Solo Stove Pi Prime review

If pizza were to ever have a renaissance, now would surely be its time. Whereas Domino’s or Little Caesars used to suffice, today we not only demand more of our ingredients (Fresh basil! Organic tomatoes!), but we also want to partake in the fun of making pizza by hand at home. As such, brands have heeded this trend by jumping on the DIY bandwagon and proffering up pizza ovens of every type and price point.

Solo Stove’s Pi Prime, which launched on Aug. 18, is the newest of the many available options. The third pizza oven to be rolled out by the brand, which is primarily known for its smoke-free outdoor firepits, the Pi Prime is a big deal for two reasons: First, the oven runs on propane and comes with a newly added single gas burner that is embedded into the bottom of the oven, making cooking on the fly a lot easier (and faster). Solo Stove’s previous pizza oven offerings include Pi, which is wood-burning and can be purchased with a gas burner attachment and Pi Fire, which is an oven that can be placed directly above a Solo Bonfire, Yukon or Ranger fire pit. Point being, Pi Prime’s internal gas burner is a big deal in that it offers more flexibility, especially for those looking to cook in a time crunch.

Solo Stove's first pizza oven powered by propane has arrived. It promises to cook artisan-level pizzas in just 90 seconds — and we put it to the test.

The second reason to take note of the Pi Prime is its price tag. Despite being aesthetically very similar to the Pi — it’s dimensions and weight are nearly identical — the Pi Prime comes in at $349, which is $300 cheaper than the Pi wood and gas option ($649 when bundled), making it not only the cheapest Solo Stove pizza oven, but also one of the most affordable outdoor pizza ovens on the market.

Upon opening the box and transporting the Pi Prime to a folding table on my patio, the first thing I noticed was how sturdy it is. This product isn’t flimsy, which is something I was slightly concerned about given the new, much lower pricing. Comprised of steel and metal, the Pi Prime clocks in at nearly 30 pounds and is pretty much ready to go right out of the box — all I had to do was insert the two pizza stone halves into the oven’s dome-like cavity, connect the fuel hose to my propane tank and light her up.

Speaking of lighting, another new detail of Pi Prime is that it now features a front-facing, adjustable temperature control. Not only does this make lighting the oven super easy — it works just like a gas stove knob — it also makes managing the desired internal temperature much more accurate.

After preheating the oven for 20 minutes (see more about that below), I was ready to get cooking. This isn’t my first pizza oven rodeo, and I have to say that launching a pie into the Pi Prime cavity and turning it 360 degrees was much easier than in other ovens, thanks to its wide opening, which is a roomy 13 inches by 3.5 inches. Seriously, there was plenty of wiggle room that made rotating my pizzas a breeze. (The rear of the oven is the hottest and cooks the fastest, so you want to rotate the entire pie through the rear to get an even bake.) While the brand says it cooks pizzas in under 90 seconds, I found it to be even faster than that — my pies were crisp, bubbling and leopard-spotted in about a minute.

I also appreciated the slew of cooking accessories Solo Stove is serving up for pizza-making. From peels and turners to cutters and even gloves, all of the products are high-quality and improve the pizza-making process. While I’ve only cooked pizzas in my Pi Prime, the brand encourages roasting veggies or grilling proteins in there, too.

Back to that price: It’s a really good deal, and something tells me it will decrease even further during sale periods.

To be clear, the Pi Prime has very few flaws. However, one glitch I did experience was launching the raw pizza from the Bamboo Peel into the oven cavity — no amount of flour or cornmeal on the underside of the dough made the launch seamless. The dough kept sticking to the peel surface, with the ingredients shooting into the oven as I jerked my hand in and out. I eventually opted to use one of my own stainless steel peels, which the dough slid right off of and onto the hot pizza stone. Then I opted to use the Solo Stove bamboo peel as a surface for cutting and serving the slices.

The brand recommends preheating the oven to 700 degrees, but given that there’s no built-in digital thermometer, you’d need an infrared option to assess whether that has been achieved. Of course, the brand sells one for $40, but since I didn’t have that, I just heated the oven on high for 20 minutes to ensure it was hot enough for pizza-making. This worked for me, but I was second-guessing myself a bit, wondering if the oven had reached the optimal temperature.

Another nitpicky detail: The Pi Prime is roughly 21 inches deep, which can make finding a stable surface to place it on a little tricky. I had an outdoor console from Polywood, for instance, that was too narrow for the oven, which led me to bring out a folding table from our basement. Solo Stove sells a Pi Stand that is sized perfectly to the oven and can neatly accommodate a propane tank, but it costs $350.

I installed a Gozney Dome in my backyard about six months ago and to say I’m a huge devotee would be an understatement — in fact, my parents recently got one at their house because they love mine so much. What’s so great about it? For one, I love how effortlessly easy it is to use. There is no learning curve with the Gozney. I have my Dome attached to natural gas, and we keep it outside 24/7 stacked atop the brand’s Dome Stand and protected via their durable cover. But beyond that, I also love its ultra-wide opening and oversized cavity allowing for easy turning and baking, and the fact that it’s built to the exact ratios of a commercial pizza oven — resulting in pizzas that could be coming out of a five-star restaurant in New York City. Truly the only downside of the Gozney, for me, is that price tag, which is tough to swallow at $1,999. I like to think of it as an outdoor appliance since it’s priced similarly to a dishwasher, ice maker or wall oven — but still, I recognize that it’s a big investment.

While I prefer the Gozney to the Pi Prime, I will say that the pizzas churned out by both ovens aren’t too dissimilar. The Gozney pizzas are crisper on the underside and cook more evenly while inside the cavity, because they need less constant rotation, but the end results of both ovens are bubbling, leopard-spotted pies. That the Pi Prime is able to do this despite costing a fraction of the Gozney price is worth noting.

The Ooni Koda 12 Gas-Powered Oven is probably the most similar Ooni oven to the Pi Prime, both in size and price. Where the Ooni wins is portability. The Koda 12 has folding legs and weighs about 10 pounds less than the Pi Prime, making it easier to bring to a tailgate or over to your neighbor’s house for pizza night. While I was able to carry the 30-pound Pi Prime from my backyard to my car, I wouldn’t describe it as being super portable. That said, I think pizzas are easier to launch into and turn in the Pi Prime, given that the opening is a bit larger. Also, the Pi Prime is $50 cheaper and has a better warranty.

Solo Stove is one of those rare trifecta brands that consistently delivers high-quality products that are also high-functioning and affordable, and Pi Prime falls right in line. The competition in this field is steep, but I’m a big fan of this pizza oven because of that price: $350 is a great deal for a convenient gas oven that churns out consistently delicious pizzas.

For peace of mind, also consider that the Pi Prime ships for free, can be returned for free within 30 days and is backed by a lifetime warranty. For me, that’s a no-brainer. If you love Solo Stove’s fire pits, I’m confident you’ll be happy with this pizza oven, too.

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