Soon to be new pellet smoker in MA, Mak 1 vs Mak2

Masssmoke

New member
Currently I have a BGE and Blaze gas grill. I love the food coming out of the BGE but I want something less hands-on and with a little more room. My research has brought me from electric smokers to now on to the pellet smokers. I was going back and forth between Yoder and Rec Tec but kept seeing stuff on the Mak. The Yoder looks to have the most capacity but not much more than the Maks. So, I think I have my mind set on the Mak 1 for the following reasons:

- same capacity as the Mak 2
- i don't need the direct as I have the gas grill for that (and it is fairly new)
- don't think i would use the cold smoke box, plus if i decide i need to cold smoke i can buy tube (learned that here)
- Mak 1 & 2 both come with pellet dump and ash clean-out now
- would add both front and side shelves to Mak 1 still saving some $$ versu the 2

My question to help finalize my decision is do you think the Mak 1 is as durable as the Mak 2 assuming I cover it when not using it? basically the black powder coat finish versus the stainless cover.

Is there anything else I may be missing? or that I need to consider?

Thank you all in advance!!
 

TentHunter

Moderator
First, welcome to the forum!

The 2 Star's cook chamber is the same 304 grade stainless steel that is used for all of MAK's critical components, drip pans and grates. It's hard to beat that durability.

But that doesn't mean the MAK 1 Star isn't durable in its own right. The MAK 1 Star's entire body, including the cook chamber, is aluminized steel with a 1200° powder coat finish (not regular mild steel), as is the rest of the MAK 2 Star body.

I have now owned three MAK 1 Stars (I have upgraded twice). My friend Jason bought my 2011 1 Star, and my friend Kevin bought my 2014 1 Star this past spring when I upgraded to the bigger 2017 1 Star and FlameZone. As far as I am aware there is not a single spot of rust on any of these three 1 Stars.

That aluminized steel offers not only incredible durability and rust resistance, but it offers incredible heat refraction as well.

So, in my opinion what it boils down to is not so much durability, but what features do you want. If you want the new FlameZone already built in and want the cold-smoke chamber, as well as the Stainless cook chamber, then definitely go with the 2 Star. The two Star also offers the front cabinet kit which is pretty nice looking.

If you want a durable cooker mainly for smoking/BBQ, then go with the 1 Star.

Now having said all that... trust me when I tell you that you would be cheating yourself if you didn't add the FlameZone to your 1 Star at some point. Yes it works THAT good! 2017 MAK FlameZone, Griddle & Searing Grate Review

Either way you go, you are going to love your MAK!
 
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TentHunter

Moderator
You will love it! And like I said, add the FlameZone either when you order it or sometime in the near future. It seems like a pricey add-on, but trust me when I say it rocks! MAK really outdid themselves when they designed the new FlameZone. :cool:
 

jimsbarbecue

Moderator
We have MAK 2 Star we purchase from Big Poppa Smokers. They are not all stainless and one day when the paint parts show their age , I will repaint them. You will be fine with the one star.
 

eva21n

New member
Is Mak 1 really worth it?

Currently I have a BGE and Blaze gas grill. I love the food coming out of the BGE but I want something less hands-on and with a little more room. My research has brought me from electric smokers to now on to the pellet smokers. I was going back and forth between Yoder and Rec Tec but kept seeing stuff on the Mak. The Yoder looks to have the most capacity but not much more than the Maks. So, I think I have my mind set on the Mak 1 for the following reasons:

- same capacity as the Mak 2
- i don't need the direct as I have the gas grill for that (and it is fairly new)
- don't think i would use the cold smoke box, plus if i decide i need to cold smoke i can buy tube (learned that here)
- Mak 1 & 2 both come with pellet dump and ash clean-out now
- would add both front and side shelves to Mak 1 still saving some $$ versu the 2

My question to help finalize my decision is do you think the Mak 1 is as durable as the Mak 2 assuming I cover it when not using it? basically the black powder coat finish versus the stainless cover.

Is there anything else I may be missing? or that I need to consider?

Thank you all in advance!!

Is Mak 1 really worth it? I read about it, but live opinions would be of more help. My personal point of view is that the price is too high for the model. I mean, yeah it’s not that important when we speak of smokers, but still the price is really high. Other smokers are more affordable - https://homus.org/smoker-best I didn’t manage to decide which smoker I want to buy yet, I need one which works ok with colder temperatures too (for different kinds of meat). I thought on Camp Chef, but I guess that it’s better to search for a little bit more. Please help me out.
 
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mcschlotz

Member
Is Mak 1 really worth it? I read about it, but live opinions would be of more help. My personal point of view is that the price is too high for the model. I mean, yeah it’s not that important when we speak of smokers, but still the price is really high. Other smokers are more affordable - Choose The Smoker Best Suited to Your Needs - Buyers Guide 2018 I didn’t manage to decide which smoker I want to buy yet, I need one which works ok with colder temperatures too (for different kinds of meat). I thought on Camp Chef, but I guess that it’s better to search for a little bit more. Please help me out.

The short answer is you get what you pay for. If the driving decision point is financial then get the best you can afford. I will offer one piece of advice... all to often people go through a 'climbing' purchase process. Buy-one, use, become dissatisfied for some reason or another, then buy again, repeat.... This ends up costing them a lot more than if they would have bought a top of the line model. The advice: Buy-once-cry-once.

Do your research and you will be hard pressed to find any discouraging reviews on MAK's, they are that good! :D
 
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sschorr

Member
The short answer is you get what you pay for. If the driving decision point is financial then get the best you can afford. I will offer one piece of advice... all to often people go through a 'climbing' purchase process. Buy-one, use, become dissatisfied for some reason or another, then buy again, repeat.... This ends up costing them a lot more than if they would have bought a top of the line model. The advice: Buy-once-cry-once.

Do your research and you will be hard pressed to find any discouraging reviews on MAK's, they are that good! :D

eva21n - I definitely second what mcschlotz posted, particularly the Buy Once- Cry Once. I am close to purchasing a MAK 2 Star, I just have to wait until I sell my Camp Chef DLX (bought in 2016) before SWMBO will bless the purchase.

The CC SmokePro DLX was my first pellet smoker, a great little smoker that has taught me a lot about smoking and about pellet poopers in general. It has a lot of great convenience features: easy firepot cleanout via ash dump where you do not need to take anything out of the cooker to dump the firepot: pellet hopper dump to swap or cleanout pellets; decent controller for temps.

BUT - after 2 years, and after spending money to upgrade to get the CC to perform more like the higher end smokers (put in SmokeDaddy Pellet pro PID controller after 2 stock controller swaps, swapped hot rods 3 times, nomex tape to reduce air "leaks" around cover door; rack kits to increase cooking volume and some other, minor mods), I am looking for better/more.

Built-in Wifi, direct flame capability, better temp control and temp range, and will stand up to the sea air where I live. There's more, and I do not regret the CC, but look hard at the differences before you go "lower" - not a bad choice, but you might find that Buy Once - Cry Once is a very sound approach.

God hunting!
 
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