Surestove Smokeless Review

Despite its smaller size and lower price point, the Surestove offers plenty of heat and provides great portability, making it an enticing option for traveling and camping while still enjoying the benefit of a smoke-free fire.

The Surestove has not undergone any major changes since our initial review. However, since this product is an Amazon offering, the price can fluctuate depending on the season, making it an even better bargain during certain months of the year.

Tested and Rated

At Gearlab, we pride ourselves on honest, zero-bias reviews. Our testing protocols aim to create accurate, thorough rankings. No matter the name or brand, we ensure all our products are tested the exact same way. The Surestove is a great example of an unknown product that performs well regardless of other factors or influences.

Performance Comparison

Heat Output

The Surestove Smokeless definitely packs a punch and puts out more heat than our testers expected. It ignites quickly and maintains a consistently hot burn for up to 45 minutes.

During our heat output tests, I let the Surestove heat up and measured it with our infrared thermometer with temperature readings upwards of 900℉, which is an impressive heat output relative to its size. The smaller diameter of the Surestove involved having to feed more wood to keep the pit running hot, but that's somewhat expected with any smokeless design.

I had no issues getting the Surestove Smokeless ignited and quickly up to the ideal burning temperature. The burn time could be longer, but burning out at 45 minutes on three logs still holds its own. Overall, our testers were pleasantly surprised at the effectiveness of the Surestove's heat output.

Smoke Management

Admittedly, smokeless fire pits are not completely smokeless, but some fire pits do a much better job of controlling smoke levels across the various stages of burning. While the Surestove does a decent job at removing smoke, it could be better.

During our side-by-side tests, it was evident that the Surestove was emitting more smoke during ignition than its other smokeless counterparts. Once secondary burning was achieved, visual smoke reduced significantly but picked back up once it started to burn out and extinguish. Still, I noticed the large reduction in smoke compared to a traditional fire pit, and it holds significant value in opting for a smokeless pit over a traditional fire pit.

Using well-seasoned wood goes a long way in avoiding smoke. In our tests, I used the same seasoned wood for all pits. After these controlled tests, I opted for other wood types and observed a greater smoke output when using unseasoned wood. I also noticed that burning unseasoned wood on the Surestove resulted in more smoke than burning the same unseasoned wood on more expensive smokeless pits. This test was done to compare the effectiveness of the smokeless design and airflow system each pit utilizes when burning less-than-ideal wood.

Portability

Where the Surestove Smokeless shines is in its portability. At just 18 lbs and 19" x 19" x 14" in diameter with the stand, it's one of the lightest pits we tested. Even with the detachable stand, I had no problem moving the Surestove out of the car, across the backyard, or into storage. I feel confident recommending the Surestove as a great portable option for car camping and boondocking.

The Surestove's simplicity makes it straightforward to set up and only requires putting the pit onto the stand to get going. While there are no handles or transport bag, it's light enough to carry without much fuss. All in all, it's one of the few full-size firepits I could feel comfortable carrying solo.

Ease of Cleaning

The Surestove utilizes its stand as a built-in ash pan to dispose of ash. Ash removal simply involves taking the pit out of the stand and unloading the ash from the bottom. This design helps avoid having to lift the entire stove to dispose of ash.

One caveat with the stand acting as the ashpan is the hole in the middle of the stand lets ash build up below the stand and makes disposal of all the ash nearly impossible. While not the biggest concern, not fully being able to clean out your pit before traveling or putting it away for storage can be frustrating. Other options that use a removable ash pan mean cleanup can be achieved easily and more effectively, hence the lower score for the Surestove's ease of cleaning.

Ease of Assembly

To assess the assembly time of each fire pit, I ran a timer to evaluate which pits went from box to finished product the quickest. The simplicity of the Surestove means practically no assembly. Unpack it from its box and attach the pit to the stand, and you're ready to go.

For folks traveling or away from home for extended periods of time, knowing no tools or any extra assembly prep is needed helps justify purchasing a fire pit that can be used right out of the box.

Should You Buy the Surestove Smokeless?

An unknown name and low price point warrant valid skepticism, but our rounds of testing and unbiased results lend the Surestove Smokeless some credibility. As a budget smokeless fire pit option, the SureStove certainly impressed us with its heat output and awesome portability. While this pit doesn't possess many features or hold up to the lengths a more expensive option would, it offers a reliable fire and a hard-to-beat price point that makes trying out a smokeless fire pit a bit easier on the wallet.

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