So I did a thing... Mak 2 Star

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Thanks to y'alls inputs I started out my research with the Camp Chef Woodwind and sear box, moved up to the Rec Tec 700, and then ended up in this weird world where I was contemplating the YS640 and Mak 1 star. To get what I wanted on anything I kept ended up at around $2.2K... I still almost jumped on the MAK 1 star with upgraded flamezone, but I like the idea of the "cold" smoking warming box and the stainless. I also kept thinking I would need a searing grill or flat top in addition to the other purchases except maybe the Yoder. I decided to skip on the Yoder because I'm lazy, reading through the users manual I didn't want something I have to re-caulk annually or respray certain areas. I do feel that certain things on the MAK are way over priced such as the additional probes, the front door for the cabinet and especially the wi-fi so I skipped on all those for now.

So anyway, in hopefully the next few weeks I'll be on home soil and learning my new (hopefully) forever grill. Thanks for all the input you've provided myself and others aiding in my research. The nicest thing about this site is even the people who are biased will give honest feedback on the products they back most. Everywhere else it's massively a "I own this therefore it is best" mentality that doesn't help prospective buyers like myself.

I'll be sharing my adventure here as I go.

[rwalters]

From one 2 Star owner to another soon to be... CONGRATS!!! I have had a lot of cookers over the years, but the MAK is at the top of my list of all time favorites!

[Bighorn Dave]

Congratulations. One of the first things you'll realize right off the bat is that what you bought was a lifelong investment. All new things MAK comes up with can be incorporated with older models. Thats a good thing since the older models have been and the new ones still are built to LAST. Cheers

[Spinaker]

Congrats on the new rig! i would be happy to have a MAK on my patio. I don't know of anyone who ones one and does not love them. I know that Meathead is a HUGE fan of his MAK and I know it has cooked a ton of the food you see posted through out the site.

As with any high-end product, they ding you on the extras, and it sounds like MAK is no different. These are times when you have to wait or just swallow the smoke. The WIFI function would be something I would be interested in but I too think I would wait on that one to see if I really wanted it.

It is great to hear that The Pit was a valuable resource in helping you make you decision. We strive to create an environment where a prospective buyer can come and find what cooker or smoker will work for their application.

Again, congrats on the new rig and thank you for the kind words and your continued support to our community.

Keep the Smoke Rollin', My friend!

[Donw]

Congratulations on your new smoker.

[rwalters]

Just curious... what have you been cooking on up to this point? Will this MAK be your one and only grill/smoker?

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

So I have a slightly modded Big Easy SRG and it does ok, but I could never keep the smoke to my liking. It's a fantastic bird cooker and put out a great turkey the last 2 years. I've made some good pulled pork with it as well, but everything else just was more hassle than it was worth. I also was using my gas grill with a smoke tube to somewhat acceptable results on shorter smokes.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

The MAK will be replacing both, worst case the BESRG will come out for light grill duty. Best case the BESRG stays in the garage and is just a portable smoker/grill for parties, camping or whatever.

[rwalters]

Awesome! I had my MAK 2 Star as my one and only for over a year. Bought a 26” Weber kettle last year as there are times I need my charcoal fix. My main cooker is definitely my MAK... love it!

[Sweaty Paul]

Congratulations

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

So it looks like my wife will be receiving a delivery of the new grill and myself on the same day. I should be popping a few posts on here by mid next week So excited to cook my own food again!

[T-bone]

Congrats. Looking forward to seeing the unboxing and first cook. 👍🏻

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Thanks, yeah plan on being as in depth as possible. It was really hard to research a MAK, most of the existing videos are older models and MAK seems to have stopped producing their own stuff years ago. It's a lot of money to spend without many resources available to research.

[ArkieKBQ]

You're absolutely right on the dearth of "current" information available. It made it a very hard decision for me as well given the money involved. I'm hoping new videos and the like come along soon. (The website has taken leaps and strides, so maybe that means good things for the near future?). That said, I just took delivery last week. It sounds really lame after reading so many threads with "wow" in them...but....WOW.

The thing just goes together. I honestly cannot remember the last time something needing assembly did that? Seriously. Countless items warning you to not overtighten (not because of fragility like a china bathroom piece..but because of absolutely inferior material/craftsmanship). Or..even better a screw literally shearing and disintegrating because of subpar metal being used? Or...lackluster details resulting in holes and slots not lining up. It's sadly simply what I just expect these days. Not so with this. I mean. The steel used all the way down to the screws and nuts...simply excellent. The precision in manufacture. An absolute pleasure to assemble and fire up.

True American Craftsmanship. Wow. Wow. Wow. Makes you long for a world that could be. I hope you have the same experience!

[FireMan]

Pics please.

[Mosca]

Good choice, not that I know anything about pellet smokers, but if you research it well you can be confident you picked well.

[rwalters]

So it looks like my wife will be receiving a delivery of the new grill and myself on the same day. I should be popping a few posts on here by mid next week So excited to cook my own food again!

Very much looking forward to seeing you receive your new MAK, fire it up and hear what ya think!!

[rwalters]

You're absolutely right on the dearth of "current" information available. It made it a very hard decision for me as well given the money involved. I'm hoping new videos and the like come along soon. (The website has taken leaps and strides, so maybe that means good things for the near future?). That said, I just took delivery last week. It sounds really lame after reading so many threads with "wow" in them...but....WOW.

The thing just goes together. I honestly cannot remember the last time something needing assembly did that? Seriously. Countless items warning you to not overtighten (not because of fragility like a china bathroom piece..but because of absolutely inferior material/craftsmanship). Or..even better a screw literally shearing and disintegrating because of subpar metal being used? Or...lackluster details resulting in holes and slots not lining up. It's sadly simply what I just expect these days. Not so with this. I mean. The steel used all the way down to the screws and nuts...simply excellent. The precision in manufacture. An absolute pleasure to assemble and fire up.

True American Craftsmanship. Wow. Wow. Wow. Makes you long for a world that could be. I hope you have the same experience!

Couldn’t have said it better... MAK’s are an absolute delight to own and cook on

[Bighorn Dave]

You're absolutely right on the dearth of "current" information available. It made it a very hard decision for me as well given the money involved. I'm hoping new videos and the like come along soon. (The website has taken leaps and strides, so maybe that means good things for the near future?). That said, I just took delivery last week. It sounds really lame after reading so many threads with "wow" in them...but....WOW.

The thing just goes together. I honestly cannot remember the last time something needing assembly did that? Seriously. Countless items warning you to not overtighten (not because of fragility like a china bathroom piece..but because of absolutely inferior material/craftsmanship). Or..even better a screw literally shearing and disintegrating because of subpar metal being used? Or...lackluster details resulting in holes and slots not lining up. It's sadly simply what I just expect these days. Not so with this. I mean. The steel used all the way down to the screws and nuts...simply excellent. The precision in manufacture. An absolute pleasure to assemble and fire up.

True American Craftsmanship. Wow. Wow. Wow. Makes you long for a world that could be. I hope you have the same experience!

If you had a chance to tour the factory as I did you would understand why they are so precise and have such high level craftsmanship. Some of the best hi - tech machines available are used. The personal touches by employees where fun to watch as they took their job seriously and had one goal in mind. Perfect.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

So got the grill together and doing the initial burn in. Wife wants steaks tonight so the butt I have will have to wait until tomorrow. It took me 2 hours to put together and almost everything went smoothly.

Had to have the wife help me put it on its legs and if I wasn't so jet lagged from over 30 hours of travel time I think I could have put it together in under an hour.

My only 3 gripes so far are the rubber handle on the lid (they could put that on at the factory IMO) was a little difficult to get on even with a heat gun. I wish the tray in the cold smoke box had a groove or something to sit in as it does rattle when the dogs are jumping around on the deck. Finally the cord could be a few feet longer. None of these are deal breakers and I had to try hard to find things to complain about

The dogs have done their inspection and 2 of the 3 approve. The other one is scared of the fan even though it's quieter than her filtered water pump.

[rwalters]

Congrats!!! Sure is shiny