If you’re looking for a stylish yet durable fire pit at an affordable price, the Strathwood St. Thomas Cast-Aluminum Fire Pit With Table may be right up your alley. This fire pit is part of Strathwood’s St. Thomas Deep Seating Collection that includes a chaise lounge, loveseat and a variety of arm chairs.

This fire pit/table features a round, durable all-weather table that is 42 inches in diameter by 22½ inches high and weighs just under 50 lbs. It’s made of rust-resistant aluminum with a dark, flecked finish and has an impressive central fire pit. Its protective, removable mesh dome lid exposes a recessed, bright copper 22″ x 7″ fire bowl with a black metal grate that rests near its bottom. The lid has a lovely scrolling vine motif design with a dark brown finish accentuated with silver and bronze highlights. This design provides an even, smooth surface that keeps dishes from teetering and allows rainwater to drip through and dry out.

Overall, the Strathwood line offers elegance, quality and ease of use, but as with any product, it has some cons. Out of 64 user who purchased the product from Amazon.com, 40 of them gave it a 5-star rating. The easy assembly and easy-to-follow instructions won high marks from nearly all of the customers, who reported that assembly took 20 to 30 minutes. All user noted, however, that assembly goes much smoother if you loosely assemble the table then tighten up the nuts and bolts once it’s put together.

Users were equally impressed with the ornamental design of the fire pit and the lid, which made it look more like “a stylish addition to their patio furniture than a traditional fire pit.” One might assume the the fire pit/table is more lightweight than it really is until they have to pick it up, and a video reviewer even suggested that it’s heavier than advertised. One customer found that the fire pit’s “ornate design makes it a focal point for our deck conversation area.” Another customer thought the table could also be used as a nice “drink chiller full of ice”.  

The fire pit could also be used to grill hot dogs if you place a barbeque grate over the copper bowl, as one customer did, or you can use it to roast marshmallows. The wide rim around the fire pit can adequately hold dinner plates and drinks. You could place the intricately designed lid on the grill to use it as a dining table. The height allows easy dining, and some users used it as a footrest with no problems. The fire pit/table is sturdy enough for kids to put their feet up on it without tipping it over, according to one customer.

Although assembly is easy enough, the less glowing reviews indicate that the copper bowl and protective lid doesn’t quite fit well together. The lid only lays flat if you remove the bowl. If you leave the bowl in, the lid sits lopsided. The holes in the lid allows water to drain through and accumulate in the bowl, like during a rainstorm. The potential problem is that the bowl has no holes on the bottom to allow for water drainage. You’ll have to remember to empty it or else you’ll have another problem on your hands–mosquitoes. Or you can do as one customer did and drill a hole in the bottom of the bowl. The copper bowl may also change color when it’s wet. Despite being advertised as rustproof, one customer did report seeing rust after only six weeks after buying it.

Overall, this product’s pluses greatly outweighs its minuses. The Strathwood St. Thomas Cast-Aluminum Fire Pit with Table would make a great addition to any patio or backyard. Available through Amazon.