Mini Firepit Review: Alcohol-Fueled Heat on Demand?

I'm putting the Amazon recommended mini firepit to the test today. It's fueled by standard rubbing alcohol, but will it live up to expectations?

INFO

EXCLUSIVES

SOCIAL

GEAR

Music by Epidemic Sound:
"Cyan" by West & Zander

0:00 Intro & Unboxing
1:23 First Use
3:09 Duration Test
4:52 Marshmallow Test
5:42 Final Thoughts

#firepit #alcoholfirepit #minifirepit

[tune_smith]

What an absolutely dangerous product to be used indoors. That’s crazy. It’s one thing to use it outdoors but I would never allow that in my house.

[JoelBrewton]

SAFETY PRECAUTION!!! The reason you should NEVER refill it while it's burning is because when you pour more alcohol in from a container, the flame can actually follow the stream of alcohol back up to the bottle and cause the bottle to explode, sending flaming alcohol everywhere. Ann Reardon has given this warning on several of her videos, most notably when she taught us how to make Bombe Alaska, as well as in a couple of her debunking videos.

[cathrineosberg]

As always, James, I love your reviews! That said, however, you paid HOW BLINKEN MUCH for that? Sterno gel alcohol for chafing dishes is $2.98 per can and burns 2 to 3 hours, depending on how green you are! A "fireproof" metal or ceramic pot that holds individual "Sterno" cans cost me $4 for ceramic at a local nursery and I already had the metal one, a bag of black or white aquarium sand to use as a base inside each pan for the gel fuel can cost me $3.98 for ten pounds. Been making my own indoor firepit since last spring. I wanted something safe for my deck, dining table, or living room and drew upon my "experience" as a caterer. The DIY set-up also puts out lots of heat and is relatively safe from carbon monoxide. Still, great review, even if I question the price!

[nonyabizz]

I ordered one of these through bespoke post's monthly box over a year ago.
Love it. No, it won't burn for 45 minutes, but it does last a good while and is pleasant.

While I can understand that how hot it gets might put people off, I think it is important for people to remember this is FIRE. People get burns when they touch their stove or grill. Put it in a good place for use and light it, and you shouldn't have to move it or touch it.

The warning over serious injury if you don't read the directions is simple. It's the same principle as adding lighter fluid to a lit grill: The fuel is flammable, and adding fresh fuel to a burning substance means the fuel can travel back up the pour, or just have a fireball. Same with not moving it while lit, as if you drop it (because it is hot) you can spill it and result in spilling burning fuel.

For people worried over its cost, I'd like to politely remind people that this is largely for looks or a centerpiece, and not for practicality. It is also heavier made than a DIY project, likely because the thing is made out of special materials. If you tried to make this with standard concrete as a DIY, you're looking at an explosion waiting to happen, as air or water trapped in the concrete will expand as the unit heats. There isn't such a risk with this, and part of that comes down to the more expensive materials it is built with. But those materials are also more brittle than normal concrete, hence the flaking or chipping it can have. This is not a product defect, simply a characteristic of the materials needed to make these, safely.

Oder and soot correlate more to fuel used than what it is burned in. As 91% alcohol has very few impurities, it will burn very cleanly and efficiently, so smoke and soot are significantly reduced. 70% alcohol will likely not burn as well, as long, may have more smell, and may make more soot.

I think this thing is a very attractive and functional thing, and to get the most out of it, it is best to use 91% alcohol, and to remember basic fire safety and respect around an item that, if misused, does have risks, but if placed in a safe place and handled correctly, is a safe and fun thing to own.

[Jjjj]

House fire survivor here from a candle. I have ptsd and don’t have any flames on my property. I could never even be around this. Please be careful with open flames ppl

[kellimshaver]

I have one of these. I think I paid $25 for it on Black Friday a couple years ago. I love it, but I've never used it indoors. I just don't want an open flame that large in the house. I keep it on a table out on my front porch and have it setting in a little tray full of river rocks, mostly for aesthetics. It's great to sit out on the porch by a little fire on a cool fall evening. I've gotten as much as an hour out of mine, so maybe mine's a bit larger. I don't remember the brand. I've had mine for 2yrs and it's held up well, no cracks.

[niclastname]

That seems like a bigger flame than I'd want to have indoors personally, but would be awesome for an outside table at night. I'd want a flame half that high if I was going to consider having it in my house.

[williamlanigan]

Thanks, James. I'm surprised you didn't mention that it might be nice of they put some kind of fill mark on the inside to indicate just how high the alcohol should go. That it didn't make it to 40 minutes could indicate you didn't fill it quite enough out of caution.

[MarleneAngel]

Full disclosure before I read the title of the vid, I wondered why toilet paper was on fire 😅🤣

[dougkohl]

I have one and use it every day. In the morning take the chill off the room. I get alcohol by the gallon at the drugstore. Thanks for the review.

[randomactsofcooking]

Just my 2 cents worth. For longer burn time try using the 70% alcohol. Flame will not be quit as tall but will burn longer. I use alcohol burners while camping and this is what I found. the 91% burns hotter and shorter than the 70%. Also for the cost of this chunk of concrete I have made my own with sand, rocks and a pint paint can for about $8.

[thefisherman]

5:37 You can see the suction effect of snuffing out the fire with the cork 👌✌️

[ErwinHolland.]

The top pulling in when extinguishing is very satisfying.

[TheDat]

Listen everyone, it will only properly toast a marshmallow I think.. I tried cooking a cold piece of chicken(on a stick) just to see how that would work and it gave a rubbing alcohol taste pretty quickly after a bite. Still great concept for a smokeless fire. Burns pretty long and many ceramic models. Thanks for the video!

[profusemoose]

I'm not a regular viewer honestly, but I'm glad to see you are still trucking along and making content!

[shannondore]

I was looking into getting an in door fire pit. I live in an apartment and you can't grill unless your 10 feet away from the building. Since I would mostly use it for toasting marshmallows and hot dogs lugging a big grill out into the parking lot would suck. This would be so much easier. I'm glad it works.👍🏻

[ThatSoddingGamer]

That thing looks like it's just cement that was made from a mould with some touching up done after the fact to make it look cleaner. Might explain why it's so crumbly, since cement on its own isn't as resilient as proper concrete and would be more prone to crumbling, though concrete too would also be crumbly on the edges I think (not an issue, structurally).

That said, I don't know very much about building material, but seriously, it looks like it's made very much on the cheap. I mean, even a dollar store ceramic mug probably has more effort put into it, what with the need for drying, glazing, and firing.

Definitely not worth a whopping $60 US, that's for sure.

[lissalissa]

In the thumbnail, I really thought you were dousing toilet paper with alcohol and then I saw mini firepit. I don't know what I was expecting. But I know how to start a fire in my brush pile now.

[Xerxes]

My wife bought something just like this and we use it to cook smores at the dinner table. Easy desert and kids love it! The difference is ours has a metal cup that sits inside the concrete pit. I would recommend you look for a small metal cup to use inside the pit, but it works great.

[subigland]

I live in the UK and we've got a bio fuel living room fire, and we love it not only does it mean we don't need a chimney, it gives heat no smell .
Thanks for your video 🤠