Its gettin' chilly! Anyone own a fire pit?

[gores95]

Hey the weather is getting cooler so in addition to hot water in the backyard anyone own a fire pit?  I have narrowed it down to these two steel pits, leaning towards the first one.  Roughly $235 or so.  They look similar but subtle differences...thickness of steel, warranty, etc. and originally the two companies spun off when the partners split.

Anyone own or see one of these in person?  I am buying online and have not seen them up close.

Soejoe.com:



PatinaProducts.com:



Thanks,

Marc

[Utah]

My wife and I saw a beautiful propane fire pit at Costco last spring.  Was in the store a couple weeks ago and saw them again.  Beautiful design, about 40 inches tall and 4 feet round.  Granite surface on top that and four patio chairs.  Seemed like a nice way to relax in front of a fire in the fall/spring.  I don't think they sell them online though...

[MarKee]

gores95:  We sell that same firepit at the store I work for.  We sell a lot of them, no customer complaints.  Does $235 include shipping?  I might be able to get you one for a lil' bit cheaper.  

[gores95]

Yeah we actually looked at them.  Nice and with the propane easy to use.  We wanted something that the kids (and us!!) could toast marshmallows, etc. on.  You can't put food on the propane units unfortunately.

[gores95]

gores95:  We sell that same firepit at the store I work for.  We sell a lot of them, no customer complaints.  Does $235 include shipping?  I might be able to get you one for a lil' bit cheaper.  

Markee its the SoeJoe model and yes the $235 included shipping.  I actually bought it about 15 minutes ago but thanks for offering.  Does your store carry the Soejoe or Patina brand?  Do they appear solid?

Thanks,

Marc

[MarKee]

We carry the "Big Sky" brand but the firepit looks exactly like the pic you posted.  I think a lot of brands private label them but I could be mistaken.

[drewstar]

I have a fire thing-a-ma-jig in my back yard. The style is different than the one you show, It's more of a steel box with screens on the side. I belive my lovely wife picked it up at a very exclusive french boutique call Tar-ge't  for about $100.

I like it alot.   Espically this time of year in new england, sitting aroung the fire with a beer is great.  Durring cook outs the younger kids love to roast mashmellows, and it's a gathering place for shooting the breeze. It's also great for burning up all the sticks and what not that are around the yard.

I don't have it close to the tub. It's off about 100' from the tub closer to the pool.  It seems like it would be neat to have close to the tub, but  be cafeful with flying cinders. I've heard a few folks who have some melted holes in thier cover from embers. Also, intense heat should be kept away from synthetic cabinets.   Smoke from the fire can sometimes blow the wrong way.  (also If you have neighbors,  please be considerate.    ).  

I am thinking that someday, when I get around to building my dream patio area, I'd have a stone cirle fire pit incorporated into it, rather than a steel unit. (My current one requires a coat or two of high temp paint every spring).  If I was putting on next to the tub,  I'd  consider a propane or natural gas unit simpley because it's instant on and off and no flying ash, smoke, mess. wood.

That's my 2 cents.

[Zep]

Getty chilly?

Hell it's still in the 90's in Dallas everyday!

Send some cool air on down to Texas!

I own a fire pit and love it!

Mine is a gas pit like one shown below.

There is good and bad to both kinds (gas or wood)
but with gas there are no ashes and no cleanup...which is what I like.



But the gas ones are kind of pricey and it can be expensive
having a gas line moved to where you want the pit located.

You can sometimes find "a steal" on a gas or wood fire pit on e-bay:
CLICK BELOW
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=fire+pit&category0=

[badval]

We have one built into out patio table.  It's ok, but one directly on the ground would be better.  Having it elevated means more smoke in your face if there's a breeze.

Another thing to look for is the grate's construction.  Ours has a metal cover (for catching embers) & grate that are powder coated.  That's great for making them durable & looks nice, but you can't use the flames to cook because the powder coating will release toxins as it gets hot.  Would be nice to roast marshmallows or hot dogs over it once in a while.  

This is the set we have  Link to Home Depot .  Charis are very comfortable & table is perfect size for us - large enough for 4 people, but small enought to fit on the patio well.  

[Orthofunk]

We have a natural gas line stubbed out of our patio, and hooked up to a pit like the one below.
We went for gas over wood burning to avoid the mess and cleanup.
The instant startup is nice.
We've used it quite a bit for marshmallow and weinie roasts with the kids, and turn it on for outdoor movies.

[96SC]

We have a 'pit' similar to drewstar's, except ours came from the other exclusive retailer Walton Markets.  We've used it about twice in 4 years when relatives invade.

We don't live in a cold/chilly climate, have plenty of wood, ample room, we can afford hot dogs and marshmellows...we just don't take the time to fire it up.


My 2¢

[thearm]

Love to sit by a fire on these chilly evenings and roast Hot Dogs. My fire pits are made the old fashioned way. Go pick some flat rocks and build one yourself. If you don't have rocks available may I suggest you go and pick up some cinder blocks. Last I checked they were about .79 ea. For less than 20.00 you have a nice simple but effective fire pit.

[Vinny]

I don't have a fire pit but have one of these:



And I used it a few times last winter. It's nice to sit by the fire and feel the wamth. My youngest thought it was neat to sit in the tub and look at the fire.

[Ruby]

Well I've never posted a picture before, so I don't know if I'm doing it right, but here is a pic of our firepit.  We usually have friends over for a fire every other weekend or so.  We never cook over it (at least not since the kids were young).  We just sit around, drinking adult beverages, listen to music or the Twins game and bullsh**t.   We also have the chiminea type, but we never use it.

[Ruby]

Well I finally got the picture to post, but for some reason it only wants to be thumbnail sized  I'll keep trying
[img=http://thumb13.webshots.net/t/20/21/8/3/10/335280310OUqyJy_th.jpg]