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.
Full review
A fire pit with a heater ring
Tom's Guide describes two burners with their own knobs on the front of the unit. One feeds a flame that rises through ceramic rocks on top. The other feeds a 360-degree heater that runs around the perimeter below the rocks. That gives three modes: flame only, heat only, or both. The propane tank sits inside the base, held by a threaded bolt.
The review stresses that it is for outdoor use only and is not safe in a garage, even with the door open.
Setup and lighting
Out of the box the reviewer only had to fit the included battery, pour in the ceramic rocks and connect a propane tank. Lighting is done by turning a knob to the ignition position and then further to set the heat.
Tom's Guide did hit lighting trouble a handful of times, most often with the heater: it would light and then go out when the level was adjusted, or click without producing a flame.
Where the heat goes
The reviewer could sit on any side and get a blast of heat, and credits the design for pushing warmth outward where most propane fire pits send it straight up. Tom's Guide adds that its wood-burning fire pits put out much more heat but take more time and attention.
Because the tank is hidden in the body, the unit is fairly tall and the heater sits high. Tom's Guide found that suits people standing or in high chairs, while camp chairs and other low seats leave legs cold and faces hot.
Running cost and price
Tom's Guide lists the price at $500 and gives 'premium price' as a reason to avoid it. With frequent use the reviewer went through a propane tank quickly, said Ninja's advertised runtimes were accurate, and advises factoring in the cost of propane for daily use.
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
- +Just under 40 pounds
Watch-outs
- −Sometimes hard to light, most often the heater rather than the flame
- −Premium price
- −No handles for lifting
- −Heater is mounted high, so legs and toes get cold in low chairs, per Tom's Guide
How it compares
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.
Rating sources
Our 4.0 score is the average of these published ratings, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. More about methodology.
