Comparisons

Most comparison content in this category compares things that do not differ. Two 1,500 W fireplaces produce identical heat and cost identically to run, so a side-by-side on heat output is a table of the same number twice. These two pages compare things that genuinely differ.

[Electric vs gas](/compare/electric-vs-gas-fireplace) is the real fork, and gas wins two of the arguments outright — it produces four to eight times the heat and it is a real flame. Electric wins on install cost, flexibility, and the ability to run a flame with no heat at all for under two cents an hour. Which matters more depends on whether you are heating a room or furnishing one.

[Which brand is best](/compare/best-brands) turns out to be the wrong question with a useful answer. These companies specialize in different things: Dimplex owns the flame technology, Touchstone makes the deepest range of linear units, Duraflame owns the drop-in firebox segment, R.W.FLAME engineers for wall depth, and Walker Edison is a furniture business. Decide the purchase and the brand answers itself.

Heat output between electric units, because there is nothing to compare — the 120 V circuit caps every plug-in unit at 1,500 W and about 5,118 BTU per hour. Coverage claims in square feet, because those are supplemental-heat ratings rather than output figures and comparing them compares marketing decisions. And anything requiring us to have used the products, because we have not.