If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Solo Stove should feel pretty good about themselves. As we reported previously, Solo Stove was suing Duraflame, alleging patent infringement of their fire pit design. Unfortunately for Solo Stove, Duraflame isn’t the only competitor out there with a similar design.
GHP Group, the parent of grill company Dyna-Glo, is offering a smokeless fire pit called the HotShot that’s available at retailers such as Home Depot and Costco. The HotShot fire pit seems to have a similar design to that of the Solo Stove.
As you can see in the images below taken from GHP Group’s confusing website and Solo Stove’s website, the key differences visually are diamond shaped holes rather than circles and a contoured top on the Solo Stove. Functionally, the main difference is the HotShot appears to be a 2-piece design where the stand is used for airflow as opposed to as an add-on accessory.
Accessories are a big feature of the Solo Stove and apparently for the HotShot as well. You can see the accessory options from both companies below and draw your own conclusions on how similar they are.
We’re not making allegations that the HotShot design was taken from the Solo Stove, but just noting that they are similar products with similar features and accessories. Those similarities no doubt eat into Solo Stove’s sales.
With so many similar smokeless fire pit designs in the market, it makes the Solo Stove stand out less and risks becoming commoditized. While Solo Stove has continued to innovate with their heat deflector and grill accessories, it may become harder and harder to create a differentiated product. Beyond similar products there are also other competitors with great products in the market.