Whether it’s a patio or a deck, relaxing outside on a nice day is easily twice as good as relaxing inside. Grill a steak, bake a pizza, watch a movie. It’s all good. Here’s the gear you need.
Fire Pits
Solo Stove Mesa XL Tabletop Fire Pit
If you don’t have the space for a fire pit, can’t deal with storing firewood, or just don’t want to commit to a big fire experience, Solo Stove came up with a solution for you. The Mesa XL Tabletop Fire Pit is small version of their full-size smokeless models. We found it works just as well as its larger models, providing warmth and ambiance seated around a patio table. It comes with a folding stand that lets air to flow under it, keeping it cool—which allowed us to use it on any surface. For convenience, you can burn wood pellets as well as kindling and chunks of wood. The Mesa XL comes with a nylon bag for easy storage and transport, without getting ash everywhere.
If cost has been a barrier to a smokeless fire experience on your patio, Hampton Bay makes this affordable stainless-steel model. We’ve used it several times at our office and are quite pleased with its smokeless performance. It was easy enough to start a fire in, and quickly got hot enough to offer smokeless warmth, working as well as many more expensive models. It’s available in raw stainless-steel as well as four designer colors.
Grills
Weber’s new Lumin Electric Grill offers a lot of the same capabilities as their traditional charcoal and gas models. Just plug it in to any standard 110-volt outlet, and the Lumin is capable of reaching temperatures over 600 degrees F. Like most Weber grills, it comes with porcelain coated cast iron grates to distribute heat evenly, while its double-wall construction helps keep temperatures inside consistent. We found the Lumin easy to use for a variety of foods, from seafood to vegetables. Stainless steel accessories for steaming and smoking are included—the only accessory you might consider is a collapsible stand to free up table space.
Nexgrill’s Neevo 720 Plus is one of the first generation of gas smart grills. Paired with a smart phone, you can set and monitor grill temps, internal meat temps, and set timers through Nexgrill’s free app. Push-button ignition automatically lights the burners, so you don’t have to fiddle with pushing or twisting knobs in the right combinations to light the grill. The Neevo 720 Plus has a generous 714 square inches of primary cooking surface—plus, a built in 13-quart air fryer on the side. The second cooking option adds versatility and convenience to the outdoor cooking experience. We used the air fryer to perfectly brown sliced potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper to complete a quick barbecue meal while we were grilling burgers.
Camp Chef updated their Woodwind Pro 24 pellet grill with a dedicated smoke box to give you more control of smoke levels across a wider range of temperatures. Wood chips or chunks added to the smoke box are ignited by the fire from the pellets, and smoke is controlled by a separate damper. Of course, the Woodwind Pro can be used as a regular pellet grill as well—controlled through Camp Chef’s smart phone app. Whether smoking or grilling you can check on grill or meat probe temps, set timers, or adjust grill temps, with the easy-to-use app, right from your phone.
Kamado Joe Konnected Joe Digital Grill and Smoker
One of the challenges of barbecuing with charcoal is the lead-time to get a good bed of coals started before you can grill. Kamado Joe’s Konnected Joe Digital Grill is the latest smart grill to address this, cutting start-up time to about 20 minutes for smoking or low-temp cooking at 225-250 degrees F, and about 5 to 10 minutes longer for grilling. Temperatures are controlled with a fan that cycles up and down, blowing on the charcoal to raise or lower the heat. You won’t have to fuss with lighting the charcoal either because the Konnected Joe has an electric, automatic fire starter that works at the push of a button. But the real beauty of it is the app integration that lets you monitor and set temperatures from an app on your phone.
Traeger redesigned the Ironwood for 2023, incorporating several features from their top model, the more expensive Timberline. On the practical side, the new heat diffuser and drip tray make cleaning much easier, directing all debris into a snap out cup at the bottom of the grill. They also help to direct heat to the center of the grill where we noted higher temperatures than previous models. Also new, is the Ironwood’s touch screen control panel and display which made full control of all grill functions easy for us to access. The Ironwood’s temperature range allows for low and slow smoking as well as grilling, roasting, and baking. Paired with Traeger’s free app, we were able to monitor and control the grill from both near and far—handy if you’re smoking a big brisket for hours and don’t want to be tied to the grill. And if you are using the Ironwood to smoke, you’ll appreciate the super smoke setting—we used it in the early stages of our smoke session to infuse extra flavor into the meat.
Traeger is branching out from its wood pellet origins, with the release of their new Flatrock, flat top propane grill. The large 594-square-inch griddle features three burners that create three separate heat zones. With a heat range of 325-600 degrees, you can griddle, fry, steam, saute, and more. Using the Flatrock at its lowest setting we measured the griddle surface at 325 degrees, perfect for frying eggs. Large fold-out shelves on both sides provide plenty of area for all your cooking prep. Automatic igniters ensure burners light quickly, with a light that indicates after ignitions. Griddle clean-up and care is easy, with a drop through port in the griddle surface and small catch bucket below.
Pizza Ovens
The Volt 12 is Ooni’s first electric pizza oven, which you can use indoors or out. There are plenty of electric pizza ovens, but there are precious few that can cook a pizza on par with a propane or wood fired oven—the Volt 12 is one. After at 20 minute warm up, we were able quickly cook pizza with beautiful mottled, leoparding on the crust—just like an outdoor oven. The Volt will fit on a standard depth countertop, reaching from the wall just about all the way to the front edge. Although it’s 20-inches wide and 10-inches high, it’s relatively easy to move around thanks to handles, built into each side of the oven.
While the Gozney’s Roccbox is a great way to get started making your own pizza, the bigger Dome is more versatile option for those getting serious about making pizza. And, it’s not just for pizza—you can roast, steam and bake in it as well. The Dome we tested was the dual fuel model, using either wood or propane. It’s also available for natural gas and wood, or as a dedicated wood-fired oven. The dual fuel is a little more expensive, but you’ll appreciate the option and convenience of using gas. The mass of the Dome helps it retain heat and maintain relatively stable internal ambient temperatures as well as on pizza stone. No two pizza ovens work exactly the same, but we found there was almost no learning curve using the Dome for the first time.
Pressure Washers
We can’t say that pressure washing is fun, exactly, but using this 13-amp 2100-psi electric DeWalt is about as close to making the job fun as you’re going to get. The whole shebang is constructed like a piece of rolling carry-on luggage (and, frankly, a remarkable piece of design work). Inside the rectangular box is the motor and pump, of course, but also a cavity for the gun and nozzles. Wound on the back is the power cord. The hose coils neatly to hang off the frame. Telescope the handle up and roll the machine where you need to go. We found commendable blast performance with it on concrete, masonry siding, vinyl, aluminum coil stock, cellular PVC, and polyurethane trim. Note: this machine does not have sufficient reach for a second story. You’ll either need to take it up a ladder (it weighs 25 pounds) and find a way to hang it, or you’ll need a more powerful gas engine machine for that work. Still, this washer is no slouch. It made mincemeat out of dirt, mildew and discoloration on all surfaces. We were particularly pleased with its performance using the turbo nozzle which emits a powerful rotating cone of high-pressure water.
The Worx delivers a lot of dirt-blasting power. Its motor draws 13 amps to power an axial-cam pump rated at 2000 psi and 1.2 gpm. To test it, we cleaned outdoor furnishings (some of which were downright filthy), cellular PVC trim, brick siding and pavement. The washer’s output was consistent thanks to its pump, and this improved our productivity. What’s more, even after a couple of hours of nearly constant use, the pump was not particularly hot–a good sign. We’ve seen some pump housing on which you could practically fry an egg after a cleaning session like that. The Worx doesn’t have enough power to reach beyond the house’s first story, but no pressure washer in this class can reliably clean that high, so we don’t want to seem like we are singling it out for criticism. Augmenting its reach with a telescoping extension pole and siding brush solves that problem. The machine is equipped with a 20-foot hose and a hose reel, soap tank, four nozzles (white, black, green, and turbo), and 9-inch wheels that help it roll easily.
Craftsman’s pressure washer is best understood as a hybrid machine, somewhere between a cordless power cleaner and a full-on pressure washer. Powered by a pair of 20-volt batteries, it’s quiet and provides potent cleaning power with 1.2 gallons per minute of flow and three power settings: 1500 psi, 1000 psi, and 800 psi. It’s not in the same cleaning league as a 120-volt or gas engine machine, but that’s okay with us. We spent most of our time with it on the low setting (800 psi) and see it as a small machine perfectly suited for small jobs: car washing, light-duty pavement cleaning, washing down outdoor furniture, blasting floor mats clean, and cleaning gravel bikes after a tough day’s ride.
Everything Else
Furrion Aurora Full Sun 4K TV
Furrion’s Aurora outdoor TV is designed to withstand extreme temperatures and harsh weather like rain or snow all year round. It runs on LG’s snappy webOS interface so you can easily download video streaming apps or watch internet TV channels right out of the box. The 55-inch LED screen gets bright enough to display a rich 4K picture in direct sunlight while keeping cool from the heat thanks to a built-in fan. Despite harboring a rugged chassis and fan, the Aurora weighs just 80 pounds—light enough to mount on a wall or shuffle around the backyard. Comparable outdoor full sun TVs are double the weight and price with small improvements in brightness and reflection handling.
iLive Outdoor Bluetooth Speakers
If you’re tired of worrying about expensive Bluetooth speakers, these iLive Outdoor Bluetooth Speakers won’t break the bank—or get damaged by a little rain. Rated IPX6 waterproof, they can withstand direct jets of high-pressure water. The pair of speakers have a range of 30 to 60 feet, so you can position them around the patio, yard, or pool to keep your tunes within earshot. With a claimed battery life of up to 20 hours, each speaker features a small solar panel on top to help extend your listening sessions. The cylindrical speakers can be set on any flat surface, or positioned around the lawn or garden, using two (included) detachable stakes.
Feit Electric Smart LED String Lights
You can spruce up your patio or garden for any season, with a set of Feit’s Smart LED String Lights. We like the flexibility to adjust these LED string lights to virtually any color, from bright white, to soft amber, or just about any color you can imagine. We paired Feit’s lights to their free app on a smart phone to control color, brightness, pre-set color modes, as well as set light scheduling. Using color modes, the lights can be set to festive holiday motifs suitable for Christmas, Halloween, and Mardi Gras. The lights can also be controlled with the included remote control and are compatible with both Alexa and Google Home.
We’re WD-40 fans and we’ve taken an instant like to its Degreaser & Cleaner. We used it around the house and outside for general cleaning. Then we cleaned up a greasy gas grill with it. We sprayed it on the grill’s cast iron grid, let it soak, and then gently scrubbed the surface literally squeaky clean using a little warm water and a plastic cleaning pad. Impressive. The cleaner did a commendable job on the grill’s stainless exterior (but it did need a wipe down with clear water and paper towel to make it cookout ready). This cleaner comes as a pod. Drop each pod it into a 32-oz spray bottle, fill the bottle to the fill line with water and you’re ready to go. There’s no foamy overfilling and no wasted cleaner in the mixing process as happens with most other household cleaners.
Chemists will tell you that there are three things that clean: chemical action, mechanical action, and thermal action. If you provide the first two, Rheem provides the last with the HotWave, a heated hose nozzle. Plug its cord into a nearby outlet, turn its fitting onto the end of your garden hose, and set your spray pattern and temperature range. Spray and clean with warm water. The HotWave increases water temperature to a mild 115 degrees F. We used it for general outdoor cleaning on a chilly spring morning, and the water’s boosted temperature was most welcome. Rheem suggests it for general outdoor cleaning, pet washing, and camping. Although we tried it only for the first example, we could see how it would be effective in the other two applications.
This little soap-dispensing nozzle won us over for washing cars and small outdoor cleaning jobs, particularly when augmented with microfiber cleaning mitts, a siding brush, and window-cleaning tools. Fill its 6.9-ounce container with a liquid soap then rotate its nozzle to any of its six foaming positions. Turn the top knob to soap or water application. Three detents control soap output from high to low, but water flow for rinsing is continuously variable. A simple thumb latch turns the tool on or off. By increasing your soap-application precision, the Melnor reduces soap runoff. And with outdoor cleaning concentrate costing anywhere from $16 to $25 per gallon, this thing will probably pay for itself in a season or two.
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Roy Berendsohn has worked for more than 25 years at Popular Mechanics, where he has written on carpentry, masonry, painting, plumbing, electrical, woodworking, blacksmithing, welding, lawn care, chainsaw use, and outdoor power equipment. When he’s not working on his own house, he volunteers with Sovereign Grace Church doing home repair for families in rural, suburban and urban locations throughout central and southern New Jersey.
Brad Ford has spent most of his life using tools to fix, build, or make things. Growing up he worked on a farm, where he learned to weld, repair, and paint equipment. From the farm he went to work at a classic car dealer, repairing and servicing Rolls Royces, Bentleys, and Jaguars. Today, when he's not testing tools or writing for Popular Mechanics, he's busy keeping up with the projects at his old farmhouse in eastern Pennsylvania.
