Napoleon: Ascent X 42

A gas fire that reads as a real wood fire—with the remote, blower, and safety barrier already in the box.

Quick Facts

• Heating Capacity: 750–1,500 sq ft
• Viewing Area: 37 11/16″ x 23 11/16″.
• Fuel: Propane; a natural gas conversion kit is available.
• Controls: Thermostatic remote with digital screen included; Bluetooth app control optional.
• Fan: Included

Who It’s For

Plenty of gas fireplaces look fine in the showroom and turn out to be a base model at home: the blower is an add-on, the remote is an add-on, and the fire itself is the same log set as every other unit on the wall. You need a fireplace that looks like a real fire and arrives ready to live with. If you’re building or remodeling—this unit builds into a framed wall, not into an existing masonry fireplace—and you want one choice that covers the warmth, the controls, and the look, the Napoleon Ascent X BX42 is that choice. Pick a stripped-down unit instead and you’ll spend the first winter adding the pieces this one already has.

What Makes It Special

The fire is the point. Hand-painted split oak logs sit over a glowing ember bed light, behind ceramic glass, with a safety barrier that keeps your family safe without blocking the view. From across the room, it reads as a wood fire, not an appliance.

Everything you touch day to day is included. The remote runs power, flame height, and blower speed without leaving your seat, and the variable-speed blower pushes warmth to the far side of the room—enough fire for a large living room and the kitchen beyond it. If the power goes out, battery backup still lights the fire—as long as you’ve kept batteries in it, or you can run it from your own power bank.

Possible Downsides

• This is the propane model. Running it on natural gas takes a conversion kit.
• Hanging a TV or reducing mantel clearances requires the optional Universal Heat Management system. Without it, standard clearances above the fireplace apply.
• App control is optional, not included. Out of the box, the remote is the controller.

If you want a gas fire that looks like a wood fire and is ready to use the day it’s installed, the Ascent X BX42 is the right decision. The room it’s in becomes the room the house lives in.

The look is yours to set: Heritage or Zen fronts, decorative panels from MIRRO-FLAME reflective porcelain to Westminster, Newport, Old Town Red, and Sandstone brick, beach fire, shore fire, mineral rock, and woodland media kits, a wrought iron surround, and black finishing trims.