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I purchased the Cobraco Sh101 Hand Hammered Copper Fire Pit with Screen (spark arrestor) 11 months ago. As can be expected of a screen that's exposed to high heat consistantly it's now rusted through and has big holes in it which renders it dangerous to leave unattended. I contacted the company directly and was told that since I didn't keep my proof of purchase they would not replace it. I completely understand this and offered to buy a replacement from them, but I was told that they don't sell them separately so my only option is to go spend another $270 for a whole new set.
I think the fact that they won't allow me to purchase a replacement part separately is a very unfriendly policy for their customers. I mean really, who keeps receipts from every purchase you make... particularly ones that have no moving parts?
The copper bowl itself has held up well...but if you decide to purchase this item make sure you keep your receipt because you'll need it to get your screen replaced within the first year!
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Up front, I want to note that this "portable fire pit" will do what it says it will do. However, it could have been designed infinitely better.
After having spent a lifetime at camping in the outdoors all over the country, and having earned my college degree in Parks and Recreation (which includes maintenance and design), and serving for 25 years as a park ranger/park manager, I can honestly say that I actually know a great deal about every sort of fire device which has ever been contrived. In fact, I have designed several myself.
Here we have a solid copper bowl, a steel three-legged support, a wire cover/screen, and a vinyl rain cover for when the unit is cool and not in use. The idea here is to build a fire in the bowl so that folks can sit around it, roast a few marshmallows or hot dogs on a stick, and enjoy the evening. You can do that. The company recommends that you put sand in the bottom of the bowl and I wholly agree with that. Here are my issues:
1. The copper is too thin. A really hot fire could potentially weaken the walls and possibly melt through over time (hence the sand in the bowl helps to alleviate this problem but I still would much limit the size/heat of the fire.)
2. The feet on the tripod support are entirely too small at the base. If you have the weight of sand and firewood in the bowl and the ground is soft, this thing is going to sink. If it sinks on one side only, this could cause some difficulties, depending upon how you are using the unit. I think it's also too flimsy. So you're probably going to need to set this up on some thin bricks if you plan to use this in your yard, (especially if you plan to use the same spot all the time.)
3. There are no air vents in the bowl. (This may have been an intentional design feature to keep the fire from getting too hot.)
4. Cleaning out the ashes, (without taking your sand with it), is somewhat of a hassle, a very slow and dirty project. This, I might add, is a problem with almost all campfire rings and fire pits. You MUST remove ashes after use because they are caustic and, (especially if water gets in the bowl), the bowl will deteriorate.
There are other minor issues but those are the four chief drawbacks as I see them. I would characterize the unit overall, as "a looker" rather than a highly functional unit. Given the materials used, I would have made it half the diameter that it is, thus making the copper twice as thick. The same goes for the tripod supports and I would also have added round foot pads which were at least six inches across. A few air holes low on the sides to enhance combustion would be nice too.
Using this unit for cooking, (such as a pot of beans, or laying a grill across the top) would definitely not be recommended.
I really liked the idea of the copper bowl in terms of quality materials but I think the designer got pretty far afield in terms of utility. I wish they would have called me (or another outdoor recreation professional) -I would have steered them in a superior direction.
In summary, if you want a small campfire, two or three evenings during the summer just to enjoy the night and entertain the kids a bit, then this will probably work for you. However, if I tried to use this unit as I do use my own portable fire pits, (I currently have two, both home-made), it would be in the junk-pile in about a week.
Recommended for light use.
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This product is exactly as it's described. Amazon recommends the Veranda canvas cover and I agree it's MUCH better quality than the one that ships with it. The pit itself is nice and deep & sturdy so there is plenty of room for logs without the worry of it tipping over. The copper is a bit thinner than I expected but I'm not sure YET if that matters. Some other reviews mentioned that the mesh cover melts so I've been too chicken to put it on as the fire is blazing. You can't make a decent s'more with the cover on anyway :)
Honest reviews on CobraCo SH101 Hand Hammered 100% Copper Fire Pit with Screen
We've had this fire basin for a few months now and love it. There appears to be good air circulation, so the fires burn hot (i.e. good brightness and not too much smoke, although still smoke). The copper also turns a pretty color with burning, but that's true of all copper. I also really like the cover, and have put it on several of our larger and more unwieldy fires with no detrimental effect, as far as I can tell.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Here are the circumstances that make this fire pit work perfectly for our home:
Concrete patio; no wood deck that could catch fire.
Plenty of seasoned oak to burn. No junk sparky wood.
Moderate need for real heat (eastern NC).
The feet on the legs are stable on a concrete surface. Our fire pit arrived as intended, with no transit damage. The screen looks like it will hold up long enough. I need the copper to discolor in a hurry, actually, unlike some people who didn't appear to understand that copper doesn't hold its orange color unless you work your polishing tailbone off to keep it that way. In our neighborhood, copper wire and pipe gets stolen. I don't want passers-by to see that we have a big piece of obvious copper in the backyard. Figure a few more fires will do the trick.
The one downside we noticed on set-up that missed my attention when I selected this product: Rain.
The fire pit is shipped with a fitted vinyl cover, not unlike the kind you get for your barbeque grill. However, the fire pit is smaller than a grill, and low to the ground. My partner put the cover over the fire pit. I looked at it and said, "that's not going to work." He said, "why not?" I gestured toward the dogs (5), who have been known to destroy a car cover, blinds, couches, chairs, etc etc and so forth. Industrious little buggers.
He said, "oops."
So, for now, we are thinking about how to keep our pit covered when not being used. We might could move it into the carport, or simply tip it up on its side, or something. If dog chewing is a problem for your backyard, the cover may not work for you either.
But that's not really the fault of the fire pit; simply something we hadn't considered.
