Ooni Koda 12 Vs 16: Which Line Is Better?
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The gas-powered Ooni pizza oven offers many benefits. It’s easy to use and delivers delicious pizza in minutes. Plus, it features a sleek design that will look great in your outdoor kitchen.
Unsurprisingly, many people want an Ooni Koda for their outdoor kitchen!
However, prospective buyers will need to decide whether to get a pizza oven from the Ooni Koda 12 or 16.
This post will help you evaluate which lineup would be best for your needs.
I do so by comparing the Ooni Koda 12 vs 16 in terms of their cooking performance, size, weight, and features.
Let’s get started!
Ooni Koda 12 Vs 16: Overview
Ooni Koda 12
Cooking Surface Diameter
12 inches
Max Temperature
200°F~ 700°F
Dimensions
24.4 x 15.5 x 11.7 inches
Weight
20.4 lbs
Burner
Single gas burner on the back
Ideal for
Small households, tailgating, camping, outdoor cooking
Ooni Koda 16
Cooking Surface Diameter
16 inches
Max Temperature
150°F~ 700°F
Dimensions
15 x 24.5 x 20.5 inches
Weight
39.2 lbs
Burner
L-shape burner
Ideal for
Medium to large households, outdoor parties, family gatherings
Ooni Koda 12
Overview
Back in February 2019, after the huge success of launching Ooni Pro, Ooni introduced Ooni Koda 12, a portable, propane gas-powered outdoor pizza oven that reaches 500°C (932°F) and cooks restaurant-quality pizzas in 60 seconds.
Following its successor, the launch of the first generation of Ooni Koda was another hit. It won several awards in the same year of launching, like the Hearth, Patio & Barbeque Association’s 2019 VESTA Award for best innovative product and the National Hardware Show Retailer’s Choice Award 2019.
The sleek, curved design and stainless steel construction make it modern while ensuring durability.
As its name implies, the Ooni Koda 12 can produce pizzas up to 12 inches, a decent size for families or small gatherings.
The Koda 12 a true portable pizza oven when it only weighs 20.4 pounds and measures 24.4 x 15.5 x 11.7 inches.
This makes it easy to carry around, especially if you want to take it with you on camping trips or tailgating.
The oven is supported by three stainless steel legs that help stabilize it when used.
This is especially important when using the Koda 12 outside because it can get windy or breezy. The legs also fold up, making the oven more compact for storage and transportation.
Comes with the pizza oven is a square 10mm cordierite pizza stone which is the same type of stone used in professional pizza ovens.
The gas burner on the back of this oven can be adjusted by twisting a heat control dial. Doing this, you can determine what temperature the flame will burn at—you can make delicious pizzas at low and high temperatures by controlling your flame accordingly.
To cook pizza in the Ooni Koda 12, turn the dial all the way to the left when you’re looking from the front of the oven to preheat the oven; that’s the maximum temperature. Then you turn it down all the way to the right to turn it to low mode when you start to cook.
On the right side of the oven’s back, there’s also a tiny peephole that allows you to monitor the fire from the back of the oven.
Pros And Cons Of Ooni Koda 12
Pros
Cons
Ooni Koda 16
Overview
After 14 months after launching the Ooni Koda 12, On 4 March 2020, Ooni launched the Ooni Koda 16. It comes with a larger capacity, as well as many new features.
The Ooni Koda can run on either propane or natural gas; this is a huge improvement over the Koda 12, which was only compatible with propane.
Despite saying that, with a weight of 39.2 lbs, the Ooni Koda 16 is still portable enough for you to carry to a party or a camping trip.
The Ooni Koda 16 is much larger than the smaller, older version. It can cook larger pizzas and accommodate ones up to 16 inches in diameter, with dimensions of 15″ tall (when legs are fully extended) x 24.5″ deep x 20.5″ wide.
The internal cooking surface measurements for the Koda 16 are 4.5″ high and 16.5″ wide.
With this height, if you’re planning on cooking something like sourdough bowl bread or something taller, there may be a better oven for you.
But this oven is primarily used as a pizza oven, so that’s not really a problem. This oven still helps you produce the best Chicago-style pizza with thick pizza dough.
Inside the cooking chamber, you’ll notice an innovative L-shape burner that runs along the left side of the oven; this feature helps the section around the back, and the side cooks much faster.
The stone base of this oven is 15mm (0.6″) cordierite stone, with the shape of a dome. This material is excellent for heat retention and distribution, which is why you’ll find it in many other portable pizza ovens.
Unlike the Ooni Koda 12, the flame dial is placed on the side rather than the back to make it easier to monitor the flame while you twist the dial.
Like its predecessor, the Ooni Koda 16 has three legs that it stands on. One of my favorite features is the rubberized feet at the leg bottom—they keep this thing in place!
Pros And Cons Of Ooni Koda 16
Pros
Cons
Ooni Koda 12 Vs 16: What Are The Similarities
The structure and design of the two Ooni pizza ovens are very similar. Both of them are designed to be portable and can be easily moved from one place to another.
If you look at both models from a distance, it’s hard to tell the differences in structure between the two.
Both ovens have heavy-duty carbon steel shells and durable coatings that make them easy to clean.
Except for its location on the machine, the heat control dial is identical on both models.
The oven’s front structure is similar on both models, with a stamped Ooni logo and a band of different colors.
The legs that fold up underneath the oven are similar, too; both have three of these. So other than size and burner structure, these two models’ compositions are very much the same.
Ooni Koda 12 Vs 16: What Are The Differences
Versatility
Due to the difference in the cooking chamber’s height, there is a significant difference in the versatility of the two Ooni ovens.
The height of the Ooni Koda 12’s cooking chamber is 3,25″, much lower than the Ooni Koda 16’s 4,5″, which means that your pizza is going to burn pretty quickly in the Koda 12 if you don’t pay attention to the cooking time.
This cooking chamber’s design also makes the Koda 16 more versatile when it allows you to cook taller dishes like bread or even small cuts of meat like chicken or steak.
The smaller size of the Koda 12’s cooking chamber makes it less versatile and is better suited for pizzas only.
Baking Stone
It’s not just the size of the stone and how much room you have to work, but also some significant differences in the design of the two stones.
First of all, regarding the shape and size, the Koda 16’s stone has a curved design that allows it to fit comfortably over the L-shaped burner, while the stone in Koda 12 is more square since the oven only has one burner in the back.
The Ooni Koda 16’s stone provides 16 inches of cooking surface, accommodating 16-inch pizza. On the other hand, Ooni Koda 12’s stone has a surface area of 13.2″ and can accommodate 12-inch pizzas.
The bigger interior size of the Koda 16’s stone allows you to move your pies around on the stone more easily to cook delicious pizzas at either a very hot spot or a cooler spot.
Next, when it comes to thickness, the Koda 16 is thicker than Koda 12. This is because it has to be able to accommodate bigger pizzas.
The thickness of the stone in Ooni Koda 16 is 15mm which can be compared with the 10mm thickness of Ooni Koda 12’s stone.
Since the stone in Koda 16 is thicker, it tends to hold its temperature much longer. This is important because you don’t have to wait as long between cooks.
Compatible Prep Tables
Outdoor pizza prep tables come in different sizes, depending on the net space between their legs. Knowing the space between the oven’s legs can help you find the right size for your prep table.
The distance between the front legs on Ooni Koda 12 is 13.5 inches, and 21 inches for Ooni Koda 16.
This means you should get a pizza table with a minimum width of 15 inches if you want to fit the Ooni Koda 12 on top and one that is at least 23 inches wide if you plan to use the larger model.
Gas Burners
The 16-inch pizza oven features an L-shaped burner that goes around the two sides of the oven.
This feature helps cook pizzas faster, and you don’t have to rotate them as much as your pizza goes in; the L burner will cook half of the pizza when you rotate it.
The 12-inch version of Ooni Koda only has one gas burner on the back of the pizza oven. It’s still a powerful burner, but it doesn’t cook your pizza as fast as the larger version would, and you’ll have to rotate more often.
In addition to the cooking time, another advantage of the L-shape burner in this model is that it heats up faster (between 15 minutes and 25 minutes) than its 12-inch counterpart since there’s more room for the flame to hit the front of the pizza oven.
Heat Control Dial
The heat dials of the two ovens have the same design, but the only difference is the location of the dials.
The Ooni Koda 12 has a heat control dial on its backside.
While the 16-inch counterpart has its heat control dial located on the side of it.
The heat dial of the two ovens has the same design, but the only difference is the location of the dials.
The Ooni Koda 12 has the heat control dial on the backside of it, while the 16-inch counterpart has its heat control dial on the side.
If you’re looking for something more convenient, then maybe the 16-inch version is better. I personally like having my heat control dial on the side of the oven so that it’s easier to reach while cooking pizza.
Weight
The Ooni Koda 12 is very light, at only 29.7 pounds. The oven is also very small; you can carry it easily with one arm without the stone.
It’s ideal for taking on vacations and camping trips because it takes up very little space. Also, the legs can be neatly folded at the bottom, and the oven is also very small.
The 16-inch counterpart is definitely bigger, weighing about 40 pounds. Though it’s a lot heavier than the Ooni Koda 12, you can carry it with no problem with the pizza stone out.
These two pizza ovens are portable and can be carried around in a carry case.
Fuel Source
One of the biggest differences between the Ooni Koda 12 and Koda 16 is their fuel source.
The Ooni Koda 12 is powered by propane, while the Ooni Koda 16 is more versatile and can use propane or natural gas for the heating elements.
This feature of Koda 16 is also an advantage for those who don’t have access to propane or are worried about running out of it during a party.
Ooni Koda Accessories
To transform the Ooni pizza oven into an all-around cooking machine, Ooni has created a line of accessories. These include a rolling cart for easy storage and transport, an infrared thermometer for accurate temperature measurement, along with a pizza peel and turning peel to help you achieve the perfect pie every time.
Rolling cart
ooni Modular Table Pizza Oven
Ooni Infrared Thermometer
Ooni Pizza Peel
Final Verdict Of Ooni Koda 12 Vs 16
Ooni Koda 12 and 16 are great options for purchasing a high-quality outdoor pizza oven.
With the difference of about $190, you’ll get a better build and more space to work with the Koda 16.
If you’re looking for a more portable gas-powered pizza oven that is only big enough to serve a small group of friends or yourself, the Koda 12 will be a better fit for you.
I recommend the Koda 16 if you’re looking for an outdoor pizza oven that’s more durable, has more space, and cooks pizza faster than its smaller counterpart.
Ooni Koda 12
Cooking Surface Diameter
12 inches
Max Temperature
200°F~ 700°F
Dimensions
24.4 x 15.5 x 11.7 inches
Weight
20.4 lbs
Burner
Single gas burner on the back
Ideal for
Small households, tailgating, camping, outdoor cooking
Ooni Koda 16
Cooking Surface Diameter
16 inches
Max Temperature
150°F~ 700°F
Dimensions
15 x 24.5 x 20.5 inches
Weight
39.2 lbs
Burner
L-shape burner
Ideal for
Medium to large households, outdoor parties, family gatherings