As a restaurant chef with over 10 years of experience at my restaurant, Dequte Restaurant LironBoylston, I’ve had the opportunity to test and cook with many pizza ovens over the years. In this article, I will compare the Ooni Fyra 12 and the Cru Champion, since I’ve used both extensively in my kitchen.
I compared these two ovens based on quality and materials, temperature control, shape, first-time usage impressions, power source, size, ease of cleaning, and I also conducted a real pizza cooking test to see how long each oven takes and what the results taste like. If you’re interested in a deeper look at my testing process, you can also check out the separate article where I detail exactly how I test pizza ovens.
The Ooni Fyra 12 is a compact, wood-pellet-powered oven designed for fast, authentic Neapolitan-style pizzas with minimal setup.
The Cru Champion is a larger, premium wood-fired oven built for high-capacity cooking and versatility for everything from pizzas to roasts.
This article features a thorough comparison between the Ooni Fyra 12 and the Cru Champion based on my personal tests.
Please note: this article contains referral links. If you decide to buy one of these ovens through my links, I’ll earn a small commission at no cost to you. It helps me keep this blog running and continue sharing honest reviews.
Ooni Fyra 12 VS Cru Champion: Quality and Materials
| The Ooni Fyra 12 feels solid and thoughtfully engineered. The carbon steel shell with powder coating is durable and resistant to corrosion. The cordierite baking stone retains heat well, and all parts fit together precisely, giving it a high-quality finish that’s built to last in outdoor conditions. |
The Cru Champion is crafted with dual-walled AISI 304 stainless steel, ceramic insulation, and thick cordierite stones. It feels premium and substantial. While most materials are excellent, the chimney showed some discoloration over time. Overall, it is a robust, heirloom-grade oven.
|
Ooni Fyra 12 VS Cru Champion: Temperature Control
| The Ooni Fyra 12 shines in temperature control once you master the pellet feed. It heats up quickly, holds stable heat up to 950°F, and the vent on the chimney lets you fine-tune airflow precisely. I found it very consistent for multiple pizzas. |
The Cru Champion retains heat exceptionally well thanks to the thick insulation and large dome. It holds steady temperatures with less need for frequent adjustments. However, because of the large cavity, it requires more fuel and time to maintain maximum heat when cooking multiple pizzas.
|
Ooni Fyra 12 VS Cru Champion: Shape
| The Ooni Fyra 12 has a streamlined, efficient shape that promotes even heat circulation over a 12-inch pizza. The tall chimney helps create a strong draw, improving combustion and baking performance. |
The Cru Champion has a spacious semi-round dome and a 24” square cooking surface, allowing you to cook very large pizzas or multiple items at once. While this is great for variety, it can create uneven heat zones if you’re not rotating food carefully.
|
Ooni Fyra 12 VS Cru Champion: First-Time Usage Impressions
| Right out of the box, the Ooni Fyra 12 feels approachable. Setup took about 20 minutes, and I was impressed with the intuitive design. The learning curve mainly involves getting used to wood pellets, but after a session or two, it becomes second nature. |
The Cru Champion made a strong first impression with its sheer size and beautiful finish. Setup was straightforward but heavy, requiring two people to position it. Once lit, it performed reliably, though it took practice to juggle the large firebox and manage airflow.
|
Ooni Fyra 12 VS Cru Champion: Power Source
| The Ooni Fyra 12 uses wood pellets exclusively. They produce authentic wood-fired flavor with less smoke and hassle than logs. Refilling the hopper is simple, making it a very convenient fuel option. |
The Cru Champion can burn wood or charcoal, offering flexibility in flavor and heat. You get more traditional wood-fired results, but it requires more fuel handling and cleanup compared to pellets.
|
Ooni Fyra 12 VS Cru Champion: Size
| Compact and portable at only 22 lbs and 29” long, the Ooni Fyra 12 is great for patios, small spaces, or even taking to a campsite. It’s easy to move and store. |
The Cru Champion is quite large (L30” x W31” x H38”) and weighs over 100 lbs assembled. It’s designed to be a permanent backyard fixture rather than something you move around.
|
Ooni Fyra 12 VS Cru Champion: Ease of Cleaning
| Cleaning the Ooni Fyra 12 is straightforward: tip out cooled ash, wipe the fuel tray, and brush the stone. The smaller chamber means less soot build-up. Just avoid water inside. |
The Cru Champion is easy to clean thanks to the removable dome and large interior space. However, cleaning all four bricks and sweeping out ashes takes more time, especially after long cooks.
|
Pizza Cooking Test
The Ooni Fyra 12 impressed me with its speed and consistency. After lighting the wood pellets and adjusting the vent, the oven reached around 900°F in just 15 minutes, which is exceptionally fast for a wood-fired unit.
Once preheated, I slid in a classic Margherita pizza. The thin crust puffed up beautifully, and the pizza cooked in under 2 minutes. The result was an authentic Neapolitan-style pie: leopard-spotted crust, a lightly charred base, and gooey mozzarella with a delicate wood-fired aroma. The taste had a balanced smokiness that reminded me of professional pizzerias.
For the Cru Champion, I started the fire in the center of the stone floor and later moved the embers to the back. Despite its larger size, the oven heated quickly, reaching about 850°F in roughly 13–15 minutes (faster than the manufacturer’s claim of 20 minutes).
The same Margherita pizza took approximately 90–120 seconds to finish cooking. The crust was evenly browned, and the bottom was well-cooked without burning. I especially liked the gentle char along the edges and the rich flavor the wood fire contributed. The large cavity allowed for plenty of airflow, producing a rustic, slightly more robust smokiness compared to the Ooni Fyra 12.
Overall, both ovens delivered delicious, restaurant-quality pizzas, but the Ooni Fyra 12 stood out for how quickly it reached temperature and the consistently crisp yet tender results.
How We Tested
To make this comparison as fair and helpful as possible, I prepared the same Margherita pizza recipe in both ovens. I used a classic high-hydration dough, San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and a drizzle of olive oil. I tested each oven on the same day in similar outdoor conditions to avoid differences in weather affecting performance. For each model, I timed how long it took to assemble and preheat to optimal cooking temperature and measured the internal heat with an infrared thermometer aimed at the stone surface. I cooked several pizzas in succession to see how well each oven retained heat and how quickly it recovered between bakes. Throughout the process, I paid close attention to how easy it was to rotate and remove the pizzas and how user-friendly the ovens felt overall. Finally, I evaluated the texture, crust color, and flavor of the finished pizzas to get a full picture of the performance of the Ooni Fyra 12 and the Cru Champion. If you’re interested in the details, you can check out my separate article where I explain exactly how I test pizza ovens step by step.
Conclusion
It’s completely your choice whether you prefer the Ooni Fyra 12 or the Cru Champion—both ovens have unique strengths and can deliver excellent results depending on what you value most. If you decide to buy one, I’d highly appreciate it if you use my referral links below when purchasing. I’ll make a small commission at no cost to you, which helps keep this blog alive and supports my independent testing. Here is referral link for the Ooni Fyra 12 and referral link for the Cru Champion. Thank you for your support!