MAK vs Rec Tec

[SmittyJonz]

I can see buying either one of them. If I had the money to buy a pellet pooper I would by RecTec or a smoke daddy pellet pro.
RecTec has a pretty good reputation you hardly see any used ones for sale because people hang onto them. their customer service has pretty good rankings and I think they are a good deal for the price .
The Mak is a very nice unit probably a little bit better built don’t know if the controller would be any better or not . if someone has the money to buy a Mak. I see no issue in buying a Mac if you are comfortable with spending that much .

It really comes down to how much can you afford or how much are you comfortable with spending on a pellet Grill.

 

[KevinJ]

This forum has a severe problem of telling people to over-buy.


Most people do not need nor can they probably really afford these >$1500 cookers. There may be a realistic/budget side of this site- if there is it is extremely small.

Your perception is your reality but if you can't afford a Mercedes and your on a Kia budget you shouldn't be asking about a Mercedes. Just spent 5K on a new Bicycle and I'm sure you'll tell me I don't need that either, oh and I didn't borrow money to buy it, so I guess there is that huh Rich?

 

[SmittyJonz]

This forum has a severe problem of telling people to over-buy.


Most people do not need nor can they probably really afford these >$1500 cookers. There may be a realistic/budget side of this site- if there is it is extremely small.

You must have missed the Majority of my posts........:twitch:
https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=262241
I have nothing High End but don’t like Cheap Crap - I like Mid Grade Affordable Stuff..........but if someone has the Means to get High End Stuff - More Power to Them and they are gonna recommend what they like/use.

It’s the same on a Fishing Forum I’m on - Everbody tells New Guys you gotta have Abu Garcia 6500 C3/C4 Reels for Big Catfish then I’m like “Not so, here are several cheaper alternatives that aren’t junk that I use.....”

 

[LloydQ]

This forum has a severe problem of telling people to over-buy.


Most people do not need nor can they probably really afford these >$1500 cookers. There may be a realistic/budget side of this site- if there is it is extremely small.

Shades of El Luchador. Why would it be any skin off of anyone's nose how much somebody spends on a smoker? If you can afford it, get it.

 

[KevinJ]

Shades of El Luchador. Why would it be any skin off of anyone's nose how much somebody spends on a smoker? If you can afford it, get it.

Put El Luchador on ignore, so I'm guessing he got banned, good to know.

 

[darita]

I spent far more working my way up to the MAK, than the price difference between what I started with and the MAK2 I now own. As I've learned the hard way in woodworking, it only hurts once if you buy the best the first time. Of course, that's just me.
Oh...and let me say that MAK's controller, lifetime igniter and support are the best.

 

[Leftwngr]

never cooked on a MAK, but have heard great things. I had a RT680 (red one with horns) and it cooked great. Get what excites you and will scratch the smoker itch.

They're tools, and if you outgrow the tools, you'll be looking for something that can do a specific task. If you need specifics like searing, direct grilling, etc. then I'm pretty sure the MAK would be a better fit since the RT wasn't very good at either of those tasks. For general purposes, I'm pretty sure both will be just fine.

 

[NYC ‘Que]

I always thought the new Rec Tecs were too good to be true. It looks very well made and I just wanted to confirm from someone that has one, that they work as advertised. I know that the MAK does work as advertised. Basically if the RecTec works as good as they claim, I’m happy with that. If they don’t then I’ll bite the bullet and go MAK.


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[SmittyJonz]

I always thought the new Rec Tecs were too good to be true. It looks very well made and I just wanted to confirm from someone that has one, that they work as advertised. I know that the MAK does work as advertised. Basically if the RecTec works as good as they claim, I’m happy with that. If they don’t then I’ll bite the bullet and go MAK.


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I don’t have one ( or any pellet grill) but I researched them on a few different forums and YouTube and from what I’ve seen - a Large majority of RecTec owners are Very Happy with them. Many owned multiple RecTe s and when they replaced one they bought another RecTec. Several guys on here have them and Love them as they responded in my Pellet Pondering thread I linked above.

 

[NYC ‘Que]

I don’t have one ( or any pellet grill) but I researched them on a few different forums and YouTube and from what I’ve seen - a Large majority of RecTec owners are Very Happy with them. Many owned multiple RecTe s and when they replaced one they bought another RecTec. Several guys on here have them and Love them as they responded in my Pellet Pondering thread I linked above.

Thanks for that link. I’ll check it out. I haven’t been able to find anything negative on the RecTec.


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[SmittyJonz]

The RecTecs cook chamber and components and grates and everything are made in China to RecTec’s specs, but the electronics are sourced in the US - from what I’ve read on a pellet forum.

 

[NYC ‘Que]

The RecTecs cook chamber and components and grates and everything are made in China to RecTec’s specs, but the electronics are sourced in the US - from what I’ve read on a pellet forum.

It sure does seem like a great deal and value.


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[KevinJ]

It sure does seem like a great deal and value

With their latest grills they have cleaned up a lot of their past problems which mostly dealt with paint and rust, they are basically a copy of a Traeger but better built.

MAK was the first PG to get rid of the hot rod and came up with the Ceramic Flash Fire igniter, you'll get at least 92'000 starting cycles out of it. Rec Tec also now has a ceramic igniter which was probably reversed engineered over in China and right after it came out people were all ready having to replace it. Once my wife decides to retire we'll get an RV and as of right now I'd probably buy a Rec Tec RT 340 for the RV so I'm not anti Rec Tec although MAK has been working on a Mini but I know it won't be cheap.

I have a friend who owns a 2 year old RT 680 and it would not surprise me within the next year or so he buys a MAK.

 

[WilliamKY]

You get what you pay for.

 

[Dweverett]

I always thought the new Rec Tecs were too good to be true. It looks very well made and I just wanted to confirm from someone that has one, that they work as advertised. I know that the MAK does work as advertised. Basically if the RecTec works as good as they claim, I’m happy with that. If they don’t then I’ll bite the bullet and go MAK.


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I'll share opinion based on my experience with my 680, what I've read on forums and a user facebook page -- and candidly, my own biases :-D.

The 680s were really good, solid units. Heavy steel, a great controller and well designed. Their customer support is fantastic reviews have shown. I'm sure there are better made options out there at a higher price but they were a great bang for the buck. Newer versions improved on the one I had by moving to a porcelain coated lid and ceramic lighter. I've had mine for about five and a half years and have been very satisfied. I've had to replace the ignitor twice -- most recently with the ceramic one. Also had to do some repainting of the body last year.

The new ones have the same basic design which is good. I don't know if the body is the same thickness as the old one was now that they've switched to stainless. If it is, it's really solid. It's 430 vs 304 so there is still some risk of rust. It's not ever going to be enough to matter but from a looks perspective it's not ideal. That said, that's why it's reasonably priced. The controller is more sophisticated which is a double edged sword for someone like me who has a love/hate relationship with technology. Based on what I've read, it seems to work as well as the old version in terms of controlling temperature. I have read of folks having issues with the wi-fi staying connected or probes going bad. It doesn't sound any worse than what I'm used to seeing on other wi-fi enabled devices of various types nor does the probe issue seem worse than folks experience with Maverick etc.

FWIW, if/when mine dies I'll probably buy another. Only reason I might not is because I find pellets incredibly convenient for large cooks so I'd consider looking at something larger. That said, it would be cheaper to just buy two of them than most of the larger options. Other reason would be if I was building an outdoor kitchen, the Memphis Elite would look awesome. Not likely to happen but one can dream..... There isn't anything about the Rectec that would cause me to look elsewhere though.

Good luck with the choice

 

[Bob C Cue]

There's an old saying in Tennessee:

Buy once, cry once
Fool me twice — you can't get fooled again!:mod:

 

[NYC ‘Que]

I’ve read some comments from different YouTube videos where users indicate that the barrel of the Rec Tec Bull is becoming pitted with rust after several months. Rec Tecs alleged response is to lightly sand it away. Looks like I’m going MAK.


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[rwalters]

I’ve read some comments from different YouTube videos where users indicate that the barrel of the Rec Tec Bull is becoming pitted with rust after several months. Rec Tecs alleged response is to lightly sand it away. Looks like I’m going MAK.


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Very smart move, IMO! Rust is just one of the numerous frustrations you will not have to deal with when going the MAK route

 

[CopyNPaste]

Baby Back Mania was having problems with his Mak and the wifi controller, he said Mak hasnt been able to help him resolve it. He said he loves the grill but disappointed.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19rRJgY5uAM&t=12m38s

 

[rwalters]

Baby Back Mania was having problems with his Mak and the wifi controller, he said Mak hasnt been able to help him resolve it. He said he loves the grill but disappointed.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19rRJgY5uAM&t=12m38s

Yes, being a MAK owner myself, the WiFi was quite a let down. I love LOVE my MAK, but the WiFi I sent back for a full refund. To be honest though, as programmable as the Pellet Boss controller is, I haven’t really had a desire or need for WiFi. Just set it and let it do it’s thing.