This was easy to install and looks great.  The flame effect is good as far as electric goes, some more realistic than others. I really like that you can turn off the side lights (I think these cheapen the look). The heat output seems very good but my basement is warm so I'm not depending on this as a heat source... I bought it mostly for aesthetics and often run it without heat. The instruction book also includes information on how to build a surround which I plan to do in the spring.