There’s a ritual as old as time, one we’ve all performed around a crackling backyard fire. It’s called the “bonfire shuffle.” You settle into your camp chair, drink in hand, ready to soak in the warmth and mesmerizing flicker of the flames. Then, without warning, the wind shifts. A thick, acrid plume of smoke billows directly into your face. Your eyes water, you start coughing, and the frantic scramble begins—shuffling your chair, stumbling over your friends, all in a desperate attempt to escape the smoke’s relentless pursuit. For years, I accepted this as an unavoidable part of the outdoor fire experience. We’d all go home smelling like a wet campfire, our clothes destined for an immediate wash. The thought of enjoying a fire without the smoke seemed like a pipe dream, a problem without a practical solution beyond simply staying indoors. That is, until the new generation of smokeless fire pits arrived, promising to change the game entirely.
- SMOKELESS DESIGN: The outdoor fire pit features innovative double-wall construction that enhances airflow, creating a clean-burning fire with less smoke and high heat output.
- ENHANCED AIRFLOW SYSTEM: Bottom vents and curved walls improve oxygen flow for fast ignition and efficient burning of wood logs or chunks up to 18".
- DURABLE & PORTABLE: Wind guard, bowl ring, ash base tray, and fire bowl are all built from stainless steel, with a high-heat, enamel-coated exterior. The lightweight 22-lb. design and integrated...
What to Consider Before Buying a Fire Pit
A fire pit is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for creating a magnetic centerpiece for your outdoor living space. It transforms a simple patio or backyard into a cozy, inviting hub for gathering with family and friends. The primary benefits are clear: it provides warmth on chilly evenings, creates an unparalleled ambiance, and serves as a focal point for social interaction, from roasting marshmallows with the kids to sharing stories late into the night. It extends the usability of your outdoor areas well into the cooler seasons, turning previously neglected space into a four-season retreat.
The ideal customer for a product like the Cuisinart 24″ Cleanburn Smokeless Fire Pit is someone who loves the authentic experience of a real wood-burning fire—the crackle, the smell, the radiant heat—but detests the constant, irritating smoke that comes with traditional pits. This includes homeowners with urban or suburban backyards who need to be mindful of neighbors, families who want a cleaner and more pleasant experience for their children, and even avid campers looking for a portable, efficient solution. However, this type of product might not be suitable for those who prioritize absolute convenience over authenticity and are unwilling to source and handle firewood. For them, a propane fire pit, which offers an instant, mess-free flame at the push of a button, might be a better alternative.
Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Dimensions & Space: A fire pit’s footprint determines where it can be safely used. The Cuisinart’s 24.5-inch diameter is substantial, providing a large, satisfying fire, but you must ensure you have adequate clearance from flammable materials on your patio, deck, or lawn. Consider its 17-inch height as well, as this affects how heat radiates to those seated around it.
- Capacity/Performance: The magic of a smokeless fire pit lies in its engineering. Look for features like a double-wall design that promotes secondary combustion, which is what burns off the smoke. The Cuisinart is designed to hold logs up to 18 inches long, a key feature that allows for a longer, more sustained burn without constantly needing to feed it small chunks of wood.
- Materials & Durability: Cheaper fire pits are often made from thin, painted steel that quickly rusts and deteriorates. The Cuisinart 24″ Cleanburn Smokeless Fire Pit utilizes a more robust combination of stainless and alloy steel, with a high-heat enamel coating on key components. This construction ensures better resistance to the elements and the intense heat generated within.
- Ease of Use & Maintenance: The fun of a fire pit can be quickly overshadowed by a difficult cleanup process. Tipping over a heavy, ash-filled drum is a dirty and cumbersome task. A standout feature to look for is a removable ash collection system, which simplifies post-fire maintenance from a dreaded chore into a quick, simple task.
Keeping these factors in mind, the Cuisinart 24″ Cleanburn Smokeless Fire Pit stands out in several areas. You can explore its detailed specifications here.
While the Cuisinart 24″ Cleanburn Smokeless Fire Pit is an excellent wood-burning choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition, especially if you’re considering other fuel types. For a broader look at the top models that offer ultimate convenience, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:
- [3 IN 1]: OutVue fire pit is equipped with 2 cooking grills, 1 lid and tabletop. When you fix grills and tabletop to the fire pit, you can enjoy the roast and bonfire. When it not make fire and cover...
- 3-in-1 Fire Pit: Panovue outdoor fire pit can provide inviting warmth for your patio, yard, or garden, also be used as an outdoor BBQ to cook food or as an ice bucket to keep beverages cold. When you...
- [3 IN 1]: OutVue fire pit is equipped with 2 cooking grills, 1 lid and tabletop[No waterproof cover]. When you fix grills and tabletop to the fire pit, you can enjoy the roast and bonfire. When it not...
First Impressions: More Than Just a Steel Drum
Upon unboxing the Cuisinart 24″ Cleanburn Smokeless Fire Pit, the first thing we noticed was its surprising manageability. At just 22 pounds, it felt substantial and sturdy, yet it was light enough for one person to easily carry and position. Assembly was laughably simple, taking less than five minutes. The unit comes in three main pieces: the locking base, the main fire bowl, and the removable ash tray. They fit together intuitively and securely, requiring no tools or frustrating instructions. This immediately sets it apart from more complex outdoor equipment.
Aesthetically, it was a huge relief. Many smokeless competitors have a very stark, industrial look that, as one user aptly put it, resembles a “big metal turkey fryer.” The Cuisinart, by contrast, boasts a sleek, modern design with its curved lines and a handsome enamel-coated exterior. It looks less like a piece of utility hardware and more like a deliberate design element for your patio. The 24-inch opening felt generous and, as another user noted, was “bigger than I expected,” a welcome discovery promising a proper, full-sized bonfire rather than a tiny, contained flame.
Key Benefits
- Highly effective smokeless technology for a more enjoyable experience
- Stylish and modern aesthetic superior to many competitors
- Large 24-inch diameter accommodates standard 18-inch logs
- Ingenious removable ash tray for incredibly simple cleanup
- Lightweight and portable design for use at home or on the go
Potential Drawbacks
- High walls focus heat upwards, providing less radiant warmth to your lower body
- High-efficiency burn can consume wood more quickly than traditional fire pits
Performance Deep Dive: A True Backyard Incinerator
A fire pit can look great and be easy to clean, but none of that matters if it doesn’t deliver a fantastic fire. We put the Cuisinart 24″ Cleanburn Smokeless Fire Pit through its paces over several cool evenings, evaluating everything from its smoke-eating technology to its heat output and overall usability. The results were nothing short of transformative for our backyard gatherings.
The “Cleanburn” Smokeless Technology in Action
This is the feature everyone buys these pits for, and we were eager to see if it lived up to the hype. The science behind it is a clever bit of fluid dynamics. The double-wall construction pulls cool air in through bottom vents, heats it within the walls, and then ejects the super-heated oxygen out of the upper vents along the inner rim. This hot air ignites the smoke particles before they can escape the pit—a process called secondary combustion.
In practice, it’s a beautiful thing to watch. When we first lit the kindling, there was a predictable amount of smoke, just like any other fire. We were skeptical for a moment. But as the fire grew and the walls of the pit heated up—a process that took only about 5-10 minutes—the magic happened. The smoke visibly thinned and then vanished, replaced by mesmerizing jets of flame dancing around the top rim. As one user wisely advised, the key is to keep the wood stacked below these top vent holes. As long as we did that, the burn was exceptionally clean. We could sit directly beside it, with the wind at our back, and not get a single faceful of smoke. The “bonfire shuffle” was officially retired. One user called it a “timber incinerator,” and we couldn’t agree more. Even slightly damp wood, which would normally produce a choking smog in a regular pit, was consumed with ferocious efficiency, burning down to almost nothing.
Design, Build Quality, and Portability
The design of the Cuisinart 24″ Cleanburn Smokeless Fire Pit strikes a perfect balance between form and function. The materials—stainless and alloy steel—feel robust, and the enamel coating not only looks sharp but also adds a crucial layer of protection against the elements. After several intense burns, the finish held up remarkably well, though, as one user realistically noted, you should expect the shiny stainless interior to develop a heat-induced patina over time. This is normal and doesn’t affect performance.
Its generous size is a huge advantage. Many entry-level smokeless pits are smaller, requiring you to constantly feed them small, specially-cut pieces of wood. The Cuisinart’s ability to take standard 18-inch logs means you can load it up and enjoy a sustained fire for a significant period. One user reported enjoying over four hours from just four split logs. This makes for a much more relaxing experience. Despite this large capacity, its 22-pound weight makes it genuinely portable. We could easily move it from the patio to the lawn (with a heat shield, of course) or pack it in the car for a camping trip, something you could never do with a heavy, built-in masonry pit.
Heat Output and the Social Experience
This fire pit gets incredibly hot. The efficient airflow and secondary burn create a concentrated, intense column of heat that radiates powerfully. We found you could feel its warmth from a good five or six feet away, perfect for a standing crowd. However, there is a trade-off to this design, which was astutely pointed out in the user feedback. The high, solid walls that make the smokeless technology possible also direct the majority of that heat upwards. When seated, you feel a tremendous amount of warmth on your face and upper body, but less radiant heat on your legs and feet compared to a low, open-grate fire pit.
Is this a dealbreaker? Not at all. It simply means you might want to sit a little closer than you’re used to if you’re trying to warm your shins on a particularly cold night. In our opinion, the complete absence of smoke is a more than worthy trade-off for a slightly more focused heat pattern. It completely changes the social dynamic. Guests don’t have to constantly reposition themselves, conversations can flow uninterrupted, and everyone can gather closer without fear of being smoked out. It truly makes the fire the center of the gathering, not the cause of it scattering.
The Unsung Hero: Effortless Setup and Cleanup
While the smokeless burn gets all the headlines, we believe the most revolutionary feature of the Cuisinart 24″ Cleanburn Smokeless Fire Pit is its cleanup system. Anyone who has owned a traditional fire pit knows the misery of the morning after. You’re left with a heavy, soot-blackened barrel full of wet ash and half-burnt log chunks. Cleaning it usually involves a shovel, a bucket, and a cloud of fine dust that gets everywhere. It’s a dirty, miserable job.
Cuisinart has completely solved this problem. Because the fire burns so efficiently, the only thing left at the end of the night is a small amount of fine, powdery ash. The fire bowl itself has a removable ash tray at the bottom. Once the unit is completely cool, you simply lift the main body off the base, pick up the lightweight tray, and dump the ash into a garbage bag or compost bin. The entire process takes less than 30 seconds and involves zero mess. This feature alone is a game-changer and elevates the entire ownership experience from a fun-but-messy novelty to a convenient, frequently-used backyard appliance. If the thought of cleanup has ever deterred you from having a fire, this pit is the solution you’ve been waiting for. You can find this remarkably easy-to-clean fire pit online.
What Other Users Are Saying
The sentiment surrounding the Cuisinart 24″ Cleanburn Smokeless Fire Pit is overwhelmingly positive, with many users echoing our own findings. A common theme is praise for its perfect balance of size, performance, and aesthetics. One happy customer noted, “I wanted one of these smokeless fire pits… but most were too small… and I just couldn’t stand the look of them.” They found the Cuisinart to be the “diamond in the rough” that was both attractive and large enough for real fire logs.
Many experienced fire pit owners have been converted. One reviewer, after owning pits for over 35 years, declared this one “the best I have owned,” citing its easy lighting, efficient burn, and minimal ash. Another stated simply, “After owning a smokeless fire pit you will never go back to the old standard pits.”
The few criticisms are consistent and fair. Several people confirmed our observation about heat direction, with one saying, “The warmth is more narrow, focused than my previous wider and lower fire pits.” Another user learned a valuable lesson the hard way: “it has gotten so hot underneath it burned the grass under and around it.” This underscores the critical need to use it on a non-flammable surface or purchase a separate heat-resistant mat if placing it on a lawn or wooden deck.
How Does the Cuisinart Compare to the Alternatives?
The Cuisinart 24″ Cleanburn Smokeless Fire Pit excels in its niche, but it’s important to understand how it fits into the broader market. Depending on your priorities—convenience, style, or budget—one of these alternatives might be a better fit.
1. Outland Living Firebowl 870 Premium Smokeless Propane Fire Pit
- ✓ PERFECT NO MESS CAMPFIRE: Say goodbye to dirty ash, expensive firewood, and bothersome smoke and enjoy a clean realistic propane campfire. The perfect outdoor centerpiece for camping trips, RV...
- ✓ COMPACT AND EASY TO TRANSPORT: Travel size fire pit is lightweight and portable; easily set up in minutes with no tools required. Matchless auto-ignition feature ensures a fast and simple...
- ✓ BEAT THE CAMPFIRE BAN: CSA approved fire pit is safe to use during most campfire bans; always check with the current fire restrictions in your area. Spark free propane campfire helps protect...
The Outland Living Firebowl represents the ultimate in convenience. As a propane-fueled fire pit, it eliminates every hassle associated with wood: no sourcing logs, no smoke, no sparks, and virtually zero cleanup. It starts instantly with the turn of a knob and can be shut off just as quickly. This is the ideal choice for someone who wants the ambiance of a fire with minimal effort, or for those living in areas with frequent wood burn bans. The trade-off is the loss of the authentic wood fire experience—you won’t get the crackle, the smell, or the same intense, radiant heat. It’s a clean, controlled flame for ambiance, not a rustic bonfire for warmth.
2. Devoko 32 Inch Outdoor Fire Pit with Cover
- [ Top-notch Material ]: Outdoor fire pit is made of heavy-duty steel frame treated with high-temperature coating, and comes with a waterproof cover to ensure long-lasting durability outdoors while...
- [ 3-in-1 Fire Pit ]: Multi-functional design concept which is in line with culture gives you enough freedom to get creative with it - whether you're using it as a fire pit, barbecue grill or ice...
- [ Reliable Security ]: Firepit table features square design with sturdy legs for stability, while the mesh spark screen and poker provided effectively prevent sparks from flying and safely move the...
The Devoko fire pit is a more traditional, multi-functional piece of patio furniture. Its square shape and 32-inch tabletop design provide a convenient surface for drinks and plates when the fire isn’t lit (using an insert). This model is for the buyer who prioritizes a central furniture piece over high-tech burning performance. It’s a classic, open-grate wood fire pit. That means you get 360-degree radiant heat at leg level, but you also get all the smoke. It lacks any smokeless technology and will require the “bonfire shuffle.” Choose this if a fire pit table is more important than a clean burn.
3. Amazon Basics 27″ Steel Round Fire Pit
This is the straightforward, budget-conscious choice. The Amazon Basics fire pit is a simple steel bowl designed to safely contain a fire. It does the fundamental job at a fraction of the price of a smokeless model. However, you get what you pay for. It is made from thinner steel that will eventually rust, it will produce a significant amount of smoke, and cleanup will be a manual chore of scooping out ash. This is a great entry-level option for occasional use or for someone who wants a fire pit without a significant financial investment and isn’t bothered by smoke or maintenance.
Our Final Verdict: A Superior Fire Pit for a Smokeless Era
After extensive testing and review, we can confidently say that the Cuisinart 24″ Cleanburn Smokeless Fire Pit is a phenomenal product that delivers on its promises. It successfully solves the single biggest complaint about backyard fires—the smoke—without sacrificing the size, heat, and authenticity of a real wood-burning experience. Its clever engineering, stylish design, and game-changing easy-clean ash system place it at the top of its class.
While the upward-focused heat pattern is a minor trade-off, the sheer joy of sitting around a roaring fire without constantly dodging smoke is a revolutionary improvement. It’s perfect for the discerning homeowner who values both performance and aesthetics and wants to maximize their time outdoors with friends and family. It offers the performance of high-end competitors at a much more accessible price point, making it an outstanding value.
If you’ve decided the Cuisinart 24″ Cleanburn Smokeless Fire Pit is the right fit to upgrade your backyard evenings, you can check its current price and purchase it here.
Last update on 2025-10-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API