Appreciation post: That cheap fire pit I doubted turned into my favorite backyard spot

My neighbor Tom got a $60 fire pit from the big box store a few summers ago and I made fun of it. I told him it would rust out by fall or tip over with the first good wind. Six months later he was still using it every weekend and the thing looked fine. So last May I grabbed the same one for my backyard here in Boise and honestly it's held up great through rain and snow. The grate is a little flimsy but I just tossed some firebricks in there to level it out. Now every Saturday night we're out there grilling hot dogs and telling stories until midnight. Has anyone else had a cheap piece of gear actually surprise you with how long it lasted?

3 comments

3 Comments

cora_west58d ago

That "junky ones just refusing to quit" line is exactly my experience. I grabbed a SUPER cheap $40 charcoal grill from a gas station of all places five years ago. The legs wobble and the paint peels every winter but I just wire brush it clean and it fires up like new each spring. Last month I even cooked a whole chicken on it with a beer can and it came out perfect. Sometimes I think the flimsier stuff lasts longer because there's nothing to break except the cheap coating on top.

parker_webb8d ago

Honestly that whole thread about junky gear refusing to quit hits home. @cora_west5 your beer can chicken story is legendary - I bet that gas station grill has more character than most fancy smokers. My fire pit's grate started sagging after one season but a couple cinder blocks propped it up and now it's almost better than new. It's funny how the stuff we don't treat like gold ends up lasting the longest.

kelly_rivera8d ago

Picked up a used $30 gas grill off Craigslist three years ago that was all banged up and missing a knob, still fires up first try every spring... something about the junky ones just refusing to quit.