SlowmotionQue
Full Fledged Farker
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2017
- Location
- Pittsburgh, PA
Welcome to MAK where nothing comes cheap! ;-)
Lots of guys start off down the “loaded” 1 Star path and next thing ya know, they have a 2 Star sitting in their backyard. I say this with complete conviction, there are certain cookers on the market that IMO are more an investment than a purchase... and I would absolutely consider MAK to be one of them... I just do not see how you will ever really wear it out. Check out this post I came across awhile back from another VERY happy MAK owner who happens to have a pretty good knowledge/relationship with the company/manufacturer that many us owners have come to love... (before reading, please do not hear me saying that MAK is the only solid option on the market, because I do not for one second think that is true! I just happen to think that you can’t beat a MAK... just my opinion).
"Many here may not know this, and I will try to be as accurate as I can, with my apologies to MAK if this is out-of-turn:
MAK Metals - the parent of MAK Grills - is one of the country's main providers of the equipment that most of us have ignored, but we pass by it every day. The big brushed stainless boxes that are on one corner of a light controlled intersection. These "boxes" contain some pretty sophisticated electronics that control the traffic lights and can link up with an entire network of others, which can be controlled remotely to alter traffic patterns/flow. So, the boxes must be robust - and the electronics MUST work.
This is the background - rugged weather durability and dependable electronics design/implementation - that MAK Metals brought into the outdoor cooking industry.
MAK is a true locally owned, American made product. It is well supported because they designed the controller themselves. ( reference above business experience - you can begin to see the relevance of their history and success in the outdoor cooking industry) The only other companies I have seen even attempt this - have been miserably poor controllers, that have needed ( and still need from everyone I know using them) constant firmware up-dates. MAK does have a few up-dates....but not because of "problems" with the previous ones. Just adding features and an occasional "tweak" . The rest of our industry buys their controller from 2 or 3 companies that make "canned" - or standard models which approximate different size pits in cooking volume. Whereas the MAK controller recognizes the air flow, and individual characteristics that make MAKS cook so evenly across the grill surface. Just look at the awards they have won - from the same industry association that serious outdoor cooking manufacturers are part of:
https://www.makgrills.com/awards/
These are recognition by your peers/competitors that you are building a superior product, and offering the consumer great value.
Quality does not cost - it pays....because you will never need to replace a MAK because you "wore it out". Their focus is not the same as many companies - whose philosophy is based on "life cycle" . Those companies plan on trying to sell you another, and then another, and another grill when you "wear out" your grill.
Again - my apologies to MAK if I mis-spoke here....But they are one of those quiet, focused companies that does not do much advertising. They don't need to I suppose, when their customers are their marketing dept!”
Wow. You really hit the nail on the head when you said “nothing comes cheap” when it comes to Maks. $2600.00 for a loaded 1 Star General with the WiFi, Flame Zone and cover, and 429 square inches of cooking space on the one grate.
Currently in my lineup, I have a Rec Tec Stampede, a 22in WSM and a Kamado Joe Classic.
Between the $899.00 original KJ classic, (the Classic II goes for $1199 now days) the Joetisserie, the cast iron griddle, 2 cast iron grates, the pizza stone, that I have for my KJ Classic, I have about $1300.00 into the whole KJ shooting match.
It’ll smoke, sear with the best, roast, rotisserie and grill. It’s just not fully automated or set it and forget it.
My Stampede was $899.99. The cover was another 70 bucks.
So I have about $2300.00 in those two cookers. And had I gone with a Bull, I’d have about $2600 into both of them.
I also have in the lineup a 22in WSM, no add ons. Think I paid $400 for it.
But $2600.00 right now, would buy a Rec Tec Bull and a Kamado Joe Classic II, with about $$200 left over. Enough for 2 of those insanely expensive steaks I bought.
Were I in the market for a cooker today, and I was looking to spend $2600-$2700 or thereabouts, I’d have to ask myself if I wanted a Mak 1 Star General with WiFi, extra grate, cover and flamezone, or if I wanted two cookers. A good Kamado with accessories and a good pellet grill with WiFi.
I can certainly see advantages both ways.
Last edited:
