As a restaurant chef with over 10 years of experience at Dequte Restaurant LironBoylston, I’ve had the opportunity to test and compare a wide variety of pizza ovens. Today, I’ll be comparing the Halo Versa 16 and the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven, two popular choices that have both been put to the test in my kitchen. I’ll evaluate their quality and materials, temperature control, shape, first-time usage impressions, power source, size, ease of cleaning, and even conduct a real pizza cooking test to see how they perform. For those interested in the nitty-gritty details of my testing process, I’ve shared it in a separate article.
Before diving into the specifics, here’s a quick overview of each oven. The Halo Versa 16 stands out for its sleek design and versatile functionality, while the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven offers an affordable and approachable option for outdoor pizza enthusiasts.
I tested both the Halo Versa 16 and the Member’s Mark and shared a detailed comparison in this article.
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Winner
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Loser
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Our Rating:
4.7
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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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- Durable stainless steel build and a Cordierite stone
- Reached about 900°F
- More spacious interior and can handle larger pizzas up to 16 inches
- Lighter at 43.2 pounds
- Runs solely on propane gas
- Stone may require more effort to maintain due to occasional residue build-up
- 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
Finally, if you decide to purchase one of these ovens, I’d greatly appreciate your support through my referral links. They help keep this blog alive at no cost to you. Now, let’s get into the details!
Halo Versa 16 VS Member’s Mark: Quality and Materials
| The Halo Versa 16 boasts a premium build with durable stainless steel and a thick cordierite stone, ensuring long-term use. |
The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven features a thinner steel body and a 3/8-inch pizza stone, raising concerns about longevity.
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Halo Versa 16 VS Member’s Mark: Temperature Control
| The Halo Versa 16 heats up to 950°F in about 20 minutes and maintains even heat with its propane system and infrared monitoring. |
The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven struggles to reach the advertised 900°F, with a weaker flame that results in inconsistent cooking.
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Halo Versa 16 VS Member’s Mark: Shape
| The Halo Versa 16’s dome shape ensures even heat circulation, making it ideal for cooking up to 16-inch pizzas. |
The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven has a round design that facilitates basic heat distribution but lacks the capacity for larger pizzas.
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Halo Versa 16 VS Member’s Mark: First-Time Usage Impressions
| The Halo Versa 16 impresses with its sturdy packaging and high-quality components, exuding reliability and premium feel. |
The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven provides a decent initial experience, though its thin materials and small size feel limiting.
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Halo Versa 16 VS Member’s Mark: Power Source
| The Halo Versa 16 is propane-powered, offering flexibility with 20 lb. LP tanks or 1 lb. canisters and quick-disconnect regulators. |
The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven also uses propane but has a simpler system with a weaker flame and slower heat-up times.
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Halo Versa 16 VS Member’s Mark: Size
| With a 16-inch cooking diameter and spacious dimensions (24.3″ x 21.64″ x 14.82″), the Halo Versa 16 is ideal for outdoor use. |
Compact at 24.2″ x 15.5″ x 11.6″, the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven is lightweight but limited in cooking capacity.
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Halo Versa 16 VS Member’s Mark: Ease of Cleaning
| The Halo Versa 16 offers easy cleaning with a hinged access top and removable stone. No soap required—just a scraper for the stone. |
The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven is easy to clean with soap and water, but its thin materials require gentle handling.
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Pizza Cooking Test
The Halo Versa 16 took approximately 20 minutes to preheat, reaching an impressive 950°F as advertised. Its robust propane system and efficient design made heating consistent across the pizza stone.
In comparison, the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven struggled to reach its claimed 900°F, taking over 25 minutes to preheat, and often fell short of maintaining high temperatures evenly.
Using the Halo Versa 16, the Margherita pizza cooked in just under 2 minutes. The high heat ensured the crust was perfectly crispy while maintaining a soft, airy interior, with cheese melted evenly and toppings heated through.
The Member’s Mark Pizza Oven, on the other hand, required 5–10 minutes to cook the same pizza. The crust had uneven browning, and the center was slightly undercooked, despite extended cooking time.
The pizza from the Halo Versa 16 delivered a classic Neapolitan-style flavor, with a smoky aroma from the crisp crust and a beautifully caramelized finish on the toppings. The even cooking elevated the texture and taste.
The pizza from the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven, while decent, lacked the same level of crispiness and even cooking. The crust was less flavorful and slightly chewy, with some areas overcooked and others underdone.
Verdict: The Halo Versa 16 clearly outshines in terms of heat-up time, cooking speed, and taste, making it the better choice for achieving pizzeria-quality results.
How We Tested
We evaluated the Halo Versa 16 and the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven by following a detailed testing process designed to replicate real-world cooking conditions. To start, both ovens were preheated according to the manufacturer’s guidelines, while an infrared thermometer was used to monitor and verify the actual temperature of the cooking stone for consistency across the surface.
A classic 12-inch Margherita pizza served as our benchmark for testing, chosen for its simplicity and ability to highlight each oven’s performance. Using the same dough, sauce, and toppings ensured consistency in our assessment. During the cooking process, we closely observed how well each oven maintained its heat and handled temperature fluctuations, particularly focusing on the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven, which showed some challenges in sustaining high temperatures.
We paid close attention to the ease of use and handling, noting how effortless it was to insert and rotate the pizza inside each oven. A rotating peel was used to evaluate how evenly the ovens distributed heat across the pizza. The Halo Versa 16 impressed with a cooking time of under 2 minutes, while the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven required significantly longer, averaging between 5 and 10 minutes for comparable results.
Finally, we assessed the taste and texture of the cooked pizzas. This involved evaluating the crust’s texture, the consistency of melted cheese, and the overall balance of flavors. These factors helped us understand how each oven’s design and temperature control impacted the final product. Through this thorough process, we identified the distinct strengths and limitations of both ovens, ultimately determining which one offered a superior pizza-making experience.
Conclusion
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Winner
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Loser
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Our Rating:
4.7
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Our Rating:
4.3
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Pros:
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Pros:
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|
Cons:
|
Cons:
|
- Durable stainless steel build and a Cordierite stone
- Reached about 900°F
- More spacious interior and can handle larger pizzas up to 16 inches
- Lighter at 43.2 pounds
- Runs solely on propane gas
- Stone may require more effort to maintain due to occasional residue build-up
- 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 conclusion, whether you choose the Halo Versa 16 or the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven depends on your specific needs and preferences. The Halo Versa 16 stands out for its superior build quality, even heat distribution, and faster cooking times, making it an excellent choice for pizza enthusiasts looking for consistency and performance. On the other hand, the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven offers an affordable entry point for casual users or those just starting their pizza-making journey, despite some limitations in temperature control and heat retention.
If you decide to purchase one, I would greatly appreciate it if you use my referral links. It allows me to earn a small commission at no extra cost to you and helps support my work. You can find the Halo Versa 16 here and the Member’s Mark Pizza Oven here. Thank you for your support!