Touchstone Sideline 50" Review: a solid smart electric fireplace if you know its limits

I’ve had the Touchstone Sideline 50" plugged in and recessed in the wall for a bit now, and I’ll be straight: it’s not a real fireplace and it doesn’t pretend to be one once you live with it. But if you want the look and a bit of extra heat without dealing with gas lines, venting, or piles of wood, it gets the job done pretty well. I went into it with realistic expectations, and that helped a lot.

In my case, running a gas line was a headache: no easy access, quotes were high, and I didn’t feel like opening half the house just for a fireplace. So I treated this as a visual upgrade plus a space heater for shoulder seasons. After a few evenings using it, that’s exactly what it feels like: part TV wall decor, part decent heater, nothing more, nothing less.

The flames themselves are better than the cheap electric units you see in big-box stores, but they’re still obviously artificial when you stare at them. Where it works is from a normal distance, lights dimmed, TV on top: then it just looks like a cozy fire strip under the TV. Friends commented on it positively without me even asking, which is usually a good sign that it doesn’t look tacky.

If you expect roaring, ultra-realistic flames and serious heating like a gas insert, you’ll be disappointed. If you want something that looks good in a living room, is easy to control with a remote or your phone, and adds some warmth and ambiance, it’s honestly pretty solid for the price.

Price-wise, the Sideline 50" sits in that mid-range zone: not the cheapest electric fireplace on Amazon, but not at the crazy designer prices either. Considering it’s one of the best-sellers in its category and has a 4.6/5 rating with a lot of reviews, it’s clear people generally feel they got what they paid for. After using it myself, I’d say the value is pretty solid if you’re clear about what you’re buying: a visual feature plus a space heater, not a full heating system.

What you’re paying for here compared to cheaper units is mostly the combination of: recessed design, front-facing heater safe for under-TV installs, multiple flame and ember options, WiFi/app/Alexa integration, and a brand that’s been selling this exact model for years. The WiFi and app features are actually useful, not just a gimmick. Being able to schedule it and tweak settings from the couch or bed is something I ended up using way more than I thought.

On the downside, there are a few corners you can tell they cut: no included trim kit for fireplace conversions, basic remote, and no built-in sound (some people like fake crackling). If you want a super realistic flame effect with sound and higher-end materials, you’ll probably be looking at pricier brands or models. Also, if you only care about heat and don’t care how it looks, a simple 1,500W space heater is way cheaper and heats about the same.

For someone building a media wall or updating a dead fireplace and wanting a clean, modern electric insert with smart features, the price makes sense. You’re paying for looks and convenience as much as function. I’d rate the value as good, not mind-blowing: you get a lot of features and a proven design for the money, but it’s not a bargain basement steal either.

Design-wise, this thing is pretty straightforward: a rectangular black frame, glass front, and a wide viewing area. It’s meant to recess into the wall, so the goal is for it to disappear and just look like a built-in feature. On that front, it does its job. Once it’s in the wall with the TV about 8–10 inches above, it looks like it belongs there, not like some random plug-in heater. If you’re using it in an old wood-burning fireplace opening, you’ll probably need a trim kit or some creativity to fill gaps, because Touchstone doesn’t sell a dedicated trim kit for this size.

The flames: there are multiple flame colors and ember bed colors (Touchstone says 30 combinations). In practice, I mostly use 2–3 settings. The warmer orange/yellow feels the most believable, especially with the faux logs. The blue and white combos with crystals are more modern and honestly a bit “hotel lobby” but they’re fun if you like that look. From close up, you can tell it’s just LED light and a moving pattern, but from a few meters away with the room a bit dark, it does feel cozy enough. I’ve had people reach out like they’re going to feel heat through the glass, so visually it works for casual use.

One thing I noticed: the flames don’t fill the whole height of the glass; they sit more in the center. Some people might expect a full wall of flames and be slightly underwhelmed. It’s not bad, just not the dramatic floor-to-ceiling effect you sometimes see in promo images. You can adjust flame height, which helps, but there’s still a limit. I’d call it good, not mind-blowing.

Overall, as a design piece, it’s clean, modern, and easy to match with most living room styles. If you’re picky about realism, you’ll see its limits. If you just want a clean black frame with a decent flame effect that doesn’t look cheesy, it does that pretty well.

The build is mostly metal housing with a glass front. The frame and body feel sturdy; nothing flexes or rattles when you move it around. Once it’s in the wall, you’re not touching it much anyway, so long-term, the structure shouldn’t be an issue. The glass front panel locks in with hooks and two side screws. It feels secure, which matters since you have to remove it to swap logs/crystals or clean inside. Getting to the screws isn’t super fun without a flexible screwdriver, but you only do it occasionally.

The fake logs are standard molded resin/plastic. Up close, they’re clearly fake, but once the flames are on and you’re a few feet away, they look fine. The crystals and stones are what they are: chunks of plastic or glass pieces that catch the light. They’re not premium decor pieces, but they do their job. I didn’t feel like anything inside was about to fall apart or crumble in my hands, which is honestly all I expect at this price point.

The buttons on the unit itself feel a bit basic, and the remote is very much “generic appliance remote.” If you’re expecting premium tactile buttons and metal accents, you’re in the wrong product category. On the plus side, the electronics don’t show any weird flicker or uneven lighting so far. Flame motion is smooth, and the colors are consistent across the whole width.

In short, materials are practical and decent, not fancy. It feels like a well-made appliance, not a luxury furniture piece. For something that lives in the wall and mostly gets controlled by remote or app, that’s fine by me. I’d rather have reliability and stable electronics than pay extra for brushed metal trim I never touch.

Let’s talk performance, because this is where expectations matter. The unit is rated at 1,500W and about 5,000 BTU, which is basically the same as a decent electric space heater. In my medium-sized living room (roughly 350–400 sq ft, standard ceiling height), it takes the chill off pretty well on cool days. It’s not going to save you in a freezing cold house, but as a supplement to central heat or baseboard, it’s genuinely useful. If you’ve got high ceilings or a big open-plan space, the heat is more of a “nice breeze of warmth” than a full solution.

The heater blows forward from the front vents, which is smart because it means you can mount a TV above it without cooking the TV. I usually run it on high for 20–30 minutes when we sit down in the evening, and the room feels more comfortable. One Amazon reviewer called it a “hair-dryer,” which is kind of accurate in terms of feel and sound: there is fan noise, but it’s not crazy loud. With the TV on, you don’t really notice it. If the room is totally silent, you’ll hear the fan for sure.

As far as controls go, you can run it with flames only (no heat), which I use a lot. The thermostat and timer are handy: you can set it to shut off after a certain time, or hold a specific temperature. I like that I don’t have to think about turning it off before bed; the timer takes care of it. WiFi scheduling is also practical if you want it on at specific times, like evenings or weekends, without grabbing the remote.

In daily use, I’d sum it up like this: as a heater, it’s decent but not more than that; as an ambiance piece, it works well. If you buy it as your main heating source, you’ll be disappointed. If you treat it as a bonus heat source plus a visual upgrade, it’s right in the sweet spot.

Installation is where you want to slow down and plan. The unit is designed to be recessed into a wall or put into an existing fireplace opening. Touchstone keeps saying “measure twice,” and honestly, that’s solid advice. The body is about 50.4" wide, 21.5" high, and 5.5" deep. You need to frame an opening that fits those dimensions and still supports the unit. I attached mine to studs as recommended, and the sides and back stay cool, so I wasn’t worried about cooking the framing.

For a straight drywall wall install, it’s pretty simple: cut the opening, add some framing if needed, slide it in, screw it into the studs, done. You can also wall-mount it with the included bracket if you don’t want to cut the wall, but honestly it looks way better recessed. In an existing wood-burning fireplace, things get trickier. You might have gaps around it, and since Touchstone doesn’t sell a trim kit, you either live with the gaps, DIY something, or buy a third-party trim like some reviewers did. If you’re not handy, budget for a carpenter or handyman.

Power-wise, it comes with a 6-foot cord for a standard 110–120V outlet, pulling up to 12 amps. You can also hardwire it, but I had an outlet installed behind the unit on a 15A circuit with not much else on it. If you already have a busy circuit, you might need a 20A line or at least be aware of what else is running. I’d say having an electrician at least look at your setup is smart, especially if you’re planning to hardwire or use an old fireplace opening with gas lines and vents.

Setup of the WiFi was fine once I read the instructions: hold the power button, wait for pairing mode, then use the app. Took me maybe 10 minutes including app download and account creation. The remote is less intuitive at first, but after a couple of evenings of fiddling with flame height and colors, it becomes muscle memory. Overall, if you’re reasonably handy or willing to hire help for a few hours, installation is manageable. Just don’t treat it like a plug-and-play space heater you drop on the floor—this is more of a small project.

Out of the box, the Sideline 50" is basically a heavy black metal box with a glass front, a power cord, a remote, mounting hardware, and a pile of fake logs plus crystals. It weighs around 59 pounds, so it’s not light, but one person can move it around carefully. I needed help to actually lift it into the wall opening though. The manual is thick, but in a good way: there’s a lot of detail, and it avoids the usual vague one-page IKEA-style instructions that leave you guessing.

You get a few options for the “fuel bed”: faux logs, clear crystals, and some white stones depending on the kit. The logs were already installed in my unit, and popping them out to swap to crystals was pretty straightforward once the glass was off. I like that they give you multiple looks without making you buy extras. I ended up doing logs in winter and crystals in summer, same as a couple of Amazon reviewers mentioned. It sounds gimmicky, but it does change the vibe of the room quite a bit.

Control-wise, you’ve got three ways: the IR remote, the buttons on the unit itself, and the WiFi/app integration (plus Alexa/Google). The remote feels a bit cheap but it works. The app is where it gets more interesting: you can schedule on/off times, tweak flame and ember colors, and basically treat it like a smart light with heat. One detail: to pair WiFi, you have to hold the ON button until it goes into pairing mode, which isn’t super obvious unless you read the manual.

Overall, the first impression is “decent quality, made to be built-in, not freestanding.” Nothing screams luxury, but nothing feels flimsy either. For the price point and the fact it’s the brand’s bread-and-butter model (and ranks high in electric fireplaces), the package feels fair. You’re clearly paying for the feature set (WiFi, multiple flame options, heater) and the form factor more than fancy materials.