Optimyst or Bioethanol stove experiences please

[Springingforward]

Hi, please may I have your opinion or experiences on my thinking 🤔
Ive lived in some old houses and now I've moved to a new build, I really miss having a fireplace. Not necessarily for the heating aspect, but the focal point, Christmas decorations, shelves either side etc.

I'm thinking of getting a false chimney breast put in with oak sleeper type mantel and would love a wood burner type effect fire.

I have no gas point, but do have an electric point. So have a choice of either something like the Optimyst with 'smoke' which is atomised water or the bioethanol type with real flames.

I have young children in my house all the time, so wouldn't use the bioethanol one when they were around, but I think I might also be a bit scared about real fire, even when it's just me here. Also I have heard that they smell strange but you wouldn't be able to find that out until you had it.

The Optimyst one just doesn't look that real with the mist.

Opinions and recommendations much appreciated.

I thinks there's three kinds of dimplex? Optiflame - crap plastic not real. Optimyst with the water vapour and opti-v which uses a different tech - essentially a hidden video screen.

Might be worth looking for one in a showroom.

Sorry meant to add a link

https://www.dimplexfires.com/en-uk/opti-v-fires

I want to do similar - electric seems like a no-brainer in terms of less fuss and cleaner air.

We bought an Optimyst a while ago. It was horrible. I had coal fires growing up and it reminded me of them but not in a good way. Seeing the smoke effect made me imagine I could smell damp coal burning! We never switch the smoke effect on. Also the fan is noisy.

Have you looked at the little Everhot mini stoves? They radiate heat, no flame but look like a small woodburner.

Thank you both of you, I will also look into the Everhot 👍🏻

Difficulty appears to be finding a store that stocks the different Dimplex ranges to actually view them. 😕

I have bioethanol and although absolutely stunning it’s extremely expensive to maintain