★★★★★ 4.86 from 86 verified reviews · SOLEX 2025 Best Eco-Friendly Product (El Grande) · 25,000+ sold worldwide
The El Fuego, in steel
Same fire.
Corten or
matte black.
El Fuego Metal is the same pit in a steel body. Corten weathers to a deep rust patina over a season or two. Matte black doesn't, and isn't meant to.
Identical burn, identical refill, identical one-move shutdown. What changes is the object sitting in the garden between fires — and for a lot of people that is the whole decision.
The set is the same as the original: burner, lid, drum insert, an 8-hour refill and a cover.
How it works
Easy to light.
Easier to put out.
"Easy to light and put out" is the sentence customers write about this more than any other — independently, in five separate reviews.
Drop the refill in
A solid block of 100% plant wax goes into the metal drum. It's essentially a very large candle — that's the honest way to picture it. One refill burns up to 8 hours.
Light the wick
A normal lighter. No kindling, no firelighters, no blowing. Heat in seconds, full flame in five to thirty minutes.
Slide the lid on
The better half, and the half nobody shows you. The flame stops, the wax re-solidifies, and you light the same refill again next time. Nothing to wait out, nothing to sweep.
Because it goes out in one move, one refill isn't one night. It's four or five evenings.
You just slide the lid on to stop the flames and that's it! No black smoke everywhere and nothing else to do.
★★★★★ Kal Pritchard · Verified buyer
The thing customers mention most
Burns cleaner,
longer and
plenty hot.
Heat is the single most-mentioned thing in our reviews — 27 of 86 customers raised it without being asked, ahead of the effort and ahead of the smoke. It is essentially a very large candle, and it burns at around 650°C.
My friends could not believe the amount of heat that came off from what is essentially a very large candle.
★★★★★ Edd Wheldon · Verified buyer
Great flames and surprising heat, it is also easily moved around our different garden areas.
★★★★★ Gilly · Verified buyer
Was very doubtful on this working. The reviews were too good. But after blindly trying its safe to say the reviews are right.
★★★★★ Kobie · Verified buyer
Free UK delivery · Every order · Award-winning design
Before you order
What's actually
in the box.
Everything needed for the first fire is in the set, including the first refill. The full contents are listed in the buy box above — this is what it looks like coming out of the carton.
-
The fire pit -
The lid -
The drum -
The wax -
The cover
Eco-friendly, and here's why
Plant wax.
Not trees.
A wood fire needs wood. Something gets felled, split, dried, bagged and driven to a forecourt so it can be burned for an hour.
EcoFuego burns a solid block of 100% plant wax. A renewable, biodegradable crop, made by a company that started out pouring frost candles for vineyards.
And because there is no wood in it, there is no wood smoke. That is the part that carries the smell, settles in your clothes, and drifts over the fence into somebody else's evening.
The picture behind this is the other fuel. None of it is in the box.
Honestly compared
Against a wood pit.
Line by line.
| EcoFuego | Smokeless wood pit | |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel | A block of plant wax | Firewood you buy and haul |
| To light | A lighter. Seconds. | Kindling and patience |
| To put out | Slide the lid on | Wait for it to burn down |
| Per load | Up to 8 hours | About an hour |
| Wood smoke | None — no wood | Reduced, not removed |
| Ash, embers | None | Both, every time |
| Trees | None burned | That's the fuel |
| Per refill / per load | Four or five evenings | A fresh load every evening |
Filmed by customers, in their own gardens
My friends could not believe the amount of heat that came off from what is essentially a very large candle.
★★★★★ Edd Wheldon · Verified buyerGreat flames and surprising heat, it is also easily moved around our different garden areas.
★★★★★ Gilly · Verified buyerEverybody that sees it comments and wants to know where to get it.
★★★★★ Matthew Greenwood · Verified buyerIt's so easy to light and put out, I use it every day sitting out having my morning coffee.
★★★★★ Claireshields · Verified buyerWas very doubtful on this working. The reviews were too good. But after blindly trying its safe to say the reviews are right.
★★★★★ Kobie · Verified buyerWe didn't want to deal with the hassle of burning wood… Love the height of the flames and the warmth they produce.
★★★★★ Yossi Ayalon · Verified buyerBefore you buy
The questions
people ask.
Will it keep me warm?
Heat is the most-mentioned thing in our reviews — 27 of 86, more than any other subject. It burns at around 650°C with an open, vertical flame and it warms the people sitting around it. It is not a patio heater and it will not heat a whole garden. If yours doesn't put out heat, it's a flooded wick, not the design — there's a fix further down this list.
How many evenings do I get from one refill?
Four or five. That's the unit that matters, not hours — you slide the lid on when you go in, the wax re-solidifies, and the same refill lights again tomorrow. Up to 8 hours of burn in total; customers typically report 5 to 6.5.
Is it really smoke-free?
There's no wood smoke, because there's no wood — that's the part that gets in your hair and clothes. Burning wax does leave a light soot trace over time, mostly on the lid. We'd rather say that here than have you find out later.
How do I light it?
Light the visible centre wick with a normal lighter. No kindling, no firelighters, no blowing. You get heat in seconds and full flame in five to thirty minutes.
How do I put it out, and how long until it's cool?
Slide the metal lid on from the side. Never water — wet wax spits.
Give it about an hour before you move it, so the wax has set solid again.
Can I stand it on decking?
Only on a heat-safe base. Straight onto boards or a lawn will scorch it, so stand it on stone, tile or a paving slab. We make a Protection Base for exactly this — check the accessories for the finish that matches your pit.
Is it safe around children and pets?
Treat it like a real fire, because it is one. Supervise children and pets, stand it on a stable heat-safe surface out of reach, and let it cool fully before anyone touches or moves it.
Can I use it indoors?
No. Burning it indoors or in an enclosed space is not safe — fire risk and combustion fumes. Outdoors, well ventilated, only.
My flame is small and there's no heat.
That's a flooded wick, about one refill in a hundred. Ball up a piece of kitchen towel, tuck it between the drum and the wick while it's lit, and the flame comes right up. Thirty seconds, and there's a video in the guide that ships with every order.
What if it arrives cracked?
Hairline cracks after the first burn are thermal cycling — cosmetic, like a pizza oven. If a refill arrives broken, put the pieces back in the drum; it burns exactly the same. Anything genuinely damaged, we replace.
Warranty and returns?
Register your pit on the warranty page as soon as it arrives; that is what activates cover.
For a return, a fault or anything damaged in transit, email customercare@ecofuego.com and they will tell you where you stand and sort it out. Faulty or mis-supplied items are on us.
I have a Blue Light card.
Email customercare@ecofuego.com with your eligibility details and we'll send you a 15% discount code.
Worth adding
The two things
people come back for.
The pit is the one-off. The refill is the part that comes back — and a spare drum insert means a cracked one never costs you a night.
Natural or citronella · from £26.99
One last thing
The fire pit you'll
light on a Tuesday.
Most people who buy one bought it after standing next to someone else's. 14 of our 86 reviews describe that transfer happening, in one direction or the other. You can't do that from here — so read what they wrote, and then pick your finish.
Everybody that sees it comments and wants to know where to get it.
★★★★★ Matthew Greenwood · Verified buyer
Free UK delivery · 4.86 from 86 verified reviews
