I’ve had several pellet grills before the MAK. My take away is that X vs Y when they’re both following the traditional round pot, solid drip tray, side stack exhaust design using the same pellets and cooking temps, there’s very little difference. However, there’s still a little based upon the controller algorithms with fan speeds, swing allowances, etc. The gap I’ve personally seen is pretty small.
Now, when you start changing the exhaust, the drip tray, and/or the firepot you see bigger differences happen. Then on some you add more R&D and experience with the controller logic and the real question becomes MAK v Yoder v SmokeFire v Lone Star v Memphis v Oulaw v just about everything else.
So far the SmokeFire has beat everything I’ve tried. The MAK is close and might be indistinguishable at low temps, but might be a little behind at 275 plus. I say might because I’ve been using up all the various pellets I had stockpiled that wouldn’t work in the Weber without problems, so I haven’t run a lot of 100% Hickory through it yet.
I plenty liked food from my Traegers and Camp Chefs but there was definitely a gap between them and the top two. There’s days I’ve cooked on the MAK or Weber and though that wasn’t all that smoky (though never thinking it tasted like it was from an oven), then the next day when I opened the leftover container and got a whiff and was like “Wow, that’s strong”. I never remember the leftover wow with the others. I’m not trying to say any I’ve had are like stick burners, it is still pellet smoke. However, don’t judge everything pellets are capable of from a Traeger or CampChef…or most likely all of the others that look almost like them. If you’re happy with any of those, then stay happy too. I was always after more mid to high temp abilities is why I kept buying and selling and just compiled this stuff along the decade journey. I wasn’t trying to ever find the best smoke profile.
