Ambe Linear Built-In Electric Fireplace with Hand-Charred Real Oak Logs

A Built-In Linear Electric Fireplace with Real Oak Logs

The Ambe Linear is a built-in electric fireplace that sits in the wall like a recessed niche, in a 50-inch or 72-inch width. Instead of molded logs, it comes with real oak logs that were charred by hand, so up close it looks like a fire laid in a hearth rather than a picture of one. The flame runs with or without heat, so it stays useful in summer too.

Hand-Charred Oak Logs Sit in Layers, Not a Flat Row

The logs are split oak, each one charred individually, resting on a bed of lava rock. What lets them look natural is depth: Ambe built a 4 1/4-inch fuel bed, where many slim linear fireplaces give the media about 1 1/2 inches. That is room for logs to overlap, and a reflective panel behind them makes the flame appear to rise between the logs instead of behind them. If you want a different look later, a ceramic log set and four more media come in the box: clear crystals, black embers, white stones and crushed glass.

Install It With the Glass Trim or Fully Frameless

Both options ship with it. The glass trim front sits on the wall and gives the opening a clean black border; the frameless kit lets drywall, tile or shiplap run right up to the glass. Ambe does not require heat-resistant materials around it, and a TV can go as close as 6 inches above the glass, which makes it an easy fit under a mounted screen.

The Heat Leaves Through Hidden Vents, Not a Grille

There are no visible louvers on the front, so the fascia reads as glass and black trim only. The 1,500-watt heater has two settings and a thermostat you set between 64 and 82°F, and Ambe rates it for supplemental heat in rooms up to 400 square feet. Turn the heat off and the flame runs alone. Lighting is set separately: ten flame colors, ten top light colors and ten ember bed colors, plus five brightness levels and three flame speeds, all from the remote or the touch panel.

Best for Rooms Where You See the Fire Up Close

Real logs earn their keep when people sit near them, in a living room, a den or a primary bedroom. The 50-inch suits a standard wall or a fireplace under a TV. The 72-inch is for a long media wall or an open-plan room where the fire is seen from across the space. Both put out the same heat, so the bigger size buys presence, not warmth.

Frame the Opening and Run Power Before the Wall Closes

• Depth: the wall opening needs to be 10 inches deep (49 1/4" x 17 1/8" for the 50, 69 1/4" x 17 1/8" for the 72). That is deeper than a 2x4 or 2x6 stud wall, so plan a framed chase or bump-out.
• Support: the fireplace has to sit fully supported on a level base strong enough for its weight, about 71 pounds for the 50 and 110 for the 72.
• Power: it plugs into a grounded 120V, 15-amp outlet within 39 inches of the unit, on a 71-inch cord leaving the back on the right, or it can be hardwired. Ambe asks for an accessible isolation switch outside the framing, and the manual advises keeping other appliances off the same circuit.
• Clearance: keep curtains, bedding and other combustibles at least 39 inches from the front.
• Delivery: the fireplace and the real oak logs ship in separate boxes and may arrive on different days.

WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including lead and lead compounds, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer, and chemicals including BBP and DEHP, which are known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.