What do you think of fake log burners?

[Oollliivviiaa]

I'd love a real fire or at least a log burner. We have proper fireplaces but it will cost too much to get them working again. Do the electric fires that are designed to look like log burners look a bit rubbish? I'm not exactly the most stylish of people. I can't decide if I like them which probably means I don't.

This is our gas fire in action as I write.

We've got two very expensive cast iron ones-it took two men to carry each one in. They don't look cheap, they don't look naff and they don't make us look like chavs.

We've got a Gazco Loft - looks just like a Swedish wood-burning stove. Love it - heats the room really quickly, no messy logs, dust and of course unhealthy phthalates you get with a real log-burner. It makes the room look really cosy with the realistic flames. We chose it instead of a log-burner, which we did have in our last house - I much prefer our gas stove for convenience and aesthetics.

Can you give a link?

Can you tell us the make and model? Following this debate with interest..

These are fab!

I posted a similar query a year or so ago and decided I was searching for the holy grail. I love wood burners but wouldn't have one on environmental and health grounds. We don't have a gas supply in the room, and I've never seen an electric one they didn't look fake.

I was drawn to the Everhot and think they are very classy but I went to see them in the showroom and they are bigger than I thought and probably intrude into the space too much for us.

I like the look of the Aga electric which is similar but a bit smaller, but don't want to buy without seeing it. I'd love to hear from anyone who has the tiny Aga stove whether it works well in real life.

Have a look somewhere like this @BishyBarnyBee and look at the weight of any you like the look of.

I drove 100 miles to a stove warehouse to see them in action before I took the plunge. They’re not all equal.

summerlovingvibes · Today 10:46

Have you looked at bio-ethanol fuel ones? Real flames but no flue install required. We're just looking to buy one at the moment

We have them, really like them.

@MrsSkylerWhite which ones do you have?

I’ve got a bioethanol. Pros. Looks nice. Real flames. Warm. Clean. Cons: quite expensive to run. A litre of bio ethanol fuel lasts several hours but you can have a fire all afternoon and evening. Some fuels smell. The flames aren’t as crackling and compelling as real ones. Having said that I’d never have a real wood stove as they are so polluting. I have crap lungs and I suspect it’s connected to growing up poor in the 60s/70s in a house with no central heating but a coal fire I practically sat in all winter.

Where is the Everhot show room?

One of the problems with a lot of these sorts of purchases is that its so hard to see them in the flesh, showrooms are so few and far between, when we were hunting for our log burtner we would drive for hours to go places but also pop into places while we were on holiday if we spotted it! So desparate to see them in the live.

We have a Dimplex optimyst, it’s quite big and wasn’t particularly cheap . Looks good and has an attractive flame effect and produces ‘smoke’ (steam) generated from adding water. You can run the flame only or use the fan heater. It produces great heat and warms the room in minutes. We also have a pretend flue pipe balanced on top to complete the look. Much more environmentally friendly than a wood burner.

Find an Everhot Retailer in the UK | Everhot Cookers

There is a key for ones that just have the stoves on display

I think they were Esse.

I thought they were naff (had seen £50 ones), then my friend got a proper cast iron one and it looks exactly like the real thing. Next best thing if you can't have a real fire

Do you know the make?

I've had a look and couldn't see anything but will keep hunting. As I said up thread, this is practically the holy grail for me, keep thinking I've found something and then I never like it in real life. I've probably been looking for about 7 years on and off! I desperately want a cosy fire to curl up by instead of the blank chimney breast we have at the moment. I was brought up with cheap gas fires that we all fought to lounge in front of and really miss that.

Ours looks so cosy and realistic, so with it.

Have a look at the Dimplex optimyst range, they're quite realistic. I can't afford a real one ATM, but this is a good alternative

I just came on this thread to mention Optimyst. Unfortunately no photos but we had one in our old house and I really liked it for what it was. You fill it with water and it gives the look of smoke rising.

Definitely not as good as the real thing, but a great option for somewhere that a real one isn't practical.

Think it was this one we had:

Whilst the idea of steamy smoke sounds appealing, in reality it would be awful in a house where we already get damp in corners! 😂