UK’s best fire pits both large and small tested for heat and design

Replacing the Square fire pit, which previously sat in number 1 spot for best budget fire pit, is this Amazon basics model that offers the buyer excellent value for money, practicality, and flexibility. I tested this myself – I have to say it’s a real bargain.

The first thing that took me by surprise with this item was its size. I don’t know why, but I was expecting it to be smaller than its actual size of 66cm x 45cm – it was BIG. I’m not grumbling about that of course; a larger fire pit means it can hold more logs which means more heat for me – here’s a look at the package so you can understand what I mean:

What I really like about the Amazon Basics fire pit is that it’s portable, and I don’t mean that in the sense that you have to take it apart with a screwdriver either. All you have to do is fold the legs under, slip it into it’s carry bag, and you’re good to go. Just throw it in the car and take it camping with you or round to a friend’s house. None of our other featured fire pits can claim to be so flexible and that’s why it’s my pick for best fire pit – it works as a portable fire pit too. Before I go too far – here’s a look at how safe the mes was and how easy it was to use and setup:

Even though this fire pit weighs under 12lbs, once all the legs have been locked it feels very solid and, although not up to the standard as the welded legs on the Daytona fire pit, the four foldable legs do a great job of keeping it stable on paving and soft grass – not bad when compared in testing together.

As well as a carry bag, you get a cooking grill thrown in for the price. This grill is a good size and you’ll be able to cook up a decent breakfast on there during a camping trip, or grill some burgers for the kids. The bars on the grill aren’t as far apart as on the Dawoo fire pit either, so you won’t have to fish sausages out that have fallen through. The grill was surprisingly high quality stainless steel:

If I was going to pick holes, it would be with the mesh cover that comes with the fire pit. Don’t get me wrong, it looks great, and does what it’s supposed to do well, but even after just a short time we could tell that the mesh would start to rust. Saying that, it wouldn’t really affect how well the cover would operate, so I guess I’m just being picky. It was superb at catching spitting wood as I mentioned in the fire pit safety section.

The included fire poker isn’t the best quality either and probably won’t last as long as the pit itself, but that’s to be expected with accessories that come with budget products, and replacing it won’t be too hard. Though I used it just fine. It puts out plenty of heat without over filling it for 4-6 people – you can huddle up nicely around this. As I mentioned I tested in a 20mph breeze and still felt some benefit! A cracking fire pit that met all my expectations in testing. Safety, heat, design – all the boxes ticked – my favourite fire pit in the UK.

Pros

· Low cost but good quality fire pit
· Larger than expected for the price
· Foldable legs and portable
· Comes with a carry case and poker

Cons

· Mesh cover will probably rust after a short while but it’s not the end of the world.

Specification: Material: Alloy Steel, L x W x H: 34 x 45 x 45 cm, Weight: 44.7 kg

There’s a new fire pit king in town! The Square Garden Fire Pit takes my top spot for best fire pit in the UK from the VonHaus Geo Fire Pit Bowl with Spark Guard & Poker for the rest of the Summer. Why? Basically I love the simplistic design. It fits far more modern garden settings and ticks all the usual boxes when compared to our other fire pit friends. Firstly, it’s nice and safe to mount of a table so long as you have a slab to stop heat transfer – it will obviously burn on wood given the sheer heat involved. But with that amount of heat, it can easily replace a gas table top heater which is a big deal for me as I much prefer charcoal and log burning. It feels far more natural and much nicer on an evening.

The ash collection tray works pretty well too, with most ash funnelling it’s way down ready for collection and removal the next day. But actually it doesn’t end there. The grill is pretty decent for a little charcoal bbq too. You could certainly argue it’s useable as a portable charcoal bbq when compared closely. The guard is well shaped and allows you to build logs when you’re not using it for cooking.

Essentially the two corner stones of the fire pit have been really well considered. The first being heating, and secondly cooking.

Assembly isn’t a problem either, this flat pack will be up and working in fifteen minutes.

To add some balance I note there are some complaining about paint peeling and subsequently some rusting. This is completely expected and totally normal if you’ve ever bought a charcoal bbq and not spent out for something top end like a Kamado Joe. The warnings from reviewers online that it is not safe for kids actually terrifies me though. ANY flame around a table is not safe for kids. If you’re kids are that young that they may touch or go near this inadvertently then slap yourself in the head and remember what you’re dealing with!

The fact that it looks sleek and modern for a few burns at this price is just the cherry on top for me. That’s why I’ve decided this is my top pick for fire pits in the UK this Summer

One of the best things about fire pits is that along with providing warmth and light, they can also double up as BBQs. So, if that sounds like something you and your family will be taking part in, then the DAWOO fire pit is what we recommend.

This fire pit’s large central area is perfect for cooking enough kebabs, burgers, and sausages, to keep the whole family happy and avoid grumpy faces caused by long waiting times, something you would no doubt get if the cooking area was smaller. I would say that the bars on the grill are a little too far apart though, and you might lose the odd thinner sausage if you’re not careful. 

Surrounding the centrally located heat resistant basin is a sturdy table-like frame. This gives you a fair bit of space on which to lay plates, condiments, and cooking utensils while you’re seeing to the grill, or you can just use it to sit your drink on when the pit isn’t being used.

The table isn’t only practical, it is nice and stylish too, creating a modern look and feel thanks to the ‘tiled’ pattern and smokey grey colour scheme. When the mesh lid is placed on top, the overall effect is really attractive and I can’t see anyone being disappointed with it.

If cooking isn’t your thing, don’t worry, the DAWOO fire pit works equally brilliantly at providing heat when your out on your patio on a brisk evening. However, while the heat basin is quite wide, it’s not all that deep, so you will probably find yourself throwing another log in there after an hour or so.

I found assembly to be fairly straightforward. There was the odd screw and hole that were slightly out of alignment but it was only by a tiny bit and didn’t really cause me any bother once I loosened up a few parts that I’d already assembled. Once built, I found the DAWOO fire pit to be stable and sturdy, though there was the odd sharp corner that could do with rounding off with an angle grinder, just to be on the safe side.

There are a few extras thrown in for the price, such as the mesh lid, poker, and weather cover. As they are freebies, don’t expect them to be indestructible, but they were better quality than the VonHaus and Amazon accessories, and as long as you don’t mistreat them too much, I reckon they’ll last long enough for you to feel you got your money’s worth.

Pros

•         Looks incredible, with a stunning modern style
•         Large cooking area and free grill rack
•         Sturdy table provides space for holding utensils, drinks, etc.
•         Comes with some good accessories such as a weather cover and poker.

Cons

·         There were a couple of fiddly parts to assembly, but nothing major.

Love the idea of sitting around an open fire but just can’t see yourself building it, getting it started, and then cleaning up the ash afterwards? Not to worry, this next review might just be the thing you’ve been looking for.

The Real Glow Warmpact is our pick for best gas fire pit, bringing the right mix of quality, style, convenience, and heating performance. What’s more, for a gas fire pit of this standard, the price isn’t too bad at all.

Gas fire pits are all about convenience, and this model certainly delivers in that department. Assembly was refreshingly easy and only took about 20 minutes to finish on my own, better than many of the log burning fire pits that we tested, and included in the packaging was a 3 metre gas hose and a 27mm regulator.

Once everything was tightened up and connected, the last thing was to pop the battery in the ignitor, turn the knob to my desired power output, and push the button. The fire pit sprang to life almost instantly, and watching the flames through the four-sided glass shield was hypnotic.

You can get those flames up pretty high too, and at its max output, the Real Glow Warmpact can produce a very impressive 44,000 BTU. That’s more than enough to keep a small group of people smiling on a chilly night if they are sitting close to the fire, but don’t expect it to heat up a whole patio area.

This 80cm x 80cm x 46cm fire pit looks fantastic too, with the dark rattan sides and a shiny flat top, all crowned by those four pieces of glass and the lava rocks contained within. I’d say it is as attractive as the VonHaus fire pit, but with a more modern look and feel, and is a fire pit that catches the eye whether or not it is actually turned on or not, and obviously will compliment your rattan garden furniture perfectly.

I’m finding it hard to think of things I didn’t like about the Real Glow Warmpact fire pit. It is made to a high standard from quality materials, it’s easy to assemble and includes everything you need to get started, and it looks fantastic. As long as they don’t expect it to be producing massive amounts of heat, I think anyone would be happy with this product.

Pros

•         No messing around with logs and fire lighters, just push the button to start.
•         Excellent control over the fire
•         Comes with lava rocks, a hose, and regulator
•         Can produce an impressive 44,000 BTU

Cons

·         Doesn’t provide as much heat as a larger wood burning fire pit

Specification: Material: Alloy Steel, L x W x H: 67 x 67 x 65 cm, Weight: 9.48 kg

The first thing you notice about this fire pit is the wonderful geometric pattern that decorates it, and where this model gets its ‘Geo’ name. In addition to this, the overall shape of the VonHaus Geo fire pit is quite eye-catching, with the round main body sitting atop three thick, rounded legs, resembling something like a beautifully decorated wizard’s cauldron from a fairy tale.

This fire pit has good dimensions, standing 64.5cm tall and 66.5cm in diameter, giving you the option of using either charcoal or small logs as a fuel source. The large size of the VonHaus fire pit makes it more than adequate when it comes to heating up an area large enough for 4-6 people to sit around on the patio.

Von Haus has chosen to go with steel as the main material for their Geo fire pit, creating a very strong and sturdy 9.5kg frame for your evening bonfires. However, this isn’t stainless steel and so is more likely to rust if you don’t top up the heat proof paint coating sometime in the future. If you can keep on top of this little bit of maintenance though, you’ll have a fire pit that will last for years and VonHaus are offering a 2-year warranty anyway.

Included in the box are a heat proof fire poker for stoking up those flames, and a mesh cover for making sure stray sparks don’t get blown onto you or your guests by those sudden Autumn gusts. Both are about the same quality as the ones that come with the Amazon Basics fire pit, so don’t expect them to last forever.

One thing I did notice the absence of, was a grill for cooking on. Yes, I know this is a fire pit and not a barbecue, but many of today’s fire pits like the Dawoo model with a cooking grate and I was surprised VonHaus neglected to include one. Then again, it shouldn’t be too hard to make or buy one to fit on top if you really want to.

When it comes to assembling the VonHaus Geo fire pit, I have to say it was child’s play. You only need to screw in the legs in, and that’s about it really. There’s no messing around and you can have this out of the box and housing a decent fire in no time.

This is a good sized, lovely looking fire pit that is priced lower than I would have guessed and kicks out heat in a fairly large area. A serious contender for best low-cost fire pit.

Pros

•         Eye catching design looks fantastic whether fire is ignited or not
•         Good dimensions allow the VonHaus to hold a decent sized fire
•         Produces good heat spread over an area that will cover 4-6 people
•         Very easy to assemble with a strong steel frame

Cons

·         Doesn’t come with a cooking grill

Specification: Material: Cast Iron, L x W x H: 18 x 77 x 77 cm, Weight: 15 kg

Harbour Housewares fire pit resembles a very large wok standing on a tripod of rectangular legs. It has a certain charm that comes from its simplicity and gives you a kind of traditional, rustic feel.

This bowl design comes with some advantages. This shape helps with getting oxygen into the fire pit, and this in turn makes both lighting the fire, and keeping it burning well, much easier.

At 75cm in diameter and standing 38.5cm off the floor it is larger than the VonHaus fire pit, and you shouldn’t be pressed for space when it comes to filling it with fuel, whether that be wood or charcoal. It won’t scorch your grass or decking either, as long as the legs are placed on paving stones or something similar.

The makers of this fire pit claim it is made from cast iron, but I would have to doubt that. The material is just too thin, and at 15kg, too light for something this size to be made from true cast iron. If I was to hazard a guess, I’d say it is some kind of high carbon, steel alloy that has been made to resemble cast iron both in look and in properties, so you still get that classic aesthetic, along with the rust resistance of cast iron, but with the strength of steel. Not bad at all for the price.

Putting this fire pit together was easy enough, not as easy as the Daytona pit, but still very straightforward. All the screws and fittings are included with the product as well as a hex key, and you can have it fully assembled in no time. I personally used my own fittings in place of the free ones, but that’s more out of habit for me, and I didn’t really see anything wrong with the ones provided other than them being cheap, as you would expect.

You can get a really great fire burning in this Harbour Housewares pit, and the heat that is radiated out from it is really welcoming. As already mentioned, the open bowl shape really helps to keep the logs or charcoal burning without the need for you to go poking at it.

This product comes with a 2-year warranty, but no other extras. There’s no cover, poker, or grilling grate like you get with some of the other featured products in this list. Still, overall, it’s a cracking little product.

Pros

•         Large diameter and can house a large fire
•         Traditional styling gives it a rustic appeal
•         Heat radiates from the fire pit well
•         Keeps fires burning well without the need for constant poking

Cons

·         No extras or accessories are included

Specification: Material: Alloy Steel, L x W x H: 81 x 81 x 36 cm, Weight: 12.5 kg

Femor have created a top-selling, great looking, product with this 3-in-1 garden fire pit.

Crafted from high quality, heat proof steel, it is resistant to rust and also extremely robust. Once fully assembled it stands very solid, with the 12.5-kilogram weight keeping it stable in even the strongest winds.

Even if you do require more stability, say for placing the fire pit on a sloped surface, you can use ground nails to fix it down through the pre-drilled holes in the legs.

This fire pit is a looker. The faux stone line design combined with the sharp, modern lines give this product an elegant aesthetic that is only amplified once the angled mesh cover is placed on top.

One of the Femor fire pits greatest strengths is its versatility. Not only can it be used as source of heat on colder evenings, it can also be used a barbecue and even comes with a good quality stainless steel grill cover to cook those sausages and burgers on.

In addition to that, by inserting a plastic bag to act as lining, the fire pit can be turned into a great looking ice bucket in summertime, keeping your drinks nice and cold, just how you like them.

The table top is 81 x 81cm with the fire pit itself a decent 57x57cm. This gives you space to place your drinks on when the pit is used as an ice bucket, but will et too hot to put anything on it when the fire is burning.

A free fire poker is included in the price and this comes in handy for removing the mesh cover and stoking the flames. The poker is well made, like the rest of the product and should last a fair old while and to help stop any damage from the elements, Femor have thrown in a free waterproof protection cover.

Assembly is fairly minimal, there are about 10 different parts to put together but it’s really easy to see what is what and where it all goes. The instructions are clear and easy to understand but to be honest, you probably won’t need them.

Femor have done a great job with this fire pit / BBQ/ ice bucket combo. It’s well made, practical, and versatile. What’s more, it won’t break the bank to buy it either.

Specification: Material: Alloy Steel, L x W x H: 75 x 75 x 42 cm, Weight: 28 kg

The award for best looking fire pit has to go to Bestfire’s Saltillo. Honesty, this product would not look out of place in the garden of some fancy restaurant or round the side of a pool in an upmarket hotel.

The round table top features a mosaic design in concentric circles with a large five-pointed star as the centrepiece. The effect is just wonderful, and really elegant. The curved design of the tables legs only adds to beauty of this marvellously crafted piece of work.

Just remove the circular central section of the table and you will find a good sized fire pit (around 52cm in diameter resting underneath, ready to be filled with wood or charcoal and set ablaze.

Feel like cooking up a storm? Well, Bestfire have thrown in a BBQ grate as part of the deal. The grate only covers three quarters of the fire pit though, which is a design decision I don’t quite understand. Nevertheless, there’s enough space on the grate to cook a few kebab skewers or sausages.

Also included with the fire pit are a poker, rainproof cover and mesh spark cover. Everything is solid and has a high-quality feel to it.

Assembly is best tackled with two people to get it done quickly, and the instructions provided could have been better. Once the legs are on though, and the product is fully assembled, the four legs do an excellent job of keeping the fire pit stable.

Bestfire have done a great job at making this garden fire pit as durable as possible. It has been coated with heatproof paint to keep rust away, and will not be damaged by frost if left out in the cold.

One feature I always look for with the best fire pits is how easy they are to clean, and the Saltillo comes up trumps here. Each part of the product that needs to be cleaned ca be removed and replaced easily and quickly, and washed separately.

Priced at around 180 pounds with free delivery, this isn’t the cheapest fire pit in our list of reviewed products, but for the quality I think it’s reasonably priced and you get a stunning looking piece of furniture to make your friends and neighbours jealous with.

Specification: Material: Metal, L x W x H: 81 x 81 x 45 cm, Weight: 10 kg

Raygar’s firepit is another 3-in-one offering that can be used as a firepit, BBQ, or turned into an ice pit in hotter weather.

it might not be quite up to the level of Saltillo pit when it comes to looks, but it is still really eye-catching and beautiful design in its own right.

Standing 45cm tall and having a 81cm diameter, this round fire pit has been given a ‘bronze age’ style theme and look, with intricate patterns carve into the edges of the table top.

This product works well as a BBQ and a stainless steel cooking grate is included in the package, along with tongs and a poker, and to keep all those wayward sparks at bay on windy nights, you can use the rounded, mesh, protective cover.

As part of the deal, Raygar are giving away a free storm cover to keep the fire pit clean between uses, but after feeling the material I don’t see how it could be 100% waterproof and I think would be best used as a dust cover only.

The cooking grate is large enough to grill up around a dozen normal sized burgers all at once, making it ideal for folks with kids. It’s simple things like cooking your own food over an open fire with your children that are always the memories that last.

I’ll be completely honest, I’m not exactly sure what this fire pit is made out of, but my best guess would be either aluminium or tin, as it’s quite lightweight for its size at only 10 kilograms. I suppose it could be some kind of mild steel too.

Whatever it is made from, this fire pit is fairly well engineered for the low price, and once you’ve spent 30 minutes or so putting the pieces together, you’re left with a sturdy enough construction. I will say that there were quite a few small screws to deal with during assembly, and one or two holes were slightly off alignment on our model, but it wasn’t difficult to get things into place.

All being said, this is a lovely looking fire pit that would be a great addition to anyone’s garden, the metal is a little thin for my liking but you would probably have to pay a lot more for the same style made from cast iron or stainless steel.

Specification: Material: Alloy Steel, L x W x H: 80 x 80 x 23 cm, Weight: 15.8 kg

The Daytona fire bowl is a straight up, no-frills, fire pit. Like with the HArbour Housewares fire pit we reviewed above, there are no extras such as a free spark cover, BBQ grill grate, weather cover, etc.

No. The Daytona knows what it is, and that is one of the reasons it is a very popular product with impressive sales figures and excellent customer feedback for the most part.

Where this fore pit shines is in its build quality and robustness. With most fire pits, they require you to fix together the different parts, especially the legs, and while many of these are very stable after you’ve finished, they can’t match this product’s welded on legs and handles.

The untreated steel used for its construction is thick and very, very strong. You could drop this thing over and over again and hardly make a dent in it. However, the fact that it is untreated means that it is vulnerable when it comes to rust if left out in the rain, so you have to make sure to store it away properly after you use it.

The Daytona fire pit is available in three different sizes: 60x60cm, 70x70cm, and 80x80cm. All of these stand 23cm tall, which isn’t as high as the Von Haus or Harbour Housewares products, and the heat from the bowl will damage your lawn or decking if you don’t put something underneath when you use it.

The fire bowl design creates great air flow, which in turn helps to keep the wood or coals burning for longer. The bowl is quite deep too, so you can fit a good old pile of stuff in there to burn through, and burn through it well, creating a great deal of heat to warm everyone sitting around it.

As we said, there is no grilling grate included with this product but you could very easily buy one and place it over the top, or even use a swivel grill with it. On the plus side, its solidly made, is able to house a large fire, and this fire pit is one to use again and again as long as you keep it out of the rain. It might not come with a ton of accessories but its build quality is top notch for the price.

Pros

•         Very robust and has a great build quality
•         Available in different sizes including a huge 80x80cm version
•         Welded legs and handles should last for years to come
•         Can handle larger fires and a lot of heat

Cons

·         Sits quite low to the ground and can scorch your grass if you don’t put something under it.