LegendFlame 23" Nora White Birch Review: fake fire that actually feels like a real one (minus the mess)

I’ve been using the LegendFlame 23" Nora White Birch electric fireplace insert for a bit now, and I’ll be honest: I went in a little skeptical. I’ve seen plenty of cheap electric logs that look like a toy from a discount store. This one is not perfect, but it’s definitely a step up from the usual fake fireplace stuff. It’s meant for people who have a non-working fireplace or just want the look and a bit of heat without dealing with wood, gas, or chimney issues.

In my case, the original fireplace is basically decorative now – flue is old, and I don’t feel like paying for a sweep and inspection every year. So I wanted something I could just drop in and forget. The LegendFlame is a freestanding unit that you slide into your existing fireplace opening. Plug it into a normal 120V outlet, hit the remote, and that’s pretty much it. No venting, no drilling, no gas line, no smoke alarms going off when you mess up the damper.

The big promise here is: realistic flames, crackling sound, and enough heat to make a living room cozy, but without claiming to be a main heating system. It’s rated for about 400 square feet and 5000 BTU, which is more like a space heater level. The brand is very clear that it’s not supposed to replace your main heating, and that’s accurate – this is more about ambiance with bonus warmth, not about heating your whole house.

Overall, after living with it, I’d say it does what it says on the box: good flame effect, decent heat, easy setup, and a couple of little quirks you should know about (sound, remote, and fit in the fireplace). If you’re expecting a full-on wood fire experience, you’ll be disappointed. If you want something that looks close enough and saves you from ash, smoke, and hauling logs, it gets the job done pretty well.

In terms of value, this unit sits in a sweet spot between cheap, ugly electric logs and pricey gas or built-in electric inserts. One Amazon reviewer nailed it: the price is roughly what they used to pay for a half-cord (or rick) of wood for the season. For that same outlay, you get something you can use for years without hauling logs, cleaning ashes, or paying for chimney sweeps. If you’ve owned a wood fireplace before, you know the hidden costs: wood delivery, storage, mess, and occasional maintenance on the chimney and flue.

Compared to gas logs, the LegendFlame is obviously cheaper upfront because you’re not paying for a gas line, professional installation, or a propane tank if you don’t have natural gas. You also avoid carbon monoxide risk and venting issues. On the flip side, gas still gives a more realistic flame and more serious heat. So if you want top-tier realism and are ready to spend more on installation and fuel, gas wins. If you just want a decent-looking fire and some heat with almost zero install cost, this electric option is easier on the wallet.

Electricity cost is the other side of the equation. Flames-only mode is cheap to run, thanks to LEDs. The 1500W heater, if run constantly, will show up on your bill like any space heater. But because it’s more of a supplemental heater, most people don’t run it full blast all day. If you use it a few hours a night in the colder months, it’s manageable. Plus, the built-in thermostat helps avoid waste by cycling the heater off when the room is warm enough.

Overall, I’d call the value pretty solid. You’re paying for convenience and a good-looking flame effect more than raw heating performance. If your main goal is to heat a big area as cheaply as possible, a plain, no-frills space heater will do more for less. But if you care about the look and feel of a fireplace, and you’re tired of the mess and maintenance of real wood (or you can’t use gas), this unit gives a good balance of price, visuals, and function.

Design-wise, this thing aims for "looks like a real log set from a few feet away" rather than “up-close art piece.” The white birch resin logs are actually pretty decent. From the couch distance, they pass as real birch, especially once the flames and ember glow are on. Up close, you can obviously tell they’re molded resin, but that’s normal for this price range. The ember bed glow underneath helps sell the effect and avoids that flat, plastic look you get with low-end electric fireplaces.

The flame effect is where it does better than I expected. The flames are projected onto the back wall, so ideally you want a dark or brick background for it to look its best. The movement is fairly natural – not perfect, but much better than the old-school orange light bulb and spinning foil style. You can adjust brightness, which is useful depending on your room lighting. On higher brightness, it looks more like an active, lively fire; on lower settings, more like a low, late-night fire. It’s not 100% like gas or wood, but it’s convincing enough that you stop thinking about it after a few minutes and just enjoy the vibe.

One thing to note: the shape is a bit irregular and it’s 23 inches wide, so if you have a very small or narrow fireplace, it might look cramped. Some people actually found it a bit large for their firebox, but still usable. In a standard old brick fireplace, it usually sits fine with some space around it. There’s no curved glass front like on some electric inserts, so the look is more open and less “TV-in-your-fireplace.” Personally, I prefer that – it feels closer to a real log set sitting in the firebox instead of an appliance stuffed into it.

Overall, I’d say the design is practical and visually solid. It’s not luxury-level realism, but for the price bracket, it holds up well. If you’re super picky about every tiny detail of the logs, you might want to go see some higher-end units in person. If you just want something that looks real enough while you’re watching TV or reading, this does the job nicely.

Even though the fireplace itself is powered from the wall, the remote control runs on 2 AAA batteries, which are included in the box. That’s a small detail, but nice – you don’t have to hunt for batteries to try it out. The remote is basic: on/off, flame brightness, sound level, and heater settings. The range is decent; I could control it from across the room without any issue as long as there’s a clear line of sight. It’s infrared, not RF or Wi-Fi, so you do need to point it roughly in the right direction.

In daily use, the remote has been reliable. No weird lag, no constant re-pressing of buttons to make it respond. The layout is straightforward, so after a day or two you can control it without looking closely. There’s no fancy display or app integration, which some people might miss, but honestly for a fireplace insert, I don’t see the point of overcomplicating it. If you lose the remote, you can still control the basics directly from the unit, which is important.

One small issue that popped up in another user review: the remote signals can sometimes interfere with other devices, like a TV soundbar. That sounds like an IR code overlap – basically the fireplace remote uses a similar signal to the soundbar, and when you hit buttons, it confuses the other device. I didn’t hit that problem personally, but it’s something to keep in mind if your gear is all in the same area. If you notice your soundbar acting weird when you turn on the fire, that’s probably why. The workaround is usually to reposition one of the devices or cover the IR sensor on the one you don’t want to control.

On power usage: running the flame effect only uses much less power than the heater mode because it’s just LEDs and a small motor. When you turn on the heater at 1500W, you’re in standard space heater territory. So if you care about the electric bill, use the heater thoughtfully and lean on the flame-only mode when you just want ambiance. The good news is the LED flames are energy-efficient, so you can leave the look of a fire going in the evening without feeling like you’re burning money for nothing.

The main materials here are resin logs, some wood finish elements, and standard metal/plastic housing. The logs themselves are resin, which is normal in this category, and they feel reasonably solid. You’re not supposed to handle them constantly anyway – once it’s in the fireplace, you usually just leave it there. The outer parts that face the room look fine, but if you go poking around the back and underside, you’ll see more of the “appliance” side: vents, metal, and plastic panels. Nothing fancy, but also nothing that screams cheap toy.

The unit weighs about 19.9 pounds, which is light enough to move but heavy enough that it doesn’t feel hollow. The finish is generally clean: no sharp edges, no weird gaps, and the fake birch pattern on the logs is actually pretty well done. It’s not hyper-detailed artisan work, but again, from normal viewing distance, it looks convincing. The CSA certification is also reassuring from a safety perspective – electric heaters are one area where I don’t like gambling on random no-name products with no testing.

Ventilation is vent-free, so all the heat stays in the room. There are air intakes and outlets built into the unit, and you do hear a fan when the heater is running, but that’s standard. The fan noise is noticeable but not crazy loud – about what you’d expect from a regular space heater. The housing doesn’t get dangerously hot on the outside surfaces that face the room, though obviously you don’t want to block the vents or cram it in somewhere without airflow.

Overall, I’d rate the materials and build quality as good enough for regular home use. It doesn’t feel like a high-end gas insert that costs five times more, but it also doesn’t feel flimsy or like it’s going to fall apart after one season. For the price point and category, the construction is solid and practical, with no obvious red flags.

I haven’t owned it for years obviously, but based on build quality and what other buyers are saying, it seems built to handle regular seasonal use without drama. There are over a thousand reviews sitting around 4.7/5, and you don’t see a flood of complaints about it dying after a month, which is usually a good sign. The internal parts that matter – heater, fan, LEDs – are standard components that tend to last a while if they’re not abused. No moving mechanical parts like real logs or rotating drums exposed to dust; most of the action is internal.

The LED flame system is a plus for durability. LEDs have a long life and don’t burn out like old incandescent bulbs. That means you’re less likely to be stuck with a unit that technically heats but looks dead because the flame light died. The fan and heater element are the main wear items. As with any space heater, if you keep the vents clear and maybe vacuum out dust once in a while, you should be fine. If you cram it into a tiny, dirty fireplace and block the airflow, you’re asking for trouble with any brand.

The unit comes with a one-year limited warranty from Legend Flame. It’s not a lifetime warranty or anything fancy, but it’s standard for this type of product. The brand also says their customer service is responsive. Based on the Amazon feedback, people who had issues generally did get help, which is reassuring. Still, I’d test everything thoroughly in the first weeks: run the heater on both settings, test the sound, and cycle the flame brightness so if something is off, you can deal with it under warranty.

Realistically, I’d expect this to last several winters of regular evening use, especially if you’re mostly using the flame effect and only running the heater when you actually need it. If you plan to run the heater full blast all day every day as a primary heat source, you’re using it outside its intended purpose, and I wouldn’t count on any electric log set to love that. As a secondary heater and ambiance piece, the durability looks decent for the money.

On the performance side, there are three things to look at: heat output, flame effect, and sound. Heat first: it’s rated at 750W/1500W with about 5000 BTU, which is standard space heater territory. In practice, in a closed-off room around 300–400 square feet, it takes the chill out pretty well. It’s not going to heat your entire house, but for a living room or den, it’s enough to make it feel comfortable without cranking the central heat. One user even said it helped with a roughly 700 sq ft space, but I’d treat that as best-case with good insulation. I’d personally count on it as a solid supplemental heater, not more.

The heater has an internal thermostat-style control, so once the room hits your chosen level, it cycles off automatically, which helps avoid roasting the room or wasting power. There’s no digital temperature readout, which is slightly annoying if you like to see exact numbers. One workaround is what another user did: drop a cheap thermometer in the room and adjust the heater until you find the sweet spot. After a couple of days, you get used to where to set it.

Flame effect is pretty convincing for an LED unit. You can run flames with or without heat, which I’ve used a lot in the evenings when the house is already warm. The LED tech also means very low power draw for just the flames, so you’re not burning through electricity just for ambiance. The flames have multiple brightness settings, and they don’t look flat or cartoonish like some older models. Are they as good as high-end gas logs? No. But for an electric unit at this price, they’re pretty solid and good enough that several visitors thought it was gas at first glance.

The crackling sound is where opinions differ a bit. There are multiple volume levels, and some people find the higher settings a bit tinny or artificial. Personally, I keep it on the lower setting; at that level, it blends into the background like a mild fireplace noise and feels fairly natural. If you crank it up, you start to notice the speaker quality. The good part is you can also turn the sound off completely if it annoys you. Overall, performance-wise, it does what you expect: it heats a medium room decently, the flames look good, and the sound is usable if you don’t overdo the volume.

Out of the box, the LegendFlame Nora 23" is pretty straightforward. You get the main log unit, the remote control, and the 2 AAA batteries already included, which is a small but nice detail – you can literally plug it in and use it right away. The unit itself is about 23" wide, 9.5" deep, and 20" high, and weighs around 20 pounds. So it’s not tiny, but it’s light enough that one person can move it around without breaking their back. It’s CSA certified, which just means it’s passed basic safety checks for North America.

The log set is white birch style resin logs sitting on an ember bed, with the flame effect projected on the back. It’s not a full metal fireplace; it’s more like a standalone log bundle you place inside your existing firebox. Power-wise, it uses a standard 120V outlet with a polarized plug and pulls up to 1500W on the high heat setting, which is the same as most portable heaters. No special wiring needed, just make sure it’s on a 15A circuit that’s not already overloaded with other high-draw stuff.

Controls are simple: there are buttons on the unit itself and the remote. You can adjust flame brightness, sound levels, and heater settings (750W low, 1500W high). There’s also a thermostat-style control that cycles the heater on and off once the room hits the temperature you dial in (it’s not a digital readout, more of a dial/setting logic). You can also run the flame without heat, which is handy if you just want the look in the warmer months without turning your living room into a sauna.

On paper, the product is positioned as a decorative electric log set with realistic flame and sound, plus a secondary heater, and that’s pretty much how it behaves in real life. Nothing super fancy in terms of smart features – no Wi-Fi, no app, no Alexa – just an IR remote and physical buttons. Personally, I like that: fewer things to break, fewer updates, and you don’t need to connect your fake fire to the cloud just to turn it on.