Amish Heat Surge Electric Fireplace Review
I love this Country. We don’t manufacture as many products as we used to, but we’ll always be the masters of the marketing universe. No other country can take something as mundane as a 1,500 watt space heater and repackage it as the Second Coming. A perfect example of this marketing ingenuity is the Amish Heat Surge Electric Fireplace.
It Rolls! It Glows! The Heat Surge miracle heater is a work of genius from the China coast! Real Amish Craftsmanship goes into each mantle! And, to quote the Heat Surge website, “It’s not just a fireplace; it’s a fine piece of furniture.”
But you have to ask yourself: Do I want to spend $587 for a mini electric fireplace on wheels that produces no more heat than any other 1,500 watt space heater costing $500 dollars less?
Just to be fair, this is a valid question for all electric fireplaces, not just the Heat Surge. Believe it or not, you could easily spend more than $2,000 for a combination electric fireplace/entertainment center heated with the same 1,500 watt unit.
No matter how much you pay for an electric fireplace, the cost for the electric heat insert is about $250 (retail). So every dollar you spend over $250 is for the mantel piece. In the case of the Amish Cherry Fireplace, $250 subtracted from the $587 retail price leaves $337 for the cost of the mantel.
Since the Amish heater is a mini electric fireplace, it’s difficult to find a similar sized electric fireplace for the sake of comparison. The best I could come up with is the ProCom 24″ cherry finish electric fireplace.
Although this fireplace is the smallest ProCom makes, and uses a similar 24″ wide heating insert, it’s overall dimensions are still 2 1/2 times larger than the Heat Surge.
The last time I checked, the ProCom 24″ cherry finish fireplace was available online for $400. After subtracting $250 for the heating insert, the mantel piece for the ProCom costs $150.
So why would you be willing to pay more than twice as much for an Amish mantel less than half the size of a comparable fireplace costing 30% less?
It’s the magic of marketing Baby!
If you buy an Amish electric fireplace, it won’t be for the boring 1,500 watts of heat offered by every other space heater out there. What’s going to get you excited enough to whip out your credit card is an unexplainable attraction to the Amish, the promise of superior Amish craftsmanship and pride of ownership.
I can’t explain an unexplainable attraction, but I’ll accept the claim of superior Amish craftsmanship. However, “craftsmanship” comes at a price. Over a three year period, the premium you pay for an Amish mantel piece will add an additional $5 a month, or $180 to your actual heating costs when compared to the purchase price of a Pro Com 24″ fireplace.
This leads me to the second problem I have with the marketing of this product.
If you go to the Heat Surge website you won’t find one picture of the Amish fireplace with the wheels attached. The reason for this, in my opinion, is the wheels make it look “dinky” compared to the “substantial” look it has when pictured without the wheels.
So how much pride can you take in a product the manufacturer is embarrassed to show in its entirety?
This is a shame. The wheels are actually a selling point because they provide the means for zone heating – simply wheel the fireplace from room to room as needed. Zone heating, or heating only the room you occupy, allows you to dial back your home’s master thermostat for substantial fuel savings.
On the other hand, attempting to “zone heat” your home for multiple occupants spread out in multiple rooms with just one Amish fireplace is impossible.
I have a few other issues with their marketing claims that I could delve into, such as “It uses about as much energy to run as a coffee maker” and regional energy costs, but they have little bearing on cost effectiveness when you pay $587 for a 1,500 watt space heater.
Learn more in less time at Alternative Heating Info.com
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28 Responses to “Amish Heat Surge Electric Fireplace Review”
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This heater may be OK for aesthetics but it won’t heat a small room. You can’t defeat the laws of thermal physics. This is nothing more than a large space heater. A small oscillating heater with a fan does better than this. The Amish workmanship is the only saving grace here. The worst thing about this is that one of my in-laws bought 2 of these!!!!!!
These units are just cheap Chinese imports. It’s amazing how they portray them. Just junk, and wait until they need service or repair. Oh yes I almost forgot to mention the condescending b..ch manager. WOW NO HELP AND NO CONCERN
Have a nice day
Do the makers of Heat Surge Heaters use false advertising? A real Amish man will not let you take his picture. That is considered a graven image. Also they must have the oldest virgins in the world. Married Amish women must wear black caps. Only single girls wear white caps.
I bought my heater last season. My grandma and mom have had theirs for going on the third season. They have not had problems but one of mine (I have 2) started squeaking slightly and not putting out as much warm air. I called the customer service line and they told me there was a 1 hour wait and had me leave my number and they would call me back. I never received a call. I called back and the recording said there was a 2 hour wait! I gave up which I think was the point. There customer service needs serious help!!!
I wish I would have read these comments prior to purchasing these heaters. But then I wouldn’t have had the oppurtunity to speak with a snotty, condecending customer service supervisor who didn’t give a rats a.. about my heater.
These units are OK but no big deal. After all they are just 1500 watt electric heaters. But wait until you need to get a service part. All I needed was a small rubber gromet to make the blower quit rattling. WOW all that is available is a $140.00 insert. “Create a need, then fill it”. The secret of getting wealthy. This is another fine example of it. Plus the customer service rep informed these Amish heaters are just another Chinese import. WTF
My husband bought one of the Surge Heat fireplace heaters and the heating element just went out. Of course we only had a 1 yr warranty so I called today and she sd 139.00 to replace the unit or we can replace the heating element by unscrewing the four screws which is supposed to let us take the top of the mantle off. Well see what happens, Ill comment later. As for the person who only used this 2 days, its warrantied for a year and 3 yrs if you pay 28.00. We should’ve done that.
i purchased a heat surge amish heater, 2 days in use and the motor that turns the flames quit, and the company told me they had no parts,so now it is usless. my advice is not to buy a heat surge heater.
glen
My eighty plus year old mother bought this heater for me without my knowledge. I wasn’t happy that she spent the money but mum had her mind set. It worked well enough to heat a medium sized bedroom, but there is no thermostat to regulate the temperature, and the heater only lasted one season then it quit. I was going to take the heater out and attempt a repair or replacement of the heating element, but it can’t be removed without destroying the mantel. The mantel is built around the heater which makes repair non productive. What a piece of crap for the price. Now it blocks my dog in my bedroom when I need to contain him.
I don’t know why this particular product seems to stir up so much controversy…
It’s a fake fireplace. It has a built-in heater to add to the effect and utility of it… no better than any other $15.00, 1500 watt space heater. Obviously, what you’re paying for is the cabinet and realistic fire effect, putting the charm of a fireplace into your home for little money with no construction and no limits as to what wall it could be placed on.
The price seems about right… $300.00 – $400.00 shipped depending on how you buy it.
The pros are… You’ll never find another brand of electric fireplace that cheap.
The cons are… You’ll probably never be able to get parts once the warranty expires and service from the company may not be great, even during the warranty period. Probably why the fireplace part is advertised as being “free” with the purchase of the Amish-made cabinet. They obviously aren’t prepared to help you keep it running over the years. They’re going to tell you it was free and it outlasted the warranty (likely by a month or two…lol) Also, the cabinet is much shorter than most of the competing brands, putting your “mantle” about 2 feet off the ground. Kind of cheesy lookin’ if you ask me…
So… it is what it is… The cheapest fake fireplace out there with some cons as listed above due to the low price. If somebody really wants a fake fireplace and that’s all they have to spend… They really won’t be able to do better for the same money though.
If you want a fake fireplace that looks a little more realistic and will not be disposable should it develop a problem, I would recommend a Dimplex product. You will pay 2 to 4 times the price. But, the cabinets are larger, taller and could more easily pass for a real fireplace. The flame and glowing log effects are more realistic in the Dimplex. Also, Dimplex has good service and does reliably provide warranty service and parts for their products.
As a less costly alternative, the fake wood-burning stoves from Dimplex also have a very realistic flame/ember effect. Even the pricier full-size models are a little cheaper than the Heat Surge fireplace… and they look a lot more like a real wood-burning stove than the Heat Surge looks like a fireplace. Add a stone or ceramic tiled wood “hearth” underneath and a fake stovepipe going to the wall for the ultimate in realism. This is the route I would go for getting a realistic looking product on a budget that parts are available for and could actually be repaired if need be.
My 80 yr old mom ordered this thing after seeing it in the Milwaukee Journal. She lives in a mobile home and lives on S.S. She was quoted around $325. and her checking account was debited $405.plus. She ordered this on Sun. night and on Mon AM, we could not cancel this item because were told it had already shipped UPS. We have to catch the UPS man in order to send this back before she is refunded her Money.
Stinks huh????? WOuld not do businesss with this company even if I LOVED the product, after this.
DONT BUY THIS CRAP.
DONT BUY THIS CRAP.
DONT BUY THIS CRAP.
DONT BUY THIS CRAP.
DONT BUY THIS CRAP.
DONT BUY THIS CRAP.
DONT BUY THIS CRAP.
DONT BUY THIS CRAP.
DONT BUY THIS CRAP.
DONT BUY THIS CRAP.
DONT BUY THIS CRAP.
DONT BUY THIS CRAP.
DONT BUY THIS CRAP.
DONT BUY THIS CRAP.
For your information, you are correct the heaters are made in China but you might be interested to know that the cabinets and mantles are made by Amish in a Amish community and the wood working is done by Amish and it is a piece of furniture made with wood not some wood composite.
C’mon people…quit being stupid. Amish-made mantle? I doubt if the Amish had anything to do with this. The heater is made by Andong Electrical Appliances…you can find that info on the company website. A quick Google search shows that company is in China. Do really want to pay $400 for more Chinese crap that doesn’t work? How long will it take to make your $400 back? Don’t forget to factor in the delivery, frustration and bullshit.
anyone have a clue how the “fire” actually looks? If you are going for a somewhat authentic look, sometimes cost is not the main issue….anyone know????