If you want the look and feel of an authentic fireplace, but you need something safer and that doesn’t require as much cleaning or maintenance, then you should check out this DuraFlame electric heater.
Let’s take a close look at the DuraFlame Infrared Quartz Heater. It’s an extremely popular space heater for home, but is it worthy of all the attention it gets?
We get to the bottom of things in this review. Hype machine or dependable infrared heater? Read on to see how this DuraFlame heater reviews!
Introduction
This DuraFlame electric fireplace is a bit different from the average selection. DuraFlame is a name that is famous for selling and supplying all manner of heaters that work with various fuel types.
However, as convincing as it may look, this DuraFlame model is an infrared heater that has been built to imitate a craftsman-style real wood fire.
It has been ornately designed and lovingly crafted and even includes dancing flames that can be fully adjusted to suit the mood of the room the heater is placed.
DuraFlame has used patent-pending 3D flames to give the impression of a real fire and even though you know it’s not real, there will be some times where you swear it is.
We are now going to break down this quartz heater and discuss each of its main features individually, to give you a better idea of what you would be investing in if you choose to spend your hard-earned money on it.
Beautiful & Authentic Craftsman-Style Design
Do you like things a little old-fashioned, things that are reminiscent of a bygone era? If you do, you will love this DuraFlame Infrared heater. It has been crafted from durable and robust metal and has the look and appeal of the genuine article.
Think comfy little cabin in the woods (not the kind that some homicidal manic would kill you at though, think happy thoughts) or one of those country farmhouses
Thanks to its slick black finish, the heater’s cabinet has the look of cast iron and lends to the overall rustic appearance of the fireplace.
It also features an attractive beveled-glass door, that looks similar to what you would find in a cottage, with a birdcage-style knob fashioned from antique brass. The heater is completed with the two generous, frameless viewing windows at either side.
This provides you with the perfect way to watch the glowing embers, realistic logs, and dancing flames, regardless of where you are sitting in the room. A nice touch is the fact that the flames can be used without the heating actually on. This means if it is a warmer day, but you still want to have that dancing flame effect, you can.
How does it fare against other top infrared heaters? Find out here.
Fast & Efficient Heating
We could spend even longer fawning over just how beautiful the infrared heater is; however, its charming good looks are only part of its almost magnetic appeal. When it comes to heating a room up, this is a highly efficient and very quick provider of warmth and comfort.
This DuraFlame electric fireplace, as you already know, does not actually burn logs to produce heat. That’s right, no matter how realistic they look (and they do, don’t they?), the real source of the heat produced by this imitation stove is quartz infrared.
What does that mean? Quartz infrared heating elements generate medium-wave infrared energy. It is a form of radiant heating that uses the waves of energy to heat an object’s surface directly. As it is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, everything absorbs infrared heat.
According to DuraFlame Heaters, this particular model is capable of producing enough heat (around 5,200 BTUs worth) to warm an area of 1000 ft. sq. Compared to other, non-infrared electric fires on the market, this is rather good.
Obviously, that is just an average and the results can vary from property to property and room to room depending on the layout and size. However, these kinds of stats make this quite a powerful little electric heater.
Another distinct advantage this, being an infrared heater, has over others on the market that do not use this form of heat is the fact that it can help maintain a room’s natural levels of humidity.
Therefore, it won’t dry out the air, leaving your room with a comfortable, moist heat. If that wasn’t enough, consider also the fact that infrared heat does not emit any toxic chemicals and gases like carbon monoxide and the cabinet never actually gets very hot to touch, so it is safe for you, your kids and pets
See how this model stacks up against other small energy-efficient heaters for the home in our massive guide.
Conveniently Placed & Easy to Use Controls
The heat produced by the fireplace can be altered easily to suit your own specific application, whether it’s heating a single area, lowering your home’s central heating thermostat or keeping your place warm while your HVAC system is being worked on, this will never let you down.
DuraFlame has obviously tried to follow through on the family-safe and focused design of the fireplace itself with the control side of things.
You have two options when it comes to controlling the various settings and functions of the DuraFlame infrared heater. You can use the main control panel which is located just behind the glass door in the bottom right-hand corner of the unit.
Although this is a little tricky to get to, the fact that the door closes and hides the LED lights out of the way, means that the overall effect of the fireplace is not ruined.
Thanks to the inclusion of a handy and easy-to-use remote control though, the only thing you really need to fiddle with on the onboard control unit is the thermostat temperature, which can be set between 62-degrees Fahrenheit and 82-degrees Fahrenheit.
With the remote control, you can turn the heater on and off, change the temperature and adjust the flame setting (there are a total of five different height, speed and brightness options) and also the 9-hour timer.
The timer is a great function because it means you can set it to go off at a specific time if you fall asleep before switching it off manually.
There is also a failsafe overheat switch integrated into the design that ensures that the appliance will not get too hot and if it does not it will switch off automatically.
This Duraflame infrared quartz heater reviews really well when it comes to safety and heat efficiency due to the inclusion of a thermostat and the automatic shut-off features.
Is it Good Value for Money?
Along with the key features, as outlined in the sections above, it is crucial also to look at a particular item in comparison with others of the same kind on the market. Like any other DuraFlame infrared heater review, we will discuss how the price compares.
It is completely fair and justified to say that no, it is not the cheapest product on the market, there are many that you can get for a fraction of the price. However, when looking at the price of a device like an electric heater, you need to not just think about the price on its own, but also its value.
Will a cheap electric heater really produce the same level of heat? We are not completely convinced, and even if it does there will always be some kind of trade-off. There will always be something that another manufacturer has done to keep the price relatively low. That’s why we feel that overall, the DuraFlame model offers decent value for money.
How does this model compare to the Dr. Infrared space heaters?
Are there Downsides?
No product is ever completely perfect and therefore despite the many positive things (of which there are many) we have to say about the DuraFlame heater, there are still things we feel could be improved upon.
For instance, the price is still a bit expensive compared to others on the market. And following on from a point we already noted earlier, the positioning of the onboard controls is not the best and especially not good if you have mobility issues.
It is only a small thing though, and we do understand that it is set that way to hide the LED lights that are set on the control panel. Perhaps if it was moved to the side, it could still be in an inconspicuous place that didn’t detract from the overall look and feel of the heater.
Conclusion
Well there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, we know there are quite a few DuraFlame Infrared heater reviews on the ‘net, so we are glad that you have stuck with us until the end.
We are sure you agree, that taking the time to really deconstruct a product like this infrared heater, and break down what makes it so good, is often the best way of determining whether it is right for you or not.
DuraFlame has a sterling reputation when it comes to manufacturing and supplying all kinds of heaters that run on various fuels and their selection of electric heaters are a nice addition to their large family.
This one, in particular, has many good things going for it. The fact that it can provide enough heat to warm an area of around 1000 sq. ft. was really appealing to us, and we are sure you’ll agree that that, plus the fact that it does not get particularly hot to touch, makes it ideal for a family home or a house that is home to many curious pets or children.
Obviously, when it comes to imitation heaters, it would be hard to not discuss the flames or the logs and with this model, both have been designed with pinpoint accuracy. The logs will fool even the trained eye from a distance and the flames, in all their 3D glory dance and sway like real fires.
The inclusion of a remote control means that you can alter the size, color, and brightness of your flames just as easy as choosing what boxset you are going to watch on Netflix or your favorite streaming service.
Is this model a Dyson beater? See what we think in our guide to the Dyson AM09.
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