This is a perfect fire pit for what we were looking for.  I didn't like the wicker or other non-outdoor friendly finishes.  We wanted the tank inside the unit.  We also only used 1/2 of the lava rocks and added some cool purple glass fire stones.  At night, the look is very cool.  Easy to light and throws a good about of heat.  We found that resting cold drinks on the border was not a terrific idea as the heat warms them up pretty fast (no kidding right??). If you want a fire pit to be able to rest drinks on the shelving, buy one with glass panels that border the pit.  We wanted the heat so this one works well.