Case Study

Pit Command: Commander Fire Pit Tool

Pit Command partnered with Linton Group to move production of its flagship Commander fire pit tool from a US factory to overseas manufacturing without compromising the product’s premium build. Linton handled product engineering, tooling, materials, and packaging redesign, then managed every step of the freight, customs, and logistics transition. The result: a 21% COGS reduction on a 304-stainless-steel SKU sold both online and in retail.

Commander fire pit tool with black head and orange body in front of flames

Overview

Pit Command is a US fire-pit-tools brand built around a single premise: fire pit owners do not want to poke their fire, they want to command it. The Commander is the brand’s flagship 30-inch tool, built from 304 stainless steel with a heat- and flame-resistant grip and a multi-function head designed for smashing, jabbing, and pulling logs.

The Commander sells direct-to-consumer through pitcommand.com and through retail partners. Demand was healthy, but the unit economics were not. Pit Command engaged Linton Group to protect the product’s quality positioning while rebuilding its cost base from the ground up.

Challenge

The Commander was being manufactured in the United States. Even after Pit Command factored in the savings on domestic freight versus an overseas supply chain, the all-in landed cost was too high to support the brand’s growth plans.

Elevated unit cost on a domestic build US production drove a COGS structure that constrained both wholesale margin and retail flexibility.

Quality bar could not move The Commander’s premium positioning is built on 304 stainless steel, a heat-resistant grip, and a substantial in-hand feel. Any overseas replication had to match the original on materials, weld quality, and finish, not approximate it.

End-to-end production transition required Moving manufacturing offshore meant rebuilding tooling, re-validating materials, redesigning retail-ready packaging, and standing up an inbound freight and customs process Pit Command did not previously run.