Dimplex GOSFORD Optimyst Stove, Black

I’ve had my Dimplex Gosford stove for 6 years. I had to replace the transducer after around four years - it stopped producing the mist necessary for the flame effect. It was a plug and play replacement which I was able to do myself. Once replaced the flame effect was back to normal. I’ve never used the heater given I bought the stove as a focal point in my living room rather than for heating. You absolutely won’t find a more realistic flame effect from an electric stove. You can even open the door and the flames continue. Given it’s a fine mist lit by yellow lamps it looks so real and there is no repeating flame pattern, it’s completely random, like a real fire. I love the way you see some unlit mist which looks exactly like smoke. I have an Amazon Echo and you can play a real log fire soundtrack. Pop the Echo behind the stove and you will really feel you have log burner in your room. Amazing! Optmyst is the best. You won’t regret buying a Dimplex stove using this technology.

I previously owned an electric stove, it was cheap and cheerful and did the job. I hadn't seen a Dimplex Opti-Myst stove until recently, and when I did then I was sold. I bought a Dimplex Gosford GS 020 here from the Amazon Warehouse. It was a "used like new" offer with a significant discount from the new price. Delivery was very fast, just two days and it appeared at my door. Setting up was a little more complicated than expected. It isn't quite plug and go as advertised. First unpack carefully and make sure everything is intact and present. Place the stove in a suitable position allowing sufficient ventilation. Dimplex provide excellent instructions with diagrams which I found very helpful. After about 30 minutes I was done, the reservoir, water tank, bulbs and optimist transducer all fitted. Switch on and the flame effect is simply amazing and very convincing. I did however have a few issues to solve. As said previously, I bought a used item, and whilst overall it was in very good condition and "like new" as described it did have a minor problem with the stove door which at first would not close correctly. The membrane behind the glass was not seated correctly but I soon put it in the correct position. I also noticed the plastic log tray provided was broken. Actually only the base was in one piece with the logs that sit on top in pieces. It spoilt the desired flame effect:( but one short friendly phone call to Dimplex Customer Care, and a replacement log tray was sent just two days later. Very impressive service and a big thank you to Michelle. The instructions says to use filtered water only, also to clean the internals every two weeks which as others have commented is bit of a faff. I live in a hard water area so I have decided to use a mixture of filtered with distilled water to keep the solution as "soft" possible. For reasons I am not aware apparently pure distilled water should not be used? So anyway, I am very pleased with this stove. It looks great, it has the most convincing realistic flame effect I have ever seen and the 1 or 2 Kw electric fan heating it provides whilst won't be used very often (we have gas fired central heating) it will come in handy on those few very cold winter days we get. I forgot to mention the remote control which simple to use, smart and effective. One button controls the heating, one the flame effect and between them is a third button that switches the stove in stand by mode. In my opinion the Opti-Myst range whilst they are expensive are well worth the money . If you seek a simpler option with less faff and maintenance then you might want to look at the less expensive Opti-Flame models. Either way you will be pleased I am sure. Dimplex Opti-Myst Stove, Black EDIT: I have owned my Opti Myst fire for almost one year and everything is still working perfectly indeed nothing has failed. I read a number of negative reviews here complaining about poor longevity of components; replacing the water tank, bulbs, or the transducer on a regular basis. I surmise this is the result of poor maintenance and/or not reading the instructions. You do need to take care of this fire and that can be a faff at times but it's the price we pay for the realistic flame effect. So, don't over tighten the water tank cap. Always use filtered water. Do clean the components every two weeks and never leave the transducer in standing water for an extended period. If the fire will not be used for a while, then drain down the water and leave the transducer dry. There was another negative review commenting that LED bulbs are not fitted. Whilst LED bulbs would indeed use less electricity, It is my understanding that the heat from the Halogen bulbs is required for the flame effect. If you don't want all the maintenance, then consider the cheaper alternatives. Some look very good but none compare with the realism of the Optimyst fires.

This is as good as all the reviews say. I had a real stove in my last house and I am fussy about thinks looking fake but am delighted with this. The smoke really convinces and the yellow bulbs are good, not too orange or red. If the smoke control is set in the middle range no condensation seems to form at all. Easy to set up although take care to put the log tray on with the slit opening towards the back of the fire or the smoke cannot work. I found this out by experience. Yes you can hear the fan heater when it's on but it's quite low and voices, music, tv, traffic etc will make it less than in a silent room. Remote control a nice wee extra but manual controls very easy to operate. I bought the Dimplex slate hearth pad and think the two go really well together.

The fire and optomist are a very good effect, and look great if u cant have the real thing. I had to go out and buy a water filter as its recommended that you only use filtered water to prolong the life of the optimist mechanism, so thats a bit of a hassel i thought. Also you can't just have the fire light on if you dont have the water tank filled, you must have the mist on too, again i thought was a bit of a pain. I do feel its expensive for what it is, ive seen very similar fires without the optimist for less than half the price. However it is a nice effect, my 2yr old granddaughter loves it and to be honest so do i and its a great Xmas decoration too lol. When mine arrived the logs were broken, so instead of sending it back to Amazon, i called the help number on the box the fire came in (big yellow sticker saying call us first if you have any issues with this item on reciving it) and they sent me out a new log bed very quickly. I find the remote control a bit hit n miss, but the control on the fire are easily accessible, then the remote control is just to turn it off when u go to bed. Heat output is very good and quite quiet too, its a good heat blast on a cold morning. Would i reccomed this fire........it dose exactly what its says it dose, and it dose it very well, so if your happy with the price then yes i would recommend it, I'm certainly not sending mine back thats for sure.

Brilliant wee fire. Did a lot of research before buying it and considered all models and other makes. I’m so glad I bought this one. It looks real as other people have stated. I bought the pipe for added authenticity and everyone has been fooled into thinking it’s a real stove. Was simple enough to set up and I had it unpacked and up n running within 10mins. I will probably only use it lit up for aesthetic purposes, although the heat option is handy. The only very very small picky gripe I have is I can sometimes hear the water gurgling into the chamber that turns it to steam. It’s faint, but I can hear it. I may also add that I bought this fire through the Amazon warehouse and secured it for £50 less than normal due to some small mark on it... that for the life of me I can’t find! So it’s a very happy purchase. Would defo recommend to anyone thinking of purchasing.

This fire looks lovely but unfortunately didn't work, which was extremely disappointing. I purchased an open box, which said it was in mint condition but was clearly not and one element was extremely rusty. This is not what I expect from Amazon.

I love the realistic effect of the flames! The fire was easy to put together and is quite solid. There are pictorial instructions with the fire, but I found it easier to follow a YouTube video. It is quite fiddly to get the lights fitted into their place on the unit, but do-able. The refillable water container is much easier to get seated. It is filled using filtered water as tap water has too much minerals in it. When the fire is first switched on, the flames effect is quite “smoky” (steam) but keep the front door slightly open and this disappears after a while. You are left with a beautiful burning log effect with none of the dirt or pollution or danger that a solid fuel stove produces. A really great fire if you have children or pets.

We had originally wanted a real log burning stove, but it was not possible, given the difficulty of installing a chimney. We wanted it primarily as a focal point, but also to provide heat. Instead, we sent for this Dimplex stove. The stove is quite heavy - as a log burner should be - and was easily assembled. When the reservoir has been filled and the stove turned on, the effect is very realistic. Visitors are mesmerised by the flames as they would have been with a real stove. The advantage of the Dimplex stove is that, besides filling the reservoir with filtered water, it has no requirement for maintenance. It can also be turned on, and off, in an instant using the remote control. The stove itself is really excellent, but it does lack credibility in two areas: it needs a hearth, and it needs a chimney. Both are available from Dimplex and they are absolutely worth the money. Even the family dog gets fooled - and there's no chance of her burning her nose on the glass.