Peels, stones and tools
What's actually in the box
The sticker price is not the price of cooking a pizza. Some ovens arrive ready to use; others need three more purchases before the first bake. Here is which is which.
The short answer
Two ovens arrive genuinely ready to cook: the Gozney Roccbox (gas burner plus a professional peel) and the Ooni Karu 2 bought as its Ultimate bundle (gas burner, 12 in perforated peel, glass door and built-in thermometer). The Breville Pizzaiolo includes a peel and a pan. Everything else needs at least a peel, and an Ooni Karu bought on its own needs a separately purchased gas burner before it is multi-fuel at all.
Comparing pizza ovens on sticker price is the most reliable way to be surprised in this category, because what arrives in the box varies more than the ovens do.
What each oven includes
| Oven | Included | Still needed to cook |
|---|---|---|
| Gozney Roccbox | Gas burner, professional pizza peel | Nothing essential; wood burner extra if you want wood |
| Ooni Karu 2 Ultimate bundle | Gas burner, 12 in perforated peel, glass door, built-in thermometer | Nothing essential; a cover if it lives outdoors |
| Breville Pizzaiolo | Pizza peel and pizza pan | Nothing (indoor, no fuel or cover needed) |
| Gozney Arc / Arc XL | Thermometer, hose and regulator, burner guard, flue outlet, stone tool, torx driver, matchstick holder | A peel |
| Ooni Karu 2 Pro | Glass door, tray door, fuel tray and grate, digital hub with food probe | A peel, and the gas burner if you want gas |
| Ooni Karu 2 | Glass door, built-in thermometer | A peel, and the gas burner if you want gas |
| Ooni Koda 2 Max | Digital hub with food probe, hose, visor, legs | A peel |
| Ooni Koda 16 | Hose and 28 mBar regulator | A peel, a thermometer |
| Ooni Volt 2 | Stone, multipurpose oven shelf | A peel |
Published box contents, from each maker's own product information. This is the difference between cooking on delivery day and placing a second order.
The four things you will buy anyway
Whatever the oven ships with, the same short list ends up in the basket within a month. It is the same list as the essential accessories guide, which is why an oven that pre-empts part of it is worth real money.
- A perforated peel sized to the oven's mouth — 12 in for a 12 or 13 in oven, 14 in for a 16 in oven. Sizing rules in choosing a peel.
- An infrared thermometer that reads past 1,000 F — because a built-in dial reads air near the roof, not the stone. This is the one most often skipped and most often regretted; see the thermometer roundup.
- A turning peel, if the oven has a single burner. Most do.
- A cover, if the oven lives outdoors. The cheapest item here and the one that most reliably prevents a repair — covers and protection.
Quick picks
Ranked for fit, not for hype. Every figure below is the maker’s own published number, and “n/p” means they do not publish it — which is itself worth knowing. Tap a row for the full write-up, or go straight to the listing.
| # | Oven | Best for | Max pizza | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Gozney RoccboxThe original portable stone-floor oven, and still the only 12 in oven with retractable legs, a carry strap, an insula... | The one that travels and still holds heat | 12" | 44 lb | $399.00 · Check on Amazon-20% |
| 2 |  Karu 2 bundle, peel + gas burnerThe Karu 2 sold with the two things it otherwise lacks: its gas burner and a 12 in perforated peel. | Both fuels and a peel in one order | 12" | 33.6 lb | $602.20 · Check on Amazon-5% |
| 3 |  Breville Pizzaiolo750 F and a manual mode that lets you choose which heating elements run. | Control over the individual elements | 12" | n/p | $999.95 · Check on Amazon |
| 4 |  Ooni 14" Signature peelHard-anodized perforated aluminum on a long walnut handle. | The one peel to own | 14" | n/p | $90.00 · Check on Amazon |
| 5 |  Etekcity 1080Reads to 1130 F with adjustable emissivity. | Reading a stone that is actually at 900 F | n/p | n/p | $24.99 · Check on Amazon |
Max pizza and weight are the makers’ published figures, sourced on each write-up below. Neither is a measurement we took, and no column here is a score — we have not cooked on these ovens and will not pretend otherwise.
Top pick · The one that travels and still holds heat
Gozney Roccbox Outdoor Pizza Oven
Gozney · Multi-fuel
The original portable stone-floor oven, and still the only 12 in oven with retractable legs, a carry strap, an insulated skin and a detachable burner you can swap for wood.
Published specification
- Max temperature
- 950 F (500 C), 20 to 30 minutes on gas
- Max pizza
- 12 in, about 60 seconds
- Weight
- 20 kg (about 44 lb)
- Fuel
- Propane or butane as standard; wood burner sold separately
- Floor
- Double-layer stone floor with dense insulation
- Included
- Detachable gas burner and a professional pizza peel
- Warranty
- 1 year standard, 5 years on registration within 60 days
What it does well
- Retractable legs plus a carry strap: it is the only oven in this registry designed from the outset to be picked up and taken somewhere
- The detachable burner is the cleanest gas-to-wood swap in the category — no second oven, no permanent commitment either way
- A peel is in the box, which quietly removes the most common forgotten purchase
- Cannot run on natural gas — Gozney is explicit about this, which is more than several rivals manage
What you give up
- 44 lb is heavy for a 12 in oven; the portability is about form, not mass
- Gozney does not publish external dimensions or stone thickness on the Roccbox page, so two comparable numbers are missing
- The wood burner is an extra purchase, so the multi-fuel headline costs more than the sticker
Buy it if
Someone who wants one oven for the patio and the campsite, and who might want wood later without buying twice.
Skip it if
Anyone who needs pizzas larger than 12 in.
Where these numbers came from
Pick 2 · Both fuels and a peel in one order
Ooni Karu 2 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven, Ultimate Bundle with 12 in Perforated Peel and Gas Burner
Ooni · Multi-fuel
The Karu 2 sold with the two things it otherwise lacks: its gas burner and a 12 in perforated peel. Same oven, same glass door and 0.6 in stone — the bundle removes the second-burner trap and the first accessory purchase.
Published specification
- Max temperature
- 950 F, reached in about 15 minutes per the listing
- Stone
- 13.3 in cordierite, 0.6 in (15 mm)
- Max pizza
- 12 in
- Weight
- 33.6 lb, oven unboxed
- In the bundle
- Karu 2 oven, Karu 2 gas burner, 12 in perforated peel
- Fuel
- Wood or charcoal, or propane through the included burner
- Door
- Borosilicate glass with ClearView, built-in thermometer
- Warranty
- 1 year, extended to 5 years on registration with Ooni
What it does well
- Both fuel systems arrive together, so you are not left permanently on whichever fuel the oven shipped with
- A correctly sized 12 in perforated peel in the box — the accessory every oven needs first
- The same glass door and built-in thermometer as the standalone Karu 2, which is the feature that makes wood firing manageable
What you give up
- Still a 12 in chamber: turning room around a 12 in pizza is tight, and the one-side burn problem is real
- You pay for the gas burner up front whether or not you end up using gas
- No cover and no infrared thermometer in this bundle — the built-in gauge reads the chamber, not the stone
Buy it if
Someone who wants to cook on wood and on gas from the first evening without placing a second order.
Skip it if
Anyone certain they will only ever burn wood — the standalone Karu 2 is the same oven without the burner.
Pick 3 · Control over the individual elements
Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo (BPZ820BSS)
Breville · Electric
750 F and a manual mode that lets you choose which heating elements run. It is the only indoor oven here that lets you deliberately char the base without cooking the toppings past done.
Published specification
- Max temperature
- 750 F
- Max pizza
- 12 in
- Presets
- Wood Fired, New York, Pan, Thin & Crispy, Frozen
- Manual mode
- Choose Crust Only (charred base) or Even Heat
- Control
- Element IQ element-by-element heat management
- Door
- Double-pane heat-resistant window, insulated chamber
- Included
- Pizza peel and pizza pan
What it does well
- Independent element control is the feature no other indoor oven offers, and it is the direct fix for a base that browns before the top does
- Named presets for New York and pan styles, not just a temperature dial — the styles most home cooks actually make
- A peel and a pan are in the box
- Insulation good enough that the kitchen does not heat up around it
What you give up
- 750 F is 100 F below the Volt 2 and 200 F below every outdoor gas oven here. Neapolitan is genuinely out of range
- Breville does not publish a stone thickness or unit weight in the listing specification
- The wattage is not stated on the listing either, so you cannot check its circuit draw on paper the way you can with the Volt 2
Buy it if
The indoor cook who makes New York and pan pizza and wants deliberate control over browning.
Skip it if
A Neapolitan target, or anyone who needs to know the amperage before buying.
Where these numbers came from
Pick 4 · The one peel to own
Ooni 14" Signature Perforated Pizza Peel
Ooni · Accessory
Hard-anodized perforated aluminum on a long walnut handle. The perforations shed the flour that otherwise burns on your stone, and that is the whole argument.
Published specification
- Head
- 14" anodized perforated aluminum
- Handle
- Long walnut wood
- Why perforated
- Excess flour falls away and steam escapes before launch
What it does well
- Perforation is the single feature that most reduces the burnt-flour smell and the black speckling on the base of a pizza
- Hard anodizing gives a smoother release surface than bare aluminum, which is the other half of a clean launch
- The handle is long enough to keep a forearm out of a 950 F mouth
What you give up
- A 14 in head does not fit through a 12 in or 13 in oven mouth comfortably — match the peel to the oven, not to the pizza
- Metal peels are poor at holding a raw dough while you top it; a wooden or bamboo peel is better for building on
- This is Ooni's premium peel and it is priced like it — the plain perforated version does the same job for less whenever it is back in stock
Buy it if
Any 14 or 16 in oven, and the peel to buy first.
Skip it if
12 in ovens, and cooks who build the pizza on the peel rather than on the counter.
Where these numbers came from
Pick 5 · Reading a stone that is actually at 900 F
Etekcity Lasergrip 1080 Infrared Thermometer
Etekcity · Accessory
Reads to 1130 F with adjustable emissivity. The range matters: a thermometer that stops at 750 F cannot tell you anything useful about a pizza oven floor.
Published specification
- Range
- -58 F to 1130 F
- Emissivity
- Adjustable, 0.1 to 1.0
- Distance-to-spot
- 12:1
- Not for
- Measuring people
What it does well
- 1130 F clears a 950 F stone with margin, which is the only spec that matters here
- Adjustable emissivity is what lets it read dark cordierite accurately rather than defaulting to 0.95 and being wrong
- 12:1 means a usable reading from about 14 in — outside the oven mouth, not inside it
What you give up
- Infrared reads a surface, never an air temperature. The number is your stone, not your oven
- A 12:1 cone averages a wide patch at distance, so stand close and read the center
- Cheap infrared units drift; treat it as a repeatable relative reading, not a laboratory value
Buy it if
Every oven without a built-in stone-temperature readout, which is most of them.
Skip it if
Ovens with a digital floor probe already fitted, like the Ooni Connect hub models.
Where these numbers came from
The second-burner trap
This is the biggest single gap between advertised and actual price, and it only affects multi-fuel ovens.
Every Ooni Karu ships wood-and-charcoal ready with the gas burner sold separately. The Gozney Roccbox is the mirror image: gas burner included, wood burner extra. Both makers are upfront about it, and it still means a Karu 2 Pro's listed price is the wood-only price.
So when you compare a standalone Karu against a listing that includes both fuel systems — such as the Karu 2 Ultimate bundle — you are not comparing like with like. Price the configuration you will actually use. The multi-fuel roundup makes the same point about the whole category.
When a bundle is worth it, and when it is not
Worth it when it contains things from the list of four above, in sizes that match your oven. A bundle carrying a correctly sized perforated peel and a genuine high-range thermometer has removed two real purchases.
Not worth it when it pads the count with things that do not change the result — branded cutters (a sharp knife works), dough boxes (a tray and a damp cloth work), and above all a thermometer that tops out below your oven's working temperature. A 716 F unit in a bundle for a 950 F oven is not a saving, it is the single most common mis-purchase in this category wearing a discount.
How these picks were made
We did not cook on these ovens. Every figure on this page is the maker’s or the listing’s published specification, cited on each write-up so you can check it in one click. The ranking comes from matching those published capabilities to a stated use case — space, pizza size, fuel, and how many pizzas you cook in a row. Where a maker does not publish a number, we say so instead of estimating one.
The full version of that argument, including what we deliberately do not claim, is on our methodology page.
Questions people actually ask
+Which pizza ovens come with a peel?
+Do Ooni Karu ovens come with the gas burner?
+Are pizza oven bundles worth it?
+What do I need to buy with a pizza oven?
Sources for this page
