A smokeless fire pit provides a warm, relaxing way to enjoy a cold fall or winter evening. These cleverly designed products allow you to sit comfortably around a fire without having to deal with troublesome, irritating clouds of smoke blowing in every direction.

If you’re considering getting a smokeless fire pit, the question naturally follows: which one should I buy?

With so many makes and models on the market today, it can be tough to narrow down your choices. But in this guide, we’re going to help you do just that.

We’ll compare two smokeless fire pit manufacturers: Solo Stove and Flame Genie. We’ll go through the models each manufacturer offers, how those models are designed, the fuel each model utilizes, and how much each model costs.

Before we get going, a quick disclaimer: at HY-C, we manufacture Flame Genie smokeless fire pits. Despite that, we’re going to keep this comparison as objective as possible, pointing out only the tangible specifications of each smokeless fire pit model.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have an in-depth understanding of each smokeless fire pit manufacturer. Armed with that information, you’ll be able to make the best buying decision for you.

Flame Genie vs. Solo Stove: Models

Flame Genie’s family of models is pretty straightforward: there’s the Flame Genie (with a 13.5” diameter), and the Flame Genie Inferno (with a 19” diameter). Both models are available in either stainless steel or a cost-effective galvanized steel with a black powder coating.

Here’s a look at the specifications of both Flame Genie models in both finish options:

Solo Stove, on the other hand, offers four models: the Mesa, the Ranger 2.0, the Bonfire 2.0, and the Yukon 2.0. Like Flame Genie, each model functions similarly and looks identical; just think of them as small, medium, large, and extra-large.

Here’s a look at the specifications of each of the four Solo Stove models:

Flame Genie vs. Solo Stove: Design

Older Solo Stoves were designed as one solid piece with a perforated, non-removable ash pan in the bottom. After the fire died and the fire pit cooled, you’d simply turn your Solo Stove over and dump out all the ashes to clean it.

Newer models like the Ranger 2.0, Bonfire 2.0, and Yukon 2.0, on the other hand, are made with a removable ash pan. Instead of having to turn the entire fire pit over to clean it, all you have to do is lift out the ash pan, carry it away, and dump it out. These new and improved models offer a much easier cleaning experience.

By contrast, Flame Genies come in two distinct pieces: the base (pictured left) and the combustion chamber (pictured right). As the fire burns in the combustion chamber, ash and embers fall through small holes in the bottom and filter down into the base.

After the fire is out and the fire pit cools, you can take the combustion chamber off and carry away just the base to dispose of the ashes.

The two components are designed to fit into each other when the fire pit is not in use, too. The base is sized to fit into the combustion chamber, helping to cut down on storage space and assisting with portability.

Flame Genie vs. Solo Stove: Fuel

Solo Stoves are designed to accommodate standard firewood. The design of the airflow system on a Solo Stove preheats outside air that filters into the fire pit, helping to mitigate or even eliminate smoke. The drier and more seasoned the firewood, the better the burn in the fire pit.

Flame Genies, on the other hand, are made to burn wood pellet fuel. Wood pellets are made from compressed sawdust and, as a result, they have very little moisture content. This fuel, combined with the intentionally placed airflow holes on the fire pit, allow for a smokeless burn.

While Solo Stove suggests standard firewood and Flame Genies are made with pellets in mind, note that you can burn either fuel in either fire pit. Flame Genie works well with regular firewood (though pellets offer the best chance at a smoke-free experience), and Solo Stove manufactures and sells a pellet adapter for their fire pits.

Flame Genie vs. Solo Stove: Price

Solo Stove’s pricing model is very straightforward: if you buy a bigger model, you’ll pay more for it. Each model is made of the same stainless steel material, so prices increase consistently with size. Here’s a look at the price of each Solo Stove model (keep in mind that these are subject to change over time):

• Solo Stove Mesa: $79.99
• Solo Stove Ranger 2.0: $199.99
• Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0: $224.99
• Solo Stove Yukon 2.0: $399.99

Our Flame Genies, on the other hand, have a less consistent price model. That’s because we don’t enforce a minimum advertised price (MAP), allowing retailers to charge what they think is the best price for their customers. As a result, you’ll see Flame Genies priced differently from retailer to retailer.

With that in mind, though, here’s what you can excerpt to pay on average for each Flame Genie model (though you may see prices much higher or much lower than these):

• Flame Genie (black): $135
• Flame Genie (stainless): $210
• Flame Genie Inferno (black): $199
• Flame Genie Inferno (stainless): $380

Another factor that may affect price is the manufacturing location of each fire pit. Solo Stoves are made in China, meaning their prices may be affected by tariffs, freight fees, and other international pricing logistics.

Flame Genies are made in the USA and, as a result, aren’t subject to these international price variables.

Flame Genie vs. Solo Stove: Which One Should You Get?

We know the smokeless fire pit market is filled with all kinds of options and, as a result, it can be confusing to figure out which one to buy. This guide only covered two manufacturers, too; there are dozens more smokeless fire pit makes and models out there to choose from.

By now, though, you should have a solid understanding of the bells and whistles of Solo Stove and Flame Genie smokeless fire pits. You know about how they’re designed, what kind of fuel they burn, and how much they cost.

The question remains, though: which model should I buy?

That entirely depends on which features you’re looking for. Solo Stoves are good for firewood while Flame Genies are made for pellet fuel. Flame Genie’s two-piece design allows for good portability, but that also means that one part can’t work without the other. Solo Stove’s fixed prices are easy to digest, while Flame Genie prices may differ from retailer to retailer (either in your favor or not!).

In the end, try to imagine how you’re going to use your smokeless fire pit and buy the option with the features best-suited to that experience. You’ll wind up with a great heating device that’s warm, enjoyable, and — maybe most importantly — smoke-free.

A fire pit provides a warm, cozy way to relax outdoors during the fall and winter months. But as enjoyable and welcoming as they are, fire pits have a major problem that you’ve probably experienced yourself: smoke from the fire can become overwhelming, irritating you during what should be a relaxing experience.

Smokeless fire pits solve this problem, eliminating the obnoxious fumes and allowing for a much better outdoor experience.

But have you ever wondered how a smokeless fire pit works its magic?

As the manufacturers of Flame Genie smokeless pellet fire pits, we’re well aware of what makes a smokeless fire pit work — how fuel and design combine to offer a pleasant, smoke-free experience. And we want to share what we know with you.

By the time you’re done here, you’ll understand how a smokeless fire pit works and, armed with that knowledge, you’ll be able to decide whether or not you should get one for yourself.

Wood Pellets

Every fire needs fuel, and in a smokeless fire pit, wood pellets are the fuel of choice. But how does burning wood pellets instead of logs help eliminate smoke? The answer lies in the moisture content of both fuels.

Logs may have more water in them than you might expect. A freshly cut, unseasoned log could contain up to 50% of its weight in water. Smoke from a fire is a result of this moisture content; the more water in the log, the more smoke it will produce. That’s why veteran wood burners follow good burn practices and allow their logs to season for at least six months.

Wood pellets are made of compressed sawdust and held together by lignin (an organic material found in wood). Unlike a log, these wood pellets contain virtually no moisture in them, allowing for a highly efficient, smoke-free burn.

Smokeless Fire Pit Design

The lack of moisture content in wood pellets helps to reduce or even eliminate smoke, but that’s not the whole story. The design of the fire pit itself also plays a hand in keeping the environment smoke-free — particularly the airflow system.

The Flame Genie, as an example, is divided into two pieces: the upper portion in which the fire burns, and the lower portion which catches ashes as the pellets burn up. The upper portion is made of a hollow cylinder with an outer wall and an inner wall.

As the fire burns in the fire pit, cool air from the outside enters through two spots: holes in the lower portion and holes in the upper portion.

The air entering through the lower portion rises up through the pellets, providing oxygen to the fire. The air entering through the upper portion rises through the hollow cylinder and heats up. This superheated air exits through the inner wall of the upper chamber and interacts with gasses from the burning pellets.

When the gasses from the pellets meet the superheated air, they catch fire, resulting in a secondary combustion. If everything is functioning properly, there will be flames coming from two locations: the pile of pellets, and the airflow holes in the top of the fire pit.

Do Smokeless Fire Pits Really Work?

In short, yes! The combination of the airflow design and the pellet fuel work together to produce a truly smokeless fire that provides plenty of warmth and a great ambiance. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t caveats to consider, though.

For one, wood pellets tend to burn up a lot more quickly than logs. You may find yourself having to fill your smokeless fire pit with pellets much more frequently than simply adding an additional log to a fire.

You also need to be careful when adding new pellets to the fire because it’s very easy to smother the fire accidentally. Keep a cup on hand and add pellets frequently and in small amounts. Be sure to spread the new pellets out well as you add them, and use hearth tools (like a shovel or fire poker) to mix the new pellets in with the burning pellets.

Finally, it can be tough to get a pellet fire going initially. You can spray a little bit of lighter fluid around the perimeter of the pellets before lighting them, but do so sparingly. If you do this, be very careful when lighting the pellets.

Should You Get a Smokeless Fire Pit?

The old adage goes, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” So it can be surprising to learn about smokeless fire pits and easy to wonder about how they work.

At this point, it should be clear that the pellet fuel and the airflow design of the fire pit itself work in tandem to create a smokeless burn.

But should you get a smokeless fire pit?

The answer depends; if you have a traditional fire pit that you like and you don’t mind the smoke it produces, you may not need to invest in a smokeless fire pit.

But if you’re tired of getting smoke in your eyes and your clothes and you tend to build a lot of outdoor fires, a smokeless fire pit may be just what you need. Flame Genie is a great place to start; it’s a well-reviewed, tried-and-true smokeless fire pit made right here in the USA.

And if Flame Genie doesn’t seem like a good fit for you, it’s a good time to be in the market for a smokeless fire pit — there are plenty of great options out there in all kinds of sizes and price ranges.