Dimplex Castillo Freestanding Optiflame Electric Fire
Dimplex Castillo Freestanding Optiflame Electric Fire, Chrome/ Silver, Contemporary LED Flame Effect with a Choice of Coal or White Pebble Fuel Bed, with Thermostat and Adjustable 2kW Heate
| Weight: | 12.6 kg |
| Dimensions: | 60.3 x 22.6 x 66.5 cm; 12.6 Kilograms |
| Brand: | Dimplex |
| Model: | CST20 |
| Colour: | Silver |
| Dimensions: | 60.3 x 22.6 x 66.5 cm; 12.6 Kilograms |
We had a new boiler fitted and the fire and back boiler were removed, which left us with an un sightly gap, purchased this from Amazon arrived the next day and couldn’t be happier 5 stars
Put on the landing it warms all upstairs without the central heating o
. Last one lasted about 5 years. Easy to operate and has 2 heat settings. Or just the light with flame effect. Very nice.
Easy to install, flame effect is nice. Delivered with a choice of coal or pebbles.
This electric fire is exactly what we wanted. Had to remove a very old LPG fire and back boiler and have been delighted with our new purchase.
Replaced our gas fire with this beauty. It’s so easy to use, plugs straight in your outlet, looks beautiful in the evenings when it’s all lite up. So happy with this fire, 10/10
The fire was delivered earlier than expected so I was very pleased, the fire is lovely fits in with our decor beautifully.This fire is a little bigger than some others so fitted our awkward space very well, the flame effect is very cheering and realistic I could not be more pleased, we only use flame effect as focal point in room, so price was very good.
liked the fire etc. did not like courrier service at all left fire in amazon drop point with out telling us ………..
Very pleased with the fire and delivery was fast and efficient – thank you
Mum was struggling with a gas fire but this was an ideal upgrade. Providing safe instant heat and looking pretty good, it was a great improvement for her.
I got a similar one a few years ago and suggested to the manufacturer that they change the power on options so it can be Alexa friendly and I am delighted that they listened.
Good for the price. Got very high ceilings in my lounge but this fire warns it up in about 20 minutes if on high setting. Pleasing to the eye. Just take out of box and plug in. Good for a spare lounge. I got this as a temporary fire until I can afford a whole new fireplace and fitted in fire. Does the job for what I wanted.
Well what can I say, the pictures say it all totally delighted with the transformation to my living room, I set a budget if 250, bought everything from Amazon, fireplace, wallpaper and vinyl (for the hearth) and from an old fashion fireplace it’s totally changed the look and feel of my living room. Delivery was perfect, the fire is amazing other say you don’t get enough stones I have stones left over, the wire can be to the left or right, totally impressed with everything. There are cheaper and also more expensive fires this one is in the middle could not have asked for anything better though.
I had bought an old oak fire surround which is tall, and needed a good sized fire to go with it, and this fits the bill perfectly. Lovely, clearly defined ‘quick flames’ fire effect (as you’d expect with Optiflame), and I am using a combination of the pebbles and coal together, so it looks like hot burning ash below, with fresh fuel on top, especially when it’s just viewed in daylight (ie. fire effect not on).
I plan to use it mostly for the fire effect, which is almost totally silent (there IS a very tiny little ‘grinding’ noise which happens every 3 seconds), rather than for heat, because I have central heating… although it’s good to know if I have issues with my boiler, it’s there as a back up. (Edited to add: I had a problem with my boiler yesterday… and this kept the house at a comfortable 17.5 degrees celsius… and my house is very open plan, with double height ceilings), so full marks on that.)
I’d read the reviews where some people had problems, but I had good luck with my old Dimplex ‘Club’ “woodstove” lasting for years, so decided to try for Dimplex again. I’m glad I have.
One comment I will make is that the flex JUST made it to my power point, it’s only about four and a half feet long. I was lucky. There wasn’t an inch to spare. Other than that, I think it looks great!
This fire is made of plastic. It looks good if you don’t look too close. The flame effect is very realistic and that is what makes the fire so good. Not enough white pebbles though and I’ve had to buy more. On the plus size I have noticed a few people who bought this in the past have had problems with the bulbs supplied as they got too hot and over time made the plastic at the front start to bubble. However, the manufacturer has solved this and now supplies LED lights as standard which do not give off any heat. Overall I am very happy with this fire as it gives the room a modern look.
Nice flame effect with coal- looks quite real. Like using even without the heater setting as the flame effect is comforting especially on dark winter nights when the central heating is on already.
Heater is useful to help quickly heat up a room prior to switching on the main radiators but have used also when my gas central heating was down in the middle of winter (life saver!)
Replaced the bulbs with 2 x 6w warm LED candle bulbs to save on energy and the hassle to replace the 2 x 60w bulbs regularly (you have to remove the coals/pebbles to access the bulbs). Tight squeeze as the LED bulbs tend to be a bit larger- but there is some play in the sockets so you can fit them with a bit of perseverance. Less bright but good enough I think especially given that they only use 10% of energy that the original bulbs used.
Fits into our fireplace beautifully (there was no fire there before) without having to do any cutting to the back panel. The variflame system look really cosy and actually gives off a small amount of heat once it’s been on for a while.
The fan heaters are a bit noisy though. No more than any other fan heater but you wouldn’t want them on all the time if you were watching TV for example. Having said that, you only need to have them on for 10 minutes to boost the heat levels in the room so this is not a major issue. It’s a good back up to central heating – not a replacement.
I actually bought this ‘used’ from Amazon Marketplace- the 30 saving over a new one was worth the risk- and it paid off. There is nothing ‘used’ about this product- there is not a scratch on it, the only giveaway is that the box had a slight hole in it and had been taped up. The fire is fine- it must have been bought by a customer who opened it and changed their mind. So a 30 saving for me- I shall be buying from Amazon Marketplace again!
Moving onto the fire itself, it is beautiful. Much much better than the one it replaced. The flame effect is near-silent (certainly compared to my last one!), the pebbles and flame effect look stunning. Lovely and bright. Like some of the other reviewers, I would choose the white pebbles because they really stand out when it is switched off, and when it is switched on the orange light reflects off the white pebbles and make them look like glowing coals anyway! You wouldn’t get that effect with the coals because they don’t reflect the light (my last fire I chose the coals and I much prefer these pebbles).
So to cut a very long review short, I love it. It looks the part, was excellent value and so far I can’t fault it. If you like the look of this (or the Castillo sister model which is identical except the surround is silver instead of black), I would say have a punt at a “used” model on Amazon Marketplace. With the savings, buy yourself a bottle of Dubonnet, sit by your new fire and toast an excellent purchase and great taste 🙂
One last point- I ordered this at 1am on Tuesday morning, and it was with me by Wednesday afternoon! Perfect service (particularly welcome as my central heating has gone wrong!) If this fire lasts 5 years like my last one did, I will be a very happy bunny.
This Dimplex fire is beautiful. It looks really smart and posh when switched off, especially with the white pebbles. When turned on the flame effect has to be seen to be believed. The pictures really don’t do it justice. The individual flames dance in a seemingly never repeated pattern, the mirrored back giving the look of a deeper base and the coloured lighting gives the bed of pebbles a warm firery glow.
And total silence. That’s the thing, total silence when having the flame effect on. The heater makes the usual low fan noise of all fan heaters, but the flame effect is totally without noise. Wonderful.
If you want an electric fire that isn’t expensive, but still gives you a real flame effect then I recommend this one without hesitation.
And the delivery . . . Tesco promised a fire in 3 days; 38 days later, no fire. Argos promised another fire in seven days. After 6 days they called to say it would be a further 20 days. Amazon; fire promised by 1pm on the 3rd working day. Received several texts and emails confirming and on d-day, text to say fire would be delivered between 10.54 [sic] and 11.54 by a named driver. At 11.04, the fire arrived!! Could not be faulted. Would thoroughly recommend.
Firstly, this model is much better looking, with a flame effect which is so realistic that it’s difficult to put your hand towards it to rearrange the pebbles without feeling nervous.
Admittedly ours is only a fairly small room, but the heat output on the 1 kilowatt setting is perfectly adequate for November. Whether we’ll ever need to use the 2 kilowatt setting remains to be seen.
Most unusually, it’s one of the few such items we’ve bought in recent years which you simply lift out of the box, plug in and switch on. Admittedly there’s a box of pebbles (or coal as an alternative) which you have to spend a few seconds arranging on the grate, but there’s no messing about on the floor with screwdrivers and instruction sheets as there was with the last one.
Packaging and delivery were fine, and I would recommend this product to anyone.