Are Solo Stove Firepits Worth It? We Tested Them to Find Out

Outdoor firepits, like the popular models from Solo Stove, are an excellent way to extend summer days well into the night, or even into the colder months. They provide light, warmth, and (most importantly?) an area for people to gather around and make s’mores. Some come with the ability to grill over an open flame as well.

I’m the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen & Cooking Lab, and with my colleagues at the Good Housekeeping Institute, have tested several firepits from Solo Stove's Classic Series—including the Bonfire, Ranger and small tabletop Mesa—to find out whether they're worth the hype. One of the brand's biggest claims is its "smokeless" design, so we put that to the test, too. As part of our annual Kitchen Awards, we also sent samples to consumer testers (spoiler alert: It was a winner!). Here's what we learned from our extensive testing:

Solo Stove Bonfire

Solo Stove Bonfire

AmazonAlso Consider

$300Walmart$300Lowe's

The Classic Series Solo Stoves are firepits made of heavy-duty stainless steel. While they're durable and can withstand ultra-high temperatures, they're still light enough for one person to move around, so you can easily transport it from your garage to your backyard or even to a campsite or a friend's house. One of our consumer testers said, “It's solidly built and not too heavy for carrying around.”

The classic firepits comes in four sizes: the large Yukon, the midsize Bonfire, the small Ranger, and the tabletop Mesa. Each model comes with a stand that allows it to be used on all types of noncombustible surfaces, according to the brand, including concrete, grass, various decking, and more. Additional firepits have been added to the brand's assortment, including their new, Summit Series, as well as propane-powered and bioethanol powered models.

Solo Stove is primarily known for making smokeless firepits, which deliver more heat and a more pleasant experience.

Pros

• All models in the Classic and Summit Series are relatively lightweight and durable.
• They come almost entirely assembled. All you have to do is remove the pieces from the protective plastic bags and place the removable inner ring onto the unit. When placed in the correct position, this ring helps direct the flames back into the firepit, helping it get hotter and maintain that temperature.
• They can be used on all sorts of surfaces.
• They include a carrying case.

Cons

• Outside of the unit gets very hot. Use with extreme caution, especially around children and pets.
• The first Solo Stoves we tested required being turned over to empty the ash. The newer models now come with a removable ashtray that makes cleanup easier, but it will cost you a little more.

✔️ We built fires in both the Solo Stove Bonfire and the Solo Stove Ranger using hardwood. We assessed the initial setup, ease of use, and the user guide. The units offered plenty of room to stack the wood and allowed for proper air circulation, and the fire caught easily with the help of kindling.

✔️ We monitored the fire over the course of an hour and added fuel to it several times. The fire was easy to manage thanks to the Solo Stove's wide diameter, shallow depth, and sturdy frame that contained the fire.

✔️ We also tested the grill accessory following our grill testing methodology and cooked steak and chicken thighs on it.

✔️ We cleaned each one by allowing the Solo Stove to cool completely and then flipping it over to empty the ash. The whole process took time to ensure the fire was completely out, and cleaning up the ash was an extra step that required a broom.

✔️ We then stored one unit in a garage and another outside, covered with the included carrying case, for several months. While the case has faded and looks weathered, the unit still looks as good as new. We continue to use each periodically and will continue to update with new data as we have it.

✔️ We also sent three additional Solo Stove Bonfires to consumer testers who used them without any guidance from us and provided feedback on their experience.

✔️ We tested the Mesa using hardwood pellets for casually making s'mores.

The Classic and Summit Series Solo Stoves have a hollow, dual-wall construction. They each have holes around the perimeter of the bottom of the outer wall and more holes on the top of the interior wall. The bottom of the units contain a built-in perforated wood holder and a nonremovable base that collects the ash. As the wood burns, Solo Stove explains that air is pulled out of the unit through the exterior holes and pushed back into the unit through the interior holes to create what it calls a secondary burn that's hotter and essentially smokeless.

In our testing, the Classic Series Solo Stoves proved smokeless once it reached a high enough temperature. Flames could still be seen, but it was not smoky. Instead, it emitted something similar to the clear gases you see when you light a Sterno to keep food warm. It's worth noting, however, that the Solo Stove is smoky as it heats up and the kindling starts to burn. Once the real fire starts, the smoke should clear. “It's better than what I would have thought for a typical unit,” said one of our testers.

Cooking accessories can be purchased to turn the Classic Series Solo Stoves into a grill, griddle, and even a wok. We tested the grill plate on the Solo Stove Ranger, which took a little finessing the first time we used it since we weren't used to monitoring an open flame while cooking. The Solo Stove Ranger is also the smallest Solo Stove model, which makes it a little trickier to find the right logs for it—precut supermarket logs are a bit too large. They are, however, a good size for the Bonfire and Yukon. To best use the cooking accessories, allow them to heat fully and make sure the flames are manageable and contained within the unit before beginning to cook.

The Classic Series Solo Stoves are great for beginners and expert firepit users alike. They're easy to set up, keeps the fire well contained, and they're pretty much smokeless once the fire gets hot enough. In the original Solo Stove Yukon, Bonfire, and Ranger models, removing ash was a bit cumbersome—you had to wait for the stove to cool before flipping it over to empty it. The current versions, linked in this article, solve that problem with removable ash pans. In terms of price, it's middle of the range compared to other firepits, which can cost from around $100 to more than $1,000.

The portability aspect is really what sets it apart from other firepits that may be too bulky to transport or from those designed to be showpieces in your backyard. The smaller sizes can easily be brought to gatherings or on camping trips. Overall, Solo Stoves are a great buy in terms of performance and ease of use, the two overarching details we assess during testing. The brand also offers many accessories you can purchase separately to make it the firepit of your dreams, such as a lid to smother flames faster and a heat deflector for added warmth.

Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen & Cooking Lab, where she's been testing outdoor cooking gear since she started at Good Housekeeping seven years ago. She was new to building fires when she first tested the Solo Stove, which confirms that almost anyone can use the Solo Stove.