Head-to-head · Best Patio Heaters

Ninja Fireside360 Outdoor Heater and Fire Pit vs Solo Stove Tower Patio Heater

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Solo Stove Tower Patio Heater comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.1 vs 4.0). Solo Stove Tower Patio Heater is best for: Buyers who want more heat than a propane tower and are happy to burn wood pellets in a fixed spot. Read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #2 in Best Patio Heaters

Ninja Fireside360 Outdoor Heater and Fire Pit

4.0

1 source$449.99as of Oct 10

The Ninja Fireside360 is a propane fire pit with a separate 360-degree heater ring, rated at up to 80,000 BTU. Tom's Guide found it close to ready out of the box and praised heat that pushes outward on every side, but the heater sits high, so people in low chairs get cold legs, and it occasionally failed to light.

Strengths

— Heater ring pushes warmth outward on all sides, per Tom's Guide
— Close to ready out of the box: battery, ceramic rocks, propane tank
— Separate knobs give flame only, heat only, or both

Watch-outs

— Sometimes hard to light, most often the heater rather than the flame
— Premium price
— No handles for lifting

$449.99 · Buy at sharkninja.com Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Patio Heaters

Solo Stove Tower Patio Heater

4.1

1 source$699.99as of Oct 10

The Solo Stove Tower is a wood-pellet patio heater rated at 72,000 BTU. Bob Vila's tester measured warmth as far as 6 feet away, against a 4.5-foot comfort zone from a 48,000 BTU Hampton Bay propane heater, and got up to 3 hours of burn from the 25-pound gravity-fed hopper. It weighs 104 pounds, has no heat control, and needs a cover that is sold separately.

Strengths

— 72,000 BTU output; Bob Vila felt heat as far as 6 feet away
— 25-pound gravity-fed hopper burns for up to 3 hours without tending
— Firebox window gives a visible fire glow

Watch-outs

— No way to turn the heat down: it runs at full flame until the pellets are shut off
— Takes 10 to 15 minutes to produce noticeable heat, per Bob Vila
— 104 pounds and awkward to move even with handles and wheels

$699.99 · Buy at academy.com Full review →

How they stack up

Ninja Fireside360 Outdoor Heater and Fire Pit

The Fireside360 is the only product here that is a fire pit as well as a heater, and at 28.8 inches tall and 39.9 pounds it is far shorter and lighter than the 80.5-inch, 104-pound Solo Stove Tower. Its rating is 80,000 BTU, against 46,000 BTU for the Amazon Basics tower and 40,000 BTU for the Hiland HLDS01, both of which heat from above head height.

Solo Stove Tower Patio Heater

At 72,000 BTU the Solo Stove Tower is rated above the 46,000 BTU Amazon Basics and the 40,000 BTU Hiland HLDS01, and it burns wood pellets where those two and the Ninja Fireside360 run on propane. It is also the heaviest of the group at 104 pounds, against 39.9 pounds for the Ninja Fireside360.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Ninja Fireside360 Outdoor Heater and Fire Pit	Solo Stove Tower Patio Heater
Heat Output	Up to 80,000 BTU	72,000 BTU
Fuel Type	Propane	Wood pellets
Dimensions	21.8 x 21.8 x 28.8 inches	80.5 x 19.8 x 23.3 inches (H x W x D)
Weight	39.9 pounds (advertised)	104 pounds
Modes	Flame, heat, or both	—
Fuel Capacity	—	25 pounds
Material	—	304 stainless steel and cold rolled steel

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