Was tossing up between the Ooni Volt 2 and the Ziola...Read reviews about the Volt 2 being too loud as well as having a thinner 10mm cordierite stone which breaks. I found the Ziola incidentally because I was looking for a biscotto stone to replace the stone that came with the Ooni Volt 2...I called Argheri to ask about the stone his oven came with and instead I got a TED talk from Chris who spent 20minutes answering every single question and concern I had! I can tell from Chris's passion that he stands behind the Ziola and that I will be looked after if there were any after sales issues. He even sent me a video with audio/decibel recordings to show me how it sounded since I had concerns!
Comparison vs Ooni Volt 2:
- The Ziola isn't much of a looker on photos, but is actually quite beautiful in real life!
- Similar stone length and width, but the Ziola's cordierite stone is 20mm thick whilst the Volt 2's stone is 10mm. I also bought the Biscotto stone as well but I haven't used it since the cordierite stone is more than adequate.
- Ziola's doesn't seem as loud
- Ziola is slightly wider than the Volt 2 (volt 2 is a better option if you don't have the counterspace for a Ziola)
Comparison vs Ooni Koda
- Was able to heat up faster (20mins)
- Was able to maintain temps of 450 degrees with maybe 1min downtime between pizzas!
- Only required rotation once for each pizza. Was a lot more forgiving than the gas ovens (especially if the flame was coming from one side). The Koda required me to rotate the pizza every 15 seconds x 3 to get an even cook and would easily burn if you were even slightly distracted. Ziola is much more beginner friendly
- Ziola can be used indoor with almost no smoke or outdoor under cover. Always use semolina when dusting the pizza otherwise its going to smoke!
- I could not tell the difference between the Ziola and the Koda in terms of pizza quality.
In summary its an excellent pizza oven for beginners and I would buy it again in a heartbeat. Chris actually followed up with me after my purchase to make sure I didn't have any problems. Excellent after sales support!
