A fire pit is one of the few backyard purchases that pays you back every night it gets used, and it is also one of the easiest to get wrong. Buy on looks alone and you can end up with a bowl that rusts through in a season or a design that sends smoke straight into the faces of everyone sitting around it. Buy on specs alone and you can end up with something so heavy it never moves and so wide it swallows the patio.
I have spent fifteen years building and installing fire pits for clients around western North Carolina, and the pattern never changes. The pits that actually get used are the ones that manage smoke, hold heat, and match how the owner really sits outside. This guide looks at six currently sold models, including a stainless steel smokeless fire pit with a removable ash pan, a portable propane unit built for camping and tailgates, two budget-friendly Pure Garden designs, a wide 47 inch pit with grills, and a premium corten steel option. The goal is not to crown one universal winner. It is to match the pit to your yard, your fuel, and your budget.
Related: How to Break In a New Fire Pit Without Smoking Out the Patio
Quick answer
The SUNJOY Smokeless Fire Pit 28-Inch Hexagonal Firepit for Outdoor, Stainless Steel Wood Burning Fireplace with Removable Ash Pan, PVC Cover and Fire Poker, Ideal for Camping, Bonfire, Backyard, Black is the strongest fit for most backyards because it pairs a smokeless design with stainless steel construction and ships with the accessories buyers usually add later, including a removable ash pan, a PVC cover, and a fire poker. Choose the Breeo X Series 24 - Corten Steel Smokeless Fire Pit for Outside - 27.5 in instead when the pit is a permanent landscape feature and you want premium corten steel.
Fire pits worth comparing
Every model below is a real, currently sold fire pit. The cards lead with the strongest all-around fit, then move through the more specialized options, from a portable propane unit to a wide cooking-capable pit.
SUNJOY Smokeless Fire Pit 28-Inch Hexagonal Firepit for Outdoor, Stainless Steel Wood Burning Fireplace with Removable Ash Pan, PVC Cover and Fire Poker, Ideal for Camping, Bonfire, Backyard, Black
Check current Amazon price
A 28 inch hexagonal wood burning pit in stainless steel with a smokeless design, a removable ash pan, and a PVC cover and fire poker included. The hexagonal footprint keeps the seating ring tighter than a round pit of similar size.
Visit on Amazon
Breeo X Series 24 - Corten Steel Smokeless Fire Pit for Outside - 27.5 in
A 27.5 inch smokeless wood burning pit built from corten steel, the material that weathers to a stable rust patina instead of flaking away. Aimed at permanent backyard installations rather than pack-and-go trips.
Visit on Amazon
Ignik FireCan Portable Propane Fire Pit with Hose and Regulator
A portable propane fire pit that runs off a tank through the included hose and regulator. No wood, no ash, and no smoke, which makes it the practical choice for decks, tailgates, and campsites where a wood fire is not an option.
Visit on Amazon
OutVue 47 Inch Fire Pit with 2 Grills
A 47 inch fire pit that ships with two grills, which turns a single unit into both a fire pit and a cooking surface. The widest option here, and the one to look at if feeding people over the fire is the point.
Visit on Amazon
Pure Garden Round Outdoor Fire Pit with Star Cutouts, Black, 32-Inch
A 32 inch round wood burning fire pit in black with star cutouts in the side panels. The cutouts throw a patterned glow onto the patio once the fire is burning down.
Visit on Amazon
Pure Garden Outdoor Fire Pit with Cross Weave Pattern, Black, 32-Inch
The same 32 inch round black footprint as the star cutout model, finished with a cross weave side pattern instead. Pick between the two on the look you want, not on capability.
Visit on AmazonPrices and availability may change. Check the retailer for current details.
How these products were compared
This guide compares fuel type, smoke management approach, construction material, overall size and footprint, and what actually ships in the box. Product names, images, and retailer links are matched so that every card points to the product shown.
One thing worth saying plainly: this is a specification and design comparison, not a season-long burn test. Where a manufacturer describes a pit as smokeless, that reflects the intent of the double-wall or secondary burn construction, not an independent measurement of smoke output in your specific yard. Wind, wood moisture, and how you load the fire all change the result. Treat the specs as your starting point and your site conditions as the tiebreaker.
How to choose the right fire pit
Start with fuel, because it decides almost everything else. A wood pit gives you the real thing: crackle, radiant heat, and a fire you tend. It also gives you ash, smoke, and a pit that needs cleaning. A propane pit like the Ignik FireCan gives you instant on and off, no ash, and no smoke at all, at the cost of the campfire experience itself. Neither is better. They are different products for different people, and the buyers who end up disappointed are the ones who bought one while wanting the other.
Next, look at smoke management and steel. Smokeless designs work by burning the smoke a second time, which is why they are built with double walls or a secondary combustion chamber rather than a single bowl. That construction is the feature, not a marketing line. Material matters just as much. Corten steel, used on the Breeo, is designed to weather outdoors and develop a stable patina. Stainless steel, used on the SUNJOY, resists rust without needing a patina. Painted steel is the budget route and the one most likely to show its age first, which is fine if you go in knowing that.
Finally, size and accessories. A 28 inch hexagonal pit and a 32 inch round pit seat a similar group, while a 47 inch pit changes the scale of the whole seating area. Before you buy, walk your patio and mark the footprint with a hose or a couple of chairs. Then decide which accessories you actually want, because an ash pan, a cover, a poker, and grills are the difference between a pit you use weekly and one you avoid because cleaning it is a chore. If you are still sorting out placement, the break-in guide covers the first burn and the wind direction question that decides whether your seating ring works.
SUNJOY Smokeless Fire Pit 28-Inch Hexagonal Firepit for Outdoor, Stainless Steel Wood Burning Fireplace with Removable Ash Pan, PVC Cover and Fire Poker, Ideal for Camping, Bonfire, Backyard, Black
The SUNJOY is the top pick here because it bundles the things most buyers end up buying separately. It is a 28 inch hexagonal wood burning pit in stainless steel with a smokeless design, and it arrives with a removable ash pan, a PVC cover, and a fire poker. That combination covers the three chores that kill fire pit enthusiasm: cleaning ash, covering the bowl through a wet week, and moving burning logs around.
The hexagonal shape is a real design choice rather than a gimmick. It gives the pit a tighter footprint than a round bowl of comparable capacity, which matters on a small patio where every inch of clearance counts. Stainless steel is also the material I would pick for a pit that stays outside in a humid climate, because it does not depend on a protective coating to survive the weather.
The trade-off is the one that applies to every mid-range pit: the spec sheet does not settle steel thickness, and thickness is the number that quietly decides how many seasons a pit lasts. If that number matters more to you than the accessory bundle, the Breeo is the upgrade path. If you want a smokeless stainless pit that is ready to burn on day one without a second shopping trip, this is the one to start with.
Alternatives to consider
The Breeo X Series 24 - Corten Steel Smokeless Fire Pit for Outside - 27.5 in is better suited to a permanent backyard installation, the kind where the pit becomes part of the landscape and gets left out through every season. Corten steel is built to weather rather than to stay shiny, and the 27.5 inch size keeps it from dominating a patio. The Ignik FireCan Portable Propane Fire Pit with Hose and Regulator is a stronger fit when you want flame without wood smoke, ash, or a burn pile, and when the pit needs to travel, whether that is a deck, a tailgate, or a campsite.
The OutVue 47 Inch Fire Pit with 2 Grills, the Pure Garden Round Outdoor Fire Pit with Star Cutouts, Black, 32-Inch, and the Pure Garden Outdoor Fire Pit with Cross Weave Pattern, Black, 32-Inch cover the value and cooking end of the list. The OutVue is the widest option here and the only one that ships with two grills, so it suits anyone who wants to cook over the fire rather than just sit beside it. The two Pure Garden pits share the same 32 inch round black footprint and differ mainly in the side pattern, star cutouts on one and a cross weave on the other. If you are choosing between those two, choose on the light pattern you want on your patio. There is no capability difference to weigh.
Day-to-day use and maintenance
The habits that keep a fire pit working are boring and they take five minutes. Empty ash after the bowl is fully cold, not the morning after, because ash holds moisture and moisture is what kills steel from the inside. Use the removable ash pan on the SUNJOY for exactly that reason, and dump it into a metal container rather than a paper bag. Keep the cover on between burns, especially through a wet week, and let the pit dry completely before you cover it so you are not trapping humidity under the lid.
For the propane unit, inspect the hose and regulator before each season and check for cracks or wear, then store the tank upright and valve closed. For the OutVue, clean the grills after cooking rather than before the next fire, because baked-on residue is harder to remove than warm residue. For any wood pit, burn dry, seasoned wood. Wet wood is the single biggest reason a smokeless design still smokes at you.
On safety, the basics are not optional. Set the pit on a non-combustible surface, keep it clear of structures, railings, and low branches, and check your local burn rules before the season starts. Use a spark screen where one is included or available. Never leave a fire unattended, and never assume a patio is fireproof because it is outside.
Buying checklist
- Measure your intended footprint plus clearance to seating, structures, and anything overhead.
- Choose fuel first: wood for the experience, propane for convenience and smoke-free operation.
- Decide whether smoke management matters enough to pay for a smokeless design.
- Confirm the exact model includes the accessories you want, such as an ash pan, cover, poker, grills, or a hose and regulator.
- Read the cleaning and maintenance instructions before the first burn, not after.
- Verify the current retailer price, availability, and return terms before ordering.
Final recommendation
Choose the SUNJOY Smokeless Fire Pit 28-Inch Hexagonal Firepit for Outdoor, Stainless Steel Wood Burning Fireplace with Removable Ash Pan, PVC Cover and Fire Poker, Ideal for Camping, Bonfire, Backyard, Black when you want one box to cover the whole job: a smokeless stainless steel pit, an ash pan, a cover, and a poker, at a size that fits an ordinary patio. Choose the Breeo X Series 24 - Corten Steel Smokeless Fire Pit for Outside - 27.5 in when the pit is a long-term landscape feature and you want corten steel doing the weathering for you. Choose the Ignik FireCan Portable Propane Fire Pit with Hose and Regulator when smoke, ash, and tending a fire are the parts you would rather skip. And if the two Pure Garden models are the ones that caught your eye, pick between them on the cutout pattern, because the round 32 inch footprint underneath is the same pit.