If you’re looking for a smokeless fire pit, you’re in luck — many companies have developed a range of makes and models over the past few years. And, with so many options available, you’re bound to find one that’s perfect for you at some point.
For some, there may even be too many varieties available. Scrolling through endless options of different fire pits of all different sizes and price points can be overwhelming. And you may be left wondering, “Which one should I buy, anyway?”
We’ve covered some of the best smokeless fire pits before, and that list can help to pare down your options pretty quickly. But in this piece, let’s narrow our focus a bit.
At HY-C, we manufacture a smokeless fire pit of our own called Flame Genie. And in this guide, we’re going to take an in-depth look at the entire Flame Genie lineup.
We’ll weigh the pros and the cons, paying particular attention to size, material, performance, and price. By the time you’re finished here, you’ll be able to decide whether or not a Flame Genie smokeless pellet fire pit is the right choice for you.
Flame Genie Pellet Fire Pit Pros
1. They Come in Four Different Models
When it comes to materials, size, and weight, Flame Genie offers a few diverse options. There’s the original Flame Genie and the larger Flame Genie Inferno, both available either in unpainted stainless steel or galvanized steel with a black powder coat finish.
|
Material |
Dimensions |
Weight (lbs) |
MSRP |
|
|
Flame Genie (black) |
Galvanized steel |
13½” x 13½” x 12½” |
14.5 |
$96.89 |
|
Flame Genie (stainless) |
Stainless steel |
13½” x 13½” x 12½” |
15.1 |
$242.99 |
|
Flame Genie Inferno (black) |
Galvanized steel |
19" x 19" x 16¼” |
27.4 |
$169.89 |
|
Flame Genie Inferno (stainless) |
Stainless steel |
19" x 19" x 16¼” |
28.3 |
$384.99 |
Depending on whether or not you plan to take a camping trip with your fire pit or you just want to leave it on your back patio, you have a few size options suited to your needs. If you do plan to take your Flame Genie on the go, there are totes available to make your trip easier (and cleaner).
2. They’re Made from Solid Steel
In order to stand up to intense heat from the fire burning inside them, smokeless fire pits need to be made from strong, durable materials. Steel in particular is ideal for this purpose, and the Flame Genie product family is made from two distinct types: galvanized steel and stainless steel.
The galvanized steel models feature a black powder coat paint finish. While this steel and paint combination is tough, it’s susceptible to possible rust over the long term (and therefore comes with a more economical price point).
The stainless steel models, on the other hand, are ultra-durable, capable of withstanding fire after fire without experiencing the same level of corrosion as their galvanized counterparts. As a result, they command a higher price.
3. They Offer a Truly Smokeless Wood Burning Experience
Smoke is one of the most off-putting aspects of burning wood. It gets in your eyes, it stinks up your clothes, and it’s certainly unpleasant to breathe in. Flame Genie is designed to offer the same heat and ambiance of a typical fire pit with one added benefit: it produces no smoke.
The key to this feature hinges on two important factors:
- The design of the fire pits themselves
- The type of wood fuel they use
Flame Genies are engineered with a bottom-to-top airflow design and a double-walled body. As air comes in through the base and into the body of the fire pit itself, it heats up.
When this heated air enters back into the fire pit through holes in the top, it meets with gasses from the burning fuel and ignites in a process called secondary combustion. This secondary combustion eliminates smoke, burning it away before it reaches the outside of the fire pit.
The other reason Flame Genie produces no smoke is much simpler: it utilizes pellet fuel. Typical firewood has a moisture content anywhere from 20% to 50% (or higher). This moisture is a major factor in smoke production. The higher the moisture content of the wood, the more smoke it will give off.
Typical wood pellets, on the other hand, contain anywhere from 5% to 8% moisture. They put off little to no smoke, and any smoke they do put off dissipates through secondary combustion.
4. They’re Made in the USA
This pro is a bit more subjective, but we’ll list it regardless.
Each Flame Genie is made in HY-C’s factory in St. Louis, Missouri by skilled metal fabricators. A “made in USA” sticker is a stamp of quality, and each Flame Genie smokeless fire pit comes with one.
This fact isn’t without its cons, though. Products made in the USA tend to cost a bit more (as we’ll get into soon). But if you’re interested in supporting domestic manufacturing and receiving a high-quality fire pit as a result, Flame Genie is a great option for you.
Flame Genie Pellet Fire Pit Cons
1. They Cost a Bit More Than Comparable Models
Just as it’s well-known that domestically made products usually stand out in terms of quality, it’s also well-known that they usually command higher prices for that quality. And Flame Genie is no exception.
Take the original Flame Genie as an example. The galvanized steel model has an MSRP of about $97, and the stainless version has an MSRP of $243.
Meanwhile, a similarly sized galvanized steel Blue Sky Ridge Smokeless Fire Pit costs $89.99, and a similarly sized stainless steel Solo Stove Ranger 2.0 costs $199.99.
Both of these competing products are not manufactured domestically, so they cost a bit less. In the end, it’s up to you whether you want to save a bit of money on a product made overseas or if you want to pay a bit more up front for something made domestically.
2. It Can Produce a Lot of Smoke (if Used Incorrectly)
Pellet fuel works a little differently from traditional split firewood. It’s a little tough to get it lit; in fact, you usually need to add some kind of accelerant (sparingly!) to get the flames going.
You also have to add the pellets themselves sparingly. If you add too many pellets at once in a Flame Genie that has a fire going, you’ll smother the fire. If this happens, the fire pit will emit loads of smoke as it struggles to stay alight.
Be sure only to add about a drinking cup’s worth of pellets at a time. That amount will ensure that your fire pit doesn’t smoke excessively.
It’s also a relatively small amount, though, which leads to our third con…
3. The Wood Pellets Burn Up Quickly
In a fire pit that uses logs, you can usually go about 30 minutes to an hour before you need to add another log to the fire. It’s just about the right amount of time to enjoy the warmth and ambiance of the flames before having to tend to them.
Wood pellets are a bit of a different story. As we mentioned, it’s wise to add them conservatively. At the same time, though, the new pellets burn up pretty quickly, meaning you’ll need to add some again soon.
It’s not uncommon to go just 10 or 15 minutes before you need to add more pellets to your Flame Genie. That means that you’ll need to babysit the fire a bit more than you would with a traditional fire pit, leaving you with less time to enjoy the fire itself.
Should You Get a Flame Genie Pellet Fire Pit?
That’s been an in-depth review of the Flame Genie line of smokeless pellet fire pits. At this point, you should be armed with an arsenal of information from dimensions to performance to price.
But should you get one for yourself?
The answer depends on what you want out of a smokeless fire pit.
If you’re shopping on a budget, there may be better options available. If you don’t want to tend to your fire proactively, you may be better off with a log-burning fire pit.
But if you don’t mind a bit of work and you prefer high-quality products made in the USA, Flame Genie is an excellent option for you. When used correctly, they offer a truly smoke-free experience for exceptional warmth and unbeatable ambiance.
To help narrow your options even further, take a look at our comparison between Flame Genie and Solo Stove. It provides a close look at two industry-leading options to help you discover which smokeless fire pit will work best for you.
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