Does anyone have an outdoor chimnea thing?

[Mayswear]

Are they any good? How difficult to use/dangerous are they? Anything to bear in mind (are they very smoky?) Thinking of getting one to extend garden time but I have three very clumsy teen and tween boys and worried it could be a recipe for disaster!

We got one earlier this summer and it's great!
Got it from Black Country Steel works so UK made.
Nice and sturdy so unlikely to be easily knocked over.

You mean a smoke machine?
They are solid and sturdy but could probably give you a burn if you touched them. I bought mine early in lockdown thinking of extending use of garden but it only got lit once and is now an ornament.

Oh are they really smoky then? I was having thoughts of toasting marshmallows and so on! Yes, can well imagine it could end up as an ornament! Just want to make our outdoor space a bit more...interesting?! (No I won't be getting a hot tub!)

I've been thinking about this too. I'd read online that using kiln dried logs or smoke free briquettes is the way to cut down smoke. Is that correct?

Mine has a longish chimney. I suspect the shorter ones will seem quite smoky as the smoke will come out at head height.
I've used a variety of different fuels but find the compressed logs made from sawdust waste or coffee are really good. Slow burn and not too smoky. I've just acquired a toasting fork to use next time.

I have one, it has a long chimney and opens from the front. You leave the lid off when in use
It is smokey when first lit but once going its fine, if the wood you use is very new ie: not dried out it can smoke a bit too but generally its really great, keeps us outdoors for ages longer than we would be without it.

Too smoky and doesn't give out much heat but looks great in our newly done back garden.

I’d get a fire pit/bowl and not a chimnea, much easier to sit round and more social.

If you use properly seasoned logs there is very little smoke once it’s burning hot.