Humanity has come a long way since it discovered fire almost a million years ago. Now, we don’t just have fire; we have smokeless fire. While starting a fire is no longer a challenge today, choosing a brand of smokeless fire pit sure is.
Between the Breeo and the Solo stoves, the Solo stove enjoys better reviews than the Breeo owing to its lightweight portability. Recent models of the Solo stove also have detachable ashtrays, which make cleaning more convenient. The Solo is also cheaper and provides a superior smokeless experience.
In this article, we will delve into the differences between the Breeo and Solo stoves and how they work, their pros and cons, and which option is more budget-friendly. If you’re on the fence about which brand to buy, then keep reading until the end of this article for more helpful information.
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What Is a Breeo Stove?
The Breeo stove is a smokeless fire pit. The company, Breeo LLC, was the first to invent the smokeless fire pit in 2011, revolutionizing how we do outdoor cooking and cozy nights by the fire in the backyard.
How a Breeo Stove Works
To understand how a Breeo stove works, we first have to know why smoke is produced by fire and how the inventors of the Breeo smokeless fire pit designed it to overcome the three main causes of smoke which are:
- A lack of heat.
- A lack of oxygen.
- The wrong fuel.
Smoke is a composite of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and particulate matter. It is formed by the incomplete burning of carbon-containing materials. Breeo bypasses this problem by designing a firepit that addresses the first two causes of smoke: a lack of heat and oxygen.
Its raised air vent design at the bottom of the fire pit allows more oxygen flow to the base of the fire. The more oxygen is fed to a fire, the hotter it burns, leaving less carbon-containing materials to rise out of the burn chamber.
The double wall design allows airflow into the double wall, which is heated by the fire. The heated air rises through the double walls and exits through the holes that line the rim. The pressurized oxygen that jets out of the holes mixes with the smoke.
The heated oxygen causes what is called secondary combustion. In simpler terms, it’s the “reburn” of carbon-containing materials. This drastically reduces the amount of particulates in the air, thus creating a “smokeless” experience.
However, it should be noted that no fire can be totally smokeless as secondary combustion cannot burn 100% of carbon-containing materials. It’s also worth noting that fire in a fire pit will only be “smokeless” if it is hot enough.
Pros & Cons of a Breeo Stove
You’ve probably inferred from the first part of the article that the Solo stove is the more popular brand. However, in some respects, the Breeo can be considered the superior stove, and many users still prefer it over the Solo.
So let’s take a look at the pros of a Breeo stove:
- High durability: When it comes to durability, the Breeo stove is unsurpassed. Made from architectural steel, it is 100% manufactured in the USA.
- Best cooking experience: The Breeo comes with a removable sear plate that allows you to cook while enjoying the open fire. Its unique sear plate design also makes cooking for large groups more efficient.
- X Airflow technology: The patented X Airflow design makes fire burn hotter, which makes for a more smokeless experience.
It’s hard to find fault with the Breeo stove. But if we’re being thorough, the least liked feature of the Breeo stove is its weight. It is heavier than its competitors, making it less preferable to people who want to take their smokeless fire pits on the road for camping trips.
Where Can You Buy The Breeo Or Solo Stove Fire Pits?
Below we are including the links to both of these products which you can get at Amazon.com.
The Breeo X Series 24 Wood Burning
Solo Stove Yukon With Stand
What Is a Solo Stove?
The Solo Smokeless Fire Pit is similar to the Breeo. It can be considered Breeo’s biggest competitor as both brands are superior to other brands on the market. The Solo is also designed to produce a smokeless fire and even performs better than the Breeo in providing a smokeless experience. While it’s still expensive, it’s cheaper than the Breeo stove.
How a Solo Stove Works
The Solo stove produces a smokeless fire by the same mechanisms that a Breeo stove does, with some variations in design. But essentially, the Solo stove overcomes all three causes of smoke mentioned earlier: a lack of heat, oxygen, and the wrong fuel.
The Solo varies from the Breeo in that instead of a raised air vent at the base of the fire pit, it has burn holes lining the bottom circumference of the fire pit that allows for 360 degree airflow. These burn holes suck oxygen into the lower part of the burn chamber, where it feeds the flames, making them hotter.
The heat from the burn chamber heats the air trapped between the double wall, similar to that of the Breeo’s. The heated air rises to the top of the double wall, where it becomes pressurized, and shoots out of the upper burn holes around the rim of the burn chamber. This causes secondary combustion, or reburn.
Pros & Cons of a Solo Stove
The Solo stove excels in many respects, with buyers singing its praises. It is easy to see why Solo is Breeo’s most formidable competitor. When it comes to quality and performance, the Solo has clearly stepped out of the shadow of the Breeo.
Here are some pros of the Solo stove:
- Portability: The Solos are generally more lightweight, making them ideal for taking on camping trips or outdoor excursions.
- Multiple Options: Aside from being more lightweight, the Solo also comes in more size variations to choose from than the Breeo.
- Leaves Less Ash: The Solo has a design that allows ash to fall away from the fire. This means less ash makes it out of the burn chamber.
- Removable Ash Pan: A favorite feature of the Solo is its removable ash pan which makes it much more convenient to clean.
The cons of the Solo are:
- It is only available in stainless steel, unlike the Breeo, which is available in corten steel.
- It is less durable than the Breeo.
- It burns through fuel faster since it burns hotter fires.
- Its cooking options aren’t as great as the Breeo’s.
The Breeo and the Solo are both expensive, with the Breeo being the more expensive. The difference is worth it when you factor in the quality guaranteed by Breeo being 100% manufactured in the US.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a more affordable brand, you should go for the Solo. With the Solo, you’ll get a better smokeless experience, and cleaning your fire pit is more convenient, thanks to its removable ashtray. The Solo is also the more portable option if you love camping trips.
