Erin Whitcomb, Senior editor

I'm the senior editor here, which mostly means I decide what stays off the list. A fireplace that is only on a ranking because it's on sale this week. A 60-inch insert whose listing and manual can't agree on the cut-out size. A ranking nobody has opened since the prices moved. Those are the things I go looking for.

Most days I have the spec sheet, the manual and the buyer reviews open side by side. Electric fireplaces are sold on photos, and the photos are always taken in a dark room with the flame turned all the way up. So I read what owners write about the flame in daylight, about the hum of the fan, and about remotes that stop pairing after a few months. When the same complaint shows up again and again, it goes into the ranking notes.

I write the guides on choosing a type, built-in versus wall-mounted, and flame effects and controls, and I edit most of the others.

What I care about most is the week after delivery: the cut-out that fits, the outlet in the right place, the flame you still like in March. If a ranking helps with that, it's doing its job.