Roll-n-Glow Fireless Flame Fireplace
Reviewed by Robert Pritchett
Introduction
While in Florida on a business trip, I read the USA Today newspaper and found a “24 hour free offer” for 2 of
these units. http://www.fatwallet.com/t/24/786579/ So I called. I got a bait-n-switch and ended up getting one, not two of these
units delivered via UPS.
I asked for the Cherry wood mantle. The unit I received
wasn’t “free” by any means. Perhaps they meant the heater was free, but the
wood mantle cost extra?
Cherry or Oak
Handmade Amish mantels made from solid wood. (No composites or press
broad)
Fully assembled and delivered to your door.
Integrated caster design for easy maneuverability.
No venting and no chimney required.
UL listed.
Two speed heat settings - 1500 watts and 750 watts.
2559 BTU's / 5119 BTU's.
Dimensions 31.875"w, 25.5"h, 11.875"d
Weight 57lbs.
6ft electrical cord.
http://www.heatsurge.com/craftsmanship.cfm
The unit I received had plastic
wheels and not steel casters. Is there such a thing as “heat-resistant
catalyzed varnish”? The marketers think so…
The “solid” wood apparently is
remanufactured wood scrap on veneer and some pieces are solid, but perhaps not
Cherry. The front pieces are glued and stapled instead of being “quality”
mitered pieces. Mine came with the right side front piece twisted so I could
see the unfinished ends. Pressed wood, not “solid”. Not happy.
By the way, it is not a “free
heater” per the ad. What you get is the overpriced heater with a “free” mantle
made by the Amish so you “save” over $200. The wood may be solid, but the
craftsmanship is not. The wood is glued on (rubber cement?) and stapled in
place (short staples). Cheap, cheap construction and will not last “100 years”.
The heating unit is above the
“fireplace” section, instead of below it. The fan blower unit is loud and not
whisper quiet. The heater unit has wire elements, but I never saw them glow, so
I assume they are not truly functional and the ceramic heater is hiding behind
the “coils”. Heat really does blow into the room from the unit, so the heater
works.
That said, the “fireplace” lights
can be dimmed using the control panel under the upper grating. The heater will
not shut off because apparently the heater unit does not sense the room
tempurature and stays on. There is an extra remote unit which I did not
purchase and an extended 2-year warranty beyond the one-year limited warranty
for another $28 fee. I didn’t get that either.
There are two heating levels depending
on how much juice you want to run through your 110 outlet – either 750
Watts or 1500 Watts.
When you buy this unit, you are
buying ambiance and not practicality. A ceramic $20 heater would do the job
just as nicely as this under-$600 unit would and would take up a whole lot less
space.
Buzz Alexander wrote;
“…every electric heater in the
world converts a kilo-watt hour of electricity into 3413 BTUs. period. can’t do
better or worse. a 1500 watt heater is a 1500 watt heater. you can buy them for
$12 or wrap a mantel around them, call them a miracle, install cool looking
fake flames and charge $400. 1500 watts= 1.5 kilo-watts. 1.5 x 3413= 5119 BTU
produced by a 1500 watt heater. all 1500 watt heaters. the cost depends on your
local rate of electricity, not a national average. If you pay 10 cents per kwh,
then a 1500 wat heater will cost you 15 cents per hour.”
Conclusion
Don’t buy this unit. The wood may or may not be all “solid”
(photofinish wood strips mixed with perhaps solid top piece all stapled and
poorly glued together).
I really can’t tell if I bought the mantle or the heater
unit for whatever my credit card was charged, but the advertising is poorly
worded. Either way, it is over-priced and under-performing. You can get a
“throw-away” ceramic heater that performs better. I do not like false
advertising and this is one of those things. I attempted to get it returned and
have the charges reversed on my card. See “Post Mortem”.
Post Mortem
Calls to Customer Service were not initially successful.
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Customer Service Department is
closed”. I finally got through a week later and the Customer Service person was
kind, tried to get me to keep the unit at a discount, but was willing to have
UPS pick it up for a full refund. She admitted there was no thermostat, but
there is a kill circuit if the unit overheated
.
So, no steel casters, no thermostat, no great wood
construction, no sell.
