Dimplex Revillusion Review

The Dimplex Revillusion is the most popular traditional fireplace on the market because of its realistic fire and flexible options. It comes in 5 different sizes, with a choice of 2 liners, 3 log sets, 2 surrounds, 3 wiring options, plus you can get glass doors or a fixed glass front.

I've done two very different installations of this fireplace: one as a fireplace insert into a masonry hearth, and the second as a permanent installation with built-in display cabinets and a granite mantle.

Coincidentally, the first time I used the Dimplex Revillusion as a fireplace insert, the product was sponsored so I got it for free. But I paid over $2,000 for the second fireplace with the options. Was it worth it?

Fireplace Sizes

The Revillusion comes in five sizes that relate to the width of the firebox. The 24-inch and 30-inch models are perfect for smaller rooms or as fireplace inserts. I used a 30″ model in my daughter's house because I was limited by her 35×29-inch masonry firebox. To use the Revillusion as an insert, you'll need a trim kit to completely cover the old fireplace opening. How you run power is up to you, but we just used a white extension cord so it was least visible on the whitewashed brick.

The 36-inch and 42-inch models are great to become the focal point in larger rooms. They also make a 36-inch portrait model that is 4 inches taller than the standard 36. That's what I used in my great room project because my built-ins were 40″ tall so I had plenty of height.

Remote Control

All models work the same way and all come with the same remote control. The button at the top turns everything on and off.

The Color Themes button turns on a flame source to be either red and orange to look like a wood fire, or blue to simulate a gas log. We usually keep it off.

The Brightness button can set the brightness High or Low, but it's very hard to tell the difference during the day. We usually leave it bright.

It also has an automatic light sensor to dim it for you automatically at night. We don't use it.

The 360-degree button cycles the downlighting: 0 is off, 1 is white, 2 is orange, 3 is red, and back to off. Real fireplaces don't have downlighting so I think it reduces the illusion, especially with the standard logs. I'll touch on this again later after installing the birch log set.

When downlighting is active, the brightness can be set to High, Low, Flickering High, or Flickering Low. I like Flickering Low, but I usually leave the downlighting Off for the most realistic fire.

If you misplace the remote, all of the settings are available on a touch panel with the same language-independent icons.

Heater

The internal ceramic heater has a built-in thermostat and can heat your room even if the flame is off. It's a constant speed fan that blows straight out from the unit and can be felt up to 12 feet away. It produces 4,400 BTUs at 120 volts, or nearly double that if you hard wire it to a 240 volt circuit.

Speaking of wiring, the 24″ model is 120 Volts only and comes with a power cord pre-installed.

All others come ready to be hardwired at 120 or 240 Volts. Dimplex sells an optional 120-volt appliance cord for ~$75, but I used a generic one for less than $10. Just make sure it's 14 gauge wire rated for 15 amps.

All models have a choice of a herringbone brick liner or a weathered concrete liner. My daughter went with the more traditional herringbone brick which looks better with her brick chimney. I chose the more contemporary weathered concrete because it looks better with our lava stone veneer.

Log Sets

The standard log set looks like charred oak that's been burning for hours. It looks a little boring when the fire is off, but when you turn it on, they come to life with internal lights that make them glow independently.

If you don't like the charred look, you can swap them out for fresh cut logs, like my daughter did, or birch logs, like I did. The accessory logs look nicer when the fireplace is off, but they don't have any interior lighting like the standard logs.

Taking the unit apart to change the logs really helps to understand how this fireplace works.

The front log is secured by two screws at the base of the grate. Then it slides forward to unlatch and remove it. The original log set has a bunch of wires that go to the lights in each log for the glowing effect. The ember bed just lifts out to reveal a strip of LEDs and four screws with clips holding the flame screen where the flame appears between the logs.

The accessory logs come with a red suction cup to make it easy to remove the screen without touching it. Fingerprints would spoil the illusion. The side panels and doors need to be removed before you can remove the flame screen.

The rear log is held in place with four screws. It lifts straight out to really spoil the magic. Five bright LEDs are focused at the rotating shaft with foil reflectors. You can also see LEDs at the bottom that light the ember bed. The ones in the middle are for the flame source, but I have those off. Flame shaped windows on the rear log cause the flames to realistically vanish as they rise.

The flame screen has a bit of a mirror finish at the bottom that serves many purposes:

• First, it prevents you from seeing the guts under the rear log and spoiling the magic.
• Second, it obscures your view of the rear log just enough to appear like smoke rising with the flames.
• Third, it makes the flames appear brighter at the source, like a real fire would.
• And finally, it partially reflects the flames on the back liner, just like a real fire would.

You can see the log better with the doors open. But during the day when the room is bright, the flame screen provides an unnatural reflection that detracts from the illusion. Glass on the front prevents you from noticing the reflection from behind the log so we leave the glass doors closed.

Using my Emporia Vue energy monitor, I can tell my fireplace is only using around 13 watts with the heat off, and 1,250 watts with the heat on.

It comes with a 2-year warranty and, as you can see, all the parts are easily replaceable without removing the unit. Dimplex even provides a repair manual directly on the product page of their website.

Room for Improvement

The product isn't perfect and there's room for improvement.

The remote could be better. I sometimes need to press the power button multiple times and it feels like I'm going to wear it out in no time.

I also wish it would have memory to come back on if it was on a switched outlet or a smart plug.

I also wish I could leave the downlight on even if the fire was off.

Now I'd like to hear your feedback. What do you think of the Dimplex Revillusion? Do you have a different kind of fireplace that you like better? Please leave a comment to let me know.

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