Vent: Bought a $55 'vintage style' fire pit that fell apart in 2 weeks

I got excited about that rusty-looking fire pit from the farm supply store in Lancaster, thought it'd be perfect for my garden. First rain we had, the whole bottom rusted through and I lost $55. Now I'm using an old cast iron pot I found at a thrift shop for $8 and it holds up way better. Anyone else get burned by those cheap decorative fire pits?

3 comments

3 Comments

grace4193mo ago

That $55 price tag should've been a dead giveaway honestly. I'm seeing this pattern everywhere now where stuff is made to look old and cool but it's actually just cheap thin metal with a coating. People see that vintage look and think it means quality but it's the exact opposite most of the time. Your cast iron pot find proves that real old stuff was built to last, not just made to look like it. I'd rather spend $8 at a thrift store ten times than throw money at another trendy piece of junk that can't handle one rain.

the_daniel3mo ago

Yeah @grace419 you hit the nail right on the head. The whole "vintage inspired" thing is just a marketing trick now. I fell for one of those $40 "reproduction" enamel mugs last year and the handle snapped off the first time I put hot coffee in it. Meanwhile I've got a cracked old Pyrex measuring cup from the 70s that still works perfect. Always look for the weight of the thing before you buy it. Heavy usually means real metal, not paint on tin foil.

wells.brooke27d ago

Oh come on, it's really not that deep! Yeah $55 is too much for a painted bucket but let's not act like every single new thing is garbage either. I've got a cheap enamel mug I bought at a gas station two years ago and it's still going strong. Not everything old was made better and not everything new is trash. It's just stuff. If you don't like the price don't buy it but this whole "they don't make em like they used to" thing gets old fast. Sometimes you just want a cute pot for your porch not a family heirloom.