Dimplex CS1205 Compact Electric Stove
by Dimplex
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Dimplex CS1205 Compact Electric Stove
Customer Review: Mine Didn't Put Out Enough Heat
Summary: 3 Stars
I was looking for something to heat a 12x23 basement rec room and after reading all of the positive reviews on this I bought it. Upon removing it from the box I was very impressed with it's build quality. It feels solid and looks nice. Before taking it to the basement I hooked it up in my 12x16 living room for a test run, with an outdoor temp around 50. It looked good. The fire and coals were nice, although to be honest I've yet to see an electric "fire" that was truly realistic. Anyway, I ran it on high for a few hours and it maintained the current room temp at 68.7. I was disappointed to see that it didn't actually raise the temperature. I then switched it down to the lower setting, and couldn't notice a major difference between the low and high. I'm not sure if this is how it is or if mine is defective. I ran it for about another hour on low and lost 2/10th degrees in the room. I am sending it back to Amazon, which so far has been no problem.
Since I'm sending it back, I'm obviously disappointed. I could see it (or at least mine) being used to heat a bedroom, but in a larger room as I had intended it doesn't come close to output of my cheaper Holmes Quartz heater. On the positive side it is attractive, and is quieter than the Holmes. I'm not yet sure if I am going to try another in hopes that this one is defective or move on to something else.
Summary
Pros:
Attractive
Solid Feel
Quiet
Con
Not enough heat output. Maintained room temperature on high. Lost a little temperature on low. No noticable difference between the 2 heat settings in either output or sound. Again, maybe mine is defective.
I did notice in other reviews that some people commented that it would be better if it had a built in thermostat. That problem could be solved with an outlet thermostat, which can be bought on Amazon for around $35.
Customer Review: Heats wonderfully, looks great!
Summary: 5 Stars
We got this stove as a Christmas gift this year. My husband and I were both VERY surprised at how nice it actually looks. The fire effect is very realistic for an electric unit, far more convincing than any other brands we have seen; as we have several friends with electric fireplaces and stoves made by different companies besides this one. I had researched Dimplex brand fireplaces before, and everything they claim is true...no other brand electric fireplace (at least that I have seen) really comes close to the realism that they have come up with in their units. Of course nothing will ever beat the look of real logs burning, but this is still great looking nonetheless.
We use it in our 14x17 bedroom, and it warms the room up nicely, in fact TOO nicely, as we are usually sweating to death halfway through the night! We have an old, drafty Victorian house that has very little heat coming into the room at all, and this little guy does a great job. We are planning on getting a plug-in thermostat to go with it. In fact, that is my only complaint. I wish it had a built-in thermostat so you could set a temperature for the room. Because if you use a plug-in thermostat it will turn the entire unit off, including the flame effect, which I actually really like to sit and enjoy, whether the heat is on or not.
I read another review about this stove that the door does not open. Hmmm, that's interesting, because ours does open. When I showed it to my mother and opened the door for her, she was convinced enough that she put her hands in front of the "flames" to feel the warmth.
We like the stove so much we ordered black flue pipe and a collar so that it looks like it's attached to the chimney that runs up the one wall of the room. We are also building a tile hearth board for it to sit on. If you need extra heat in a room, but want something that looks nice at the same time, this little stove really does the trick!
Customer Review: NOT A BAD PRODUCT, BUT NEEDS IMPROVEMENT..
Summary: 1 Stars
Ever went to a store, looked at a item, liked it but, the item was missing something? You say to yourself if only the manufacture had did this or that when they made it, the product would have been better. well, that's how I feel about this electric stove. Living in New York, it can get very cold here. The people who rent apartments have to rely on landlords to provide adequate heat throughout their residence. Needless to say that is my problem. NOT ENOUGH HEAT, OR NONE AT ALL !!! In the past, I purchased small space heaters to combat my situation. This year I throught (after reading the reviews) why not try something better, so I purchased the Dimplex CS1205.
I give this product a good rating for it's quiet operation and the fireplace effect, but here's how I think the product could have improved overall. First, I would have liked the stove to provide more opening space to produce more heat. The heat seems to come from the bottom of the wooden cabinet instead of shooting out the front panel. Since this particular model does not have a opening door in front, I thought, why not place a heating vent there as well? With the heat coming from both areas of the unit, the stove could have been more effective and it would heat a room in a matter of seconds, especially when set on high.
Secondly, for those of you who like the fireplace effect, it's o.k. but, I would have liked to see a pastel or fiber-optic like color changing glow to spice it up a bit. With these additions, the product may have cost more, but I think it would have been more enjoyable and worth it.
Bottom line the stove does not produce enough heat for me in New York. I can't say purchasing a larger one would have made a difference. From what I viewed in the styles of the Dimplex stoves, they all seem to have the heating vents located on the bottom of their units. The stove is pleasing to look at, but that's not keeping me warm.
Customer Review: Gives You a Nice Glow
Summary: 4 Stars
This electric fireplace heater does a good job imitating a real log fireplace, produces a cozy glow, and does radiate some warmth.
However, there are a few things to consider before buying this product.
1. The unit draws 15 amps. The electric circuits in the older part of my house are just 15 amp circuits, so I haven't felt I could plug the unit in there without risking tripping a breaker. I feel limited to plugging it into the newer section of my building where the circuits are all 20 amps. Even here though, I avoid plugging anything else into the same circuit as the unit, again for fear of overloading that circuit.
2. The controls for the unit are not located very conveniently. They are near the bottom of the fireplace box, so you have to stoop down and grope in a potentially darkened corner to turn the unit on. I keep a flashlight handy to see which switch (On/Low/Hi/Lights Only) I'm flipping.
3. While the unit does produce warmth, the fan doesn't seem to circulate that warm air very efficiently out from under the unit where it's generated. Some warmth does diffuse around the unit, but I wouldn't say this fireplace could efficiently heat even a relatively small room.
However the unit is solidly, safely built. Even when it's put on "Hi," the walls of the fireplace box don't get warm, so there's no danger of igniting any nearby wall, and there's no chance of a child getting burned by touching one of the sides of the unit. Furthermore, the front of my unit does NOT open, so children can't get in there and do any damage.
On the whole, this unit serves more for appearances than as a serious, long-term substitute for any central heating in a room. But it is cozy and flickering, and inspires a yen to slow down, curl up, and start reading a ghost story.
Customer Review: Not EXACTLY like a fire, but pretty.
Summary: 4 Stars
Some critter got under the house and detached our heating ducts a few years ago so we only use electric heat and ambient heat from other rooms in the livingroom. I was looking for a better space heater after an Econoheat panel shorted and melted while I slept.
The problem with most space heaters is they are UGLY. They look like they belong in a garage. I wanted something that looked like a piece of furniture that wouldn't set fire to my cats and that could heat up a big room with open doorways. I should also mention that I have a humor-based decorating style, so whether someone else will find it tacky or not is of no concern to me. I don't invite people without a sense of humor into my home.
Anyway, I went with this. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being an orange spotlight behind a fan blowing white bits of fabric around like some Halloween decorations, and 10 being a real fire, I'd give it a 7.5. It only looks like a real fire if you're not looking directly at it. The foily logs help a bit and it does have a slight 3D effect that makes it better than some, but even if you add a crackling fire mp3 and burn wood incense in the room no one is going to mistake it for a real fire.
That's not to say I don't like it. It does provide that hypnotizing effect you look for in a fireplace!
Additionally, it was 35 degrees F last night. I live in a farmhouse with 4 inch walls and cellulose insulation. I put it in my livingroom, which is approximately 500 sq feet, with an open doorway, 2 large windows, a sliding glass door, no basement, and an open stairway. It kept the room at 72 to 74 degrees all night.
It seems to be of sturdy construction. The top stays cool. The fan is very quiet. It's also light and portable. Overall I'm satisfied enough to get another one for my office.