The Smokeless Solo Stove Fire Pit Is a Backyard Must-Have (& It’s Currently on Sale for Black Friday 2023)

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

TOTAL: 93/100

Over the past few years—since the pandemic forced all gatherings to be outside and distanced—my husband and I have been hosting guests in our backyard. But as the days shortened and the weather cooled, sometimes even the promise of my warmest mulled wine wasn't enough to convince my pals to put on their parkas and head over. That was, until we upgraded our situation with a Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 (was $300, now $225). The Solo Stove sale is going strong for Black Friday 2023, and right now you can save up to $100 on their signature fire pits and up to $245 on the bundles. Here’s my honest review of the Bonfire 2.0 after nearly three years of use—the good, the slightly less good and the marshmallowy.

How Does the Solo Stove Work?

This compact, steel fire pit comes with a simple cover for storage, and is easy to 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 (was $53, now $48), 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. Sounds like a dream? For Black Friday 2023, the Solo Stove sale offers plenty of savings so you can snap one up, too. You can get up to $100 off the fire pits and $245 off the fire pit bundles. There’s also a BOGO 50 percent off deal on the gel fuel six pack to keep you stocked well into the season.

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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 kids 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.

Though you can definitely feel the heat when you’re sitting close or have your hands outstretched in front of it, it doesn’t warm a large area. Plus, the small size means that more than five people won’t really fit around it. If you want to entertain a larger crowd, you’re best off with the Yukon, which is best for groups of seven or more.

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