Endeavour Farlington Electric Fireplace Review: a realistic log burner look without the faff

I’ve had the Endeavour Farlington electric fireplace (grey top / grey brick version) in my living room for a few weeks now, and I’ll be straight: I bought it because I wanted the log burner look without ripping up floors or dealing with a chimney. Gas and real wood were going to be a pain in the neck in my house, so electric was the only realistic option. This one kept popping up because of the fake stove inside a surround, which looked a lot nicer than the usual flat electric fires.

From day one, my main question was: does it look cheap and plasticky, or does it actually pass as a proper fireplace when you walk into the room? I’ve had one of those horrible old-school electric fires before, with orange bulbs and a fake coal tray, and I didn’t want to go back to that. I wanted something that could sit as a proper focal point and not scream “I’m a heater from Argos”.

In practice, I’ve used it both as a heater and just as a fake fire in the evenings with no heat, especially when the room is already warm. I’ve also had people over who didn’t realise it was electric until they were basically standing in front of it. So visually, it does a pretty solid job. It’s not perfect, but for the price bracket, it’s honestly better than I expected.

If you’re considering this for a living room or snug and you’re wondering if it’s worth the hassle and money, I’ll break down what works and what’s a bit annoying. It does a lot of things right: the flame effect, the surround, the remote control. But there are also some corners cut, especially in the instructions and a few small build details, that you should know about before you click buy.

Price-wise, this sits in that middle zone: not bargain-basement cheap, but still a lot less than getting a real stove and surround fitted. For what you pay, you’re getting a full package: surround, fire, fake flue, brick-effect insert, LED downlights, and a remote. Compared to buying a separate surround and separate electric stove, it actually works out reasonably good value, especially when you factor in that you don’t need a builder or electrician to get it in and working.

In terms of what you actually get for the money, the key points are: the flame effect looks decent, the surround feels solid once built, and the heat output is enough for most living rooms as a top-up. You also get some nice extras like colour-changing downlights and year-round flame-only mode so you can use it in summer evenings without cooking yourself. For me, that combo makes it a better buy than a simple boxy heater that you end up hiding in a corner.

On the downside, you can tell where they’ve kept costs down: the polystyrene brick panel, the flimsy documentation for the lighting, and the fact that some screws for that bit aren’t included. Also, this is still MDF/engineered wood, so if you’re dreaming of real stone or solid wood, this isn’t it. There are more premium electric suites out there with heavier materials and fancier finishes, but you’re paying a chunk more for them.

So in terms of value, I’d say it’s pretty solid for someone who wants a proper focal point and decent heat without going into custom-install territory. If you’re on a tight budget and just need heat, a cheap fan heater will obviously be cheaper. But if you specifically want the log burner look with a surround, remote control, and lighting, this hits a nice balance between price and features. I don’t feel like I overpaid for what I got, especially after actually living with it for a bit.

The main thing this fireplace has going for it is the overall look once it’s assembled and in place. The off‑white surround with the grey top and grey brick insert gives a modern but still homely feel. It doesn’t scream ultra-modern glass box, but it doesn’t look old-fashioned either. I’d say it sits in that safe middle ground where it works in both a more traditional living room and a more minimal one. The fake 5" flue pipe on top of the stove makes a big difference too: without it, it would just look like a heater in a box; with it, it actually passes for a small log burner at a quick glance.

The flame effect is one of the better ones I’ve seen in this price range. It’s LED-based, and the glow from the log bed plus the moving flame effect looks pretty convincing from normal sitting distance. Up close you can obviously tell it’s not real, but that’s true of basically every electric fire. What I liked is that it doesn’t have that harsh, neon orange look some cheap units have. It’s more muted and the brightness is adjustable, so you can turn it down low in the evenings and it gives off a fairly natural-looking glow.

The 13-colour downlights are a bit of a mixed bag. On the plus side, you can really change the mood of the whole thing depending on the colour and brightness: warm white or amber looks cosy, while the bright colours (blue, purple etc.) feel a bit gimmicky but might appeal if you like that kind of thing. Personally, I leave it on a warm white or very soft colour, otherwise it starts to look like a nightclub feature rather than a fireplace. Still, the fact you can run the downlights separately and dim them is a nice touch.

From a distance, the brick-effect insert looks good. Up close you can tell it’s polystyrene with a printed effect, but once it’s installed and you’re on the sofa, it does the job. The surround proportions are good too: it fills a 48" width nicely without dominating the room. So in terms of design, I’d say it’s pretty solid: not high-end furniture-store level, but definitely not cheap tat either. If you care more about the overall vibe than microscopic details, you’ll probably be happy with it.

Material-wise, you’re mostly dealing with engineered wood for the surround, a metal and plastic fire unit, and a polystyrene brick-effect back panel. If you’re expecting solid oak and cast iron at this price, you’ll be disappointed, but realistically that’s not what this product is aiming for. The engineered wood panels are actually thicker and heavier than I expected. Once bolted together, the surround feels solid and doesn’t flex. The matte textured finish helps hide fingerprints and small marks, although the lighter off‑white colour will still show scuffs if you’re rough with it.

The stove unit itself feels like a typical decent electric fire: metal casing, plastic front, glass or clear panel for the viewing window. The door doesn’t open, it’s just decorative, but from a couple of metres back it looks convincing enough. The fake logs inside are fairly detailed, not just random lumps. The flue pipe is obviously not real metal pipework, but once it’s fixed in place it visually does what it needs to do. You’re not going to be touching it all the time anyway, it’s purely visual.

The weakest point material-wise is the brick-effect back panel. It’s basically a formed polystyrene block with a printed/painted brick pattern. On its own, in your hands, it feels cheap. However, once it’s screwed into the back and the fire is in front of it with the downlights on, you stop noticing the material and it just reads as a brick recess. You do need to be careful when handling it though, because polystyrene dents and chips easily if you knock it on a sharp edge or overtighten screws.

One thing I did appreciate is that a touch-up pen for the cream surround is included, which is practical if you chip a corner during assembly or later on. I’ve seen reports of people getting very minor chips and the company sending replacement parts quickly, which lines up with my impression that the basic build is fine, but these are still flat-pack boards being shipped around, so you might get the odd mark. Overall, I’d call the materials “good enough for a living room feature that doesn’t get heavy use”. It’s not heirloom furniture, but it doesn’t feel like it’s going to fall apart in a year either.

In terms of durability, I haven’t had it for years, but after a few weeks of daily use you start to see which bits feel robust and which bits might age faster. The surround, once it’s in place against the wall, doesn’t really move, so it’s not under much stress. That helps a lot with longevity. As long as you don’t drag heavy things across the top or whack it with a vacuum cleaner, the panels and joints should hold up fine. The textured matte finish does a decent job of hiding light dust and small scratches, and the touch-up pen for the cream surround is handy for small chips.

The stove unit is a standard electric heater setup. These things usually last a good few years if you don’t block the vents and you keep dust out. The fan and heating element will eventually wear like any fan heater, but there’s nothing obviously flimsy about it. The built-in thermal cut-off is a plus for safety and probably helps protect the internals from being cooked to death if someone runs it on full power with stuff piled around it, though obviously you shouldn’t do that.

The parts I’m less confident about long-term are the polystyrene brick panel and the LED light strip sitting loosely on top. The panel itself is easy to dent or chip if you ever take the fire apart or move house. Once it’s installed and not touched, it’s fine, but it’s not something you want kids poking at. The light box just resting on top of the panel is slightly annoying from a design point of view; it’s not falling off under normal use, but it doesn’t feel “fixed forever” either. That said, you’re not really interacting with that part once everything is in place.

Overall, I think this will last well enough for normal home use for several years, especially if it’s in a living room and not being knocked about. It’s not bulletproof, but it’s also not flimsy junk. If something does arrive damaged, the brand seems reasonably responsive based on other buyers getting quick replacement parts, which is worth something. Just don’t expect it to take serious abuse like a cast-iron stove or a stone fireplace; treat it like decent flat-pack furniture with an electric heater built in, and it should be fine.

In everyday use, the fire does what it says: it heats a normal-sized living room reasonably quickly on the 2000W setting and takes the edge off on the 1000W setting. I wouldn’t rely on it as the only source of heat for a big open-plan space, but as a top-up heater or for smaller rooms it’s fine. The fan kicks in pretty quickly after you turn on the heat, and you start feeling warm air within a minute or so. Compared to a basic fan heater, the difference is that this one at least looks nice while it’s running, and you get the flame effect at the same time.

Noise-wise, with just the flame effect and downlights on, it’s basically silent apart from a very faint hum you only hear if you’re close. When you turn the heater on, you do get the usual fan noise. It’s not whisper-quiet, but it’s not a jet engine either. I can watch TV at normal volume with the 2kW setting running and it doesn’t drown anything out. If you’re super sensitive to any fan noise at all, you’ll notice it, but that’s the case with any fan heater. For me, it’s acceptable and in line with what other reviewers said.

The remote control is handy and I use it a lot more than the manual controls. You can switch the heat settings, flame effect, and lighting without getting up, which sounds lazy but is exactly what you end up doing in the evenings. The thermostat knob on the side of the stove is basic but functional: you set it once and then mostly forget about it. There’s thermal cut-off protection built in, so if it overheats it shuts off, which is reassuring if you’re using it in a room where older people or kids are around.

One thing to point out is the claimed heating coverage of about 46 square feet in the spec, which is tiny on paper. In reality, it clearly heats more than that; I’m guessing that figure is conservative or refers to some specific rating method. In my average UK living room, it makes a real difference, especially if the central heating is already on low. Just don’t expect it to heat a whole house or a massive open-plan kitchen-diner by itself. As an everyday heater and visual feature combined, it gets the job done well enough for the price.

Assembly is where this thing is both straightforward and slightly annoying. The surround itself is pretty easy to put together. The instructions for the main frame are clear, the panels are well-labelled, and all the usual screws and fixings are there. It’s definitely easier with two people, mainly for lifting and lining things up, but if you’re reasonably handy you can do it alone in under an hour. I’ve seen people say they did it in about 45 minutes solo, which matches my experience if you’re not faffing around.

The irritation starts when you get to the brick-effect back panel and the downlights. The official instructions basically stop at the surround. After that, you’re left to figure out that the polystyrene brick piece screws into the back (with your own short screws, because they don’t supply those), and the LED light box just sits on top of it, not fixed down. Then you have to find the cable tucked behind a panel on the back of the fire, unscrew that panel, and connect the supplied cables between the fire and the light box. It’s not technically hard, but it’s annoying that none of this is actually written down properly.

The cable routing is also something you need to think about. There’s a small hole in the back of the brickwork for the lighting connection and a recess at the bottom for the power cord so it can pass under without you needing to mess with the plug. Some people thought they’d have to rewire the plug based on earlier reviews, but that’s not needed if you use the recess properly. Once everything is plugged in and pushed against the wall, the cables are basically hidden, so visually it’s fine.

Overall, I’d say installation is easy enough for anyone who’s ever built flat-pack furniture before, but the lack of detailed steps for the lighting and brick panel is lazy from the manufacturer. Expect to spend an extra 20–30 minutes scratching your head and looking at where the cables are supposed to go. Once it’s done though, you don’t have to touch any of it again, so it’s a one-time annoyance rather than a long-term problem.

Physically, this is a full suite: you’re not just buying a little heater, you’re getting the off‑white surround, the black stove-style fire, the grey top, the grey brick-effect insert, the 5" fake flue pipe, and the LED downlights. It arrives in two main boxes: one with the flat-pack surround panels, and one with the fire unit and the brick backdrop. So don’t panic when only one box turns up first, that’s normal with this kind of thing.

The surround is made from engineered wood with a textured matte finish. It’s not solid wood, but it doesn’t feel like flimsy cardboard furniture either. Once it’s assembled and pushed against the wall, it feels stable and doesn’t wobble. The stove itself is a decent size, not tiny. When it’s sat inside the surround with the brick-effect back panel, it really fills the space and doesn’t look lost, which was a concern I had before buying.

In terms of controls, you get a remote plus some manual controls on the stove: two heat settings (1000W and 2000W), a thermostat knob, flame effect, and the downlight colours and brightness. The LED flames and log bed are built into the stove unit, and the downlights sit in a separate strip that rests on top of the brick panel. You just plug it all in a standard socket; no hard-wiring, no chimney, nothing fancy. It’s rated for about 46 square feet of heating coverage, which is on the modest side, so think “top-up heat” rather than full-on house heating.

Overall, the package is fairly complete: you don’t need to buy any extra trim or bits to make it look finished. What’s missing is more detailed guidance for wiring and positioning the lights and brick panel; you basically get good instructions for the surround and then you’re left to figure out the rest. So the product itself is quite complete, but the documentation is half-baked once you move beyond the basic frame.