry opening and honestly, installation was way simpler than anything gas-related: put it in place, level it, plug it in, and you’re basically done. No hardwiring, no venting, nothing fancy.

The main thing I was looking for was the visual effect. I’m picky about fake flames; a lot of electric fireplaces look like cheap screensavers. This one isn’t perfect, but it’s one of the better ones I’ve seen in this price range. The brick-look interior, the glass doors, and the mesh screen help hide the “electric” feel and make it look more like a real built-in unit and less like a space heater someone shoved in the hole.

Overall, after living with it, I’d say it’s a pretty solid choice if you want looks first and supplemental heat second. It has a few annoyances—mainly the crackling sound and the lack of a timer—but nothing that kills the product. If you want a main heat source, this is not it. If you want a low-maintenance visual fireplace that can take the chill off a room, it gets the job done.

Price-wise, the PuraFlame Klaus sits in that middle range: not bargain-bin cheap, but also nowhere near the cost of high-end gas inserts or fancy electric units that need professional installation. For what you pay, you’re getting a realistic-looking insert, solid build, and a functional heater. Compared to cheaper big-box electric fireplaces I’ve seen, the step up in realism and materials is noticeable.

If you compare it to a full gas insert or a net-zero style unit, those can easily run into the thousands once you factor in installation. This one is a fraction of that and you can install it yourself in under an hour if your opening size works. You obviously lose the real flame and higher heat output, but you also skip the venting, permits, gas lines, and yearly servicing. For someone who just wants the look and some heat in an existing dead fireplace, the value is pretty good.

Where the value could be better is on a couple of missing features. A simple built-in timer and maybe flame speed control would have pushed this into a higher tier for me without adding much cost. The crackling sound feature feels like something they spent time on, but in practice it’s not that useful. I’d rather they put that effort into better flame customization or longer warranty. Still, at the end of the day, you’re paying mostly for the look, the glass/mesh setup, and the convenience, and on those fronts it delivers.

So overall, I’d call the value good, not mind-blowing. If your priority is realism and easy installation in an existing fireplace opening, it’s a strong option. If you just want raw heat for as little money as possible, a basic space heater will be cheaper and more efficient. This is more about making the room feel like it has a real fireplace again, and for that specific use, the price makes sense.

Design-wise, the Klaus leans hard into a traditional fireplace look. You’ve got the three-sided interior brick effect, glass doors that actually open, and a mesh screen in front. Those three things together help a lot to disguise the usual electric “box with lights” vibe. From normal couch distance, it looks fairly convincing—definitely good enough for casual use or for guests who aren’t inspecting it up close.

The log set is a molded resin piece sitting on a grate above an ember bed. It’s not modular logs you can rearrange; it’s one piece. The height is around 11–12 inches, so it fills the opening well. The flames are LED-based with three settings of intensity and brightness. You can run flames with or without heat, which is nice if you just want the look in warmer months. The flames are mostly red/orange with a hint of blue on one mode. Personally, I’d like more color variation and the ability to slow down or speed up the flame movement. As it is, the effect is good, but not ultra-realistic. I’d put it at “better than most cheap units, not as good as the really pricey ones.”

One design thing I really like: the heating element doesn’t glow bright red and ruin the look. On some cheaper inserts, you can see a glowing bar or coil that screams “space heater.” Here, the heater is more discreet, so you don’t get that distracting red bar across the top or bottom. That helps keep the illusion intact, especially with the doors and screen closed.

On the downside, the crackling sound design is hit or miss. There are five sound settings, and to my ears, most of them sound a bit metallic and artificial. Some people like them, but I ended up either using the quietest one or turning sound off entirely. When the sound is off, the unit is pretty quiet, just a low fan noise when heat is on. Another thing missing from the design is a built-in timer. A sleep timer would have made sense for a product people often run at night. Overall though, in terms of looks and layout, it’s pretty solid for the price and blends nicely into a traditional living room.

The Klaus feels sturdier than a lot of cheaper electric fireplaces I’ve seen. The body is mainly metal, not flimsy plastic, and the weight (about 26 kg / 57 lb) backs that up. When you move it, it doesn’t creak or flex, and once it’s in place it feels like a proper insert, not a toy. The finish on mine was even, with no weird paint drips or scratches out of the box.

The glass doors feel decent—no luxury hardware, but they open and close cleanly and don’t rattle once shut. The mesh screen in front gives it that “real wood fireplace” vibe and also helps hide some of the electric parts behind it. The interior brick pattern is obviously fake if you stare at it up close, but from normal viewing distance it passes as a brick-lined firebox. It’s not high-end masonry, but it doesn’t scream cheap either.

The log set is resin and permanently fixed on a metal grate. The detail is fine for the price, though it’s all one color tone. If you’re used to real logs with varied charring and color, you’ll notice the difference, but it’s still miles better than the flat, cartoonish logs on bargain units. The ember bed glow looks decent through the grate and adds to the feel of depth.

In terms of durability, I can’t speak to years of use yet, but after steady use over a few weeks, no weird noises, no burning smells after the initial “new heater” break-in, and no loose parts. The one downside for me is the one-year limited warranty; it’s a bit short for something with electronics and moving parts that people might use daily in winter. That said, the actual materials and construction don’t feel cheap, so I’m cautiously optimistic it’ll hold up. For the price point, the overall build quality feels pretty solid and not flimsy.

Performance-wise, you’re looking at a 1500W electric heater, which is standard space-heater territory. It’s rated for about 400 square feet, and that feels accurate. In my case, it comfortably takes the chill off a small to medium living room, but it’s not going to heat an entire house or replace a furnace. Think of it as a visual fireplace that also works like a decent space heater, not a primary heating system.

There are two heat settings: low (around 750W) and high (1500W), plus an adjustable thermostat. On high, after 20–30 minutes, you can feel a noticeable difference in a closed room. If your room is open-concept or has high ceilings, it’ll help, but you won’t be toasty in every corner. The fan noise is there but not unbearable—more like a small space heater on medium. You can still watch TV without cranking the volume way up. A plus: you can run the flames with heat off, which I’ve done a lot in the evenings just for atmosphere.

The flame effect itself has three levels of brightness/intensity. I mostly stick to the middle setting; the brightest can look a bit too strong in a dim room, and the lowest sometimes feels a bit dull. There’s no flame speed control, which would have been nice to fine-tune the realism. Still, the combination of ember bed glow, log set, and flame projection looks decent from a few feet away. It’s not at the level of super high-end brands, but for this price and size, it’s good enough to enjoy without feeling cheesy.

The crackling sound feature is where opinions will split. There are multiple sound profiles, from softer crackle to louder “fire plus airflow” noises. In practice, I found most of them a bit too sharp and artificial, almost metallic, especially if your fireplace has a lot of echo. The quieter mixed whoosh/crackle mode is the least annoying. After a while, I honestly just stopped using the sound and preferred silence plus the fan noise. So yes, it’s a cool bullet point on the box, but for me it’s more of a gimmick than a serious feature.

In the box you get the insert itself, the glass doors with the mesh screen, a remote, the resin log set already mounted, and a user manual. No fancy extras, but nothing critical missing either. The unit I got was well packed—foam on all sides, plastic wrap, and corner protection. Judging by the weight and the way it’s packed, it’s not likely to arrive banged up unless the box gets really abused in transit.

The insert is sized for a 33" opening (their “33" without trim” version), but the overall outside dimensions are about 35" wide, 27" high, and under 9" deep. That shallow depth is nice if your firebox isn’t super deep. There’s a flat bottom, so you can literally just sit it on the hearth or floor of your existing fireplace. No brackets were needed for my install; gravity and the brick opening do the job. For anyone who’s not handy, this is a big plus.

Controls are simple: there are buttons on the unit and a remote that controls flame intensity, heat levels (750/1500W), the crackling sound, and power. It runs off a standard 120V outlet with a cord—not hardwired—so you’ll either plug into a nearby outlet or run the cord out through a cleanout or side opening. I routed the cord through the fireplace cleanout and into a garage outlet using an extension cord, and it worked fine. Not the prettiest solution behind the scenes, but you don’t see any of it from the room.

The manual is basic but clear enough. It tells you the usual stuff: it’s a supplemental heater only (about 400 sq. ft.), don’t use it as the main heat source, keep clearances, etc. There’s a one-year warranty, which is decent but not generous. At this price and with electric components and a fan, I’d have liked 2–3 years, but that’s me being picky. Still, between the packaging, the straightforward setup, and the simple controls, the overall presentation is pretty user-friendly.

In daily use, the Klaus does what it promises: adds atmosphere and some heat without any of the hassle of a real fire. I used it mainly in the evenings for 2–4 hours at a time in a roughly 350–400 sq. ft. living room. On cooler nights, I’d turn the heat on high at the start, then drop it to low or off once the room warmed up. It handled that routine without any issues or tripped breakers (standard 15A circuit, nothing else heavy on it).

The thermostat is basic but works. You set your desired level, and the unit cycles the heater on and off to maintain it, while keeping the flames going. It’s not super precise like a smart thermostat, but good enough for comfort. The fan pushes warm air forward effectively; you can feel it if you stand a few feet in front. If you expect it to heat multiple rooms or an open floor plan, you’ll be disappointed. Used as a supplemental heater for a single room, it’s fine.

Where it’s most effective is honestly the psychological side: the room just feels cozier with a flame effect going, even with the heat off. That’s why I ended up using it a lot even in shoulder seasons. No wood, no ash, no smoke smell, and no cleaning glass doors every week. You hit a button on the remote, and you’re done. That convenience is the real win compared to any real wood or even gas setup.

On the downside, the lack of a built-in timer is annoying if you like to fall asleep with the fire on. You either have to remember to turn it off or use a smart plug / external timer. Also, the crackling sound, at least for me, doesn’t add much and sometimes even takes away from the experience, so I mostly leave it off. But if your main expectations are: looks decent, adds some warmth, and is easy to live with, then yes, it’s effective at what it’s meant to do.