Ooni Karu Defect Part 2

Photo Egg

I got it unboxed and found 6 inch section that was not welded. Like you read on all the forums, Ooni customer service was NO help. They applauded my incredible eyes for being able to find such a small defect...and were so happy to inform me that it would not hinder cooking on the over as use it as-is. I then asked for replacement body or return authorization. NO answer back...If Ooni QC can’t find a non weld like this, they should change jobs.
The non welded area is directly above the fire box and I was sure when heated up it would warp more, and it did.
I did not take photos after I cooked as it was still very hot when I left the house and it’s not in a perfect place to take photo.
Below is a photo before I fired it up today.

I cooked with wood chunks today and it was hard to not burn the bottom and still cook the toppings. My first pie looked great on top but crust was charred pretty bad. 

I also have the propane attachment and I think this will be way easier.
couple photos. No bottom photo of first pie but trust me, it was charred good.

WeberWho

That's too bad about the warranty issue. I'm going over 5 months now with Blackstones warranty department with a rust issue. 

Hopefully you hear something in the next few days.  

Pies look great!

alaskanassasin

     Looks minor to me, and I don’t see any welds on that thing it looks like it’s all stamped and riveted.
    

     That said remember you have consumer protection with your visa and MasterCard.
  

     Call your card company and tell them your pizza oven is defective and the reatailer is refusing to make it right. They will handle it.

Photo Egg

alaskanassasin said:

     Looks minor to me, and I don’t see any welds on that thing it looks like it’s all stamped and riveted.
    

     That said remember you have consumer protection with your visa and MasterCard.
  

     Call your card company and tell them your pizza oven is defective and the reatailer is refusing to make it right. They will handle it.

There are tiny spot welds and the other 3 sides are holding perfect.
Just this front side that's not right. And it's directly above the fire box. It warped more while cooking. It's not a super big deal but I just expected it to be right. And I have no idea how bad it will get over time. Kinda like buying a new car with a scratch. You know you are going to get more...but just want to drive it perfect out of the lot.
It was fun to cook with. I messed up and left my good Fluke IR at my office and only had a cheap Thermoworks at home and it would not read past 500.
Was easy to keep the fire going with bagged wood chunks. I wish they would have incorporated some kind of built in temp gauge. 

JohnInCarolina

Photo Egg said:

alaskanassasin said:

     Looks minor to me, and I don’t see any welds on that thing it looks like it’s all stamped and riveted.
    

     That said remember you have consumer protection with your visa and MasterCard.
  

     Call your card company and tell them your pizza oven is defective and the reatailer is refusing to make it right. They will handle it.

There are tiny spot welds and the other 3 sides are holding perfect.
Just this front side that's not right. And it's directly above the fire box. It warped more while cooking. It's not a super big deal but I just expected it to be right. And I have no idea how bad it will get over time. Kinda like buying a new car with a scratch. You know you are going to get more...but just want to drive it perfect out of the lot.
It was fun to cook with. I messed up and left my good Fluke IR at my office and only had a cheap Thermoworks at home and it would not read past 500.
Was easy to keep the fire going with bagged wood chunks. I wish they would have incorporated some kind of built in temp gauge. 

Yep, it would bug me too.

By the way, I expect you’ll find propane to be a lot easier to use and more reliable.   

The IR is also critical to use by the way.  Gozney has a thermo built in but it will only tell you what the middle of the stone is reading.  There is a significant gradient front to back.

speed51133

post a pic of the spot welds

piney

JohnInCarolina said:

Photo Egg said:

alaskanassasin said:

     Looks minor to me, and I don’t see any welds on that thing it looks like it’s all stamped and riveted.
    

     That said remember you have consumer protection with your visa and MasterCard.
  

     Call your card company and tell them your pizza oven is defective and the reatailer is refusing to make it right. They will handle it.

There are tiny spot welds and the other 3 sides are holding perfect.
Just this front side that's not right. And it's directly above the fire box. It warped more while cooking. It's not a super big deal but I just expected it to be right. And I have no idea how bad it will get over time. Kinda like buying a new car with a scratch. You know you are going to get more...but just want to drive it perfect out of the lot.
It was fun to cook with. I messed up and left my good Fluke IR at my office and only had a cheap Thermoworks at home and it would not read past 500.
Was easy to keep the fire going with bagged wood chunks. I wish they would have incorporated some kind of built in temp gauge. 

Yep, it would bug me too.

By the way, I expect you’ll find propane to be a lot easier to use and more reliable.   

The IR is also critical to use by the way.  Gozney has a thermo built in but it will only tell you what the middle of the stone is reading.  There is a significant gradient front to back.

John do you like the idea of propane over charcoal/wood? I know you have a Rocbox and I personally have had many wonderful pizzas from that. I'm thinking serious about a pizza oven of some type for the camper.

JohnInCarolina

piney said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Photo Egg said:

alaskanassasin said:

     Looks minor to me, and I don’t see any welds on that thing it looks like it’s all stamped and riveted.
    

     That said remember you have consumer protection with your visa and MasterCard.
  

     Call your card company and tell them your pizza oven is defective and the reatailer is refusing to make it right. They will handle it.

There are tiny spot welds and the other 3 sides are holding perfect.
Just this front side that's not right. And it's directly above the fire box. It warped more while cooking. It's not a super big deal but I just expected it to be right. And I have no idea how bad it will get over time. Kinda like buying a new car with a scratch. You know you are going to get more...but just want to drive it perfect out of the lot.
It was fun to cook with. I messed up and left my good Fluke IR at my office and only had a cheap Thermoworks at home and it would not read past 500.
Was easy to keep the fire going with bagged wood chunks. I wish they would have incorporated some kind of built in temp gauge. 

Yep, it would bug me too.

By the way, I expect you’ll find propane to be a lot easier to use and more reliable.   

The IR is also critical to use by the way.  Gozney has a thermo built in but it will only tell you what the middle of the stone is reading.  There is a significant gradient front to back.

John do you like the idea of propane over charcoal/wood? I know you have a Rocbox and I personally have had many wonderful pizzas from that. I'm thinking serious about a pizza oven of some type for the camper.

In these portable pizza ovens, yes.  The reason is that most of the pies cook in less than a few minutes.  If you're using wood, that's just not long enough for the dough to absorb much in the way of smoke.  

So if you're not getting the smoke with the wood, then there's not much point to using wood, in my opinion.  The gas is a lot easier to control and a steady source of heat.

Photo Egg

JohnInCarolina said:

piney said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Photo Egg said:

alaskanassasin said:

     Looks minor to me, and I don’t see any welds on that thing it looks like it’s all stamped and riveted.
    

     That said remember you have consumer protection with your visa and MasterCard.
  

     Call your card company and tell them your pizza oven is defective and the reatailer is refusing to make it right. They will handle it.

There are tiny spot welds and the other 3 sides are holding perfect.
Just this front side that's not right. And it's directly above the fire box. It warped more while cooking. It's not a super big deal but I just expected it to be right. And I have no idea how bad it will get over time. Kinda like buying a new car with a scratch. You know you are going to get more...but just want to drive it perfect out of the lot.
It was fun to cook with. I messed up and left my good Fluke IR at my office and only had a cheap Thermoworks at home and it would not read past 500.
Was easy to keep the fire going with bagged wood chunks. I wish they would have incorporated some kind of built in temp gauge. 

Yep, it would bug me too.

By the way, I expect you’ll find propane to be a lot easier to use and more reliable.   

The IR is also critical to use by the way.  Gozney has a thermo built in but it will only tell you what the middle of the stone is reading.  There is a significant gradient front to back.

John do you like the idea of propane over charcoal/wood? I know you have a Rocbox and I personally have had many wonderful pizzas from that. I'm thinking serious about a pizza oven of some type for the camper.

In these portable pizza ovens, yes.  The reason is that most of the pies cook in less than a few minutes.  If you're using wood, that's just not long enough for the dough to absorb much in the way of smoke.  

So if you're not getting the smoke with the wood, then there's not much point to using wood, in my opinion.  The gas is a lot easier to control and a steady source of heat.

Agree 100%.

piney

Ok I can see that. I'm starting to shop/inquire and trying to get all info possible. 

Photo Egg

piney said:

Ok I can see that. I'm starting to shop/inquire and trying to get all info possible. 

Having the option to use wood is a plus. IMO
It's just not a steady, stable heat source compared to using propane.

SciAggie

JohnInCarolina said:

piney said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Photo Egg said:

alaskanassasin said:

     Looks minor to me, and I don’t see any welds on that thing it looks like it’s all stamped and riveted.
    

     That said remember you have consumer protection with your visa and MasterCard.
  

     Call your card company and tell them your pizza oven is defective and the reatailer is refusing to make it right. They will handle it.

There are tiny spot welds and the other 3 sides are holding perfect.
Just this front side that's not right. And it's directly above the fire box. It warped more while cooking. It's not a super big deal but I just expected it to be right. And I have no idea how bad it will get over time. Kinda like buying a new car with a scratch. You know you are going to get more...but just want to drive it perfect out of the lot.
It was fun to cook with. I messed up and left my good Fluke IR at my office and only had a cheap Thermoworks at home and it would not read past 500.
Was easy to keep the fire going with bagged wood chunks. I wish they would have incorporated some kind of built in temp gauge. 

Yep, it would bug me too.

By the way, I expect you’ll find propane to be a lot easier to use and more reliable.   

The IR is also critical to use by the way.  Gozney has a thermo built in but it will only tell you what the middle of the stone is reading.  There is a significant gradient front to back.

John do you like the idea of propane over charcoal/wood? I know you have a Rocbox and I personally have had many wonderful pizzas from that. I'm thinking serious about a pizza oven of some type for the camper.

In these portable pizza ovens, yes.  The reason is that most of the pies cook in less than a few minutes.  If you're using wood, that's just not long enough for the dough to absorb much in the way of smoke.  

So if you're not getting the smoke with the wood, then there's not much point to using wood, in my opinion.  The gas is a lot easier to control and a steady source of heat.

That's even true for my full size wood fired oven. Due to the way air moves in the oven there is very little smoke flavor imparted to foods. That is particularly true for pizzas that cook quickly. There might be a bit of smoke flavor added to some cheeses, but that's it.

nolaegghead

put a few rivets in, or, if you have a MIG, drill a few small holes, clamp the two sheets together and fill them with a SS wire.  Poor man's spot weld.

Photo Egg

nolaegghead said:

put a few rivets in, or, if you have a MIG, drill a few small holes, clamp the two sheets together and fill them with a SS wire.  Poor man's spot weld.

What ever the fix is, it needs to remain flat so the fire box door sits flat on all 4 sides inside the drop down.
Ooni responded to my email not being happy with the kiss off.
They offered me $35.00 store credit or a replacement shell/body in March when they have them in stock.
I opted to wait for replacement as they said to go ahead and cook on this one til replacement arrives. What odds are you giving on this replacement?
The little oven is kinda cool and I hope its good for cooking other quick meals and searing steaks after SV. The Propane attachment I have will also make it more versatile an easier to dial in temps. Quick shrimp scampi or grilled salmon. Sear lamb pops. Wo knows, might be another waste of money.

thetrim

JohnInCarolina said:

piney said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Photo Egg said:

alaskanassasin said:

     Looks minor to me, and I don’t see any welds on that thing it looks like it’s all stamped and riveted.
    

     That said remember you have consumer protection with your visa and MasterCard.
  

     Call your card company and tell them your pizza oven is defective and the reatailer is refusing to make it right. They will handle it.

There are tiny spot welds and the other 3 sides are holding perfect.
Just this front side that's not right. And it's directly above the fire box. It warped more while cooking. It's not a super big deal but I just expected it to be right. And I have no idea how bad it will get over time. Kinda like buying a new car with a scratch. You know you are going to get more...but just want to drive it perfect out of the lot.
It was fun to cook with. I messed up and left my good Fluke IR at my office and only had a cheap Thermoworks at home and it would not read past 500.
Was easy to keep the fire going with bagged wood chunks. I wish they would have incorporated some kind of built in temp gauge. 

Yep, it would bug me too.

By the way, I expect you’ll find propane to be a lot easier to use and more reliable.   

The IR is also critical to use by the way.  Gozney has a thermo built in but it will only tell you what the middle of the stone is reading.  There is a significant gradient front to back.

John do you like the idea of propane over charcoal/wood? I know you have a Rocbox and I personally have had many wonderful pizzas from that. I'm thinking serious about a pizza oven of some type for the camper.

In these portable pizza ovens, yes.  The reason is that most of the pies cook in less than a few minutes.  If you're using wood, that's just not long enough for the dough to absorb much in the way of smoke.  

So if you're not getting the smoke with the wood, then there's not much point to using wood, in my opinion.  The gas is a lot easier to control and a steady source of heat.

and it allows for more time to tend to Miller Lite rather than the fire

Photo Egg

thetrim said:

JohnInCarolina said:

piney said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Photo Egg said:

alaskanassasin said:

     Looks minor to me, and I don’t see any welds on that thing it looks like it’s all stamped and riveted.
    

     That said remember you have consumer protection with your visa and MasterCard.
  

     Call your card company and tell them your pizza oven is defective and the reatailer is refusing to make it right. They will handle it.

There are tiny spot welds and the other 3 sides are holding perfect.
Just this front side that's not right. And it's directly above the fire box. It warped more while cooking. It's not a super big deal but I just expected it to be right. And I have no idea how bad it will get over time. Kinda like buying a new car with a scratch. You know you are going to get more...but just want to drive it perfect out of the lot.
It was fun to cook with. I messed up and left my good Fluke IR at my office and only had a cheap Thermoworks at home and it would not read past 500.
Was easy to keep the fire going with bagged wood chunks. I wish they would have incorporated some kind of built in temp gauge. 

Yep, it would bug me too.

By the way, I expect you’ll find propane to be a lot easier to use and more reliable.   

The IR is also critical to use by the way.  Gozney has a thermo built in but it will only tell you what the middle of the stone is reading.  There is a significant gradient front to back.

John do you like the idea of propane over charcoal/wood? I know you have a Rocbox and I personally have had many wonderful pizzas from that. I'm thinking serious about a pizza oven of some type for the camper.

In these portable pizza ovens, yes.  The reason is that most of the pies cook in less than a few minutes.  If you're using wood, that's just not long enough for the dough to absorb much in the way of smoke.  

So if you're not getting the smoke with the wood, then there's not much point to using wood, in my opinion.  The gas is a lot easier to control and a steady source of heat.

and it allows for more time to tend to Miller Lite rather than the fire

I would rather feed wood pellets one at a lime than drink Miller Lite...Ha Ha