Are you building or remodeling a home? Just thinking about adding a fireplace or undergoing interior design? In a new home, the architect and home builder work together to make the fireplace the focal point of a room. It’s more than another piece of home décor – it warms you and brings the whole family together. Adding a fireplace is a home improvement project that provides a lot of bang for the buck.
Two of the major brands you can buy are Duraflame and Dimplex. This article will look at the pros and cons of these models. Then it will compare the MagikFlame to both of them. Each fireplace is sold in a different price range and contains various features. Additionally, some brands are built sturdier than others at these prices. You will need to size up your needs and the needs of your home to select the best electric fireplace for you.
Please note: Duraflame and Dimplex are outstanding brands and established organizations. You can have confidence and trust in these companies if you purchase from them. No observations, opinions, or comments in this post are intended to impact these brands negatively.
In this post, you will learn:
- About Electric Fireplaces
- Duraflame Electric Fireplaces
- Dimplex Electric Fireplaces
- Comparisons Between The Two
- About MagikFlame Electric Fireplaces
- How MagikFlame Compares To Dimplex And Duraflame
About electric fireplaces
An electric fireplace is a superior purchase and investment to other fireplaces. A wood-burning fireplace has the right look of flames. However, it is inefficient. It blows most of the heat straight up the chimney. Wood is free or cheap if you chop it yourself. You will likely buy expensive cordage from someone who has already cut it to fireplace size. Wood fireplaces have the hassle of regular cleaning, not just wiping down the unit with a soft towel. Wood’s higher costs, lower efficiencies, and dirt make electric a superior choice.
Gas fireplaces are another option. Gas burns less efficiently than electricity. It also needs a vent to ensure carbon monoxide, dust, and more do not build up inside your home. Gas is currently very inexpensive. In the past, gas prices have fluctuated wildly, making it a more costly fuel when that happens. A gas fireplace also burns hot, making it less desirable if you have children or pets who may be burned on it.
About Duraflame
Duraflame is a major player in the mass market of fireplaces. They create an excellent, basic fireplace or heating unit. They offer a variety of styles of electric fireplaces, and people especially love their glass-fronted freestanding electric fireplace stove models. These stoves are small and affordable. Their fireplaces are inexpensive but not as long-lasting as the other manufacturers’ fireplaces. Depending on your need, they also sell an electric fireplace stove, firebox, and log set. They offer a wide array of different types and designs. Their electric stove heater plugs directly into a wall socket.
The electric fireplace heater produces different amounts of heat, some at 4600 BTUs, heating 400 square feet or 5200 BTUs, heating 1000 square feet. Both types release enough energy to heat a medium-sized room with the home’s existing heating system. Most of their electric fireplaces produce heat with an infrared quartz system. But some still use a noisy fan in a forced-air unit that is less efficient. You will need to check the fireplace’s heating capacity and be certain it matches the room you want to heat alongside your home’s basic heating.
A Duraflame electric fireplace has a nice 3D flame effect. While not fully realistic, the flame effect is excellent at the price you pay. It also has many built-in safety features, such as a thermostat that shuts off if any internal parts heat up above a safe level. This provides safety for kids, pets, and anyone who may get too close to the heater. Some models have a fireplace log, and others lack it.
You can find an affordable Duraflame 3D infrared electric fireplace stove of any style or price. But honestly, you buy it for the value. The company has an international supply chain that integrates production worldwide to keep costs low. The models are lightweight and easy to move. This bonus can be a problem if you want a sturdy, long-lasting fireplace.
The biggest pro of Duraflame is value for your money. The biggest con is that you will have to look through several models to find the one with all the features that fit your needs. Not only do they have different size heating units, but some fit with a zone heating system and some do not. Some are completely cool to touch, and some are not. Some have glowing logs and embers, and others do not. Write down all the features you want in a fireplace and work with the salesperson to ensure the electric fireplace or stove you buy matches the features you want.
About Dimplex
Dimplex is a brand that retails at mid-range to high-range costs. Overall, their electric fireplace heaters look and feel sturdier and last longer than Duraflame electric fireplaces. It is excellent at heating a room, and most models will heat a 1000-square-foot room.
Where Dimplex shines is in the design area. Dimplex is available in various styles, from an electric fireplace insert (along with log sets and fireboxes to fit an existing fireplace) to mantel units, stoves, media consoles, and linear fireplaces. People who buy Dimplex are looking for their design features. They offer modern, traditional, and ultra-contemporary designs. No matter your style, you are likely to find a Dimplex that matches it.
The visuals of the flame are different. Some Dimplex models offer Opti-Myst, which uses air and water from a cartridge to create a flame-like effect. Ultra-modern linear electric fireplaces show off this flame to its best effect. You view the flame through a glass door and operate it separately from the space heater effect. That means that even on hot days, you can enjoy the look of the flame. Other models have the Opti-V projected flame effects or different kinds of visual flames entirely. You may or may not get a realistic flame effect. A glowing log is also a feature to look for.
Dimplex electric fireplaces direct heat toward the room but use different methods. Some units are infrared heaters, while others rely on a fan and forced air. For some models, you can view the heater directly under the flames. Make sure you get one with a quartz infrared heater to avoid problems with humidity and hot spots on the outside of the heater.
Dimplex operates worldwide out of Dublin, Ireland, with over $3 billion in worldwide sales. It is a major international corporation with a strong reputation. Still, it sources parts worldwide, opening the door to manufacturing errors and problems.
Overall, Dimplex is a well-made and highly fashionable electric fireplace. They offer a wide range of choices and options. But this proliferation of options means that each model doesn’t contain the best of each choice. Some fireplaces are made to the highest standards, and others are built to different standards.
Comparing Duraflame to Dimplex
Both makers of electric fireplaces create units that work well as electric heaters. While neither has the full ambiance of a wood-burning fireplace, both have a pleasant flame effect and heat rooms well. Both companies have strong reputations. By offering different prices for different qualities, these makers give an option of stepping into the electric fireplace world at any price point.
Dimplex comes out ahead in sturdiness and design but also costs more. They have many different units to match a wide variety of home styles. Both brands, however, lack consistency in which features are included with which fireplaces. Many of their designs are not fireplaces but rather heaters, stoves, or other units.
Heating compared
When purchasing one of these brands, ensure it has infrared heat because both brands sell electric stove heaters that use older technology that doesn’t heat as efficiently. A quartz fireplace stove heats quietly and quickly and is a feature you should look for when purchasing an electric fireplace. Both electric stove makers sell infrared heater models that work great with zone heating and provide supplemental heat to a larger heating system. The amount of control you have varies – look for features such as a remote control and multiple thermostats.
Style compared
Dimplex scores style points above Duraflame electric fireplace’s basic presentations. The second has some long horizontal models and cute stoves that allow a 3-sided view of the flames; however, Dimplex excels at those. However, most of both manufacturers’ models look like plug-in fireplaces at best and old space heaters at worst. Purchase a Duraflame 3D infrared electric fireplace stove if you want the top features. Dimplex is the more stylish choice in almost all models. You can buy one to fit your home styling, whether contemporary, traditional, transitional, country or other home décor styles.
Dimplex offers a range of sturdier and more permanent models than Duraflame’s models. They provide a highly contemporary style in their linear fireplaces. Dimplex’s media console easily fits into a contemporary-styled home, making room for a television and all its accessories. A fireplace TV stand is good look for many living rooms, saving space and directing attention to a single place. Its mantel models are sturdy and thin. The attractive design features of their mantels are built to fit into smaller spaces with ease. They sell a wide variety of smaller fireplaces.
Other brands you might look into include Lifesmart, Costway, and Electric Fireplaces Direct. We know the fireplace market is competitive. And we know that style is subjective. You will make your own style decision, but when you pick a beautiful fireplace, check to ensure it has both the durability and the features you want.
About MagikFlame
MagikFlame is a top-of-the-line electric fireplace. It comes standard with features only available in some units by the other makers. Its price is higher than the other brands discussed because it is better made and will last a long time. The MagikFlame electric fireplace can heat a large room, and the only sound you will hear is the crackling of flames. You can put your fireplace in the living room, but MagikFlame is the only one rated safe enough to place in a bedroom.
The dancing flame
The MagikFlame story is about creating the most realistic flame alongside the best heat. Owner and founder Howard Birnbaum worked in Hollywood doing holographic special effects for movies, including Harry Potter and The Matrix. One day he ran into an electric fireplace and was curious about how it worked. He started tinkering and developed a completely alternative way to make a flame that looks more realistic than any other fireplace.
The flame starts with logs and a glowing ember bed, then projects a movie of a flame overtop those logs. As the last step to add realism, the system projects a hologram over the movie fire, creating three-dimensional flames. While these flames do not burn, they look indistinguishable from real flames. Add onto this, you can choose from 30 flames, depending on your mood. Maybe tonight, you select the classic Memories of Christmas fireplace, or you could go big with the Dragon’s Fury fireplace. These come with crackling sounds to make them fully realistic. Check out the MagikFlame reviews to see what our customers think.
Duraflame does not have this dancing flame, nor does it have the crackling flame sounds. Some units have remote controls, and some do not. Dimplex has a good flame, but it is not as good as our choice of 30 dancing flames. When purchasing an electric fireplace, you want flame realism. Otherwise, you might well save money and just get a space heater.
Made in America
We build MagikFlame inserts entirely in America, which is one of the significant differences between other brands and us. MagikFlame is a small family business. MagikFlame insists on the highest quality materials and workmanship. As a small producer, they can ensure you get the best possible electric fireplace. If you want to know more, check out “How MagikFlame is built.”
Duraflame electric fireplaces are built with a mix of metal and plastic. The plastic is not as sturdy and will not last as long as construction out of metal and wood. Duraflame electric fireplaces are a good deal for the money they cost. However, designers and creators do not make the Duraflame electric fireplace last as long as other brands. Dimplex is better made, but the company is overseas and sources parts worldwide. Some will be made with care; others will just be stamped out and sent on.
Heating comparison
All MagikFlame units produce 5,200 BTUs of direct heat from by an infrared quartz system. This system immediately heats all surfaces that the infrared light hits. You turn it on and feel immediate results. The fireplace can heat up to 1000 square feet. Like many other heating systems, the heat does not dry out the air but creates comfortable warmth. You want to ensure that your fireplace choice will help your home keep its natural humidity.
This infrared quartz heater is a feature you can get with a Duraflame electric fireplace or a Dimplex electric fireplace, but it is not in all of them. Other heaters can dry the air and run with noisy electric fans. An infrared quartz heater makes heat on contact without having to blow it all around the room. You do not want the hassle of repairs and upgrading parts that come with any heaters with moving parts.
Conclusion
With Duraflame or Dimplex, check carefully about what you are buying. They sell a range of units at prices that may or may not fit your budget. Remote control, infrared heat, and different flame settings do not come with every model. With MagikFlame, those features and more are all standard. Making it easier, you can buy all three brands on Amazon.
MagikFlame offers payment plans and financing to help make the best electric fireplace more affordable to you. Our fireplaces also have a one-year warranty.
FAQs
How do I know what to look for in an electric fireplace?
Check out our buying guide; it contains many answers. We also offer a range of educational materials about electric fireplaces and ours in particular.
