Serious Eats posts the results of Home Pizza Ovens

[old_alex]

It came out over a week ago hope I am not reposting.

#1 Rockbox
#2 Unni
#3 Blackstone
#4 Pizzaque


Post removed by authors request Sorry! See my later reply. Sorry.

[barryvabeach]

Thanks for posting.  Like many reviews, much of it depends on how you weigh the factors.   Surprised to see a pizza stone broke during use on the BS, read about that during shipping pretty regularly, have not heard many complaints about breaking during use.  Also surprised he rated the Uuni 3 so high when it went out on him several times. 

[Zaroh]

If it's true that Uuni is coming out with a gas one that may indeed be a game changer for some. I'd like to get a portable oven one day, and it doesn't look like Roccbox has any plans to expand to Canada quite yet. When I asked them in November they said this:

"I am afraid Roccbox isn’t available in Canada at present however we are in the process of taking trade seller and distributor applications from all over the globe at the moment so it shouldn’t be long before Roccbox is available to you.
Please accept my apologies that I don’t have any more information for you at the moment and as soon as we have any news on new delivery locations we will be sure to update our website and social media pages."

It does look like they've since expanded to sell in lots of other countries but not here .

Looking at the Uuni they keep improving it which is an encouraging sign. If they do release that gas one that'd probably be the best bet for Canadians who want something similar to Roccbox.. short of driving down to the States to order and get the actual thing 

I like what he said about Blackstone as well. If you're a DIY person who doesn't mind making modifications it could be a good fit for you, but unfortunately I lack the know how and confidence to perform such modifications so I've stayed away from that oven.

[HBolte]

I like what he said about Blackstone as well. If you're a DIY person who doesn't mind making modifications it could be a good fit for you, but unfortunately I lack the know how and confidence to perform such modifications so I've stayed away from that oven.

The only "mod," if you can call it that, I have done to my BS is to place a few washers under the stone. Mine is two years old, still on the original motor. It sits outside year round and works great.

[kenjialt]

Hey folks - Kenji here. Sorry, that video was not supposed to be public yet. The full article and video are coming out on 5/17.

In regards to the Blackstone, from talking with Jeff Krupman at Pizzahacker, I take it that Blackstone changed the motor and the way it attaches to the base. The motor that came with mine (several months ago) was really junky. Started skipping gears after just a couple uses. The model I got also doesn't exactly work with the thrust bearing that are recommended on this forum. If you add them, the axle is no longer long enough to engage the motor unfortunately, so you have to extend it or add a coupling. It's really not a great out-of-the-box product for people who don't want to do any extra work at all. For my money, a tool should work as advertised when you buy it.

Anyhow, full review coming in a week!

[barryvabeach]

Thanks for the post,  I read your site quite regularly and find it very helpful.  On the BS,  most that recommended the thrust washer did that before the change in design. With the original design, a stop collar could be placed in one of two positions, in one of them, it rested on a solid pipe, so the thrust washer would help.  If you put the stop collar in a different position, no thrust washer was necessary.  https://sites.google.com/site/blackstonepizzaoven/blackstone-pizza-oven-faq/bearing-mod-copy
 With the change in design, I don't think there would be a need for the thrust washer.  BTW,  I agree the build quality on the BS is pretty low end, though so is the price.  Of course, its advantage is the ability to crank out a much larger pie than the Roccbox.   

[old_alex]

I have been asked to remove the link by Kenji it was a grave error on my account to post the link without his permission.
I will contact the admin here to have it removed. He had it on his suscribe page no his public again I am sorry.  It was my excitement  that made me do it but it was not mine to distribute.

[old_alex]

Now that I have apologized for my lack of patience.....
Given the roller bearing on the new shaft, would it be possible to remove them (grinder) then install a "stop collar" then the standard bearing mod. Would this be simpler than bearing move mod?

[barryvabeach]

Why are you thinking of going to the trouble?  Has the factory bearings seized?  The reason that people used a thrust bearing mod was only due to the concern that the stop collar was resting on a fixed end of a pipe, and by using the thrust bearing mod, it reduced the friction with the collar in that position.  With the new assembly, the stone rests on two bearings, so friction should not be much of a problem.  I haven't seen the new assembly, but if for some reason you wanted the bearings off, you could remove whatever retainer is on there  ( I am guessing since you suggest grinder that they didn't use a screw or bolt ) and then add an appropriate stop collar.

[kenjialt]

@old_alex

No problem, it's not really a big deal. I had that video up to be able to show it to a few people before posting it publicly but I should really find a better method.

@barryvabeach

I think the reason is because the new washer assembly on the BS doesn't actually work very well. Mine stopped working after the second use and as far as I've heard I'm not the only one. It still has a ton of friction and that coupled with a crummy motor leads to failure. A good thrust bearing is a lot more friction-free than the assembly the current BS comes with.

[barryvabeach]

Kenji, thanks for the reply,   I have never seen the version with the bearings on the post .  Actually, the original version has a bearing, it is just that the instructions did not mention how to put the stop collar in a position to rest on the bearing.  Does the new version still have the bearing built into the body?  If so, removing their bearings and putting the stop collar on the bottom level may make the most sense, though it does take some fiddling to get the stop collar adjusted and in the right place.