As a restaurant chef with over 10 years of hands-on experience at Dequte Restaurant LironBoylston, I’ve tested a wide range of pizza ovens in real working conditions. In this article, I’ll be comparing the Camp Chef Italia and the Member’s Mark Outdoor Pizza Oven—two propane-powered models I’ve personally used in my kitchen. I evaluated both based on quality and materials, temperature control, shape, first-time usage impressions, power source, size, ease of cleaning, and, most importantly, how well each performed in an actual pizza cooking test. (For those interested in the full testing methodology, check out my article: “How We Test Pizza Ovens.”)
The Camp Chef Italia is a well-known mid-tier gas pizza oven designed to mimic the performance of a traditional brick oven.
The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven, sold through Sam’s Club, offers a budget-friendly option with impressive specs for casual outdoor cooks.
This article features a thorough comparison between the Camp Chef Italia and the Member’s Mark Outdoor Pizza Oven based on my personal tests.
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Winner
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Loser
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Our Rating:
4.4
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Our Rating:
4.3
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Pros:
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Pros:
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Cons:
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Cons:
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- Made with stainless steel and has a double-layer ceiling
- Can reach 750°F
- Smooth dome shape
- Thinner metal frame may impact its durability over time
- Requires careful management, especially on windy days
- Took a bit longer to set up
- Propane-only
- Portable but slightly bulkier
- Offers good quality for its price
- Rounded top
- Lighter weight and with a smaller footprint
- Relatively easy to clean
- Slower to heat up, taking around 30-35 minutes to reach a max of about 750-800°F
- Bit more trial and error to get the temperature right
- Uses propane only
Lastly, a quick note: this article includes referral links. If you decide to purchase through them, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a simple way to support this blog and my ongoing hands-on testing of pizza ovens.
Camp Chef Italia VS Member’s Mark: Quality and Materials
| The Camp Chef Italia uses a sturdy stainless steel frame with a double-layer ceiling for better insulation and even cooking. The cordierite stone performs well and feels built to last. |
The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven is lighter and uses thinner metal. Its 3/8” cordierite stone is functional but may not hold up to heavy use like the Camp Chef Italia.
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Camp Chef Italia VS Member’s Mark: Temperature Control
| The Camp Chef Italia Pizza Oven offers solid heat recovery and stability thanks to its micro-adjust gas valve. It reaches 700–750°F reliably after preheating. |
The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven struggled to reach its claimed 900°F. It topped out around 760–775°F after 35+ minutes and the flame felt weaker.
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Camp Chef Italia VS Member’s Mark: Shape
| With its dome-shaped ceiling, the Camp Chef Italia promotes even convection and balanced cooking from all angles. |
The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven also has a rounded top but doesn’t retain or circulate heat as efficiently.
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Camp Chef Italia VS Member’s Mark: First-Time Usage Impressions
| Assembly for the Camp Chef Italia Artisan Pizza Oven took under 30 minutes. The setup felt intuitive and professional. First cook went smoothly. |
The Member’s Mark oven was easy to assemble, and the rotating stone was a unique touch. However, temperature inconsistency affected the first pizza’s results.
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Camp Chef Italia VS Member’s Mark: Power Source
| The Camp Chef Italia Pizza Oven runs on propane and includes a hose and regulator. It offers flexible fuel options and solid compatibility. |
The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven is also propane-powered, but lacks the flame control and power of the Camp Chef model.
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‘Camp Chef Italia VS Member’s Mark: Size
| At 47 lbs and with a generous cooking chamber, the Camp Chef Italia can handle medium to large pizzas, though rotation space is limited. |
The Member’s Mark oven is compact and portable (28.7 lbs), great for occasional backyard use, but its interior space feels more restrictive.
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Camp Chef Italia VS Member’s Mark: Ease of Cleaning
| The Camp Chef Italia Artisan Pizza Oven is easy to maintain—run on high to burn off debris, then scrape and wipe. Stone cools in about an hour. |
The Member’s Mark requires a full cooldown before cleaning. Thin materials may need gentler handling, but overall it’s easy to wipe down.
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Pizza Cooking Test: Camp Chef Italia vs Member’s Mark
To put both ovens to the test, I cooked classic Margherita pizzas using the same homemade dough and toppings—fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, and basil. Here’s how each oven performed:
The Camp Chef Italia preheated to around 700°F in about 40 minutes, which is slightly longer than the manual claims, but once it reached the desired temperature, it held steady throughout the cooking process. I slid the pizza onto the cordierite stone and let it bake with the door closed.
The Margherita pizza took about 8–9 minutes to cook fully. The crust developed a nice golden brown with a light char on the edges, and the bottom crisped up without burning. The cheese melted evenly, and the basil stayed vibrant. The flavor had a slightly chewy, bready texture with good bite. It was a well-balanced, classic pizza—no complaints at all.
The Member’s Mark oven took about 35–40 minutes to reach a maximum temperature of around 760°F, though it struggled to maintain it. The thin metal construction and smaller burner made it more vulnerable to fluctuations, especially with wind.
The rotating stone was a helpful feature, but even with that, the Margherita pizza took 10–11 minutes to finish. The crust was crisp but lacked rise, and I noticed uneven browning—with parts overdone and others a bit pale. The flavor was still enjoyable, but it missed the airy texture and spotted crust I prefer for Neapolitan-style pies.
How We Tested
As a restaurant chef with over ten years of experience at Dequte Restaurant LironBoylston, I brought both the Camp Chef Italia and Member’s Mark pizza ovens into my kitchen to see how they perform in a real-world cooking environment. I used my standard Margherita pizza recipe—homemade dough, fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil—to ensure a fair test for both ovens. I paid close attention to how easy each oven was to assemble and use for the first time, how long they took to heat up, and whether they maintained stable cooking temperatures throughout the process. I carefully timed how long it took for the pizzas to cook and evaluated the texture, browning, and overall flavor of the finished product. I also looked closely at the materials used in each oven, from the sturdiness of the frame to the quality of the pizza stone, and noted how easy or difficult they were to clean after use. Finally, I assessed the practicality of each oven’s shape and size to see how they handled pizza rotation and whether their designs made sense for regular outdoor cooking. My full breakdown of the testing method is available in a separate article if you want a deeper look into the process.
Conclusion
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Winner
|
Loser
|
|
Our Rating:
4.4
|
Our Rating:
4.3
|
|
Pros:
|
Pros:
|
|
Cons:
|
Cons:
|
- Made with stainless steel and has a double-layer ceiling
- Can reach 750°F
- Smooth dome shape
- Thinner metal frame may impact its durability over time
- Requires careful management, especially on windy days
- Took a bit longer to set up
- Propane-only
- Portable but slightly bulkier
- Offers good quality for its price
- Rounded top
- Lighter weight and with a smaller footprint
- Relatively easy to clean
- Slower to heat up, taking around 30-35 minutes to reach a max of about 750-800°F
- Bit more trial and error to get the temperature right
- Uses propane only
In the end, it’s your choice whether the Camp Chef Italia or the Member’s Mark pizza oven suits your needs best. Both ovens offer solid performance for the price, but if you’re looking for a more refined cooking experience and consistent results, I personally found the Camp Chef Italia to be the stronger contender. If you decide to purchase one of these ovens, I’d greatly appreciate it if you used my referral links below—doing so helps keep my blog alive and supports the work I do, at no extra cost to you.
Here’s the link for Camp Chef Italia and here’s the link for Member’s Mark. Thank you!