Make 1 star or Camp Chef

[tenphases]

Hello all! I'm trying to decide between a Camp Chef with sidekick or a Mak 1. My main concern is the smoke profile. I have heard the smoke profile can be light with pellets but the Mak 1 star is the best of them. I would like to hear about the camp Chef because I love the accessories and wouldn't mind saving some coin.

[Frozen Smoke]

Not sure what a Make 1 Star is but I will almost always take Camp Chef over any other comparable product. They build good stuff and their customer service is top notch. I'm happy with everything Camp Chef that I have.

[Nate]

If you meant Mak 1 Star then definitely Mak.

[Donw]

I like Camp Chef products, but if you meant a Mak-1 then I would definitely go with it if budget isn’t a consideration.

[kenrobin]

The smoke profile on any pellet smoker will be light compared to charcoal smokers or stick burners. For pellets, my vote is for the MAK 1 Star.

[tenphases]

That's my issue I want the camp Chef but I heard that the Mak puts the smoke on, just saw a few YouTube vids but the bark was awesome.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

If the MAK 1 star is in the budget, I'd go that route. I have a 2 star and a buddy has the Camp Chef SG, absolutely no comparison. The CC functions well and seems to be well put together, but the internals of the MAK are just so much more robust and will last. The MAK definitely puts out more smoke, he's having to use a smoke tube on shorter cooks to get the smoke level he wants. I don't know how well the standard MAK internals put out smoke or what the pellet consumption is, but in the long run you can upgrade to the FlameZone and the flashfire ignitor which will make the 1 star perform exactly like the 2 star.

You do give up the option of that amazing sear box accessory, but if you have another grill of any sort it's a non-issue.

[tenphases]

That's what I was looking for! Thanks! I wanted to avoid having to use a tube. Im sure the CC is amazing but it looks like the Mak is the choice for me, thanks!

[Troutman]

MAK without question. You’re comparing an apple to half an orange.

[jlazar]

Agree. Everything will work for you depending on how much you want to spend. You get better the more you pay. I have always put the hierarchy and cost as follows:

Mak
Yoder
Rec Tec
GMG
Traeger

There are a lot of newer pellet smokers out there now (e.g. Grilla) that are also very good but too new for me to know where they would fit in the list.

[kenrobin]

I agree with this ranking.