TURBRO Eternal Flame EF26-PB Review: a simple electric log set that makes a dead fireplace useful again

I bought the TURBRO Eternal Flame 26-Inch Infrared Quartz Electric Fireplace Log Heater (EF26-PB) for one basic reason: my old wood-burning fireplace had turned into a dust collector. I never felt like dealing with wood, smoke, ash, or chimney cleaning, but I still wanted that “fire in the living room” vibe and a bit of extra heat in winter. This log set looked like an easy plug-in solution with decent reviews, so I gave it a shot.

I’ve been using it regularly in my living room, mostly in the evenings and on weekends. I tested it both as a pure ambiance piece (flames only, no heat) and as a secondary heater when the temperature drops. I also played with all the flame colors and brightness levels, and tried to see how realistic it looks from a normal sitting distance, not with my nose against the glass.

In practice, it’s basically a metal box with fake logs that you shove into an existing fireplace, plug into a wall outlet, and control with a remote. No installation, no venting, no gas line, nothing. It’s the kind of product where you know within 10 minutes if it fits your needs or not. I also paid attention to fan noise, heat coverage in an open-plan space, and how annoying (or not) the controls are on a daily basis.

Overall, it does what it says: it makes an unused fireplace look alive again and adds some usable heat. It’s not perfect, it’s not magic, but if you’re realistic about what an electric log set can do, it’s a pretty solid option. In the rest of this review I’ll break down the design, flame effect, heating performance, noise, and value so you can see if it fits your situation.

On the value side, you have to compare this not just to other electric fireplaces, but also to what it replaces. In my case, the alternatives were: keep using the fireplace as a decorative hole, pay a lot more for a gas insert plus gas line, or buy a basic space heater with no visual appeal. The TURBRO EF26-PB lands in a middle zone: more expensive than a cheap space heater, but way cheaper than a proper gas or built-in electric insert, and it actually uses the fireplace opening in a sensible way.

For the price range it usually sits in, you get: 1500W infrared heating, multiple flame colors and brightness levels, a decent remote, a timer, and a thermostat. Many cheaper units either skip the thermostat or have fewer flame options. You’re basically paying a bit extra for the nicer look and the added control. Considering it has a 4.5/5 rating from hundreds of users, it’s clear most people feel they got decent value out of it.

Where the value is a bit less impressive is if you compare it to some full electric fireplace inserts that come with a glass front and more realistic flame effects. Those cost more, but you also get a more polished look. If you’re already planning to do some renovation or build a mantel, it might be worth looking at those alternatives. This TURBRO is more for people who want a quick, no-construction solution right now.

So, is it worth it? I’d say yes if you have a dead fireplace you’d like to use again without spending a fortune or calling a contractor. It’s good value for money as a plug-and-play upgrade over “empty black hole in the wall.” If you’re super picky about realism or want something that looks high-end, you might feel it’s just okay and prefer to invest in a pricier insert instead.

Design-wise, the EF26-PB is simple: black metal frame, a set of fake pinewood logs on top, and the heater and lights hidden underneath. There’s no glass front, so you’re looking directly at the log set. From a normal distance (say, 6–10 feet on the couch), it looks pretty decent. The logs and ember bed light up, and the flames reflect off internal mirrors and LEDs to give the illusion of movement. It’s not going to fool anyone into thinking it’s a real wood fire, but it does give a nice “fireplace is on” impression.

Where it gets more interesting is the flame options. You get 5 flame colors and 5 brightness levels. In practice, I used mostly the warm orange/yellow tones because they look the most natural. The blueish or other colors feel more gimmicky to me, but some people might like them for a different mood. There’s also a "breathing" mode where the ember bed glows gently without big flames, which is actually pretty good for nighttime if you want a low, calm glow without a lot of motion.

Up close, you can tell it’s LEDs and plastic/resin logs. The logs are shaped and painted well enough, but once you’re within a couple of feet, the illusion fades. That said, you don’t normally sit right in front of it staring at the hardware, so in real use it’s fine. In a dimly lit room, it does a nice job creating a cozy background. Compared to some really cheap electric log sets I’ve seen, this one looks cleaner and more thought-out, especially with the brightness control so you can dial it down instead of blasting full brightness all the time.

Overall, I’d say the design is functional and decent, not fancy. It fits nicely inside an existing fireplace opening, doesn’t scream “cheap plastic” from across the room, and the multiple flame modes give you something to play with. If you’re super picky about realism and want something that looks exactly like burning wood, you’ll probably still prefer a gas insert or a higher-end electric unit with a glass front and more advanced flame tech. For most people who just want a fake fire look, this gets the job done without looking silly.

Let’s be honest: this is not high-end furniture, but it doesn’t feel flimsy either. The outer structure is metal with a powder-coated black finish. It doesn’t flex when you move it, and it feels stable once it’s set down in the fireplace. You’re not supposed to be touching it all the time anyway, so as long as it’s solid enough to sit there and run safely, that’s what matters. The weight (around 16–17 pounds) helps it not feel like a cheap hollow box.

The logs themselves are fake pinewood, which basically means molded material painted to look like logs. From a few feet away, they look fine. Up close, you can tell they’re not real, but that’s normal at this price point. The ember bed and internal reflective surfaces are clearly built around LED lighting. Again, not luxury, but functional. I didn’t notice any weird smells or off-gassing after the first use, just the usual “new heater” smell for a short while, which went away after a couple of sessions.

The cord is a standard power cord, nothing special, but it feels thick enough and not like those ultra-thin cords that scare you on cheap heaters. The unit is CSA certified, and it has overheat protection that shuts it off if it gets too hot. I didn’t push it to the limit, but I did run it for long evenings and never had any safety concerns. The vent openings and front heater outlet seem well designed so nothing looks like it’s about to melt.

So in terms of materials and build, I’d call it solid mid-range. It’s clearly not a premium custom insert, but it also doesn’t look or feel like a throwaway gadget. If you treat it as an appliance that will sit in your fireplace for a few winters, the quality seems in line with the price. Just don’t expect real wood, heavy glass, or fancy metalwork. It’s practical and safe, which for this type of product is what matters most.

On the performance side, this thing is basically a 1500W space heater disguised as fireplace logs. It uses an infrared quartz tube plus a fan to push warm air into the room. In my experience, it heats a medium-sized living room (roughly 250–300 sq ft) quite well. You feel the warmth within a few minutes if you’re in front of it. For the full "1000 sq ft" claim, that’s a bit optimistic unless your home is well insulated and you’re just trying to take the edge off the cold, not fully heat that entire area.

The built-in thermostat is handy. You can set a target temperature and it will cycle on and off to maintain it, instead of blasting full heat non-stop. That’s nice both for comfort and for not frying yourself if you’re sitting close. There’s also a timer function if you don’t want it running all night. The heat doesn’t feel super dry like some cheap fan heaters; the infrared element does help a bit with that. I didn’t notice my skin drying out or static going crazy like with some other 1500W heaters I’ve used.

Noise-wise, there is a fan, so don’t expect silence. I’d call it a low to moderate hum. You can hear it, but it’s not louder than a typical space heater or a box fan on low. With the TV on or some music playing, it blends into the background. If you’re very sensitive to noise and want completely silent heat, this is not that. The flame-only mode is much quieter, and that’s what I use when I just want ambiance without heat.

Day-to-day, the remote gets used way more than the panel buttons. You sit down, click it on, tweak the flame brightness, pick a temperature, and that’s it. It responds quickly and I didn’t have issues with it missing commands as long as I pointed it roughly at the unit. Overall, performance is solid for a space heater with a fake fire look. It’s not going to replace a furnace, but as a zone heater for one of your colder rooms, it holds its own and feels more cozy than a plain white box heater sitting on the floor.

Out of the box, the TURBRO EF26-PB is very straightforward. You get the main log unit, a remote control, and a user manual. The whole thing weighs about 16–17 pounds, so you can easily handle it alone. No assembly required: you literally pull it out of the foam, remove a bit of plastic, plug it in, and you’re ready to go. For once, "no installation" really means no installation.

The unit is 26 inches wide, 8.2 inches deep, and 14 inches high. That size is important: it fits nicely in a standard fireplace opening, but you should still measure your opening width and depth before buying. In my case, it left a bit of space on the sides, which I actually like because it doesn’t look crammed. You just center it visually and you’re done. The cord is about 6 feet long, which is fine if you have an outlet nearby, but if your outlet is farther, you’ll either need an extension cord or some cable management like wire molding to keep it from looking messy.

The controls are split between a small panel on the unit and the remote. You can power it on/off, change flame color, adjust brightness, set the temperature, and use the timer. The manual is clear enough that you don’t really need to be a tech person to figure it out. The heater is rated at 1500W, and the brand claims it can handle about 1000 square feet as a zone heater. In reality, it’s more of a strong space heater for one room, not a whole-house solution, but I’ll get into that in the performance section.

So in terms of presentation, there’s nothing fancy here: it’s a basic, plug-and-play electric log set with infrared heating and a few extra flame options. If you want something with a full glass front or built-in mantel, this is not it. If you just want to make a dead fireplace look alive with minimum hassle, this checks that box pretty cleanly.

In terms of raw effectiveness, I’d split it into two parts: heat and ambiance. For heat, if you’re using this as a supplemental heater for one of your colder rooms, it does the job. I used it mainly in a living room that tends to be a bit chilly in winter, and within 10–15 minutes you can feel a clear difference, especially if you’re sitting in front of it. It’s not going to fix a freezing, uninsulated basement by itself, but for a regular room it’s perfectly usable as extra heat alongside your main heating system.

The infrared quartz tube is supposed to heat more efficiently than a basic ceramic-only heater. In practice, I’d say it feels a bit more “comfortable” than some hot, dry heaters I’ve tried. The air doesn’t feel cooked, and I didn’t get that dry throat feeling after having it on for a couple of hours. It still uses up to 1500W, so it’s not magic on your power bill, but as a zone heater to avoid cranking the whole house thermostat, it can make sense economically.

For ambiance, it’s pretty effective. Once the room lights are dimmed, the combination of glowing logs and moving flames does a good job of making the fireplace look active. The breathing ember mode is surprisingly nice if you want something really low-key. It’s also nice that you can run flames without heat, so you can use it in fall or spring evenings when you want the look but not the extra warmth.

Overall, I’d say its effectiveness is good but realistic. It heats like a decent 1500W heater and looks like a better-than-average fake fire. If you go into it expecting a full replacement for a real wood fire or a gas insert, you’ll be disappointed. If you just want a plug-in solution that makes the room feel warmer and cozier with minimal hassle, it delivers on that without much drama.