Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this two seasons ago. I just took the cover off and fired it up for the first time for season #3. We use it on a cement patio behind the house. I bought this particular model because it was nice and deep and could have a real campfire like feel to it. Also, because of its shape, probably halfway through the first season, I realized I could set it up so I could cook on it too. I often cook on this instead of using my grill and it is just like cooking over a campfire. I just cut two pieces of fence post the same width as the cover and they lay, very securely, in the lip for the cover and then you can lay any cooking grate you want on top of that. This configuration leaves plenty of room on either side for adding wood to the fire too. I don't think this would be easy to do with a round firepit. Even with the cooking grate in place I can still put the cover on. I also use it sometimes in tandem with my grill. If the grill is full, I can put about a dozen ears of corn on this firepit. After two years, the protective cover is getting a bit stiff, but it still works well. The pit is holding up quite well, better than I would have expected. The only "wear" on it is where fire touched the screen mesh on the cover while it was in place. The heat caused the cover to warp just a bit, but It still looks good. A couple of other things to note I did fill the bottom with sand. I think this really helps, but it is a bit of an art removing the ashes without removing the sand. On the plus side though, it is big enough that you don't have to remove the ashes very often. It is great for getting rid of yard waste. I have a lot of trees in my yard and after any big storm we burn all the newly fallen branches in the firepit. Saves a lot of trips to the dump. A few recommended accessories A poker - Someone mention in another review the poker was too short. I wouldn't really consider it a poker. It is just a small hook with a handle used for taking the cover on and off without having to touch it with your hand. A nice three foot section of a tree branch works pretty good as a poker, but it wouldn't hurt to get a poker for it. Roasting sticks - The kids absolutely love roasting marshmallows on this thing. Bamboo skewers, and/or metal roasting forks get a lot of use. Cooking grate - We bought one intended, I think, as a universal replacement grate for a regular grill. It actually has an adjustable width and when placed across a couple metal poles it turns this into a great firepit for cooking. Grill - A cast iron grill to sit on the grate. A metal bucket and shovel for cleaning out the ashes. They sell these as fireplace accessories.