Our favorite fireplace insert: Valor Legend G3.5

Whether you’re looking to add a focal point to your living space or to provide a warm respite during the colder months, fireplaces are a great way to add both value and ambiance to your home. As one of the owners of Black Magic, and being in the fireplace business for over 30 years, I know that choosing a fireplace and placing it in a room requires careful consideration. Here is why I personally chose to have the Valor Legend G3.5 Insert in my own home: 

1. It fits my fireplace perfectly. 
2. You see lots of flame through the glass. 
3. The viewing area is clean looking without lots of grill work or other distractions. 
4. Like all Valor fireplaces, the Legend G3.5 is convenient and reliable. Because it does not use electricity for its remote control system, it works even when electric power shuts down in a storm. That being said, with a Valor fireplace there is one simple maintenance requirement: Change the batteries every Fall – 4 AA in receiver, 1 9V battery in receiver.
5. By installing the insert with a chimney liner, it offers plenty of radiant heat. Although wood fires are nice for atmosphere, I was losing all of the heat up my chimney. It was colder in my room more than 10 feet away from the wood fire, because wood fires use room air for combustion! The bigger the fire, the more air it needs, and the colder the room may become as you move away from the fire. 
6. No more smoke in the room from back puffing.
7. It can be turned on or off in a matter of seconds. And no more waiting around for the wood fire to die down. 

The bottom line: I love the radiant heat, great look, and ease of use of the Valor G3.5 insert. It is on every day from October to March!

Other gas inserts we considered before selection G3.5, all of which are excellent inserts:

Valor G4 (too big for my fireplace), HeatNGlo Escape I35, Regency Liberty and others. View our other inserts here. If you need help picking out the right insert for you, we are here to help! Contact us here.   

Note:  A small Drawback with gas insert for me is occasionally I like to start a blazing wood fire.  I added this wood burning fire pit in my backyard for occasional fires: Outdoor Accents – Oil Rubbed Bronze Wood Fire Pit.

-Larry O’Connor