It’s hard to find a combination of beauty and utility when it comes to patio heaters. What I like about fire pits or fireplaces is that you can enjoy that romantic firelight flicker at night from the flames. But, you can’t usually find a fireplace for the outdoors, and a firepit usually isn’t recommended if you have a wooden deck like I do. Patio heaters do a great job heating a large outdoor area unobtrusively, but electric patio heaters have to have access to an outlet which can be limiting.

I also have trouble finding patio heaters which are attractive. My friend has one for her patio that looks like a giant bug zapper, and though warm, makes me feel like I’m on the set for a sci-fi movie. But, this Inferno Retractable Patio Heater is a new kind of design I haven’t seen before. The name is a little frightening; I had a flashback to my English Lit class when we covered Dante. But, this patio heater is far from eternal damnation. The cylindrical glass actually allows for a full 360 degree view of the twirling flame which is dazzling, but also puts out about 40,000 BTU of heat which heats a 10’ square area.

Best part: it’s propane. Made to run on a 20 lb propane tank, this propane patio heater will keep your patio warm all evening. Electric patio heaters scare me because I can just see myself getting tangled on the cord and next thing you know I’m being spoon fed. No cords, no worries. It also has other safety devices like a tilt switch which automatically turns it off if it gets knocked or a 100% gas shut off if the flame goes out.

So, like the name suggests, this is one h*** of a patio heater.