OT: SOLO stove fire pit: worth it?
- Thread starter e5fdny
- Start date
Yes. Definitely worth it. They're awesome.
Love mine. Have two. The big one. Use it on a covered patio. After the initial fire gets going it is smokeless. First 5 minutes are a little smoky. The hotter the better. The heat recycles the smoke and burns it off. Genius
it depends....
have a cheap half-rusted fire pit which works just fine, especially if you don't mind the extra smoke. also has grilling shelf.
also have an expensive Solo....wife wanted it.
Makes no difference to me which one we use, so if you don't mind spending the money...sure, buy the solo. Me personally....not necessary.
Also highly discourage using any type fire pit for cooking. No temp control, no cool side, etc. Use a grill or other equipment designed for that unless you only have kindergarten grilling skills or are only doing marshmallows.
have a cheap half-rusted fire pit which works just fine, especially if you don't mind the extra smoke. also has grilling shelf.
also have an expensive Solo....wife wanted it.
Makes no difference to me which one we use, so if you don't mind spending the money...sure, buy the solo. Me personally....not necessary.
Also highly discourage using any type fire pit for cooking. No temp control, no cool side, etc. Use a grill or other equipment designed for that unless you only have kindergarten grilling skills or are only doing marshmallows.
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Wish they'd make better grills for them. Would love a combo open grill/ cast iron or carbon steel griddle for reverse searing.
Some expensive firepits have an outer griddle ring with inner over-fire grill but several grand for a metal fire bowl seems ridiculous.
Hold off buying it, they're nice but they really won't keep you warm on cool nights unless you're standing on top of it.
My cousin got one for Xmas and it looks great, let me find out the brand.
My cousin got one for Xmas and it looks great, let me find out the brand.
Agree with the first sentiment but could not disagree more with the second. You make your own cool side by moving the fuel/coals and learn to control temp and smoke as needed, preferably with the help of a secondary feeder fire. Cooking over live fire is the best form of grilling.
Went to the site and answered my own question. For others with the same question, they sell a riser stand that they claim makes it safe to use on wood or composite decking or other sensitive surfaces.
And of course there's the usual disclaimers that people should not leave it unattended.
Not sure but been doing so for close to a decade with various more open firepits 😀. I avoid wildfire season, though.
Can put a fire mat or pavers underneath if you're worried.
Ain't marketing great! People actually believe this has some advantage over an old rusty truck wheel from the junkyard.
Pretty sure an old rusty truck wheel wouldn't work out on my composite deck.
I’d be interested if your local fire dept would
Recommend ANY wood burning stove on your deck.
Recommend ANY wood burning stove on your deck.
Lol.. FDNY asking about a fire pit? Isn't that like a mountaineir asking about a love seat?
You beat me to it. All my decking was replaced w/composite in December. So I think I'll wait at least a little longer before dragging a rusty wheel up onto a deck.
It’s funny….you can SELL them (fire pits, kerosene space heaters, chimeneas) in NYC but you CANNOT use them in NYC.
Built a fire pit a few years ago, using cast blocks from Lowe's. 5" sand base. It's built into a slope opening to a flat paver-based sitting area. Took a day to excavate and "build" it. Easy. Looks great. Very functional. Size it to your needs. Great for late-summer and fall fires, as well as cooking. Our fav is to cook a thick ribeye steak in a cast iron skillet (butter, olive oil, season salt) over coals. Crispy skillet potatoes and a mixed greens salad complete it, with a few cold beers. And toasted sourdough garlic bread!
Turns out I probably can if I got one with the riser base they sell. Probably won't, though.
Yeah, you did not specify new composite decking the first time : )
My deck came with the house, but it was in pretty pristine shape. Took me a few years before I felt comfortable messing it up with anything and a few more for live fire.
ETA: Composite decking is awesome. Wish I could build everything out of it!
Check out Tractor Supply in Tinton Falls. We got one of these (now $219) 3 years ago. Never used it. I have plans.
Yes it works really well! Once you get your fire going there is minimal smoke. The fire burns very hot with little ash remaining. You do have to tend to sit closer for warmth than typical of more open fire pits but the smoke reduction is fantastic.
I saw the deflector online which according to almost every review remedies that.
But it’s almost the same price as the fire pit.$$$
Saw pictures on the Solo Stove website where folks used paving stones (which weren’t too thick actually) to fix that.
And it looked like it was a on a Trex/TimberTech deck. But I can’t be positive.
I have the bigger one and it’s good as advertised. Absolutely no smoke when it gets going and the flames literally dance inside It’s quite mesmerizing Have the riser and heat shield thing too. Doesn’t leave much mess either, burns everything to dust and it’s easy to get started.
I've seen the "no smoke" comment on multiple responses. People need to split, season, and cover wood for use. Then it's dry and produces no smoke. Or one can bypass some simple, physical work and opt to pay $300 or more for these shiny toys and throw whatever they want inside for a few pleasurable nights. Me? Give me a $100 (now $130-$200 thanks to inflation), 36" wide steel pit, throw some dry ash, cherry, oak inside and have a damn good, SMOKELESS fire which backs off the guests because of the heat. The saved $$ goes towards good beer and booze. Who's in???
Interesting and attractive design. I see the measurements listed which are most likely the outer edges, but I wonder what the inner, wood burning dimensions are.Check out Tractor Supply in Tinton Falls. We got one of these (now $219) 3 years ago. Never used it. I have plans.
I had a cast iron chimnea on a redwood deck for about 10 years before we put in the pool + 2000 sq ft of concrete.
I absolutely believe that the vast majority of people way overestimate the ability of a stray ember (or even a wayward log) to set pressure treated lumber on fire. You'd have to ignore a problem for a pretty long time before it became a big problem.
And FWIW, you never concern yourself with what the fire department recommends. What you want to know is what the firefighters do at their own homes. That's your benchmark.
I don’t think they had the deflector when I bought mine but it’s not like it doesn’t throw heat just need to sit a little closer. We’ve brought it camping a few times and it worked well when we didn’t have a great fire pit.
Ours came with the riser. Haven’t tried on a deck but have used it in the grass and on our patio.
What makes it best ? I cook over fire sometimes, but sometimes it’s not worth the effort or time (e.g. tailgating). The point is, the stove is designed first to be a firepit not a grill. To grill, it’s best to use a product designed entirely for that.
Would you use a bathtub with pedals and wheels to get around or would you use a bike ? That’s the bigger point.
I once used a steel wheelbarrow as charcoal grill. Sure, it was interesting to try but it was a lousy grill.
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