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The pizza oven that I would consider as category defining is the Ooni Koda. It was released in 2019 in 12″ and 16″ models, and would go on to be Ooni’s best selling pizza oven.
It’s for good reason too, the Koda is easy to use, reasonably priced, and is one of the best ovens on the market. That led to people loving it, and for it to be widely distributed.
We’ve taken six years of learning and feedback from over one million customers who have loved the Koda 12 and Koda 16 since 2019. Our team has reimagined and re-engineered the new Koda 2 Range to level up every single touchpoint and technology – making it better and easier than ever to enjoy incredible pizza with your friends and family. I cannot wait to see customers’ reaction, as the Koda 2 sets a whole new standard for pizza ovens.
Kristian Tapaninaho, Founder and Co-CEO of Ooni
Ooni released updated models to the Koda line today that offer big improvements. The new models are like slimmed down versions of Ooni’s top of the line Koda 2 Max pizza oven.
Koda 2
The original Koda line-up was the Koda 12 and the Koda 16, with the numbers denoting the size of the pizza you could cook in them. The new Koda 2 eliminates that naming convention, but offer 14 inches of cooking, so it’s two inches larger than the previous version.
The Koda 2 retails for $449 (check price), which is only $50 more than the previous model. It looks very similar, but they moved the ignitor to the side from the back, which is a more convenient location.
The inside of the oven is where you’ll notice the most change. They made the pizza stone 50% larger, which reheats a claimed 20% faster between pies.
They also changed the burner to their new G2 Gas Technology that features a tapered flame to produce more uniform heating. You can see the difference in the pictures because the previous burner had the same flame height across the whole burner in the back. The new one appears to have larger flames on the sides, which would be cooler areas of the oven.
Ooni has been rolling out their connected technology, called Ooni Connect Digital Temperature Hub. It has a digital temperature read-out and will connect to your phone via Bluetooth. While the Koda 2 doesn’t come with it, you can buy it separately and add it.
Koda 2 Pro
In-between the Koda 2 and the Koda 2 Max is the Koda 2 Pro. It retails for $749 (check price), which is $150 more than the Koda 16. While the price increase is more than on the Koda 2, the Koda 2 Pro comes with a Connect Digital Temperature Hub.
Like the Koda 2, it’s two inches larger than the Koda 16 at 18 inches. It also has a thicker pizza stone, offering quicker reheat times. A protective glass visor also helps to retain heat in the oven.
To heat the Koda 2 Pro up, there is a twin burner design to give extra power to account for the extra space. It has a temperature range of 320 degrees F to 950 degrees F, so you can cook much more than just pizzas.
New Colorways
In addition to the new Koda ovens, Ooni also announced new colorways today. You can get the ovens in the traditional Foundry Black or the new Slate Blue color. Ooni hasn’t really gotten into different colors previously, so this is an opportunity to have a more unique oven.