Have you recently purchased a new home or are you interested in doing a remodel of the home that you already have? Regardless of your specific situation, you can’t go wrong with installing an electric fireplace as one of your home improvement projects. However, if you have never used electric fireplaces, you may be curious why you shouldn’t just use a traditional wood fireplace. If you don’t know if you have a traditional fireplace already, did you know that you’ll likely have to hire a residential architect to plan it out for you? It’s a much bigger renovation than you think.
Not only is an electric fireplace almost effortless to install in your living room, but you won’t have to hire any architects or other professionals along the way. And due to the wide range of styles to fit your existing home decor style, you won’t need to consult with an interior designer to completely redo your interior design.
Of course, choosing the right electric fireplace for your residence may seem like a challenging task. Luckily, this article can help. Here, we will compare two types of electric fireplaces, TV stand fireplaces from Menards and MagikFlame electric inserts. We’ll break down the advantages and disadvantages of each type so that you can make the best possible decision.
In This Comparative Review, You’ll Learn:
- What Are The Different Features That Will Be Compared Between a Menards Fireplace TV Stand and a MagikFlame Electric Fireplace? – We break down all of the features that will be used to compare these different types of fireplaces that you can use in your home.
- What Are The Living Room Space-Saving Differences Between a Menards Fireplace TV Stand and a MagikFlame Electric Fireplace? – This part is all about how much space you can save when using TV stand fireplaces or inserts inside of your house.
- How Is The Heating Ability Between a Menards Fireplace TV Stand and a MagikFlame Electric Fireplace? – We examine how well these devices heat your home and how much space they can cover.
- Between a Menards Electric Fireplace Entertainment Center and a MagikFlame Electric Fireplace, Which Has The Most Realistic Flame? – This is all about fire effects regarding these fireplace types and which looks the most realistic.
- Is a Media Console or TV Stand With Electric Fireplace Components More Likely To Have Problems Than a MagikFlame Electric Fireplace Insert? – We highlight some reasons that one type will have more issues than the other type.
- Are Both Fireplace Types Easy DIY Living Room Installations? – We compare the differences in installing both of these fireplace types.
- What Is The Difference In Shopping Experiences Between These Two Fireplace Types? – For online shopping experiences, we compare what you should expect from each company.
- Is Wall Mounting Flat Screen TVs Over Wall-Embedded Inserts Better Than Installing a Media Center With an Electric Fireplace Inside of It? – We cover the advantages of wall-mounting a TV vs using a TV stand.
- Are MagikFlame Inserts Versatile So That You Can Use Them In Many Situations? – The versatility of utilizing a fireplace insert is discussed.
- What Other Features Do MagikFlame Inserts Have Included With Them? – We recap the features that make MagikFlame inserts great and also list some more that haven’t been talked about yet.
What Are The Different Features That Will Be Compared Between a Menards Fireplace TV Stand and a MagikFlame Electric Fireplace?
Menards-like home improvement stores are quite popular for many items. Other similar stores are Home Depot and Lowe’s. However, are the generic electric fireplace media consoles any good? How do they compare with MagikFlame inserts?
To compare these two different types of fireplaces, we are going to compare individual features and see how they match up.
We will first talk a bit about how much space can be saved between these two different types of fireplaces. This is because many houses or apartments may not have much space to work with. We will then shift our focus onto the heating ability of these different fireplaces. You want to make sure the fireplace can sufficiently warm your home.
Next, we’ll cover fire effects and which fireplace has flames that look the closest to a real wood-burning fireplace. We’ll then shift to the topic of build quality and which fireplace type is more likely to have issues sooner. Easy installation will also be covered.
Finally, we’ll talk about the shopping experience you can expect from their relative online stores.
After we are done comparing some of the main features of these fireplace types, we’ll answer a few more questions related to them. Let’s jump into the review!
What Are The Living Room Space-Saving Differences Between a Menards Fireplace TV Stand and a MagikFlame Electric Fireplace?
Freestanding electric fireplace media consoles can help save space when comparing them to larger traditional fireplaces or full-size electric fireplaces. This is because a media console with a fireplace built into it combines two different items in the home. By consolidating both into a single item, you instantly halve the space needed.
Regardless that these TV stand fireplaces do help save space, do they save more space than a MagikFlame insert? TV stand fireplaces are still quite bulky. They need to have plenty of space for the fireplace itself in the body of the unit. In addition to the fireplace, there is a lot more space that is needed. It is common for these TV stand fireplaces to have large side cabinets with adjustable shelves. They might have wood doors to hide the media collection or glass doors to display what is inside. In addition, the console itself needs to be large enough to handle TVs of a certain size placed on top of them. This requires the entertainment centers to stick out much further from the wall when compared to standard electric fireplace mantel packages.
MagikFlame inserts save quite a lot of space compared to TV stand fireplaces. They are small devices without a large mantel. You can embed these units directly into the wall so that the edges are completely flush with the drywall. This means that they don’t take up any significant space in your home. In addition to the ability to embed them, you can also install shelves into the recessed wall around the insert, allowing for all of the same storage you’d find in TV stand fireplaces. With a wall-embedded MagikFlame insert and recessed shelves surrounding it, you are getting all of the benefits of TV stand fireplaces with much less space being used.
How Is The Heating Ability Between a Menards Fireplace TV Stand and a MagikFlame Electric Fireplace?
One of the biggest issues with TV stand fireplaces is that they have severely limited space for the fireplace unit that is inside of them. They need a lot of this space for media storage and shelving. Because so much of the space is for other things, the fireplace unit itself tends to suffer. These smaller units will generally have a weaker heating ability. They may be able to warm a small room adequately, but if your main room is large or you want to heat more of the house, they often aren’t robust enough.
In comparison, MagikFlame inserts are incredibly powerful. While the inserts are compact in size, they put out more power than most generic electric fireplaces you’ll find from these hardware stores. MagikFlame inserts put out 5,200 BTUs of heat with their efficient infrared quartz heating device. Because it is so powerful, you can warm homes of up to 1,000 square feet. Many generic fireplaces found in these TV stands can’t cover that same space.
Due to their small size and weak performance, the efficiency of TV stand fireplaces will also be worse. With these TV stand fireplaces, you might set the thermostat high and find that the room never quite reaches the intended temperature. This means your electric bill will be high due to all of the work your fireplace is unsuccessfully trying to do. For pure heating ability, MagikFlame fireplaces are much better.
Between a Menards Electric Fireplace Entertainment Center and a MagikFlame Electric Fireplace, Which Has The Most Realistic Flame?
The ambiance is such an important part of electric fireplaces and what type of flame effect is present is how that atmosphere is provided. You want a realistic flame with your fire effects.
Just like the small size of TV stand fireplaces limits the heating ability, it, unfortunately, limits the fire effects too. In many of these TV stand fireplaces, you have cheap LED technology. This results in effects that don’t look like a real flame. Instead, it looks like a fake, 2D effect in the firebox.
All MagikFlame fireplaces, insert models included, have holographic fire effects that genuinely look like a real flame. These 3D flames are projected onto physical logs that sit above an ember bed inside of the firebox. There are 30 different styles of flames that owners can switch between at the press of a bottom. All of the flames move and flicker like real flames. They also have beautiful embers that spark out realistically.
Is a Media Console or TV Stand With Electric Fireplace Components More Likely To Have Problems Than a MagikFlame Electric Fireplace Insert?
We have already established that fireplace TV stands have small units inside of them with lower heating performance. One of the problems with this is that they continuously work so hard to warm a larger area in your home. All of this hard work to produce a small amount of heat takes a huge toll on the heating device itself. For these reasons, the fireplaces in these TV stands are likely to have issues and need repairs somewhat quickly. Some of the generic brands also have poor build quality to the overall TV stand. Don’t be surprised when the TV stand begins to fall apart due to bad materials and build quality. This is especially unfortunate because you’ll still want to use your fireplace despite the surrounding body falling apart.
MagikFlame builds all of its fireplaces with top-tier materials and goes to great lengths to ensure excellent build quality. Because MagikFlame cares so much about its customers, it takes pride in making electric fireplaces that will work well for many years to come.
Are Both Fireplace Types Easy DIY Living Room Installations?
Luckily, both of these different fireplace types are quite easy to install. That is a common theme amount electric fireplaces in general. However, there are some differences.
TV stand fireplaces tend to be quite heavy, and unless you have bought a unit that is already built, you may need to assemble the components of the TV stand yourself. In comparison, MagikFlame inserts are quite light. A single person can slide it into place. Of course, MagikFlame insert installations can be as involved as you desire them to be. It will take more time and effort if you want to embed them into a recessed wall, but the result you are left with will be that much more impressive.
The effort needed to install these two types of fireplaces is quite low. There are just some small differences between the two types of installations.
What Is The Difference In Shopping Experiences Between These Two Fireplace Types?
Going on their website to order a TV stand fireplace can be a bit overwhelming. They can have different materials like MDF. MDF is an engineered wood that appears like real wood, which can be misleading in some circumstances. Additionally, there are too many brand-name fireplaces to choose from like Dimplex, ChimneyFree, Whalen, and more. For many of these brands like Dimplex and ChimneyFree, there isn’t a lot of information available. You’ll end up needing to do further research on your own. Even when you find a brand you like, they may not have the color you want. They might be limited to an espresso model when you want one in a clean and bright white finish.
Another issue with ordering one of these TV stand fireplaces is that the final price can be confusing. The shipping dimensions and shipping weight can make a big difference in how much it costs at checkout. And while some might have included discounts, this is often in the form of a mail-in rebate. You have to pay full price at checkout but then send in the mail-in rebate to the company that manufactures that specific fireplace. It can take you months to get your rebate if it ever comes.
Lastly, if you are looking for a specific fireplace, it can be difficult to find unless you know the exact SKU or model number.
With MagikFlame, you don’t have any of these issues. The website is packed with tons of information about all of their models. They have countless blog posts of informative articles answering any questions you may have about MagikFlame products and electric fireplaces in general. Everything about buying MagikFlame fireplaces is easy and transparent.
Is Wall Mounting Flat Screen TVs Over Wall-Embedded Inserts Better Than Installing a Media Center With an Electric Fireplace Inside of It?
You don’t need to put your flat panel TV on top of a TV stand fireplace. Instead, you can mount it directly on the wall over an insert that is embedded below it. This takes up much less space in the room and looks a lot better. As we mentioned previously, if you still need space for your media collection or media devices, you can install shelves into your recessed wall as well.
Are MagikFlame Inserts Versatile So That You Can Use Them In Many Situations?
MagikFlame inserts are exceptional due to their versatility. To begin with, these inserts can convert traditional fireplaces by installing them into the firebox. That is the most common use of inserts. However, there is more you can do as well. You can install them with a third-party fireplace mantel that you found on Wayfair or another online store. You can embed them into a wall as we have previously mentioned. You can build a custom mantel for an insert. You can even install them in third-party entertainment centers if the dimensions match up.
What Other Features Do MagikFlame Inserts Have Included With Them?
MagikFlame inserts are the better choice over TV stand fireplaces. With MagikFlame inserts, you get:
- Ultra-realistic Fire Effects – 30 different fire effects to completely customize your experience.
- Crackling Log Sounds – Realistic sounds of crackling logs induce relaxation and promote a welcoming atmosphere.
- 5,200 BTU Heat – An efficient heater powerful enough to warm homes up to 1,000 sq. ft.
- Safety Options – They are UL-certified and safe. They don’t have harmful fumes. They are great around pets and kids.
- Smartphone App – Instead of a typical remote control, a premium app is used to control your MagikFlame insert.
