Buying guide
Fire table or heater?
Choose the evening.
A flame to gather around or warmth directed toward your seat.
The decision
Is the missing piece a gathering place or more comfortable seating?
A fire table puts a visible flame at the center of the conversation and gives the patio a furniture focal point. A patio heater is the more direct starting point when the main problem is feeling cold where you sit or dine. They can belong in the same outdoor room, but neither should be bought as an automatic substitute for the other.
Start with a fire table
You want lounge seating organized around a flame, a useful table ledge and a reason to linger outside. Fuel access and the table’s required clearances become part of the furniture plan.
Start with a patio heater
You already like the seating arrangement and want to aim radiant warmth toward the space people use. Plan the heater’s position, clearances and power supply before assuming a nearby outlet is sufficient.
The outdoor room
One creates a center; the other serves the seating.
Phantom Freestand directs electric radiant warmth toward the area you use.
A fire table asks people to gather around its footprint. A freestanding heater can sit beside the arrangement, with its arm aimed toward the intended area. At a dining table, a heater may serve the existing seats while leaving room for plates and serving dishes. In a lounge, a fire table can become the shared center of the arrangement. A heater beside either setting can preserve the middle of the space, but only if the complete operating clearances and route around the base work.
The practical differences
Compare the experience, not two unrelated output numbers.
| Decision | Cedar Ridge | Phantom Freestand |
|---|---|---|
| Main role | Gas flame, table surface and conversation focal point | Directed electric radiant warmth |
| Utility | Selected gas configuration; propane tank arrangement or natural-gas supply | 120 V, dedicated 15-amp grounded circuit; outdoor GFCI protection |
| Everyday equipment | Table, burner cover, supplied glass and tank access | Freestanding base, folding cantilever arm and included protective cover |
| Controls | Electronic propane package shown; manual ignition is a separate selection | Nine heat settings and timer up to nine hours |
| Current selected appliance price | $4,699.00 | $859.00 |
Gas-burner input and electric-heater wattage do not tell you how warm a particular chair will feel. Wind, exposure, distance and the approved placement all matter. Neither example promises to make an open patio behave like an indoor room.
The Hearth Outpost view
Choose the job first; the style can follow.
Our take on Cedar Ridge
We like Cedar Ridge when the patio needs a place to gather as much as it needs a flame. Its wood-look Supercast top, concealed tank and burner cover help it work as furniture. Treat its weight, surface care and fuel access as part of ownership.
Ratings cover the Outdoor GreatRoom Cedar Ridge family.
What owners say
An owner describes an attractive table that was enjoyable to use, with patience needed during setup. Its substantial construction makes delivery, assembly and the final resting place worth planning together.
Our take on Phantom
We would start with Phantom when the seating is already working and directed warmth is the priority. The arm, timer and heat settings make it a different tool from a low fire feature. Its dedicated-circuit requirement deserves attention even though it does not need a gas line.
Ratings cover the Napoleon Phantom Freestand family.
Placement and utilities
Test the complete footprint before ordering.
For Cedar Ridge, allow access to the propane tank door where applicable and enough help for assembly and placement. A fire-table footprint is only part of the plan: the burner manual’s clearances and permitted outdoor setting still govern.
Phantom Freestand is a 1,500-watt electric heater. Its exact profile calls for a dedicated 15-amp grounded circuit and GFCI protection outdoors. Follow the placement diagram, including the extended arm and base; do not treat its folded storage dimensions as its operating envelope.
The complete evening
Different purchases need different preparations.
Cedar Ridge
- Selected fuel and ignition package
- Supplied glass and burner cover identified
- Tank access, surface care and installation planned
Phantom Freestand
- Heater and supplied protective cover
- Correct circuit and an approved operating position
- Storage position with the heater cooled before covering
Shop the ranges
Continue with the exact configuration.
Cedar Ridge is a complete gas fire-table example; Phantom Freestand is an electric patio-heater example. Their prices buy different experiences and are not a heating-output comparison.
The Outdoor GreatRoom Company
Outdoor GreatRoom Cedar Ridge — propane, electronic ignition
Outdoor GreatRoom Cedar Ridge family rating
$4,699.00
Propane electronic-ignition configuration. Review the matching ignition manual and required utilities.
Napoleon
Napoleon Phantom Freestand heater
$859.00
Electric freestanding heater. Plan the specified grounded outdoor electrical supply.
More fire tables and patio heaters
The Outdoor GreatRoom Company
The Outdoor GreatRoom Company Cedar Ridge Linear Gas Fire Pit Table
$4,699.00
Price shown for the selected available configuration. View product for other options.
Napoleon
Napoleon Phantom Freestand Outdoor Electric Infrared Heater
$859.00
Price shown for the selected available configuration. View product for other options.
The Outdoor GreatRoom Company
The Outdoor GreatRoom Company Kenwood & Brooks Rectangular Chat Fire Table
$1,199.00
Price shown for the selected available configuration. View product for other options.
American Fyre Designs
American Fyre Designs Cosmopolitan Round Fire Table
$3,823.00
Price shown for the selected available configuration. View product for other options.
Warranty and documents
The useful coverage is component-specific.
Outdoor GreatRoom Cedar Ridge
Residential stainless-steel Crystal Fire Plus burners carry a 10-year limited term; ignition and electronic components carry three years. The Supercast top has one year of structure and finish coverage, separate from the table’s three-year structural term.
Napoleon Phantom Freestand
Covered electrical components and wearable parts have two years of replacement-parts coverage. Warranty-repair labor is covered during the first year. The full manual explains the applicable terms.
Your shortlist
Make the next conversation useful.
Let’s find the right fit for your project.
Tell us how you use the patio and which seats need to feel more comfortable. We can help decide whether to begin with a fire feature, a heater or a coordinated plan.
Speak to an Expert
Common questions
Before you choose.
Will a fire table replace a patio heater?
Do not assume it will. A fire table contributes flame ambience and some warmth, but its gas input is not a guarantee of directed comfort at every seat.
Can the Phantom use any ordinary outlet?
Its manual requires the correct dedicated grounded circuit, with GFCI protection for outdoor use. Check that requirement with the electrician rather than relying on the presence of an outlet.
Can I use both in one patio?
Potentially, if the complete layout satisfies both appliances’ instructions and clearances. Plan them together rather than adding a heater next to an existing flame without checking the placement.