MAK vs Yoder showdown

jkief said:
As promised, smoked burgers on the MAK and Yoder. Bear with me, this might take a while to get through. At 4:30, I emptied the hoppers of both cookers, but left enough pellets to stay in the auger. Filled each hopper with 2 lbs of lumberjack competition blend pellets. Started both pits up at exactly 4:45 and set for 250. After about 2 minutes, the MAK was smoking like a chimney. MAK took 13:00.96 minutes to hit 250. Yoder took 20:54.94 to hit 250. Burgers went on top shelf of each. MAK briefly spiked to 260 after putting burgers on, but quickly settled back into 250. Yoder climbed slowly to 263, then hovered between 254-260 almost the whole cook. The FireBoard session is attached. After 32 minutes the burgers on both were temping at 137. Around 5:54, the Yoder was dropping temp quickly. It was out of pellets, burgers were temping at 145, so I added cheese to burgers in both pits, and shut them both down. Burgers on MAK was temping at 148. Left burgers in both pits during cool down to melt the cheese. Pulled after 5 minutes. Waited another 5 and did the taste test. Burger on left was MAK. It shriveled fairly significant, but the other two on the MAK didn’t. This comparison isn’t designed to say one cooker is better or not. Difference in size, materials, design make that type of comparison unfair.
Impressions and results:
* MAK came up to temp quicker - to be expected
* MAK puts off a lot more thick white smoke upon startup and periodically during the cook
* Yoder starts and stays with a very light smoke (barely visible)
* According to the pits, MAK is steady while Yoder likes to fluctuate more
* Even though Yoder was cooking at a higher temp according to the pits, the burgers on the MAK temp higher after the same amount of time on the cookers (didn’t expect that result)
* .426 lbs of pellets left in the MAK. Yoder was bone dry. I think if you take into account the pellets in the auger, I’d say close to a half pound per hour more consumption on the Yoder at 250 compared to the MAK.
* MAK burgers were a tad more mahogany colored than the Yoder
* Taste: Daughter and one son liked the MAK better. Other son liked both. Couldn’t pick a winner. Wife and I agree, both were great but huge flavor difference. The MAK had a big smoke profile. The Yoder had a smoke flavor, not as much as the MAK. Smoke tasted maybe a tad bit cleaner. If the burgers stayed on the MAK any longer, they would have been over smoked. Wouldn’t have been an issue on the Yoder. Overall, they were both great. I wouldn’t hesitate to cook on either. I was really surprised at the difference in flavor profile, though. HUGE difference! Ribs next!!!
Click to expand...


Thanks so much for that great detailed write up. I too was looking at a Yoder, the smaller 480, but decided on the MAK 1* when the group buy was happening. Now that you have had some time with the Yoder, can you give us some overall pros and cons regarding each cooker. Likes and dislikes?
 
I can give impressions and what each cooker can and cannot do. As far as pros and cons, everyone’s needs and wants are different, so people can discern if they’re pros or cons based on the end users needs.

Overall build quality: Equal (however, Yoder is steel and paint, so rust can be an issue if not cleaned regularly) MAK pain has flaked off in spots after 4 or so years.
Hopper: MAK has 20lb capacity with hopper dump. Yoder has 20lb capacity, no dump.
Auger: MAK has a open style type auger. Yoder has a middle stem style auger.
Controller: MAK is very stable. WiFi optional at additional cost. Yoder fluctuates a little more. WiFi is standard.
Smoke: MAK produces more smoke upon startup and throughout the cook. More smoke flavor on the food off the MAK as a result. Yoder is a cleaner lighter smoke that is consistent throughout the cook.
Grates: Using Grill Grates on MAK requires removing both grates or sitting on top of the existing grates. 3 optional size top grates made of round bar. Using Grill Grates on Yoder requires moving 2 of the 4 grates to slide directly into place (based on the size of the 640s). One size top grate made of expanded metal.
Ignitor: MAK has rod (never failed yet). Yoder uses ceramic.
Heat deflection: MAK uses holes in flame zone and covers. No direct access to fire pot without removing flame zone. Has a direct heat deflector over the fire pot as well. Yoder only has 1 heat deflector with direct access to the fire pot with their removable trap door.
Fire pot: MAK has round pot centered in pit. Yoder has a v shaped pot on the left side of the pit.
Fire pot clean out: MAK requires the removal of grates, flame zone and second heat deflector. Yoder slide the 2 left grates over and slide the trap door out the way. Nothing to “remove”.
Ash clean out of grill body: MAK has trap drawer to brush the ash into the grease drawer. Nothing in the body of the pit. Yoder requires sweeping or vacuuming ash from pit body. Variable heat damper in the body of the pit.
Grease clean out: MAK has drawer enclosed by the grill body. Yoder has open hole with bucket hanging.
Wheels: MAK has 4 swivel castors. Makes maneuvering easier. Yoder has 2 large stationary wheels and 2 swivel castors. (I have the traditional cart, not the comp cart).
Accessories: MAK shelves are optional. Yoder comes standard with front, side, and bottom shelves.
Covers: MAK fits as is. Yoder requires you to rotate the chimney down for the cover to fit as designed. Because of this, liquid smoke residue drips of of the chimney onto the ground.
Size: MAK has 2 sizes available. Yoder has 4 sizes available.
Warranty: MAK lifetime (on new models - mine was manufactured in 2017). Yoder: 10 on the chamber, 3 years on controller and ignitor, and 1 year on everything else.
Customer service: MAK has outstanding customer service. Haven’t dealt with Yoder yet.
 
Thanks Jeffry for the above side by side comparison. As you stated you have the 2017 model so I am guessing it is different from the current model with regard to the ignitor. This is from MAK's website:


THE FLASHFIRE IGNITER
Most pellet grills use Rod cartridge igniters. Ours no longer use them. The question isn’t if they’ll fail, but when, and whether they’ll give you any warning beforehand.

Sometimes you can tell when an igniter is starting to go. Sometimes it doesn’t give you any warning and you won’t know until you’re ready to use it. We have experienced the anxiety this causes firsthand, as backyard BBQers and as grill manufacturers. We went through several different American manufacturers trying to find an igniter cartridge that wouldn’t fail. In the end, no matter how high the cost or quality of materials, the fail-proof cartridge igniter could not be created.

We now use the ceramic FlashFire Igniter. It is rated for 90,000 on / off cycles, and if used every day should last nearly 250 years. The failure rate for these igniters is extremely low. We offer a lifetime warranty on them. If they should fail at any time for any reason, we replace and ship them for free.

This igniter gets much hotter, much faster than cartridge igniters – reaching 1000 degrees Fahrenheit in less than 10 seconds. It works in concert with our industrial variable speed fan to engulf the pellets in super-heated air. With MAK Grills, you’ll spend less time waiting and more time grilling.
 
jkief said:
Hmmm....I wonder if there would be any retrofitting required if I swap my ignitor out for the ceramic? Thanks for the update!
Click to expand...

Since Robb is apparently asleep at the wheel guess I'll take this one:

LoHfB2Yh.png
 
Bob C Cue said:
Since Robb is apparently asleep at the wheel guess I'll take this one:

LoHfB2Yh.png
Click to expand...


Thanks for picking up my slack, brother! :)

The Funnel Flame Zone and Flash Fire igniter will turn a fantastic cooker into a FANTASTIC cooker. If you have an older MAK, these 2 upgrades are well worth the $$ IMO.
 
rwalters said:
Thanks for picking up my slack, brother! :)

The Funnel Flame Zone and Flash Fire igniter will turn a fantastic cooker into a FANTASTIC cooker. If you have an older MAK, these 2 upgrades are well worth the $$ IMO.
Click to expand...

I do stand corrected...My cooker was manufactured in May 2017 and QC’ed in June 2017, so I do have the flash ignitor. Flame zone was additional at time of purchase!!
 
jkief said:
I do stand corrected...My cooker was manufactured in May 2017 and QC’ed in June 2017, so I do have the flash ignitor. Flame zone was additional at time of purchase!!
Click to expand...
MAK was the 1st manufacturer to use the ceramic ignitor.
 
tom b said:
huh wondering what ignitor my 2017 has....
Click to expand...

According to MAKs website, anything built after 2016 has flash ignitor. So your and mine both 2017 models should have flash ignitor.
 
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