Dimplex: Vital Spark 42

A fire for every evening of the year—heat only when you want it.

Quick Facts

• Heating Capacity: 0–500 sq ft
• Viewing Area: 42″ fire behind edge-to-edge glass.
• Fuel: Electric.
• Controls: Remote, hidden touch controls, or the Glen Dimplex Connect app; built-in timer up to 8 hours.
• Fan: Included

Who It’s For

For most of the year, a fireplace sits dark—too warm outside to justify lighting it. You need flames that run with or without heat: ambiance in June, real warmth in January. If you want a convincing fire in the living room or bedroom every evening, whatever the season, the Vital Spark 42 is that fireplace. Pick a heat-only unit instead and the fire stays off from spring to fall.

What Makes It Special

The flames are adjustable in ways a real fire never is: 13 flame colors, three speeds, and three brightness settings over a molded logset and a glowing ember bed. Turn it down to a slow amber flicker for a quiet night or up to full brightness when the house is full—the fire matches the mood instead of the other way around.

Press one button on the remote and the fire crackles. Between the logs molded to mimic real wood, the layered flame colors, and the sound, it reads as a fire, not an appliance.

When you do want warmth, the fan-forced heater covers up to 1,000 square feet on demand, and the timer shuts it down after up to eight hours—set it at bedtime and let it turn itself off. It can be hardwired or plugged in with the included kit; your installer decides which suits the wall.

Possible Downsides

• It needs household power, so unlike a gas or wood fire there’s no flame or heat during an outage.
• The limited warranty runs one year on electrical components.

If you want a fire every evening of the year and heat only on the nights that call for it, the Vital Spark 42 is the right decision. The room it’s in becomes the room the house lives in—in January and in July.

The look stays adjustable after the install: 13 flame colors, three brightness levels, three flame speeds, ember bed colors, and crackling sound, all from the remote, the hidden touch controls, or the app.