The Smokeless Solo Stove Fire Pit Is a Backyard Must-Have for Fall (and It’s Currently on Sale!)

• Value: 16/20
• Functionality: 18/20
• Quality: 20/20
• Aesthetics: 20/20
• Smokelessness: 19/20

TOTAL: 93/100

One of the cornerstones of my post-pandemic world has been my backyard, in which my husband and I have been hosting gatherings since those early summer days of outdoor social-distancing. But as the days shortened and the weather cooled, even the promise of my warmest mulled wine couldn’t convince my pals to put on their parkas and head over, so we knew we had to upgrade our situation.

Enter: The Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0, now on sale for as low as $250 (from $400!), which we added to our setup two Decembers ago. Here’s my honest review—the good, the slightly less good and the marshmallowy.

How Does the Solo Stove Work?

This compact, steel fire pit is designed to store out of the way (it comes with a simple cover) and then move to your desired location for quick setup. To get it going, you simply add some firewood and light it—we use Duraflame fast-lighting logs (were $60, now $51), which ignite super quickly, with fewer sparks than, say, crumpled newspaper. The fire then burns consistently and evenly; you add wood as needed to keep it going, and let it burn out when you’re done.

While searching for a fire pit, we were concerned about smoke in our small, urban backyard. The Solo sell is their signature 360-degree Airflow design which draws in air from small holes in the bottom and releases it as heated oxygen up through the top. Somehow (please don’t make me try to explain this!) the result is a nearly smokeless burn, such that campfire sitters experience the warmth of a traditional fire without any of the smoke-in-your-eyes effects. My husband did notice that when he came inside after our inaugural use, his clothes didn’t have the “I’ve just been sitting around a campfire” smell, which he missed—but that’s probably a matter of opinion. Bottom line: As a city dweller and parent, the no-smoke thing is a *huge* advantage.

Very! After the first time you use it, you will notice that the color changes from a shiny silver to a more tarnished patina. But other than that, there’s really no maintenance to be done. Ours has been sitting outside, under its cover, for years now and is holding up great.

Aside from the smoke-free selling point, I love how stylish it looks—very Aspen ski chalet chic—and how easy it is to use with the kids. We’ve had it out for s’mores-making several times and thanks to the Airflow technology, my 4- and 5-year-olds can stand right next to it to roast their marshmallows. I also like that you can purchase a number of useful and fun accessories. We got the Bonfire stand (which helps protect the ground—great if you’ll be using it on a deck), Bonfire shield (to further prevent sparks) and the fire pit tools (for poking and prodding your logs). Next up: the four-pack of roasting sticks.

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