Derek Gaughan
QStove ElectriQ pizza oven is was a next-generation electric indoor pizza oven designed to deliver the same performance as an outdoor pizza oven. QStove specialized in portable pizza ovens; their most popular model was an outdoor unit that used an auto-rotating stone. However, I always felt their products seemed rudimentary in design, often appearing unfinished or prototype form.
The ElectriQ pizza oven planned to be released in two sizes, the ElectriQ Mini 12 inch and the ElectriQ Max 15 inch, and come in five different colors.
The ElectriQ pizza oven was originally launched on Kickstarter, where it quickly surpassed its $10,000 goal, going as far as $302,000 from 685 backers! With such a huge success, surely QStove could bring this concept to market, considering they were already operating as a pizza oven manufacturer and selling multiple outdoor pizza ovens.
But Kickstarters often end in disappointment. Exactly one year after three hundred thousand dollars of funding, their website is now offline. A few comments on the Kickstarter page suggest that the owner posted on a Facebook page that he’s broke. Not only can he not ship anymore units out, but can’t even issue refunds since the money was used to ship some of the early units.
Since the announcement of this oven, I felt something off about the company. They seldomly replied via email to questions about their products which made me question the quality of support, and the social channels were lackluster. But more importantly, I questioned how they planned to make a US-regulated indoor oven reach 1,000F so easily, when someone like Ooni who has loads of money to put towards R&D, can only get an oven up to 900F.
Was the QStove ElectriQ even a contender? Let’s look a little more into what it offered.
Design and Build
The QStove ElectriQ has a sleek, yet unfinished, design that’s hidden by a cheap piece of silicone. Even though the design looks rudimentary, it’s at least very durable stainless steel. Not to mention the simple components means less things to break and easier to keep the price down.
They claim it features triple-layer insulation that keeps the heat inside the oven, but the size difference between this and the Ooni Volt are staggeringly different.
I just don’t see how this oven would reach 1,000F while staying within US regulations of a 120v outlet. The Ooni Volt has a lot more insulation which really adds to the overall size (in a negative way, if you ask me), and that tops out around 900F.
I never got a chance to test this one, but from my experience, a lot of manufacturers inflate the preheat numbers to show ambient heat rather than stone temp. For all we know, this oven may have topped out around 800F stone temp.
Specifications
The QStove ElectriQ comes with an 11.5-inch premium pizza stone that is removable for easy cleaning. The oven is available in five colors: Gothic House Black, Red Wine, Champagne Gold, Silver, and Rose Gold. The ElectriQ Mini 12 inch model has a dimension of 17.7 x 16.9 x 10.6 inches, while the ElectriQ Max 15 inch model has a dimension of 20.9 x 20.5 x 11.4 inches.
Price
The price was the biggest thing this oven offered. Just around the corner from the Ooni Volt launch at $1,000, this $300 (launch day special from Kickstarter) competitor offered higher temps at a fraction of the price. But considering the outcome, maybe they priced it too low.
Launch Date
The QStove ElectriQ pizza oven had multiple delays, which were communicated to backers through updates on Kickstarter. The date kept getting pushed back, with the most recent hopeful launch of February 2024. When February passed, the updates started looking more grim.
While there have been delays in the past, the QStove team has been transparent about the challenges they have faced and the steps they are taking to ensure that the ElectriQ is a high-quality product. For example, they have mentioned that they have been working with their manufacturer to improve the oven’s insulation and heating elements, which has contributed to the delays but will ultimately result in a better product.
Unfortunately, it looks like the company may be done. This is why I’ve always supported Ooni, Gozney, and Solo Stove. Not only do these three companies make products that perform amazing, but they offer exceptional customer service, the latter of which can be very important when looking at such an expensive appliance.
