Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 Review

Our Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 Experience

Solo Stove's airflow design does wonders to keep smoke at bay and help create effortless, hot burning fires.

The Bonfire 2.0 features a clean, stainless steel aesthetic with a completely cylindrical shape, which facilitates storage and the organization of chairs and furniture around the pit. It's light enough to stash in the back of the car for camping trips but still provides enough heat for use in backyards and tailgates.

Lighting a fire with the Bonfire is no different than any other fire. Simply gather the right materials, ignite your kindling, and off you go. Our testers were pleased with how easy it was to ignite the Bonfire. It never took us more than a few minutes of work to get the Bonfire ignited. Once your fire does get going, the secondary burn from the upper vent holes helps immensely in reducing smoke and creating a hotter burn.

We were impressed with how much smoke disappears with the Bonfire 2.0. No more playing musical chairs around the fire to avoid the clinging smell of smoke on clothes and hair. It can't be overstated how much of a difference the smokeless design makes at the end of the night, not being burdened with irritated eyes and the smell of smoke dominating your senses. While some smoke can still be present, with factors like wood type and wood arrangement playing a role, the reduced smoke is far greater compared to a standard fire pit.

Not only does the smokeless design result in a hotter and cleaner burn, but it also helps create less ash and soot buildup. The ashtray is fully removable, making cleanup a breeze. We recommend removing the ash after every use since its so quick and easy, we don't think twice about it.

Heat Output

The Solo Stove consistently read up to 1,000°F and was also the star in our burn time tests.

The Bonfire burned for 60 minutes on just three medium-sized logs, which was impressive considering its size. I also measured the maximum log length for each pit. The ability to stuff a larger log into the pit also helps achieve a longer burn time. The Bonfire was able to comfortably fit logs up to 16 inches. The longest burn times in our test were achieved by pits that utilized propane tanks. Amongst the wood burning pits, the Bonfire performed quite well.

During testing, I continued to come back to the Solo Stove Bonfire because it provides the best mix of heat and smokeless burn. The Bonfire didn't offer the highest heat output out of the bunch, but I felt it provided the best overall experience. This included one of the longest burn times, an incredibly quick ignition process, and enough heat to keep multiple people warm through the night.

Smoke Management

The design of the Solo Stoves airflow system allows for a secondary burn that places it at the top of our wood-burning pits. Not only was the Solo Stove the most impressive during peak use, but it controlled smoke levels best during ignition and extinguishment. While all smokeless fire pits will emit some smoke during use, I found the Solo Stove had the most effective design aimed at keeping smoke at a minimum.

Wetter, unseasoned wood tends to create more smoke, but it helps put these smokeless models to the test. The Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 did the best out of our test group at taming smoke with less-than-ideal wood. While all fire pits produced more smoke, the Bonfire was visibly less than all others, with considerably less time to achieve a roaring fire.

Portability

With a weight of 21 lbs and dimensions of 19.5" x 19.5" x 14", the Bonfire is one of the lighter options on the market relative to its size.

The cylindrical shape and use of stainless steel mean the Bonfire isn't particularly hard to carry, but with no built-in handle, it can feel slightly awkward to move. Still, I had no problem moving it from the car to the campsite, and we found it to be one of the more portable smokeless pit options that was still large enough for smaller groups and families.

Ease of Cleaning

The Bonfire 2.0 was updated from its predecessor to include a removable ash pan that resides underneath the base plate. With a straightforward and simple design, the ashtray helps speed up the cleanup process. Our one gripe is that you still have to pick up the tray from inside the pit as opposed to a slide or drawer mechanism found in other fire pits.

Still, I think having an included ashtray makes life easier and saves you the hassle of awkwardly lifting and dumping your ash from the pit.

Ease of Assembly

Assembly was under a minute with the Bonfire; all it took was unboxing and putting the ash pan and fire ring onto the pit. Apart from the easy setup, I also appreciated how well-packaged the bonfire was to avoid any damage to the stainless steel.

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