Solo Stove Bonfire is an innovative smokeless portable stove that is perfect for any outdoor activity.
For any outdoor activity, there are a few things that are essential to have, and a convenient stove is one of them. And if you’re looking for an innovative smokeless stove there are only two big brands, and in this article, I will be comparing them, Biolite vs Solo Stove.
I will cover everything you need to know for both brands and their innovatively designed stoves by focusing on their top models, Solo Stove Bonfire vs Biolite Fire Pit.
In summary, if you want a smokeless fire pit for your backyard that would create a beautiful ambiance and that is portable enough to bring with you to your car camping site, Solo Stove Bonfire is the better option for you. But if you’re thinking of buying a smokeless fire pit which you can cook with and if you need it mainly for camping, in that case, Biolite Firepit is the better option for you.
- #A sidenote here: I'd highly recommend you to check out REI's informative meal planning chart before you read further.
Specs: Solo Stove Bonfire vs Biolite Fire Pit
Header | solo stove bonfire | biolite firepit |
|---|---|---|
Cell |  |  |
Stove Weight | 20 lbs / 9.07 kg | 19.8 lbs / 8.98 kg |
Fuel Type | Firewood Logs (up to 17.5" wlong) | Firewood Logs / Charcoal |
Inner Volume (Approximately) | 16.724 cubic in. | 3.685 cubic in. |
Dimensions | Ø 19.5″ (Base Diameter) x 14″ (Height) | 15.8" high x 27" wide x 13" deep / (40.1 x 68.6 x 33 cm) |
Packed / Folded Dimensions | Ø 19.5″ (Base Diameter) x 14″ (Height) | 10.5" high x 27" wide x 13" deep / (26.7 x 68.6 x 33 cm) |
Best Use | Mainly Backyard / Sometimes Car Camping | Mainly Car Camping / Backyard |
Check Prices |
Solo Stove Bonfire vs Biolite Fire Pit
Cooking
One of the biggest differences between the two fire pits is whether you can cook with them or not.
Unlike Solo Stove Bonfire, the main purpose of Biolite Fire Pit is cooking. It comes with a convenient cooking grate (I say convenient because you can slide it off and leave it like that to put more wood or charcoal to the fire pit without the need of holding the cooking grate with your hands).
And also it has a fuel rack, inside the fire pit, if you want to use charcoal instead of firewoods, you can raise the rack so the fire would be closer to the food.
Biolite Fire Pit is perfect for cooking. It comes with a convenient cooking grate that can slide to put charcoal with ease.
Also, you can use it as a simple fire pit as well; for just getting warm, creating a good ambiance, or roasting your sausages outdoors.
For the Solo Stove Bonfire, if we speak of food-wise, it’s mainly used for roasting sausages and marshmallows, not for cooking food, therefore, it doesn’t even come with a cooking grid.
The main reason you can’t cook with Solo Stove Bonfire (or other Solo Stove Fire Pits such as Solo Stove Ranger and Solo Stove Yukon) is it’s all in one piece. If you drop food while cooking, it’s very hard to clean, and nearly impossible to take it away without blowing out the fire.
However, if you really want to go with the Solo Stove and also cook with it, it’s not impossible, you can just purchase a cooking grate such as Only Fire – Round Fire Pit Grate and you can use it.
But, if being able to cook on your fire pit is the most important factor for you, then Biolite Firepit would be a much better option for you, it’s much easier to cook with and more convenient.
Smokeless Design
Firstly, both fire pits are smokeless, the difference here is the way they provide this smokeless fire.
Solo Stove Bonfire intakes cold air from the bottom vent holes and creates a secondary burn through the top vent holes.
Solo Stove integrates the laws of thermodynamics to its design to create a smokeless fire, it intakes cold air from the bottom vent holes and creates a secondary burn through the top vent holes, resulting in a hotter smokeless fire.
So, no matter on what condition you use it, Solo Stove provides a smokeless fire.
See the Solo Stove Bonfire Customer Reviews on Amazon
But that is not the case with Biolite Firepit, Biolite owes its smokeless fire to its fan system. When the fan is on, there is no smoke but if the battery goes down and the fan stops working, you would get a smoky fire.
See the Biolite Firepit Customer Reviews on Amazon
It might sound a little bit harsh, but it shouldn’t be a deal-breaker, because, since Biolite offers a battery capacity of 24 hours (if you use it on the lowest fan level), the battery probably will never go down.
Also, if you think you would forget charging your stove before your outdoor adventure, Biolite features a Solar Charging Carrying Case, the carrying case would do the charging job for you.
Weight & Packed Size
Weight-wise, there is no difference at all, Solo Stove Bonfire weighs 20 lbs / 9.07 kg and Biolite Firepit weighs 19.8 lbs / 8.98 kg.
But Bonfire is not the only size of Solo Stove there are also the smaller size Solo Stove Ranger and bigger size Solo Stove Yukon. In case Bonfire might be big or small for you, I’ve also compiled the specs of other Solo Stove Firepits as well.
Header | SOLO STOVE RANGER | SOLO STOVE BONFIRE | SOLO STOVE YUKON | BIOLITE FIREPIT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  | |
Weight | 15 lbs / 6.8 kg | 20 lbs / 9.07 kg | 38 lbs / 17.23 kg | 19.8 lbs / 8.98 kg |
Pack Size | Ø 15″ x 12.5″ | Ø 19.5″ x 14″ | Ø 27″ x 16″ | 27″ wide x 13″ deep 10.5″ high |
Inner Volume | 8.835 in3 | 16.724 in3 | 36.643 in3 | 3.685 in3 |
Check the price on Amazon |
Although there is not a big difference in the weight department, there is a significant difference in the portability department.
With its foldable legs and rectangular design, Biolite Fire Pit is much portable than Solo Stove and it packs down even smaller than Solo Stove Ranger (Smallest fire pit on the Solo Stove’s line), but the trade-off here is the capacity.
With that being said let’s dive into the next chapter.
Capacity
First things first, although Biolite presents Biolite Fire Pit as a “Fire Pit”, it’s more like a technological grill “that can also be used as a fire pit”.
Solo Stove Bonfire, on the other hand, with its cylindrical, large and voluminous design is truly a Fire Pit.
Just like a regular grill, Biolite Fire Pit has a rectangular design, it’s a clever design for cooking, but not very efficient if you want to use it as a fire pit because rectangular stoves offer less capacity than cylindrical stoves.
And for the Solo Stove vs Biolite comparison, the volume of Biolite Fire Pit is almost the quarter of Solo Stove Bonfire.
If I have to put it another way, Biolite Fire Pit can take a maximum of 4 pieces of wood, but with the Solo Stove Bonfire, this number goes up to 10 firewoods.
Therefore if you go with the Solo Stove Bonfire you get more heat and more fire.
Durability
Solo Stove has a more robust design and it’s made of more durable material (304 Stainless Steel), therefore it’s more corrosion resistant and long-lasting.
So for the Solo Stove Bonfire vs Biolite Firepit comparison, Solo Stove is the clear winner in the longevity department.
Features of Solo Stove Bonfire and Biolite Firepit
In the features and innovativeness department, I must give credit to Biolite Firepit, but before jumping into the features, I should add a quick note to correct a very common misunderstanding about Biolite Firepit.
Unlike Biolite Campstove, Biolite Firepit doesn’t use the thermoelectric generation technology to charge itself, you need to charge it at home or purchase the Biolite Firepit Solar Charging Carrying Case (sold separately), and leave it to a place where it can take the sun for 3 or 4 days.
So, let’s start with the features of Biolite Firepit.
Biolite: Technology
Biolite Firepit has a yellow device attached to its sidewall (which you might be familiar with). And what does this device do:
- It has a fan inside, and with the help of this fan and the whole design of the Biolite Firepit, you get a smokeless fire.
- This fan also has several levels, so you can increase the level and get a stronger fire.
- You can control the level of the fan by pressing the button on the device, or you can use the Biolite App and connect to the device via Bluetooth and control the fire with your phone.
- And lastly, this device also acts as a big power bank, you can use it to charge your phone or for other electronic devices such as Biolite Powerlight.
This device has a battery capacity of 24 hours when used in low-level (10 hours in mid-level, 5 hours in high-level).
Small Note: You don’t have to carry the whole firepit to charge this device. You can detach it, charge it in your home, and assemble it back to the stove very easily.
Biolite: Fuel Rack
Another cool feature of the Biolite Firepit is its dual-fuel system. You can use either firewood or charcoal, and for using charcoal all you need to do is to attach the fuel rack to the clips to raise it closer to the food.
This is also one of the biggest differences of Solo Stove Bonfire vs Biolite Firepit:
With Biolite Firewood you can use both firewood and charcoal, but with Solo Stove, you can only use firewoods as fuel.
Biolite Firepit has an X-ray Mesh that allows you to see the 360-degree view of the flame.
Biolite: X-ray Mesh
Biolite Firepit features an X-ray Mesh which gives you a 360-degree view of your flame. it doesn’t just create a great ambiance, it also helps you to see whether you need to add more fuel or not.
Even though it looks very cool with the X-ray mesh, due to its grill-like design, it’s not as great as Solo Stove Bonfire when it comes to creating a great ambiance.
Solo Stove: Design
As I’ve mentioned earlier, both Biolite and Solo Stove provides a smokeless fire, unlike Biolite, Solo Stove does this by using the laws of thermodynamics, so you don’t need an extra energy/fan power to create this smokeless fire.
Solo Stove Bonfire, is better than Biolite Firepit in terms of appearance. It has "Fire Pit-like" design that can create a beautiful ambiance.
Solo Stove actually has a cylindrical, “Fire Pit-like” design, so if you’re thinking of placing the firepit to your backyard rather than taking it outdoors, Solo Stove Bonfire would look much cooler than Biolite Firepit, and it would create a better ambiance (this doesn’t mean that you can’t take Solo Stove Bonfire to outdoors, you can).
Therefore, unlike Biolite, Solo Stove presents the Bonfire as a backyard fire pit that is portable enough to take to your car camping site.
Accessories of Solo Stove Bonfire and Biolite Firepit
Biolite Firepit Solar Charging Carrying Case
Biolite features only one, very innovative accessory for its fire pit and that is the Biolite Firepit Solar Charging Carrying Case.
Since you need to charge the Biolite Firepit to get a smokeless fire, Biolite thought of integrating a solar panel to its durable waterproof nylon carrying case, so you wouldn’t actually have to detach and charge the stove every time after you use it.
With the amount of energy that integrated solar panel provides, it takes 3-5 days (depending on the solar radiation level at your location) to fully charge the fire pit.
Check the Latest Price on Amazon
Solo Stove Fire Pit Accessories
Roasting Sticks
These 304 Stainless Steel Roasting Sticks are extremely durable and long-lasting, if you’re on a budget it’s not a big necessity, but if you’re not, they’re really convenient and they look very modern (especially for those who’re buying Solo Stove for their backyards).
Check the Latest Price on Amazon
Stand
If you’re thinking of placing your Solo Stove on a heat-sensitive surface, Solo Stove Stand can keep the stove off the ground, and when you want to pack the fire pit down, it can be nested inside of the stove.
Check the Latest Price on Amazon
Shield
The Solo Stove Shield is not a great necessity, but if you’re thinking of placing your stove near furniture or on a wooden deck, I strongly recommend it. The Shield prevents embers and sparks leaving from the stove.
Check the Latest Price on Amazon
Fire Pit Tools
But if you have enough budget and if you don’t have any fire pit tool at home, then go for it. They are made of 304 Stainless Steel which is a corrosion-resistant, long-lasting material, and also they really ease the process.
Check the Latest Price on Amazon
References
Watch Biolite Firepit review here:
Watch Solo Stove Bonfire review here:
Excellent write up! Thank you.
I still don’t know which to get. I might have to buy a Biolite AND Solo Ranger.
Thank you for the review. One thing that I am wondering about is how well these two firepits radiate heat. I own the Solo Bonfire and agree with everything you stated in your review. We have noticed that when we sit around the Solo Bonfire, it doesn’t seem as warm as other firepits or a campfire. I am wondering it the double walled stainless steel construction insulates it from radiating heat. The Biolite’s X-Ray mesh and elevated design seems like it would throw heat a little better. Have you noticed any difference in area heating wit either the Biolite or the Solo?
Hi George,
Solo Stove Bonfire doesn’t radiate heat horizontally as much as other fire pits, it’s probably due to its double-wall technology, the intaken cold air from the bottom wents that goes through the wall might be causing the insulation. But that is not the case with Biolite Firepit, since there’s no material preventing heat to radiate horizontally, it throws the heat much better.
Wanting warmth while sitting around, makes the Solo go way down. I do like the looks of it, but, I can really cook with it, and it will not be very warm while sitting around . . .
I saw one review that pointed out that with the biolite you hear the fan going – that would be a deal killer for me.
My main use for a fire pit is warmth, ambiance, portability and the ability to cook. The Solo Bonfire can be used to cook with a $250 accessory but for warmth, ambiance, portability and the built-in ability to cook, along with a lower cost, the Biolite is hands down the winner. The review for the the Biolite here is from 2019. Biolite has now (Nov 2022) improved their fire pit with heat resistant enamel coating to help prevent rust, and larger mesh. They have also introduced a much better accessory carrying bag. True, it still needs power and the fan is noisy ang the firebox is small but those are small cons for what I need it for.