Dimplex Evandale Optimyst Review: fake fire that actually looks like real flames

I’ve been using the Dimplex Evandale Optimyst stove in pebble grey for a few weeks now in my living room. I bought it mainly for the “real flame” look rather than the heating, because I’m in a small house with gas central heating already. I wanted something that looks like a proper fire without having to deal with smoke, chimneys, or gas fitters. On paper, this thing ticks all the boxes: realistic flame, water vapour, remote, 1kW/2kW heater, and you just plug it in.

In practice, it’s a mixed bag. The flame effect is genuinely the best I’ve seen in an electric fire at this price. When it’s running properly, it really does pass for a real flame at a quick glance, especially in the evening with the main lights off. Guests have actually asked if it’s a real fire, which has never happened with the usual LED-only electric fires I’ve seen before.

But you pay for that effect with some extra faff. You have to keep the water tank filled (filtered water ideally), the transducer is a consumable part, and if the Optimyst system decides to sulk, you end up going through the manual and troubleshooting steps instead of just pressing “on” and relaxing. Also, based on other reviews and my own digging, repairs aren’t straightforward once you’re out of warranty, which is something to think about.

So this isn’t a simple “plug it in and forget it for 10 years” heater. It’s more like a decorative piece that needs a bit of care. If you’re mainly after the look and you’re okay with topping up water and possibly replacing a transducer down the line, it’s pretty solid. If you just want a basic heater or you hate any kind of maintenance, you might find it annoying.

Price-wise, the Evandale sits above a basic electric fire but below the really high-end built-in units. The way I see it, you’re mainly paying for the Optimyst flame effect. A normal 2 kW fan heater is cheap. Even a simple LED fireplace is much cheaper. The reason this costs more is because the vapour effect actually looks like a real flame instead of a spinning orange disc.

If you’re going to use it a lot in flame-only mode, it’s fairly economical. The flame effect uses low-watt LEDs (around 80W), so you can run it for an evening for pennies. As a heater, it’s just like any 1/2 kW fan heater: it will draw power, but it’s fine for topping up a room instead of turning on the whole house heating. I’ve used it this way and I do feel like I’m managing my energy use a bit better, especially in shoulder seasons when I don’t want the central heating on full blast.

Where the value gets questionable is if you’re unlucky and run into reliability issues. If the Optimyst system fails outside warranty and you either can’t get it repaired or don’t want to fiddle with parts, you’re basically left with a fancy-looking fan heater that cost you much more than a basic one. That’s why I’d say the value depends heavily on how much you care about the flame effect and how long you expect to keep it.

For me personally, I think the price is fair because the visual effect is what I wanted and I’m okay with the occasional maintenance. If you only care about heat, you can get the same warmth for much less. If you care about looks and atmosphere and you’re willing to treat this as a feature piece in the room, then the value is pretty solid. Just go into it knowing you’re paying for the “fake real fire” effect, not for a bombproof heater that will run for decades without a hiccup.

Design-wise, the Evandale sits in a nice middle ground. It’s got the shape of a traditional cast-iron stove, but the pebble grey paint gives it a more modern feel. In my place, it works both with a simple white fireplace surround and just on its own against a wall. It doesn’t scream “cheap plastic box” from across the room, which is honestly what I was worried about before it arrived.

The front has a glass window where you see the log bed and the vapour flames rising behind it. When the Optimyst effect is on, the combination of the logs and the mist looks pretty real, especially on a dim evening. The flames have a bit of movement and depth, not just a flat orange screen. If you’re used to those older electric fires with a spinning light reflector, this is a big step up visually. People walking into the room for the first time usually do a double-take.

The controls are mostly hidden, which keeps the front clean. You’ve got switches and a thermostat dial tucked away, and then the remote handles the basics. The cable is a normal mains lead; nothing fancy, but it’s long enough for most setups. I’d still plan your socket location, because you don’t want an extension lead trailing across the floor to your “cosy” fake fire.

One thing to flag: up close, you can tell it’s not cast iron. It’s alloy steel and plastic, and if you tap it, it doesn’t have that heavy, solid feel of a real stove. That said, once it’s in place and you’re sitting a couple of metres away, it looks decent. I’d say the design is more about looks than premium feel, but for a mid-range electric fire, I was more than okay with it. It definitely adds character to the room in a way a plain fan heater never will.

In terms of materials, the Evandale is a mix of alloy steel and plastic with a painted pebble grey finish. From a distance, it passes for a solid little stove, but once you get close and touch it, you can tell it’s not heavy cast iron. The body panels feel reasonably sturdy, no flexing or rattling when you move it, but it doesn’t have that hefty, old-school stove feel. For the price bracket and the fact it houses electronics and a water system, I think that’s fair enough.

The paint finish is decent. Mine has been knocked lightly a couple of times while moving it and I haven’t seen any chips or scratches yet. The pebble grey colour is quite forgiving with dust and fingerprints, much better than gloss black in my opinion. You still need to wipe the glass front now and then, especially because of the water vapour, but that’s quick with a microfibre cloth.

Inside, the log-effect fuel bed is obviously fake, but it doesn’t scream “cheap plastic” once the flames are on. On its own in daylight, you can tell it’s moulded, but again, this is a decorative heater, not a museum prop. The water sump and bottle are basic plastic parts. They feel a bit more fragile than the outer shell, so I’m careful when I pull them out for refilling or cleaning. If you’re heavy-handed, you could easily crack something over time.

Overall, I’d call the material quality “pretty solid for home use” but not premium. It’s the sort of thing you treat with a bit of care and it’ll be fine. If you’re expecting a tank that will survive constant moving, knocks, and kids climbing on it, you might be disappointed. For a fixed spot in a living room or bedroom used by adults, I think the materials are acceptable and match the price.

This is where you need to be realistic. A normal electric fire with just LEDs and a fan is usually pretty simple: if it works out of the box, it often keeps going for years with minimal fuss. The Evandale, because of the Optimyst water vapour system, has more that can go wrong. Dimplex themselves mention that the transducer is a consumable and might need replacing over time. That’s basically the heart of the flame effect, so you can’t just ignore it.

Maintenance-wise, you’re meant to use filtered water to avoid limescale. If you’re in a hard water area and you ignore that, don’t be surprised if the mist output drops or stops after a while. You also need to clean the sump and sometimes the transducer according to the manual. It’s not complicated, but it’s more involved than dusting an old electric fire once a year. I’ve set myself a reminder once a month to give it a quick check, which so far has kept things running smoothly.

The bigger headache is repairs. Several users mention that Dimplex don’t really do repairs in the classic sense; they send spare parts under warranty instead. That’s fine if you’re confident enough to swap parts yourself, but not everyone is. And some third-party repair companies apparently don’t want to touch these Optimyst units. So if yours fails outside the 2-year guarantee, you might be stuck between DIY, buying parts and hoping for the best, or just replacing the whole thing.

So in terms of durability, I’d say the outer shell and heater feel like they’ll last a while, but the long-term life of the flame effect depends heavily on how well you follow the care instructions and whether you’re ready to deal with parts. If you want something you never have to think about, this probably isn’t it. If you’re okay with basic maintenance and the chance of a transducer swap every so often, then you’ll get more life out of it.

Let’s split this into two parts: the flame effect and the heater. On the flame side, this is where the Evandale earns its keep. The Optimyst water vapour system does a good job of creating a believable flame and smoke effect. In a dimly lit room, it genuinely looks like a small real fire. The mist rises and moves around the logs in a natural way, and the LED lighting gives it that warm orange glow. You can also run it in flame-only mode, which uses around 80W, so it’s pretty cheap to have on for a whole evening.

Now, the heater: you get 1000W and 2000W settings, which is standard for this type of unit. For a typical UK living room (around 15–20 square metres), the 2 kW setting is enough to take the edge off the cold quite fast, especially if your main heating is already doing most of the work. I’ve used it a lot as “top-up” heat on chilly evenings instead of cranking the central heating up another notch. The fan noise is there, but I’d call it moderate. You can hear it, but it’s not so loud that you can’t watch TV.

Where things get a bit less rosy is the reliability of the Optimyst side. Mine has been fine so far, but reading other owners’ reviews and talking to someone who had an older Dimplex Optimyst, the weak point is the transducer and the water system. If you don’t use filtered water, limescale can build up and the mist output drops or stops. The transducer is also a wear part and may need replacing over time. That’s not a disaster, but it’s something you don’t deal with on a basic LED-only fire.

In day-to-day use, I’ve settled into a routine: I fill the water bottle every couple of evenings, give the sump a quick check once a week, and that’s about it. When it’s working, I’m really happy with the effect and the heat output is perfectly decent for a secondary heater. But I do have in the back of my mind that if the Optimyst bits fail out of warranty, I’m either ordering parts and getting my hands dirty or I’m stuck with an electric stove that only does plain fan heating. So performance is good, but it comes with a bit of maintenance baggage.

Out of the box, the Dimplex Evandale comes as a single main unit with a few loose bits: the log-effect fuel bed, the water sump and bottle, the transducer already in place, and a small remote. It’s not flat-pack furniture; there’s no full assembly, just some simple setup. You basically place the log bed, fit the sump and water bottle into the base, and you’re done. The manual is clear enough, and I had it up and running in under 20 minutes from opening the box, including reading the instructions properly.

The size is fairly compact: about 58 cm high, 44 cm wide, and 28 cm deep. In a standard UK living room, it fits nicely into a fireplace opening or just against a wall. It weighs around 11.6 kg, so it’s not feather-light but you can move it on your own without much effort. I’ve shifted it between living room and home office a couple of times without needing help, just picking it up from underneath.

Inside, the important bit is the Optimyst system: a water bottle that sits over a small sump with a transducer. That part vibrates and turns the water into mist, and then LEDs light it up to look like flames and smoke. It’s not complicated to operate, but it’s more involved than a basic fan heater. You do have to remember that there’s water and a consumable part, so it’s not “set and forget” for years.

The remote is basic but fine: on/off for flame and heat, and you can control the flame effect without turning on the heater, which is handy. There’s no fancy app or smart features, which personally I don’t miss. For the price point, the overall package feels decent: you get the fire, a 2 kW heater, proper flame effect, and the remote. Just be aware that future spares like the transducer are part of the deal if you keep it long term.