The Gozney Arc Lite and the Solo Stove Pi Prime are two otudoor pizza ovens that both cost $399. They’re both fueled the exact same, and are roughly the same size and shape. So how do you decide between them when you’ve got $399 bucks and no pizza?
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We reviewed the Gozney Arc Lite a few months ago and couldn’t help but think how much it reminded us of the Solo Stove Pi Prime, which we reviewed a few years ago. So we decided to pull the Pi Prime out of storage to compare them side-by-side and see if one is better than the other.
Quick Links to the products mentioned in this review:
- Gozney Arc Lite
- Gozney placement peel
- Gozney turning peel
- Solo Stove Pi Prime
- Solo Stove placement peel
- Thermoworks IR gun
Gozney Arc Lite vs. Solo Stove Pi Prime
We’ve got several tests coming in just a minute, but first, let’s take a look at the basic measurements of each oven to see how they stack up next to each other.
The Pi Prime is taller at 15.5 inches, while the Arc Lite is only 11.7 inches tall.
The Pi Prime is completely round, with a diameter of 20.5 inches, while the Arc Lite is more oval in shape, with a width of 16.9″ and a depth of 18.9 inches.
The Pi Prime weighs 30 pounds and the Arc Lite weighs 26.4 pounds, so the Pi Prime is overall, a slightly larger oven.
Both ovens are fueled by a 20 pound propane tank, with burner controls easily accessible from the front. Neither outdoor pizza oven is compatible with natural gas.
Cordierite Stone Comparison
When it comes to the pizza stones, both ovens have cordierite stones approximately a half-inch thick. The Pi Prime is just one millimeter thicker than the Arc Lite.
The Pi Prime cordierite stone is made up of 2 semi-circle halves measuring approximately 13 inches deep by 17 inches wide in total. The Arc Lite, on the other hand, has a single stone measuring only 12.8 inches wide, but about 15.5 inches deep.
The opening of the Pi Prime is also slightly larger than the Gozney oven. We’ve got 13 by 3.5 inches on the Solo Stove and 12.8 by 3.35″ on the Arc Lite. The difference is minute, but it’s there, nonetheless. Both pizza ovens can cook a 12-inch pizza, but the Pi Prime offers just a little more wiggle room for turning your pizza.
Gas Burner Comparison
The Solo Stove oven has the more powerful gas burner of the two, putting out 15,000 BTU’s per hour from the back of the oven. The Arc Lite burner provides 11,687 BTU’s per hour from the left side, arcing over the entire width of the roof to the right side.
Heat Up Time Test
Whether I’m using an indoor pizza oven, wood oven, or gas oven, one of the stats that’s important to me is how long it takes to heat up. We ran a test with each oven set to high for 30 minutes to find out if one oven heats faster or hotter than the other. We used the Thermoworks industrial infrared thermometer to get a stone temperature reading from the same spot every 60 seconds, and graphed the results.
The Gozney Arc Lite hit 381 at 5 minutes, 555 at 10 minutes, 663 at 15 minutes, and topped out at 829 after 30 minutes.
The Solo Stove Pi Prime read 439 at 5 minutes, 606 at 10 minutes, 693 at 15 minutes and had a final top heat of 877 at 30 minutes.
Looking at the data in graph form, they’re quite similar, with the Solo Stove Pi Prime’s higher output burner outpacing the Gozney Arc Lite throughout the test. The Pi Prime was 30 degrees hotter at the 15 minute mark and 48 degrees ahead at 30 minutes.
Making Pizza in both outdoor pizza ovens
We invited some friends over for lunch one day, and we cooked 4 pizzas in each portable oven.
Both gas ovens had been preheating for over 30 minutes by the time we started. We generally like to cook Neapolitan pizzas when the oven floor measures between 750-850°.
The Solo Stove Pi Prime was up first, and we were able to launch a new pizza about every 5 minutes, with starting stone temperatures ranging between 750-830 degrees. Each of the pizzas looked beautiful on top, but was quite blond on the bottom crust, showing little to no charring.
The stone temperature in the Gozney Arc Lite was pretty consistently around 790° when we launched each pizza. We struggled a little in the beginning with too much charring on the crust, and then adjusted the burner to low after launching for better control. Each of the Gozney pizzas showed significantly more charring on the bottom crust. As a result, our guests preferred the pizzas cooked in the Arc Lite over the Pi Prime.
Question of the Day
Statistically, the Solo Stove Pi Prime appears to be the better oven. It has more space internally, thicker stone, more powerful gas burner.
But in reality, the Gozney Arc Lite produced better pizzas. Why do you think that is? Sound off down in the comments and let us know what you think made the difference.
Portable Pizza Oven User Experience
The user experience with these ovens is worth talking about, because if we’re going to use them, it might as well be fun, right?
Access to controls
Not all pizza ovens have a dial or control knob placement that’s easy to get to while you’re cooking. Luckily, both of these ovens have their knobs in the front, and it’s a non-issue. The Pi Prime knob is in the center, and the Arc Lite is off to the right of center, but both are easy to use.
Internal space
Getting pizzas in and out is a large part of what we do with these pizza ovens, and each has an advantage here. The Gozney has more stone depth with the Arc Lite, so it’s easier to launch a pizza and not have it stuck against the back of the oven and not know it.
The Pi Prime has a wider oven entrance, so it’s easier to get the pizza peel in and out and turn the pizza during the cook. The Solo Stove oven is more shallow than the Arc Lite though, and I’ve allegedly stuck a pizza or two on the back wall.
Interaction height
The interaction height is a couple of inches higher on the Solo Stove Pi Prime, so depending on where you’re using it, that’s either a pro or a con for either oven.
Portable pizza making
We took a recent vacation for a family reunion, and I needed to choose a pizza oven to take on the road with us, and I did indeed choose one of these… and it was the Gozney Arc Lite.
Since it was vacation, I didn’t capture much, but I did have some thoughts on that decision.
We used some par-baked 12 inch crusts, and a true 12 inch pie pushed the boundaries of the Arc Lite. I was constantly rotating so the side burner didn’t burn the crust that was right up against the burner. I thought multiple times that I wish I had brought along the Arc XL instead, but carrying that beast around isn’t practical.
The Arc Lite didn’t take up much room in the truck and it was easy to carry around, so it was a win, but I found true 12 inch pizzas a little too large for this oven in practical use.
Warranty
For warranty, the Gozney Arc Lite comes with a 5 year extended warranty and Solo Stove offers a lifetime warranty on the Pi Prime. You can learn more about the warranties on these ovens on their respective websites for details.
Final thoughts
We’ve tested and reviewed a lot of the best pizza ovens on the market, from wood fired ovens, to gas ovens, and even several fueled by wood pellets. We’ve tested expensive ovens and budget friendly ovens. We absolutely love eating pizza cooked in an outdoor oven. The experience of gathering around a pizza oven with friends or family to make pizzas together can be so much fun.
But if you’re new to outdoor pizza ovens, it’s important to understand that there is a pretty significant learning curve, and your first pizza might not be the great pizza you’d hoped it would be. That’s why I would recommend starting your pizza making journey with a smaller, more economical gas oven first, and then work your way up from there in size and fuel type.
In the end, we really like both of these portable gas ovens, and think that either would make a great oven for anyone just getting started with their pizza hobby.
- If we were going to pick one pizza oven to take on the go, it was, and would probably continue to be the Gozney Arc Lite. Both ovens are portable, but the Gozney is a little easier to take on the go.
- If we were going to pick one to keep as a home oven in our outdoor space, I would probably choose which ever oven was less expensive. Both brands have been known to go run sales from time to time, so if you see one priced under $399, that could be your deciding factor right there.
- If we were going to pick one based solely on the results of our 8 test pizzas on one day, we would pick the Gozney Arc Lite. For whatever reason, the bottom crusts cooked more thoroughly in that oven, and that’s how we prefer our pizza. Gozney apparently got something right in their design of the Arc pizza ovens, because it appears as though the Gozney Arc stones retain heat better than the Solo Stove oven floor.
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