With spring and summer nights fast approaching, smokeless fire pits and cozy fire pit seating can extend warm days into the evenings and elevate your outdoor space. Fire pits—especially portable fire pits—bring light, warmth and a reason for family and friends to gather around.
However, the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 lets you do more than sit around a fire with Coleen Hoover’s latest book and a glass of rosé (although I have insider knowledge that this is good for that activity). You can roast s’mores, grill meat and even cook a mouth-watering, wood-fired pizza pie with the Bonfire 2.0.
I tried the trending smokeless fire pit for myself, and here’s what I learned.
What is the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0?
The Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 is an outdoor smokeless fire pit made of sleek, durable stainless steel. Its cylindrical metal body is strong enough to withstand super high heat but light enough (23.3 pounds, to be exact) to move around from a storage shed to a backyard and even to a campsite.
The Bonfire 2.0 measures 19.5 inches in diameter and 14 inches in length, so it’s ideal for a small group yet compact enough to fit in a trunk and take to a friend’s house. It can be fueled with traditional firewood logs or wood pellets (thanks to the new Solo Stove Pellet Adapter). Plus, unlike traditional fire pits, this smokeless option is ultra-efficient. The Bonfire 2.0 has a double-wall body designed to let flames build from two spots: The base that lets oxygen in through the bottom and vent holes near the top of the canister allowing heated oxygen to fuel existing flames.
The cylindrical steel body of the Bonfire produces a high fire that funnels smoke upward instead of outward, so you can sit closer to the fire without having smoke directly in your face. The base plate is perforated to firmly hold firewood in place, letting ash and other debris fall through to the removable pan at the bottom. The ash pan keeps the fire pit from burning the surface below it (the Bonfire Stand helps with this too).
Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 Product Features
The Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0’s claim to fame is that it’s a smokeless fire pit made for “the backyard and beyond.” In other words, Solo Stove guarantees a pleasant, totally portable fire pit experience. It even comes with its own carrying bag, so you can store it safely, load it up and carry it to wherever you need a fire—camping, tailgating, beach party, you name it.
Solo Stove’s 360-degree Signature Airflow design heats air to burn off smoke before it gets trapped in your hair and clothes, leaving your sweatshirt smelling like a campfire for days. Plus, you won’t have to shift around the fire pit to avoid teary eyes and a face full of smoke. We’re swooning.
Startup and clean up with the Bonfire 2.0 can be done in a jiffy. Assembly is easy, and the signature airflow design lets anyone spark up bright flames fast. Plus, the base plate and ash pan are now removable from the Bonfire, which makes cleaning quick and easy. No special cleaning tools needed; just lift the base plate to remove the ash pan and dump it!
Solo Stove stands behind the quality and longevity of its products by backing each with a lifetime warranty. But our favorite thing about the smokeless fire pits is the broad and versatile range of Solo Stove accessories available. A few of our favorites include the Bonfire Heat Deflector that allows for more fireside warmth and the Bonfire Pi Fire and Bonfire Cast Iron Griddle Top that lets you cook breakfast, dinner and everything in between.
How We Tested It
I tested the Bonfire 2.0 in my backyard, and let me tell you: This thing is sleek. The design is timeless, simple and polished. Whether you need something that works with your carefully-decorated backyard or a rugged campsite, this fire pit is a seamless addition.
Shipping and Unboxing
While I was impressed with the overall look of the Bonfire 2.0, there was a dent in the front of it when I pulled it out of the box. Despite being labeled as fragile, the box was not handled with care. That could be an issue with the delivery service and not Solo Stove, but Solo Stove may want to consider adding additional packing materials to account for postal service mishaps. Still, I could probably pop the dent out with the right suction tool—maybe one of those car dent removal tools. Luckily, this dent did not affect the performance of the Bonfire 2.0, so I’m not super concerned.
After unboxing the Bonfire 2.0, “assembly” took seconds. It was a matter of putting it on the stand, inserting the base plate and ash pan, and flipping over the flame ring at the top of the cylinder. Trust me when I say: If I can assemble a Solo Stove fire pit, literally anyone can.
The Fire
Next was starting the fire. I fueled my fire with chopped hickory and added a bit of dry grass as tinder and small twigs as kindling to help build the flames. However, if you prefer an easier route, you can buy Solo Stove Starters to take an all-in-one approach to starting your fire.
Once the fire was built, it was smooth sailing. The flames in the Solo Stove were higher and hotter than I’ve seen in other backyard fire pits. The fire lasted a while, too. With the help of a little bit of chopped wood, the fire roared for over two hours.
Now, about the smokeless part. There will be some smoke when you’re building the fire. However, once the fire gets going and the flames are hot enough, the Solo Stove is truly smokeless. When the fire raged, there were minimal emissions from the Bonfire, and what was emitted was comparable to the colorless gasses from a small, open-flame burner.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Easy to move
- Comes almost entirely assembled, setup is quick and hassle-free
- Design makes for an efficient, easy-to-build fire
- Mess is contained within the cylinder
- Removable ash pan for simple clean up
- Can be used on different types of surfaces
- Far less smoky than other wood-burning fire pits, especially once fire is built
- Wood burns hotter
- Comes in a range of colors
- Carrying bag included
Cons
- Outside of the cylinder gets very hot, use caution with children and pets
- Expensive, but high quality
FAQ
How do you clean a Solo Stove fire pit?
Cleaning the Bonfire 2.0 and other Solo Stove fire pits is easy. When your wood has burned down completely and your fire pit has had time to cool off, remove the ash pan from under the base plate and dump it.
Can you use a Solo Stove fire pit on a wood deck?
Solo Stove fire pits can be used on a wood deck but require careful attention. If the fire pit is not properly elevated and insulated or if it’s misused, the deck can be charred or caught on fire. The Bonfire Stand is useful for elevating your Bonfire from surfaces, but ultimately, you’ll want to ensure that whatever surface you use your Solo Stove on can handle high temperatures.
You should never leave your Solo Stove fire pit (or any fire pit) unattended on a combustible surface, even while cooling down. The Bonfire Shield can also help prevent large embers from escaping the pit during use and the Bonfire Lid can help keep ashes locked in when cooling down.
How do you put out a Solo Stove fire pit?
Don’t use water to put out your fire. Water can rapidly change the temperature of the stainless steel, which is harsh on the metal body of the fire pit. Water can also collect in the bottom of the ash pan, which makes it hard to remove ash later and restricts airflow.
The best way to put out a fire in your Solo Stove fire pit is to let it die down naturally.
What Other Reviewers Had to Say
With nearly 25,000 reviews on Solo Stove and Amazon combined, the Bonfire 2.0 has a 4.9- and 4.8-star ranking on each site respectively. Buyers weigh in on the Bonfire from the Solo Stove site below.
Verified buyer Susan S. loves the Bonfire 2.0. She says, “This Solo fire pit is the best. No more messy fire pit to clean up after the burn. It is all contained in one area. Great for roasting marshmallows and whatever else you want to roast. This is the second one I bought, one as [a] gift, now one for me.”
Five-star reviewer Hanna S. writes, “We love our Solo Stove! We have the smaller one as well, and we use them both several times a week. We have two small children and feel safe with the Bonfire! We can’t wait to add some accessories!”
Final Verdict
The Bonfire 2.0 is Solo Stove’s best-selling fire pit for a reason. It’s backyard-size, portable and comes in a range of colors with a variety of compatible accessories made for any campfire occasion. While it will run you a few hundred dollars—and a little more if you buy accessories—the Solo Stove fire pits are made with high-quality materials and are made to last for many summers to come.
We think they’re great for backyard use, and they make excellent gifts for those who love a cozy summer evening around a live fire!
Where to Buy the Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0
The Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 retails for around $400. The best place to shop the Bonfire 2.0, other Solo Stove fire pits and accessories is at Solo Stove, where you’ll likely find the best sales and deals. You can also shop Solo Stove products on Amazon.
Make your backyard—and your friends’ backyards—the place to be this summer with the Bonfire 2.0. It’s guaranteed to make your outdoor hangout space lit (pun intended)!
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Article source here: Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 Review: Yes, It’s Actually Smokeless
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