First, excluding the equipment 'quality' issues I've experienced, no complaints regarding the Mak 1 actual cooking.
That said, I'd like to report my Mak 1 experience to date (my first pellet grill) to see if my experiences are typical.
My Mak 1 (serial # 350... I think) is approximately 7 years old and has been used maybe an average of 3 hours per week. My latest failed part is another failed igniter which I elected to replace again (will be 4th igniter). I elected to purchase the Flashfire ($200) which has a lifetime warranty so I wouldn't have to replace another igniter. As I was cleaning my grill today before installing the new Flashfire, I noticed the end of the metal auger tube that mates with the firebox has rusted/decayed leaving an open gap between the firebox and metal tube, i.e., a gap / hole is now present which could allow pellets to drop into the grill bottom instead of the firebox. I've not yet called Mak to price a replacement part, but suspect I'll be shopping for a new grill and returning the $200 Flashfire.
This latest auger tube failure was the catalyst for this post. I'm really disappointed that this highly rated and expensive Mak 1 has essentially failed with what I consider to be relatively light use. But given the Mak 1 is my first pellet grill (I'm 66 years old = I've had numerous grills over the years), I'd like to hear from other Mak users to see if these parts failures are considered normal wear and tear or was my Mak 1 model simply poor quality?
Parts 'Issues' as the original owner... (Mak stored on covered patio in central TX)
--3 igniter failures ($50 ea. per replacement; now $200 for Flashfire)
--Front panel touch pad surface failure (failed approx. year 2? replaced under warranty)
--Rear interior panel replaced by Mak to correct / improve smoke venting (now requires removing 4 ea. screws to remove the rear interior panel for period cleaning; messy and awkward... PITA)
--Interior (and exterior) paint started flaking off around year 3 (interior paint flakes into food... yes, paint and not 'smoke' build up)
--Power cord grommet (where cord enters grill bottom) slipped out at some point (unnoticed) and over time the cord weight damaged the main board connectors (I elected to manually repair -- was out of warranty)
Again, I'd really like to hear from other Mak owners with similar longevity using their Mak grill. Given the excellent reputation Mak had when I purchased my Mak 1, I was expecting a much long life expectancy without replacing so many major (and expensive) components.
Thank you in advance for any feedback.
That said, I'd like to report my Mak 1 experience to date (my first pellet grill) to see if my experiences are typical.
My Mak 1 (serial # 350... I think) is approximately 7 years old and has been used maybe an average of 3 hours per week. My latest failed part is another failed igniter which I elected to replace again (will be 4th igniter). I elected to purchase the Flashfire ($200) which has a lifetime warranty so I wouldn't have to replace another igniter. As I was cleaning my grill today before installing the new Flashfire, I noticed the end of the metal auger tube that mates with the firebox has rusted/decayed leaving an open gap between the firebox and metal tube, i.e., a gap / hole is now present which could allow pellets to drop into the grill bottom instead of the firebox. I've not yet called Mak to price a replacement part, but suspect I'll be shopping for a new grill and returning the $200 Flashfire.
This latest auger tube failure was the catalyst for this post. I'm really disappointed that this highly rated and expensive Mak 1 has essentially failed with what I consider to be relatively light use. But given the Mak 1 is my first pellet grill (I'm 66 years old = I've had numerous grills over the years), I'd like to hear from other Mak users to see if these parts failures are considered normal wear and tear or was my Mak 1 model simply poor quality?
Parts 'Issues' as the original owner... (Mak stored on covered patio in central TX)
--3 igniter failures ($50 ea. per replacement; now $200 for Flashfire)
--Front panel touch pad surface failure (failed approx. year 2? replaced under warranty)
--Rear interior panel replaced by Mak to correct / improve smoke venting (now requires removing 4 ea. screws to remove the rear interior panel for period cleaning; messy and awkward... PITA)
--Interior (and exterior) paint started flaking off around year 3 (interior paint flakes into food... yes, paint and not 'smoke' build up)
--Power cord grommet (where cord enters grill bottom) slipped out at some point (unnoticed) and over time the cord weight damaged the main board connectors (I elected to manually repair -- was out of warranty)
Again, I'd really like to hear from other Mak owners with similar longevity using their Mak grill. Given the excellent reputation Mak had when I purchased my Mak 1, I was expecting a much long life expectancy without replacing so many major (and expensive) components.
Thank you in advance for any feedback.
