Touchstone Sideline 50-inch Electric Fireplace review

A fireplace that not only heats really well but is absolutely stunning to look at

(Image: © Modern Blaze)

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

Great to look at, realistic flames, easy to install, and a decent price. The Touchstone Sideline 50-inch Electric Fireplace is as close to perfection as we've managed to find in our search for electric heating nirvana.

Pros

  • +

    Very stylish

  • +

    Great flame effects

  • +

    Heats well

  • +

    Easy to install

Cons

  • -

    None

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Shopping for a new electric fireplace? We've researched the latest electric fireplaces, asked the experts, and sifted through thousands of specs, features and user reviews to find the best electric fireplaces around. Here's everything you need to know about the Touchstone Sideline 50-inch Electric Fireplace.

Touchstone Sideline 50-inch: What is it?

Sideline

(Image credit: Touchstone)

The Sideline 50 gives you the advantages of a real fireplace without the fire and smoke. It has two heat settings, a remote control and timer function, and can heat a space up to 400 square feet. The flame effect can also be used without the heating feature, and it has a multitude of settings to create a perfect ambience for your room, so you can set the flames to match your mood (from subdued to bright!). 

The Sideline product line comes in a variety of widths to fit just about any space. In this review, we’re looking at the Touchstone Sideline 50-inch Electric Fireplace.

Touchstone Sideline 50-inch: Price

The Touchstone Sideline 50-inch Electric Fireplace can be found at both Walmart and Amazon for $499. You can also find it for $499, down from $799, at Modern Blaze, $499 at Touchstone, and $499 at Electric Fireplaces Depot.

Touchstone Sideline 50-inch: Features

The Touchstone Sideline 50 has a super slim frame that features a large fireplace viewing area. Its realistic-looking flames have five brightness settings and three different color options (orange, blue and blue-orange) so you can set the flames according to your mood.   

This model is designed for recessed mounting in a wall, but if you don’t have that option, or are in a rental property, it can also be mounted on a wall.

Key specs

Warranty: 1 Year Thermostat: No
Remote Control: Yes
Self Assembly: Yes
Heat Settings: 2
Dimensions: 50.4 x 5.5 x 21.5-inches

The Touchstone Sideline 50-inch Electric Fireplace also comes with a remote control, but you’ll need to buy the batteries for that separately.

This fireplace ships with both glass crystals and a faux log set, so you can decide when you receive the fireplace what look you want to go for. The crystals will give you a contemporary feel, while the faux logs are more traditional options, so you can choose the look that is right for you.

The Touchstone Sideline 50-inch Electric Fireplace has two heat settings (high and low) and dual-mode operation, meaning that it operates with heat and flame, or flame only. That’s ideal if you live in a warmer climate and still want the beauty of a real fireplace without the heat.

It has an impressive five flame intensity settings, so if you’re watching television you can operate the flames on a dimmer mode than usual. It also has a built-in timer mode.

Touchstone Sideline 50-inch: Design

Sideline

(Image credit: Modern Blaze)

The Touchstone Sideline 50-inch Electric Fireplace is ideal for building contractors as well as DIY enthusiasts, as it’s easy to install and looks great.

It’s designed with a front heating vent so that the unit can be flush mounted into wall and there’s also the option to wall-mount the fireplace rather than recess it. It has to be said that this model really looks the part when built-in.

Unlike a lot of models on the market, the Touchstone Sideline 50 frame is super slim, which in turn means that you get the pleasure of looking at its realistic LED flame effect through a huge viewing panel. Overall, this fireplace creates a great ambience for your room and is a great focal point, too. The flame brightness settings range from a dim glow to a full burning effect.

For safety reasons Sideline recommends placing this particular model at least 20-inch below your ceiling or 12-inch below your mounted flat screen TV.

Touchstone Sideline 50-inch: Performance

The Touchstone Sideline 50-inch Electric Fireplace puts out over 5000 BTUs, so it comfortably heats up to 400 square feet, which makes it ideal for a living room, kitchen/diner, bedroom or office. 

As the heat radiates from the front of the fireplace rather than the top, the heat is distributed evenly and gently. It’s also very quiet when in use. The fireplace doesn’t get hot to the touch, either, so it’s a safe option around children and pets.  

A nice addition is the built-in timer that allows you to shut the unit off after a set period of time, from 30 minutes to 7.5 hours.

Touchstone Sideline 50-inch: User Reviews

Sideline

(Image credit: Modern Blaze)

The Sideline scores a whopping 92% of four stars and above on Amazon, and an equally impressive 4.9 out of 5 on Touchstone – based on 80 reviews. The fireplace is also very durable as one user with three small children testified. She also liked the fact that the fireplace doesn’t get hot to the touch

Users love how easy this fireplace is to install, even without a contractor. They really like the fact that the frame is slim, allowing for almost the whole 50 inches to show off the flames, which they also say are very realistic.

People who bought the Touchstone Sideline 50-inch also love that this model has five brightness settings, so they can turn the flame brightness up or down depending on how they’re using the space at the time.

Users say the heat output even on its low setting is sufficient enough to heat their rooms. One user said his home heating system couldn’t cope with a cold snap, so he supplemented the heat with this fireplace and the temperature rose by 10 degrees in minutes.

The remote control is a great option, especially as it has so many flame-effect settings, and users enjoy being able to use the fireplace purely for aesthetic reasons when the heat isn’t required.

Should you buy Touchstone Sideline 50-inch Electric Fireplace?

If you want a contemporary, recessed fireplace that scores highly on heat and design, then we can absolutely recommend the Touchstone Sideline 50-inch Electric Fireplace. It's easy to install, highly stylish and will heat your home well. What more could you want from an electric heater?

Alternatives to the Touchstone Sideline 50-inch Electric Fireplace

Not convinced that the Touchstone Sideline 50-inch Electric Fireplace is the right fireplace for you? You’ll find plenty more options in our best electric fireplaces guide, where we've selected a range of models that excel in different situations, for all budgets. Here are our three top alternatives to the Touchstone Sideline 50-inch Electric Fireplace.

Juliette Wills

As a journalist, Juliette began her career writing about her first love - football. She was a columnist for The Guardian, contributing editor at lad’s mag loaded and then veered into writing about Formula One. These days Juliette divides her time between journalism and copywriting. She's also TopTenReviews' resident space heater and electric fireplace expert.