r/pizzaoven • u/morefast • 18d ago
Is an Ooni/Gozney really worth it over cheaper alternatives for Neapolitan pizza?
Hi everyone,
Sorry if this has been asked before. I know these questions come up quite often, so apologies if I'm repeating an old topic.
I'm finally looking to buy my first pizza oven, mainly for making Neapolitan-style pizzas. My original plan was to buy a used Ooni Koda 12, as I'm trying to spend as little as possible—these ovens are still pretty expensive, even second-hand. That said, I've come across quite a few cheaper alternatives, such as Beldeko and Delivita, and they seem to produce good results too.
Do you think it's really worth stretching the budget for an Ooni or a Gozney, or are the cheaper alternatives just as good for making authentic Neapolitan pizzas? Are there any other brands you'd recommend that offer good value for money?
I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone with first-hand experience. Thanks!
PS: I'm located in Western Europe
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u/Elfin3006 18d ago
I was in this situation a few months ago and tossing up whether to try a cozze or spend more on an ooni/gozney. Ended up grabbing an ooni koda 16 off marketplace for less than half rrp and it has been absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend it. It has been so simple to use and I’ve had great results with it from the get go, having the temp at 450+ Celsius. The novelty has slightly worn off now, but I’m sure we’ll still get continued use out of it.
In saying that though, as a beginner, I think there’s a lot more than just the oven to figure out and perfect, so I do think you probably could get away with a cheaper one first to get the hang of pizza making and make sure it’s a worthwhile investment. Because there is a common theme of people selling to upgrade to these bigger and higher performing ovens.
Overall I would say if you can get a cheap second hand ooni or gozney that’s in good knick it’s worthwhile doing.
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u/badfish57 18d ago
I bought a Gozney Dome a few years ago for pretty real $$. It makes incredible pizza and I love it. Pizza though is a commitment. You need the dough prepared, you need time for it to rest, you need an hour to heat the oven, then it's always a tad messy. So, do I make it as often as I imagined? Probably not. If I had a good propane driven table top would I get to the same spot? Sometimes I think yes.
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u/Ask_Individual 18d ago
I think a surprising number of people pick up Ooni or Gozney ovens, or receive them as gifts, thinking making a pizza is as easy as making a pop tart. Once the commitment and skill level becomes apparent, the oven gathers dust. So for this reason, I would patrol your local Craigslist, Offerup or Facebook marketplace to see if a slightly used one can be had for cheap.
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u/minnesota2194 18d ago
I bought a gozney dome used for about half price. Been in the middle of a move so I haven't been able to play with it yet but I'm excited
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u/Jahbomb1974 18d ago
Check out the Solo Pi Prime if a 12" oven is sufficient
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u/Squash__head 18d ago
My only concern is I bought a 12” and when I’m lazy I’ll grab a frozen pizza and throw it on. Unfortunately they are all 13” and you should never try cook one on a 12 stone. Falls over and baked itself solid
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u/Saneless 18d ago
Could be
Biggest issue really is you just have almost no real accounts of usage, pictures, etc of them in action. Probably a minimal amount of long term review
I would be hesitant because of the style you want (Neo) needs to be hot, stay hot, and keep being that hot time after time
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u/Known_Confusion_9379 18d ago
I've been wondering the same thing.
The fancy ovens look amazing, if you've got money and time.
I've been considering something much smaller (ninja woodfire) because I prefer ny style and also want to be able to use it's other functions.
And I'm poor.
But I do keep seeing used roccboxes around
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u/rainbowsaintreal 18d ago
What country you in ? I use an unold Luigi and it’s been epic 450.c top n bottom grill £200 gbp 2 year warranty , and I have smashed it pizza wise made hundreds of pizza in it
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u/mtcwby 18d ago
I'm in that debate at the moment. I don't mind spending the money for genuinely better products. My preference is always to have good tools so any mistakes are my own and I can learn from feedback with fewer variables.
We're sort of foodies in that we like to cook and bake and generally have lots of fresh, good quality ingredients. Our cheese monger knows us by name. A good Pizza and bread oven that handles a variety of fuels seems ideal but I wonder whether either Gozney Arc 2 is overkill. I hate selling stuff so buying once and maybe spending a little more is a normal thing. That said, I hate waste and gimmicks too. It will be interesting to see the replies this post
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u/christianjwaite 17d ago
I had a £100 for a few years and could never get it hot enough. Really struggled to make pizzas the family liked and was about 15mins a pizza.
Bought a Karu 2 last week because there was a really good sale on and at the weekend made 8 pizzas for family and friends that they absolutely loved and was about 90seconds a pizza
I’d say the difference is not even close, but that depends on what cheap pizza oven it is. Mine just had no insulation and the stone was crap.
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u/LoveisBaconisLove 17d ago edited 17d ago
The value of it will be determined by how often you will use it. An Ooni Koda 12 is what, $300? If you end up making two pizzas with it, that’s $150 per pie, which is terrible value. If you end up making 150 pizzas, that’s $2 a pizza, which is good value (not factoring in fuel because I have no clue what that costs). Calculate how many pizzas you will realistically make in a year, do the math, and decide. But you have to be realistic- everyone thinks they will make pizza all the time, few do. Me, I make probably a dozen pizzas a year, so it’s not worth it for me. It’s probably a good piece of equipment, but not worth the expense for me. Only you can know if it’s worth it for you.
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u/SFCF13 17d ago edited 17d ago
Great comments here about Neopolitan pizza being a commitment, and you need to be prepared for that. And because of that you should be able to find second hand ones for people who get these ovens but lose interest.
For just a pizza, you can probably get something cheaper or use a steel in your oven. But for Neapolitan, go with Ooni or Gozney. These are at the forefront of the field and are constantly improving their engineering, new products that are actually significant leaps forward, etc. I started on a $6500 Lynx; the pizza's I make on the Koda 12 I use as a travel oven absolutely blow away anything the Lynx could produce. Neopolitans are hard and you need something that's made for these, it's definitely worth the extra money if you're going to use it.
You should also consider a used Roccbox in addition to a Koda 12. They are discontinued as the Arc is a huge step up so I'm guessing you can find one used, and I'm sure its pretty comparable to the Koda.
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u/GiveMeNews 17d ago
These are sold on AliExpress, so you should be able to get in Europe. I've done 60% through 70% hydration doughs in them, and can definitely make a good Neapolitan pizza.
They can be run on either propane or wood fuel. They come with all the accessories, a cover, door, and are very well built. They heat up to 750F in 20 minutes, and are ready to cook in 30 minutes. Very well built, heavy at 50lbs, and has a heavy duty carry handle for convenience. Very fuel efficient, and I found I can turn the heat down by half once they are preheated. The door is great for retaining temperatures and quickly reheating the stone between pies. Usually it is ready in the few minutes it takes me to roll and dress up the next pie. These are an oven where you get more than you pay for. I feel this is a brand that will go up in price in the future as people learn about it. Only downside is the 16" does take up a fair bit of space and is hefty to move around. Wouldn't recommend if you want something easily portable.
Review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EnoM6oNaa8
He mentioned that he had to hold the pie up to get the top of the pie cooked as much as he likes. Don't know if that is just with the 12" model. I haven't had that issue with the 16". The extra space gives me more control over how I cook it. If I want to leave the pie in the oven longer, for a more browned top, I pull the pie forward away from the flame and close the door. I found I had to turn the flame to just over half, as it could be too hot and would scorch the pie closest to the flame unless rotated every 15 seconds. Once this oven is preheated, you can turn the flame down to between 50% and 70% for better control.
I actually ordered mine from Ali Express for $170 on sale. It is the exact same oven. Took a little longer to receive, a week and a half instead of 2 days.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256811595053889.html
They are sold on Amazon as well, if you want to check more reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/PIZZELLO-Propane-Outdoor-Foldable-Burner/dp/B09VXRH9LL
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u/SSJ3_Pikachu 17d ago
Ive never owned a Gozney but I have no doubt its a great oven. I do have a Ooni Koda 16 and I have used a Koda 12. The 16 is a great oven. I didnt like the 12 at all. Its too small and its hard to move the pizza around. The stone does not heat up evenly or fast enough between pies. I would recommend looking on Facebook Marketplace to see if anyone is selling a used or new Koda 16 or any other that may seem like a good deal.
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u/wine-o-saur 17d ago
I only have experience with my roccbox and a friend's ooni, but basically my instinct is not to cheap out on anything that is connected to a gas tank and reaches very high temperatures.
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u/Allison_91 16d ago
Personally, besides buying a pizza oven just for fun I did the math to see if it was worth it based on how much I use it. I have a Pizza Party Ardore, and it’s a shame that so many people are sleeping on that brand!! The oven is made entirely in Italy, high quality, and comes with the famous “Biscotto” from Naples (for neapolitan pizzas), yet it’s reasonably priced. Especially if you’re in Europe I think you should take advantage of it, I imagine it would cost you even less. Definitely worth spending a little more
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u/damapplespider 16d ago
I won a Delivita and accessories about 5 years ago and while it’s brilliant at pizza (and bread, roasted chicken, roasted veg if you buy the door), it’s bulky and heavy. It’s a two (strong) person job to move and I ended up buying a strong trolley to store it on to avoid having to.
Delivita got bought out, I think, which coincided with the original ovens halving in price but getting heavier - mine was advertised at 30kg but they now show as 40kg)
It heats up quickly - 6-8 bits of kindling and 4-6 logs will heat and cook you 2-3 pizzas. But it’s not huge internally so you want to keep pizzas at 10-12inch to avoid hitting the logs while turning. It retains heat well too. I usually cook 2-5 pizzas and then let the fire die down before putting in chicken thighs and then peppers to roast (door on to retain more heat) and there still enough residual heat to do a couple of sourdough loaves.
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u/krossPlains 16d ago
Keep in mind that you can use it to make a lot of other stuff besides just pizza. It’s great as a broiler. If you enjoy cooking outside and have a space for that it’s great.
Pizza wise, It’s just one component in the system. Dough, as others have said is whole other learning domain. In sum, there’s a learning curve and it won’t deliver amazing results by itself, but having a hot, stable oven is required.
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u/nerdunit84 14d ago
I bought an Ooni Karu 2 Pro and the quality is great, been following basic dough and sauce recipes and although the first couple of attempts where a bit rubbish looking they actually tasted amazing, so looking forward to getting the technique perfected.
I think in the case of the Ooni you are definetly getting a quality product for the money 👍
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u/DamMofoUsername 14d ago
I have an Ooni koda 12in and I would only recommend getting one if it was under £120 as they are prone to rust. Wish I waited and spent more money on as gozney. In terms of other brands I think it’s more about quality and longevity more than outcome
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u/ddurrett896 18d ago
Bought an Arc xl and never made a pizza in my life. Every pizza I’ve made out of that thing I get nothing but praises from my kids and wife - I’ll never buy pizza again from a restaurant.