Touchstone Forte 40" Smart Electric Fireplace Review: a solid fake fire that actually feels modern

I’ve been using the Touchstone Forte 40" Smart Electric Fireplace for a bit now, and I’ll be honest: I went into this expecting a cheesy, hotel-lobby style fake fire. I mainly bought it to fill an empty fireplace surround without tearing up the room for a gas line. After living with it, my opinion is basically: it’s not magic, but it’s way better than the usual cheap electric fireplaces you see at big-box stores.

In my case, I installed it in a living room with higher ceilings and an open layout. So I wasn’t expecting it to heat the whole floor, more just to take the edge off and give the room some kind of focal point. The flames are clearly artificial if you stare at them, but from the couch, with the lights dimmed, it looks pretty decent. You’re not going to fool anyone into thinking it’s a real wood fire, but it does create that background glow that makes a room feel less dead.

What pushed me toward this one versus cheaper models was the mix of features: WiFi, Alexa/Google control, multiple flame and ember colors, logs and crystals included, and the fact it’s meant for recessed install, not just a tacky TV stand combo. The unit is also rated around 1500W / 5100 BTU, so I knew right away this wasn’t going to replace a real heating system, just help a bit.

Overall, after using it regularly in the evenings, I’d say it’s a pretty solid compromise if you want the look and some light heat without dealing with gas or venting. It’s not perfect, it’s not cheap, and the heat output is limited, but for a modern living room or bedroom where you just want a clean, wall-mounted fake fire that you can control from your phone, it gets the job done.

From a value perspective, the Touchstone Forte 40" sits in that middle spot: not the cheapest electric fireplace you can find, but also nowhere near the price of a gas insert or high-end built-in system. What you’re really paying for here is the combination of decent looks, smart features, and easy installation. If you just want raw heat, a basic space heater will give you more warmth for way less money. But if you want something that looks like part of the room and adds some atmosphere, this makes more sense.

Compared to the bargain electric fireplaces I’ve owned or seen, this one definitely feels like a step up. The flame options, the choice between logs and crystals, the front venting, and the ability to recess it all add up. Plus, being able to plug it in or hardwire it gives you flexibility. If you’re doing a renovation and want a clean built-in look, you can hardwire. If you’re just upgrading an old fireplace opening without major electrical work, you can just use the cord.

Where the value is a bit more “meh” is the heating side. Again, 1500W is standard for this category, so there’s no miracle here. If your main goal is cutting your heating bills or warming a large space, you’ll probably feel like you paid a lot for not much heat. But if your goal is to improve the room’s vibe, make a TV wall look less boring, or bring an old non-working fireplace back to life visually, then the money feels better spent.

Overall, I’d say the Forte offers good value for what it is: a modern-looking, smart-enabled electric fireplace that’s easy to live with. There are cheaper units if you don’t care about WiFi or recessed installation, and there are more expensive options if you want super high-end realism. This one sits comfortably in the middle, and for most people who just want a solid, good-looking fake fireplace with some heat, the price makes sense.

Design-wise, the Forte is very straightforward: black rectangular metal body, glass front, minimal visible trim. It’s meant to sit flush in a wall or inside an existing fireplace opening, so once it’s in, you mostly just see the glass panel and the flame/ember bed. The overall look is clean and pretty neutral, so it works fine with modern or transitional decor. It’s not some fake stone monstrosity, which I appreciated. The fireplace is about 40" wide and 26.5" high, with just over 5" depth, so it doesn’t chew up a ton of wall space, but you still need to plan the cavity.

The front-facing vents are at the top of the glass, and that’s important because it lets you mount a TV above it. They recommend at least 8" between the top of the fireplace and the bottom of the TV, and I’d follow that. The heat isn’t crazy strong, but you don’t want hot air blowing directly into a TV either. I mounted mine under a TV with about that gap, and so far no issues. The unit stays cool on the sides and back, which is reassuring when you’re screwing it into framing or dropping it into an old fireplace box.

Inside, you can choose between the log set or the crystals, or mix them if you like a slightly chaotic look. Personally, I run logs in winter and crystals in summer, just to change things up. The logs give a more traditional fake fireplace vibe, while the crystals plus blue/white flames feel more like a modern hotel lobby. The flames themselves are decent but clearly artificial. If you’re expecting ultra-realistic gas logs, you’ll be disappointed. But if you’re okay with a digital flame effect that looks good from a few meters away, it does the job.

One thing to note: the screen area is big, but the actual flame effect does not fill 100% of the glass height. This matches what some other buyers said. It’s not tragic, but if you expected the entire panel to be full flame from top to bottom, that’s not the case. Also, the control buttons on the unit itself are pretty minimal and not super visible once installed, so you’ll rely mostly on the remote or the app. Overall, I’d call the design clean and practical, with a few compromises, but it looks way better than the average budget electric fireplace.

There’s no internal battery in the unit itself, obviously, but the remote and smart control side matter a lot on a product like this, so it’s worth talking about. The included remote takes 2 AAA batteries (not included), and battery life has been totally fine so far. We use the remote daily, and after weeks of use, no sign of drain yet. It’s a basic IR remote, so you do need line of sight to the fireplace for it to work reliably. If someone is standing in front of it or you’re aiming from a weird angle, sometimes it doesn’t register on the first press.

Where this unit stands out a bit from cheaper fireplaces is the WiFi and voice control. You can connect it to your home network and control it via a smartphone app, plus link it to Alexa or Google Home. This is the part that feels the most “modern”. I can sit on the couch and just tell Alexa to turn the fireplace on or off, or adjust the settings from my phone without hunting down the remote. Setup is not instant, you have to follow the steps in the manual or online and be patient with pairing, but once it’s done, it’s pretty painless to use.

Compared to a dumb electric fireplace I had before (just a manual knob and a simple remote), this one is more convenient. I don’t need to get up to turn it off if I’m already in bed, and I can turn on the flames from my phone when I’m walking home so the room looks nice when I get in. Is it necessary? No. But it’s the kind of feature that, once you have it, you tend to use a lot. The app interface is decent, not fancy, but clear enough to adjust flame brightness, color, and heat.

If I had to nitpick, I’d say the remote design could be a bit clearer, and the initial WiFi setup might confuse someone who’s not comfortable with apps and smart home stuff. But once everything is configured, the control options are genuinely practical. Between the physical buttons, the remote, the app, and voice commands, you always have a way to adjust it without walking over and fiddling with hidden controls.

On the durability side, the fireplace feels reasonably solid for the price. The frame is metal, the front is glass, and once it’s mounted or recessed it doesn’t feel flimsy or rattly. The sides and back stay cool, even with the heater running, which is important for long-term safety if it’s in a wall cavity. I haven’t seen any warping or weird noises from the body itself. The only sound you really get is from the fan when the heater is on and the usual electric flame motor hum, which is pretty normal for this type of unit.

There are some reassuring signs from other buyers too. One user mentioned they had a clicking sound develop after about a year, contacted Touchstone, and the company sent them a brand new fireplace. That lines up with what I’d expect from a brand that wants to stay in the top spots for electric fireplaces. It doesn’t mean every unit is perfect, but at least they seem to stand behind the product when something goes wrong. That’s honestly more important to me than some fancy spec on paper.

In my own use, after regular daily evenings of running the flames (with heat on and off), I haven’t had any mechanical issues yet. No random shutoffs, no crazy fan noise, no flickering that shouldn’t be there. The glass front is easy enough to clean with a soft cloth and glass cleaner. Just make sure it’s cooled down first if you’ve had the heat on. The finish doesn’t scratch easily unless you’re careless with tools during install.

Long term, the main wear points on these things tend to be the fan, the flame motor, and the electronics for the remote/WiFi. There’s always a chance something fails after a few years, but given the number of reviews, the 4.7/5 rating, and the customer service reports, I’d say the durability is pretty solid for a mid-priced electric fireplace. It’s not built like a tank, but it doesn’t feel cheap or fragile either, and that’s about what I expected at this price level.

In terms of performance, you need to be clear on what this thing is and what it isn’t. It’s a 1500W electric heater with a fan, not a furnace. In my roughly 300–350 sq ft living room, it does exactly what the brand and some reviewers say: it takes the edge off on cool evenings, but it does not replace central heating. If your room is already reasonably warm and you just want a bit more comfort, it’s fine. If you try to heat a big, open, high-ceiling space from cold with only this, you’ll end up calling it the “hair dryer” too.

The flame performance is where it does better. You get several brightness levels and a bunch of color combinations for the flame and ember bed. I mostly use the warmer, orange-ish tones, but the blue and white options are nice if you like a more modern or “summer” look. The motion of the flames is decent, not super realistic, but not cheesy either. When the room lights are dimmed, it gives enough movement and glow that you stop staring at the details and just enjoy the ambience.

The heater fan noise is there but not insane. You can hear it when the room is quiet, but it’s not louder than a typical space heater. For watching TV, it hasn’t bothered me much. One thing I like is that you can run just the flames with no heat, so in warmer months you still get the visual effect without turning your living room into a sauna. That’s actually how we use it most of the year: flames on low brightness, no heat, just so the room doesn’t feel flat.

On the technical side, it pulls up to 12 amps, so you need to be mindful of what else is on the same circuit. On a 15-amp circuit that also runs a bunch of other stuff, you might want to double-check. A dedicated or lightly loaded 20-amp circuit is safer if your house wiring allows it. Overall, performance is solid for ambiance and light supplemental heat, but if you’re buying this mainly as a heater, you’re probably going to be disappointed. Treat the heat as a bonus, not the main reason to buy.

When you unpack the Touchstone Forte 40", you’re basically getting a single heavy rectangular unit, the front glass already attached, plus a decent pile of accessories. In the box I had: the fireplace itself, a remote, a bag of crystals, a log set, mounting hardware (screws and drywall anchors), and basic instructions. No batteries for the remote, so you’ll need two AAA batteries ready. The unit weighs around 45 pounds, so it’s not crazy heavy, but you’ll likely want two people for lifting and positioning it, especially if you’re recessing it into a wall or existing fireplace opening.

The instructions are fairly straightforward, but you have to actually read them, especially for the cutout dimensions and the smart/WiFi setup. Several people online mention that the opening measurements need a small margin tweak, and I’d agree: don’t blindly trust a single number, measure your framing and check fit as you go. The brand itself even repeats the “measure twice, buy once” warning, and that’s not just marketing talk here. If you’re planning to drop this into an existing fireplace, you’ll also probably want a contractor or at least a handy friend to help make sure any gas line is capped and safe.

Feature-wise, the presentation is pretty clear: it’s a 1500W heater with thermostat, front-facing vents, and smart functionality. It can be either plugged into a standard 110–120V outlet with the included 6-foot cord or hardwired. The heating coverage is listed around 400 square feet, so think small to medium room, not huge open-concept space. You get 5 flame settings plus a bunch of ember/flame color combos (they claim up to 30 options), and you can run flames with or without heat.

From a buyer’s point of view, it feels like a mid-range product: not a cheap plastic unit, but also not luxury built-in gas money. The point of this thing is pretty clear: give you a clean, modern-looking wall fireplace with decent fake flames, basic heat, and smart control in one package. If that’s what you’re after, what you get in the box lines up with the promise. Just don’t expect it to magically heat a drafty old house by itself.

Day to day, the Forte is pretty simple: it turns on, it gives you a flame effect, and it either blows warm air or not, depending on what you set. In terms of effectiveness as a room “mood” upgrade, it works very well. My family uses it almost every evening, especially in the colder months. Kids can run it from the remote or the buttons on the unit without drama. My partner and I mostly use the phone app or voice control, which is honestly the main reason I went for this specific model instead of a cheaper one.

Heat effectiveness is where you need realistic expectations. In a bedroom or small den, you’ll feel the difference after 15–20 minutes on high heat. In a larger living room with higher ceilings, it just takes the bite out of the air, nothing more. Think of it like a wall-mounted space heater combined with a big fake candle. If you’re sitting close by, you’ll feel the warm airflow. If you’re across the room, you notice it a bit but it’s not night and day. The built-in thermostat and timer help avoid roasting the room, and you can just shut off the heat and keep the flames running once you’re comfortable.

The remote is functional but not super intuitive at first. You need to get used to the icons and the sequence to change flame colors, brightness, heat, and timer. After a few days, it becomes muscle memory, but the first evening I did a bit of random button mashing. The good news is that even if you ignore the remote, the app gives you a clearer interface for changing settings, and voice commands with Alexa/Google are pretty straightforward once set up.

Overall, I’d say the fireplace is effective at what I bought it for: fill a dead fireplace opening, give a cozy glow, and add a bit of warmth without major construction. If you’re expecting a hardcore heater or ultra-realistic flame tech, you’ll find it underwhelming. But as a daily-use “turn it on and forget it” background feature, it works reliably and doesn’t demand much attention once installed.