New guy from Michigan

Inferno

New member
Hi all!

After over a year of decision paralysis I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a Mak 2 star over the weekend. I went with the special through Big Poppa and added on WiFi and a full upper rack. This is my first pellet grill so I'm thinking I'll have a bit of a learning curve ahead of me. I've been lurking here for a while and the site was a big help in the decision making process so I thought I should join and say thank you to everyone for their contributions to the site that helped me along.
 

rwalters

New member
From a fellow 2 Star owner... Welcome to PS, Inferno... and CONGRATS on your incoming 2 Star!!! Always curious... during your year of research, what other brands/models did you consider and what was it that caused MAK to surface as the winner for you?
 

mcschlotz

Member
Great Choice and Welcome! You're going to love your MAK. Remember to season it for a few hours, after that the real fun begins :cool::p
 

Inferno

New member
So I started off my search looking at the usual suspects: GMG, Rec Tec, Camp chef, Traeger etc. I wasn't a fan of the controllers on most of these units and also decided that I wanted a grill that was made in the States since this was going to be a decision that was going to have to last me many years. The more grills I looked at, the more I learned what features I liked and disliked. Didn't want an external grease container. Mainly for aesthetic purposes but also I have a lab that follows his nose to all sorts of trouble and I was worried about critters too.

That basically brought me to three main competitors: Mak, Memphis, and Kuma. All three had internal grease traps. Searing is big for me so that was a big factor which all three met. So the way it broke down from the was as follows:

Kuma - priced right, great reviews, decent controller, but I was a bit concerned on size since I wasn't too be able to cater holiday dinners. The ultimate nail in the coffin - they're no longer producing them and have sold off all existing inventory. Bummer.

Mak - a little higher price once you add some features but stellar reviews. Awesome controller, 2019 redesign items hit all the right areas of concern for me the only debate was 1 star vs 2 star.

Memphis - great looks, nice controller, great build quality, good reviews, but substantial price hike for 2019 put the pro out of budget. Combine that with the fact that there going to be moving production to China put a sour taste in my mouth and I wasn't willing to wait and see if they would revamp pricing because of the move, but there was no way I would pay the new price for a made in China grill.

That's how I got settled on Mak. The 1vs 2 star decision was settled by my wife. When I built the 1 star the way I wanted it was $3k vs $3,300 for the two. She said it's 300 for God's sake! You've blown more on a single bottle of whiskey! Get the two star and be done with it! So that's how I got my two star lol.
 
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sschorr

Member
Welcome from SoCal! the new, improved 2019 MAK 2 Star is one outstanding appliance from an even more outstanding company. I just upgraded my older (2018) MAK 2 Star with the new roaming thermocouple (standard on your new MAK), upgraded my Pellet Boss with the latest firmware and am very impressed - well, the food coming off it is scrumptious. More impressive - Dennis from MAK Support called me, unsolicited, just to follow up on how things were going with the new upgrades. Makes a customer feel like part of their extended MAK family. You will be a very happy camper...
 

rwalters

New member
Sounds like you did your homework... and your findings/opinions are spot on w/ mine! Yeah, I was surprised to hear about Kuma... sure am glad I did not buy one as they also were a contender when I was researching. Well again, welcome to the MAK family :)
 

mcschlotz

Member
Welcome from SoCal! the new, improved 2019 MAK 2 Star is one outstanding appliance from an even more outstanding company. I just upgraded my older (2018) MAK 2 Star with the new roaming thermocouple (standard on your new MAK), upgraded my Pellet Boss with the latest firmware and am very impressed - well, the food coming off it is scrumptious. More impressive - Dennis from MAK Support called me, unsolicited, just to follow up on how things were going with the new upgrades. Makes a customer feel like part of their extended MAK family. You will be a very happy camper...

Similar experience here. Worked with Dennis and Bob to test out upgrading the MAK, both for the roaming therm and newer PB Controller. Great company to work with. End result, my MAK is calibrated to grate temps and is running perfectly. You're going to love how your 2 Star Smokes! :D
 
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Taeter

New member
Welcome and nice decision on the 2 star from Big Poppa. Got mine 3 weeks ago so I’m on that learning curve myself. You can get a lot of help with the curve here on PS.com. I know I have.
You do have 1 more decision to make though, what to get with all your Big Poppa Points! Now that’s a fun decision.
 

Inferno

New member
Thanks all! Decided to spend my big poppa bucks this weekend and got the griddle for the MAK. I also ordered the umai dry bag starter kit for steaks and proceeded to Costco and picked up a prime full packer and a whole choice New York that I'll be aging. The MAK has shipped and now all I have to do is wait for delivery ��
 
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