Narrowed down to three

Ok so I have to admit I can be lazy and that is part of the reason why I currently have a WSM with a cyber guru and want to get a pellet smoker due to how much more convenient it is. I have basically narrowed down my choice of smoker to 3.

The Camp Chef which has a fire pot clean out, meat probe and pellet box clean out.

The Blazn Grill which has fire pot clean out, meat probe, front shelf accessory included and optional insulated lid (I am in the Chicagoland area)

The Mak which is listed as the Cadillac of grills.

My concern is for someone who is admittedly at times lazy is it worth paying the extra $500 for the Mak which I would have to manually clean out the ashes. I would like to smoke more frequently than I have in the past and maybe because all the work needed to get my WSM going is what deterred me. Maybe it isn't a major burden to clean out and in the long run this is what I would be satisfied with. I hear the Blazn has great customer service with Tim and built very solid.

For the size all are comparable for my needs of a family of 4 and occasionally entertain a larger size group.

Any insight or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,

Well, I've only been around here for a few weeks now. Like you, I came here looking for info on the pellet grills due to their ease and consistency. I have cooked on many different types of cookers over the years. Last month, I bought a Mak 1 Star from a buddy on this forum. It's about 5 years old, and still operates like new. Having been a charcoal purist for many years, I wanted to go the used route just in case I discovered that "today's" pellet grills were not for me. As a side note, I owned and cooked on a Traeger for several years back in the day... when they were US made. Just wasn't for me (no smoke profile and would not exceed about 375-400 degrees on a hot day). Only reason I entered back into the pellet world, was because of all of the rave reviews I kept hearing about today's pellet cookers. There are a good number of solid manufacturers today, which much like you, made my decision a challenge. All I can say, is that no matter where I turned, Mak kept coming to the surface as having the most enthusiastic and satisfied customer base. That was HUGE! Then I spoke with Mak staff a few times... that was the icing on the cake! Needless to say, I bought my 5 year old Mak 1 Star and absolutely LOVE this pellet pooper! I have been simply blown away with the results, and the pure ease of using it. If you go Mak (even if not Mak) I will bet you that your WSM will either sit completely dormant, or you will sell within 30 days to help fund more pellets or meat ;-)

Good luck, and keep us posted.

Edit: Forgot to mention... the Mak 1 Star has a removable fire pot. Clean up is a breeze. I simply empty the firepot every few cooks, and every other firepot cleaning, I'll do a quick sweep through the bottom chamber with my shop-vac. Clean up takes all of 2 minutes.

thanks rwalters. Maybe I was seeing outdated reviews/videos that didn't show the cleanout. thanks for clarification.

Clean out on a MAK 2 is very simple. It has a removable fire pot and a sliding tray on the bottom to sweep it out or easy to vacuum, too. Ash clean up is easy. I only had trouble with Pacific Pellets Apple wood. It caused clinkers on the igniter rod. I don't use those pellets anymore. BTW, it is MAK, not Mak. These are the initials of the owners three children. Great people to work with.

Onionhead thanks for the clarification. Since I am looking to utilize this for smoking meats and not grilling can the extra cost be justified for the MAK 1. It seem what most people love about this product is the ability to grill also. I'm looking for low and slow primarily.

thoughts?

onionhead said:

BTW, it is MAK, not Mak. These are the initials of the owners three children. Great people to work with.

Click to expand...

Had no idea. What are Bob and Kerry's kids names? I've got some catching up to do... LOL!

Thanks everyone. I ended up pulling the trigger on the Blazn Grand Slam. I called Tim from Blazn to ask some questions and inquire about price. Given the volume of food he has cooked on his grill it was the right size for me. What sold me on top of the standard accessories was for $100 he through in choice of color, cover, lid insulator, sear kit, smoker box and pellets. Given those were accessories I need (cover) and would be nice to have at some point I needed to take advantage. Now my only regret is I didn't get the bigger grill.

thanks everyone for you help.

Congrats!!!!