Zionheat 72" Electric Fireplace Review: a big, thin wall unit that actually heats and looks good

I installed the Zionheat 72-inch electric fireplace in my living room mainly for looks, and only partly for heat. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now, long enough to see what’s nice about it and what’s a bit annoying day to day. If you’re thinking of building a media wall or just want a long, modern-looking fireplace under a TV, this is pretty much the type of product you’re looking at.

In my case, it went into a roughly 400–450 sq. ft. living room that opens into a kitchen, so the total area is closer to 600 sq. ft. I wasn’t expecting it to replace the main heating, just to take the chill off and add some atmosphere in the evenings. On paper it’s 5100 BTU, 750/1500W, and all that sounds nice, but what matters in practice is: does it feel warm, is it loud, and does it look cheap or not?

Short version: it looks better than I expected for the price, the heat is decent as a support heater, and the noise level is okay unless you’re super picky. It’s not perfect: the remote is a bit basic, the unit is heavy, and some of the flame colors look a bit toy-like. But as a whole, it does the job and feels like good value if you’re not chasing high-end brands.

If you’re just browsing photos on Amazon, it’s hard to know what you’re actually getting. So I’ll walk through how the installation went, how the flames look in real life, how much heat you can honestly expect, and whether I think it’s worth the space and money compared to some other electric fireplaces I’ve seen or tried.

In terms of value, the Zionheat 72-inch sits in that mid-range Amazon zone where you’re not paying luxury prices, but you’re also not buying the cheapest thing out there. For what you get — a 72-inch width, 5100 BTU heater, 12+12 flame and bed colors, timer, remote, wall-mount or recessed options — the price feels fair. When I compare it to big-box store models of similar size, most of those cost quite a bit more for not a huge difference in real-world use.

The main thing you’re paying for here is the size and the look. A 72-inch unit fills a wall in a way a 50- or 60-inch just doesn’t. If you have a large living room or you’re building a media wall with a big TV, the proportions matter. From that angle, this model gives you the “big modern fireplace” effect without having to go into high-end brands. The compromises are mostly in the details: no smart features, a basic remote, and some color modes that feel a bit gimmicky.

Running costs are the same as any 1500W electric heater: on high, it’s like having a small space heater on. So if you run it for hours every day just for heat, your electric bill will notice. But as a supplemental heater used in the evenings, it’s fine. The nice thing is you can run the flames alone with almost no power draw compared to the heater, so you can get the visual effect all year without worrying about cost.

Overall, I’d say it’s good value for money if you specifically want a long, modern electric fireplace that looks decent and provides real heat. If you just want a small heater and don’t care about looks, you can get a cheaper space heater that warms better per dollar. But if you care about how the wall looks and want something that doubles as decor and heater, this hits a nice balance between price, size, and performance.

The design is clearly aimed at modern living rooms: black polished tempered glass on the front, a slim profile, and a clean rectangular shape. Once it’s on the wall, it looks more expensive than the price tag suggests, especially if you recess it into a fake wall or media wall. The 3.2-inch depth is a big plus here; compared to some older units that stick out like a shelf, this one sits close enough to the wall that it doesn’t feel bulky.

The black(crystal) version I tried comes with those clear acrylic crystals for the ember bed. If you like a more traditional log look, this isn’t that. It’s more of a modern hotel lobby vibe. Personally, I liked it once it was installed, but I know some people prefer fake logs to go with the flame. The crystals reflect the LEDs nicely, especially when you use blue, purple, or white tones. Some of the more neon colors can look a bit toy-like, so I mostly stuck to warmer orange/amber or a simple white-blue combo.

The front vent is at the top of the unit and blows heat forward, not up the wall, which is helpful if you’re mounting a TV above it. I still wouldn’t put the TV way too close, but in my setup with some gap between the two, the wall and TV never got more than mildly warm. The glass stays cool to the touch, which is reassuring if you have kids or pets poking around. That cool-to-the-touch claim is actually true in daily use; the air coming out is hot, but the glass itself doesn’t heat up like a real fireplace.

One thing I’ll say: up close, you can tell it’s an electric fireplace, obviously. The flame is LED, and there’s only so much realism you can get. But from a normal seating distance (say, 8–10 feet away), the overall effect is pretty solid. It fills the wall nicely at 72 inches, and visually it anchors the room. It’s not luxury level, but for the price bracket and the size, the design is honestly good and doesn’t scream “cheap Amazon gadget.”

For a mid-range Amazon unit, the materials are better than I expected. The front is tempered glass, which feels thick and doesn’t flex when you press on it lightly. The frame is metal (steel), painted black, and the finish is fairly clean. Edges are straight, and there were no weird sharp bits or misaligned panels on my unit. When you lift it, it has that heavy, solid feel, not a hollow tin-can vibe.

Inside, the crystal bed pieces are acrylic, which is normal for this type of product. They look fine once spread out, but don’t expect them to feel fancy in your hand. If you really care about that, you can always buy different decorative rocks or fake logs separately and swap them in. The LEDs are obviously not visible when the unit is off, and when they’re on, the color is even across the length, no dark spots or burned-out sections so far.

The back and sides are more utilitarian. You won’t see them once it’s installed, but if you look during setup you’ll notice it’s clearly a mass-produced item: functional screws, standard brackets, nothing pretty back there. The mounting hardware works, but I’d say if you’re installing it in drywall, use good anchors or hit the studs properly. The included hardware is okay, but I personally prefer using my own heavy-duty anchors for something this wide and heavy, especially in a busy living room.

In terms of durability, I obviously haven’t had it for years, but after several weeks of daily use (flames on almost every evening, heat on a few hours per day when it’s cold), nothing has loosened, no new noises have appeared, and the glass still looks clean with a quick wipe. The one thing that feels a bit “budget” is the remote: light plastic, basic buttons, and you need to point it pretty directly at the unit for it to respond reliably from a distance. It works, just doesn’t feel premium in the hand. Overall though, the fireplace itself feels pretty solid for the price bracket.

On the heating side, the Zionheat is rated at 5100 BTU and up to 1500W. In practice, in my roughly 400–450 sq. ft. living room, it comfortably takes the edge off on colder evenings. It’s not going to heat a whole house, but as a supplemental heater it’s solid. On the low setting (750W), it’s more of a gentle warm airflow; on the high setting, you can feel it across the room after 10–15 minutes. In a closed-off room around 300–400 sq. ft., I can see it handling most of the work if your main heating is already doing something in the background.

Noise-wise, the fan is noticeable but not annoying. I’d compare it to a low-speed bathroom fan or the sound of central air coming through a vent, which lines up with what some Amazon reviewers said. When the TV is on or you’re talking, you stop paying attention to it. If you sit in silence and just listen for it, you’ll hear it, but that’s true for pretty much every electric fireplace with a fan. No weird rattles or high-pitched whine on my unit so far, which is good.

The flames are LED-based with adjustable brightness, speed, and color. At lower brightness, especially in the evening with dimmed room lights, the flames look fairly realistic. Not like a real wood fire, but good enough that you stop thinking about it after a few minutes. At full brightness and with wild colors like bright blue or purple, it looks more like a decorative LED feature. It’s fun for kids or for parties, but for everyday use I stuck to the warmer, softer settings. The nice thing is you can completely turn off the heat and just run the flames, which I used a lot on milder nights when I just wanted the look.

The timer and thermostat-style controls are basic but useful. You can set it to run for a certain number of hours and then shut off, which I used when going to bed. The overheat protection and auto shut-off are there, but I didn’t trigger them, so I can’t comment beyond saying it never overheated the wall or anything. Overall, performance is good, not mind-blowing: it heats the room reasonably, looks nice, and doesn’t make a racket. That’s basically what I wanted.

The brand sells this as easy to install, and I’d say that’s mostly true, but you still need to be realistic: it’s a 72-inch chunk of metal and glass. The included instructions are clear enough, with diagrams that actually match the hardware. For a basic wall-mount install, it’s basically: fix the mounting bracket to the wall, hang the unit, secure it, and plug it in. No venting, no gas line, just an electrical outlet nearby. If you’ve ever hung a big TV, it’s the same level of effort.

The main challenge is the weight and size. Doing this solo would be a pain and honestly not very safe. Two people makes it manageable: one to hold and one to guide and secure. Because it’s 72 inches wide, measuring and leveling is important. If you’re off even a bit, you see it, especially if there’s a TV above or furniture around it. I spent more time measuring and marking than actually drilling and hanging, which is pretty normal for something this wide.

For a recessed install into a framed wall or media wall, you need to plan more carefully. You have to respect the clearances in the manual, leave room for airflow, and think about cable routing. It’s not rocket science, but it’s a small DIY project, not a 10-minute job. I did a semi-recessed setup in a fake wall, and it took an afternoon with basic tools. Once in place, it does look much more integrated than just hanging it flat on drywall.

One practical note: it’s corded electric, not hardwired, so you either accept seeing the cable, hide it in a cable cover, or plan an outlet behind or inside the wall if you’re doing a bigger renovation. I used a recessed outlet behind the unit, so no visible cord. Overall, I’d rate installation as easy to moderate depending on what you’re doing. If you can mount a TV and you’re not afraid of a drill, you’ll be fine. If you hate DIY, you might want a handyman to do it, but it’s not a massive job.

Out of the box, the Zionheat 72-inch is basically a big rectangular metal box with a glass front, a bag of crystal-style rocks, a remote, and mounting hardware. It’s long and fairly thin: about 72 inches wide, 18 inches high, and only 3.2 inches deep, which is honestly pretty nice if you’re wall-mounting or recessing it. The unit is heavy though, so this is not something you casually hang alone; two people is realistic if you don’t want to swear the whole time.

The brand lists this as Kucreiheat, but the model name is Zionheat, which is a bit confusing. It’s one of those generic-ish brands you see a lot on Amazon, but the build feels more solid than the name suggests. The glass panel is tempered, the frame feels like real steel, and nothing rattled when I unpacked it. Inside, you’ve got LED strips and a quartz burner type, but in practice what that means is: it lights up in different colors and doesn’t need any venting or gas hookup. You literally just plug it into a standard outlet.

The controls are simple: there’s a front panel with touch buttons, and the remote lets you change flame color, brightness, speed, heat level (750W or 1500W), and set a timer. It claims 12 flame bed colors and 12 flame colors, which is a lot of combinations. In real life you end up using maybe 3–4 of them regularly, and the rest are more for playing around or showing off to guests. Still, it’s nice to have options instead of being stuck with one orange setting.

Overall, as a “package,” it’s pretty straightforward. No fancy app, no Wi‑Fi, no smart home integration. Just a big electric fireplace with a remote. If you want something super connected, this isn’t it. But if you just want a big visual feature and some extra heat without overthinking it, it’s a pretty clear, no-nonsense product.