Need help picking out a fire pit for the patio

[Substance-P]

We recently had a concrete patio put on the house and are getting ready host our first party. We have been talking about getting a fire pit for a while now and wondered if people had any tips for a quality portable pit that was $200 or less (might be willing to go a little more if need be).

I am torn between wood and propane powered but want one that can be moved into the garage or basement during the winter and one that won't rust out with first rain.

Anyone have any experience with different models in particular or have a strong feeling of wood vs propane?

Thanks

 

[rich8483]

i will say is, you will enjoy one either way. the newer ones, after i bought mine are available with a small "table" area around the actual fire part of it. kinda neat. maybe i would by that, maybe i wouldnt

as far as being wood or propane. that depends. mine is wood powered but i already have a wood stove in the house that i heat the house with so i also have a quality chainsaw and a splitter. if i didnt, id probably go propane. buying firewood is expensive but if you have a saw and an ax or splitter. my opinion favors wood.

its nice you got a concrete patio too. you dont have to worry about over heating the patio. some fire pits are better at keeping the ground cooler than others. bad ones can scorch a wood deck or grass if you have it in your lawn.

ps. i think mine came from Kohls for like 100 bucks and i always keep it outside and ive had it for almost four years and its got no rust only a little fade. so if you buy a quality one and store it inside like you say you plan on. it should last for years and years. so dont be afraid to spend on it. but then again there are no working parts to a wood one like i got. i dont know if a propane one would rust on the burners like a grill does. maybe.

 

[Substance-P]

Thanks for the feedback. My fireplaces are gas and I do not have easy access to firewood (so I would have to buy it specifically for the fire pit) sounds like propane may be a better fit.

 

[femurphy77]

S-P, I've got a contact for a sweet firepit made right here in the area. It's heavy steel, comes with a cover and a grilling rack. Very quality made. IIRC it's around $300 but worth every penny especially when you look at the junk sold at Menards et al. I'll post the contact info this evening when I get home. I've tried to google it but came up empty handed.

 

[WoG]

femurphy - that sounds great, I'd be interested to hear more about it. I've got a real small wood burner sitting on my patio. It's been great, its rusting a bit, but its just so small.

Thanks in advance for the info!

 

[Substance-P]

S-P, I've got a contact for a sweet firepit made right here in the area. It's heavy steel, comes with a cover and a grilling rack. Very quality made. IIRC it's around $300 but worth every penny especially when you look at the junk sold at Menards et al. I'll post the contact info this evening when I get home. I've tried to google it but came up empty handed.

this sounds like a great option! Any more info you can provide will be appreciated.
the more I think about, the more I leaning back toward wood over propane.

 

[femurphy77]

O.k. everyone, I forgot about it last night, so here it is. Firepan.com, they appear to be a mooresville based company. I tried to contact them via their website earlier this year but never heard back from them. I didn't try calling the number posted. This phone number, 317-696-6428, is for a distributor in Indy. I talked to these guys in person over at the Bargersville swapmeet one weekend and saw the product in person. This thing is built to last!!!! We will be buying one in the near future now that the weather is cooling off, like you Wog we had on of the thin sheetmetal jobs and basically burned it through. Check out the pictures on the website then give the indy guys a call.

 

[JetGirl]

The fire pit we have also has the little tiled "table" area around it.

Even though we put it up in the winter, the tiles still cracked/chipped off. We still use it, but it's just not "purdy" any more.

 

[Substance-P]

The fire pit we have also has the little tiled "table" area around it.

Even though we put it up in the winter, the tiles still cracked/chipped off. We still use it, but it's just not "purdy" any more.

Other than the tile not being as durable as you might like, who do like it? how much did it set you back?

 

[JetGirl]

Other than the tile not being as durable as you might like, who do like it? how much did it set you back?

We do. We still use it often anyhow. I think it was somewhere in the neighborhood of $130 bucks after tax, and I think we got it at Dick's Sporting Goods.