Fall is my favorite season in the garden for many reasons. I love feeling the headiness and hard work of summer beginning to fade to a more gentle pace, and watching the blends of rich colors melting together. For me, it's also the best time to get cozy with friends and family around a fire pit after dark, the festoon lights overhead glowing invitingly.
Given this is my chosen pastime for the month of October (and well into winter), it would figure that over the years I have owned several fire pits. These have all been variations on traditional cast iron, low bowl fire pits in shades of black and patinated copper, as they fit my preferred backyard aesthetic.
I hadn’t, up to last week, considered the sleeker, bigger and more contemporary looking fire pit models on the market. I'd read the reviews, but I still was not convinced they could be that much better. I also wasn't sold on the chrome design or the price tag. My mind, however, has been well and truly changed. This might just be the best fire pit on the market, and the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 is on sale as part of Amazon Big Deal Days right now.
Specifications
First impressions
The Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 fire pit is undeniably smart to look at. It has a sleek, modern design, and I felt it elevated the regular seating set up we have outside on our stone patio.
It is taller than other fire pits I’ve used in the past, but the stainless steel didn’t dominate as I expected it would. It is definitely a contemporary vibe, but I think it would suit lots of different backyard, patio and deck set-ups. The stand gave me peace of mind that no damage would be done to the stone flags underneath.
The setup
I was expecting the set-up to be a two person job, if I'm being honest. The box was heavy and bulky to move, so I enlisted a helper to get it onto the patio. Once opened, however, it was surprisingly easy and simple for one person to lift out and move into position. The packaging inside was minimal, and on the whole recyclable.
The model I tested came with the stand, which I positioned first. The rest was incredibly easy to assemble. I followed the instructions, which were clear and concise. Even though I took my time the whole thing took five minutes to set up, ready for adding the fuel.
Lighting it
I tested this fire pit on a clear, crisp fall day. The sun was shining and there was a slight breeze, but not enough to say it was windy. For the fuel, I bought a small bag of kindling, and placed a third of it in the base of the pan along with a couple of natural firelighters to help me along the way.
My success rate with lighting fire pits is not brilliant, and in my experience even a little breeze it can mean it takes a while for the flames to get going. However, in this case the fire caught on one side of the pan immediately and spread evenly very quickly. Within less than two minutes we had a decent fire going, lots of orange flames and instant heat.
The heat and smoke test
The flames shot up fast, which was very satisfying to watch. One of the major marketing points of the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 fire pit is that it has smokeless 360° ‘signature airflow technology’. The double-walled design creates this airflow and secondary burn, meaning the black, irritant smoke burns off before it reaches you. As the flames get bigger, the fire pit draws air from below. This heats up as it travels up the walls, igniting and burning off the smoke at the top.
I can attest to this fire pit being almost entirely smokeless. The only smoke we saw was when the fire was dying down, and there was a little bit of white smoke rising up from the glowing embers, however, there was no smokey smell lingering in our clothes or hair.
We were sat pretty close to the fire pit, as my children were keen to make s'mores, and we could really feel the heat penetrating from it. I ended up moving us all a bit further back, and it still easily kept five of us warm. We all agreed it felt hotter than the fire pits we had used in the past.
In terms of fuel consumption, it burnt through the first lot of my kindling sticks in less than five minutes. Because we wanted to keep the fire going for a lot longer, I added another, larger batch of sticks, which had turned to ash after 15 more minutes. To keep a decent fire going for a long time, you would absolutely need to use bigger logs and have a good stock on hand to keep adding to the fire, as it burns fast.
The sides of the fire pit got extremely hot, and owing to the size of it there is more potential to accidentally touch the side and incur a burn. Among the testing team were my two young children, who are aged nine and six. Old enough to understand they needed to keep a safe distance from the fire, but still keen to toast a marshmallow (or ten) with adult supervision. This would, of course, be a consideration with any fire pit I tested. The only difference here is the height of the sides are taller than the low, cast iron pits we have owned in the past, which could potentially mean a greater risk of a burn. I would definitely keep children under six a safe distance away from it.
It's absolutely not a deal breaker, but I'll also note here that it toasted our marshmallows quickly and evenly, which left all parties very content.
Cleaning and storing
Once the fire died down, it was surprisingly quick to cool. After 30 minutes, the sides were cool enough to touch safely. I waited a couple more hours for the inside of the pan and the ashes to cool down completely, so that I could clean it out safely.
The cleaning process was very fast and efficient. You simply brush the ash through the holes into the ash pan below, then remove the ash pan and dispose of the ash appropriately. It could not have been easier, and compared to cleaning out the more traditional fire pits, it was not messy at all.
I would have found moving the fire pit into the garage afterwards a little tricky without the carry case - this is super handy and easy to use, and makes for a brilliant protective cover when not in use. Otherwise, as the fire pit doesn't have any handles, it's a bit hard for anyone with a small wingspan to pick up and carry more than a short distance.
What the reviews say
Overall, the reviews are unanimous - I am yet to read a negative one about the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 fire pit, with most citing it as a backyard entertaining staple.
It came out as Forbes best overall fire pit, when tested against other big brands such as BioLite and Breeo.
From reading the Amazon reviews, which have an 87% five star rating, it's the smokeless technology that is the real winner here. People love not smelling of smoke after using a fire pit, and also like the fact it takes away any worry of excess smoke bothering the neighbors.
The H&G verdict
Maybe it's because I've been a journalist for so many years, but my default setting is often one of cynicism. Despite having read the reviews, I was genuinely not expecting the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 to live up to the hype. I was proved entirely wrong.
There was no smoke, leaving our hair and clothes smelling completely smoke-free, and I am still impressed by how quickly and cleanly the fire burned.
I'm still not completely won over on the aesthetic, but that is, of course, more subjective. The rest is unarguable, and I'd say it is definitely worth taking advantage of the 18% discount Amazon Big Deal Days.
Also, if you're willing to invest a little more money (and I think I would be), the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 is also available on Amazon in more muted shades of deep olive, mulberry, and gunmetal, among others. This, for me, would make the perfect patio addition, and you'd be hard pressed to convince me to buy any other brand of fire pit.
