Blue Rhino GAD860SP Endless Summer, LP Gas Outdoor Firebowl with Slate/Marble Mantel, 41.3" L x 41.3" W x 21.7 H, Earthtones

This is a very nice firepit for the price. We looked at a few others that were over double the price, but were not sure how much we would really use it so were unwilling to spend a huge amount of money on it.This one looks good, and works quite well. Its also a nice size table for sitting around. The slate tile is pretty much like in the photos, with brownish colored slate. The frame is a very dark bronze color, almost, but not quite black.The firepit is delivered by truck freight, in a single 170 lb box. We had to arrange delivery times with the freight company, but they were nice enough to deliver it into our back yard for us. The unit is very well packed, with multiple separate boxes inside, and foam padding where appropriate. Expect to recycle a lot of cardboard and foam! The boxes are labeled by part number.The firepit is mostly made from stamped steel sheet metal. The instructions are pretty good, but you need to be careful to assemble the side walls so that they are oriented properly on the top. The top is a bit different on the edge where the doors are, and this is not super clear in the instructions.As with anything made from sheet metal, it can be a bit challenging to get all the holes to line up! It helps to have 2 people, and you do need a bit of dexterity to reach around pieces as you are assembling it. They say it should take an hour, but expect it to be somewhat longer. Two tricks that helped: 1) when assembling 2 parts with screws, do not tighten any screws until you have all of them started and 2) when the holes didn't want to line up exactly, I used an allen wrench that would fit into the holes to pry them into alignment, then clamped the parts together with a small C clamp while I got the screw started. There were only a few screws that were hard to do.I do like how the gas tank is easily accessible on its slide out tray, but its also pretty well hidden if you use the supplied cover over the tank. The electric start and control valve are easy to reach behind the other door, and both work well. The gas valve is the type like on a water heater where you have to hold it in for a few seconds while the fire heats up. This is a nice safety feature because it will shut off the gas flow if the fire blows out in wind. Of course, one of the nice things about gas is that when you are done with it, you can turn off the valve, and its off. No worrying about hot embers burning for the next few hours.The firepit, without the gas cylinder is about 150 pounds. It is pretty easy for two people to lift up and move around, aside from the weight.The unit is steel, and while it is well painted, I think that eventually it will rust. That is not a big problem where I live, but I think it could be a big issue if you are near the ocean.The only real complaint was that Amazon suggested a "add both to cart" type bundle with a cover, but the suggested cover turned out to be too small to fit.

I absolutely LOVE this fire pit.1. It is a quality product.2. It is beautiful.3. It puts out a good amount of heat.4. Plenty of room to put your drink down...or rest your feet.5. It quite large so be sure you have enough space.The ONLY con so far is how long it took for me to put it together. The instructions are good but there are a lot of pieces.The slate/marble mantel is SUPER heavy. You will need help carrying it.It is a sturdy piece of furniture. I great addition to any deck or patio. We have a rooftop deck and this looks just great on it. We contemplated this purchase for awhile - do we really NEED a $500 fire pit? - I am so happy we decided that we did!!

(Edits below, changed rating from 1 to 4 stars)Surprised by the overwhelming positive reviews here, I'm sticking to 1 star, pending the outcome of my current support case - might upgrade my review after that, as the table itself is beautiful and solid, good value for the money if I get it to work again.Like many others here, I'm experiencing problems that probably are due to the thermocouple (look in the 1 and 2 star reviews). I got the table in the middle of December, and initially it worked fine, if somewhat difficult to ignite (had to keep the control knob in for muuuuch longer than normal for similar devices, i.e. patio heaters and gas grills, which I have owned a fair share of). After a while, it started to shut down whenever I put down my beer bottle on the table. Or when lightly kicking it as I shifted in my chair. Or slapped it ever so lightly. It became harder and harder to ignite, and today it completely refuses to stay lit, once I release the control knob.I have been in touch with Blue Rhino customer care (email and phone), and they have ordered a new thermocouple for me. 2 problems with that:1) It's in backorder, and they don't know when I will get it. According to other reviews here, it has been in backorder since at least August last year?!2) I will either have to replace the thermocouple myself (which is probably illegal, at least not advisable), or pay a professional to come out and do it.The alternative was to disassemble and return the whole table, at my own effort and expense, which is utterly ridiculous (it weighs more than 150lbs, took more than 2 hours to assemble, and of course I got rid of the wast amount of packaging right away).Are these options even legal, considering warranty and national legislations?The second problem has also been described by several reviewers: the sooting (and smell) from this device is horrible! I have been trying to use it on a covered patio, and good grief, the cleaning I will have to do, even though it did not work for very long...There is a "recipe" in one of the reviews her, on how to fix the sooting, looking very doable if you are more handy than average, but you can probably forget about your insurance if your house catches fire after this fix...Edit 2/4/2015: Just got an email from another customer care rep, stating that the thermocouple is actually in stock, and that I should have it in 5-7 biz days. We'll see, whether I can replace it myself, and whether this solves problem #1.Edit 2/7/2015: Received the new part today already, good service. As I was starting to replace it, I noticed that the nut fastening it (the already installed one) to the control knob was loose. I tightened it, and that did the trick. It now burns and behaves as expected, did not have to replace anything. This part is one of the few that comes pre-installed, so Blue Rhino would probably do themselves a favor by having the producer check the pre-installed nuts and bolts more thoroughly.The unit still soots, though, but I don't see any soot on my patio, as some claim. Don't think I'll bother with it. Happy enough now :)