Green Mountain Pellet grill
- Thread starter wigs
- Start date
I posted on here recently asking about some suggestions, and found quickly that I had come to the wrong place. Don't get me wrong, we're all BBQ enthusiasts, but I found very quickly, that for 95% of you on here, that when it comes to someone asking about a suggestion, it's "Go Mak or go home".
That being said, this place has the feel of an unofficial Mak fan club more than a pellet-smoker forum.
Just sayin. I placed an order for a Yoder YS640 the other day and don't expect I'll be disappointed at all. I did not go for the Mak as I didn't like the fact that for $1400 bucks the 1-star was quite small and only matched the Yoder on stock space after installing a 2nd rack (adding to cost). My comments on this were met with some slightly passive aggressive comments about needing to rethink my priorities, etc. If anything, that drove me MORE towards the Yoder. I know what my wants/needs/priorities are, and I believe I ordered the right smoker for me.
I'm by no means trying to start a war here, but I think you guys get way too caught up in the whole deal with thinking people MUST have a Mak. I'm not targeting you specifically, but saying this in general across the board.
Wigs, congrats on your purchase! Before I found the Yoder, I was quite close to purchasing a Jim Bowie stainless steel remote control edition.
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Big Poppa
Administrator
Nick
Fair points... a little rebuttal
When you throw out a comment like "what isnt foreign these days" you will get MAK as there is nothing foreign about it. certified made in USA
When you challenge the cooking size of the one star and people tell you that it is nearly 800 inches of usable smoking...
That being said I really want this to be an open pellet forum and I think it is. It is for learning and sharing cooking with pellets. Thats why there are free contests week end and week out. To single us out and categorize us only as being a MAK forum is a bit unfair.
The internet is full of bias...you read all the bias and then make your choice....the fact that just about all of the MAK purchasers are super happy and happen to hang here is not a bad thing...most of us start with a traeger then look for a better unit..... some tried the Yoder and didnt like it....some love it...great....If you come here and all you can see is MAK fanboys I apologize maybe hang in the recipe section or ignore the Which grill should I buy thread unless you want to express your excitement over your choice of the Yoder....we encourage this.
Here is the rub...these people are very happy with their purchases as are most Memphis cutomers...we have people here like scally that cook on a traeger...tatonka marty and Ho De Do that cook on a yoder...it's whatever choice makes them happy. Feel free to express your joy with Yoder..I encourage it.
I wont apologize for the fact that the people here are very happy with their purchase...I sincerely hope you are happy with your too! I hope you will share some cooks and maybe ask or answer some questions and spread the love for pellet cooking.
case in point...the thread you just hijacked was a person wanting to know about Green Mountain...did I say buy a MAK? No. I answered his question.
Fair points... a little rebuttal
When you throw out a comment like "what isnt foreign these days" you will get MAK as there is nothing foreign about it. certified made in USA
When you challenge the cooking size of the one star and people tell you that it is nearly 800 inches of usable smoking...
That being said I really want this to be an open pellet forum and I think it is. It is for learning and sharing cooking with pellets. Thats why there are free contests week end and week out. To single us out and categorize us only as being a MAK forum is a bit unfair.
The internet is full of bias...you read all the bias and then make your choice....the fact that just about all of the MAK purchasers are super happy and happen to hang here is not a bad thing...most of us start with a traeger then look for a better unit..... some tried the Yoder and didnt like it....some love it...great....If you come here and all you can see is MAK fanboys I apologize maybe hang in the recipe section or ignore the Which grill should I buy thread unless you want to express your excitement over your choice of the Yoder....we encourage this.
Here is the rub...these people are very happy with their purchases as are most Memphis cutomers...we have people here like scally that cook on a traeger...tatonka marty and Ho De Do that cook on a yoder...it's whatever choice makes them happy. Feel free to express your joy with Yoder..I encourage it.
I wont apologize for the fact that the people here are very happy with their purchase...I sincerely hope you are happy with your too! I hope you will share some cooks and maybe ask or answer some questions and spread the love for pellet cooking.
case in point...the thread you just hijacked was a person wanting to know about Green Mountain...did I say buy a MAK? No. I answered his question.
I was very close to going with the GMG but i wanted to go with something that I could get local support for and get parts for easily. That ruled out the GMG, and that and price also ruled out the mak.
I have no problems buying something made in China, they can make things that are just as good as being made in the usa. I worry more about the product itself then where it was made. They make a lot of crap in china.. but it has more to do with the manufacture wanting it as cheap as possible then being made in china. Mak could send the grills to be made in china and get just as good as a grill as the ones made in the usa. Unfortunately what happens is that a company like traeger says "it costs 400 to make it in the usa, and 200 + 100 shipping to make it in china, but if we change this, use thiner metal, etc then it now costs 100 + 40 shipping. It's more to do with maximum profit then china not being able to make a good product.
I think you will be happy with just about any grill.
I have no problems buying something made in China, they can make things that are just as good as being made in the usa. I worry more about the product itself then where it was made. They make a lot of crap in china.. but it has more to do with the manufacture wanting it as cheap as possible then being made in china. Mak could send the grills to be made in china and get just as good as a grill as the ones made in the usa. Unfortunately what happens is that a company like traeger says "it costs 400 to make it in the usa, and 200 + 100 shipping to make it in china, but if we change this, use thiner metal, etc then it now costs 100 + 40 shipping. It's more to do with maximum profit then china not being able to make a good product.
I think you will be happy with just about any grill.
Scallywag
New member
I have to agree with you BP on both topics. Having started with a chineese built Traeger and upgrading to the Mak.. the difference in quality is obvious, from the guage of the steel right down to the last bolt. And myself being a bass player I have owned Chineese built basses and I also own American made Fenders.. without question American made is better! As far as this being a Mak fan club.. well ya your right.. everyone I know that has one loves them!
The chinese have the technology to build a guitar or grill every bit as good. things like the gauge of the steel has more to do with what the manufacture wants and shipping costs then where it was built. I'm not saying mak isnt' better or fender isn't better, they absolutely are i'm just saying that it's not the chineese fault lol.
Meat Man
New member
Guys sometimes something's just work better, last longer, and make more sense. You can smoke meats in a cardboard box, if you want. I have cooked on most of the pellet grills out there, Treager, GMG, Yoder and MAK. Started with a Treager, like many of us, and was very happy with it at the time. I also sell grills in my meat market. When Treager sold out and switched their program we instantly started having major problems with the grills we were selling. I brought in several different grills to evaluate. Yes they all smoke meats, some even grill, many have a different feature that's unique to their grill. We cooked on everyone, at home, at the store, and some in BBQ competitions. I'm not easily impressed, and was very critical on all the grills we tried out. Some had trouble right out of the box, missing parts, controllers that were confusing or just didn't seem to work right, customer service that wasn't a service at all. When you buy a grill your buying a company. I'd love to sell a thousand dollar grill, I'd sell four times as many. But I'd also have a lot more headaches. I was so impressed with the function and craftsmanship of the MAK grill that's what I sell, and we have had zero unhappy customers in three years of selling their grills. I could cook on anything I want, and I have many cookers. The MAK is easily the most used cooker I have, everyone in my family loves using it. MAK grills aren't for everyone, but for those looking for a upper end pellet grill there is nothing better.
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I do actually BP, while the company I work for does.
We have gone way off topic though and I do apologize for that my point is simply that the country a product is made in has nothing to do with the quality of it. How it is made has everything to do with the quality of it. Traeger and GMG are made in China because it's cheaper, and those companies are willing to sacrifice quality to make it even cheaper. The chinese could easily make just as good of a grill as a Mak, but it would probably cost even more. The blame is with the manufacture not with the country it was made in. The legs are not welded on the traeger anymore because it makes the box to big and shipping costs to high... it's not because the Chinese don't know how or don't have the technology.
I have bought a lot of junk that was made in America.. like my last car lol.
to get back on topic to the OP I wouldn't worry where it is made, I'd worry about the quality of it. They are not the same thing IMO.
We have gone way off topic though and I do apologize for that my point is simply that the country a product is made in has nothing to do with the quality of it. How it is made has everything to do with the quality of it. Traeger and GMG are made in China because it's cheaper, and those companies are willing to sacrifice quality to make it even cheaper. The chinese could easily make just as good of a grill as a Mak, but it would probably cost even more. The blame is with the manufacture not with the country it was made in. The legs are not welded on the traeger anymore because it makes the box to big and shipping costs to high... it's not because the Chinese don't know how or don't have the technology.
I have bought a lot of junk that was made in America.. like my last car lol.
to get back on topic to the OP I wouldn't worry where it is made, I'd worry about the quality of it. They are not the same thing IMO.
If you are happy with your grill, you made a great choice. I did just upgrade from a Traeger to a MAK 2 Star and I did it because it was what I wanted to do. Life is a continuation of choices. I try to keep all my choices positive in the eyes of myself and those that my choices have an affect.
Kite
New member
Tenny - you seem to be glossing over a critical point - I don't think anyone is saying that the Chinese are *not capable* of making high end quality products. The bottom line is that it is highly unlikely to get a quality high end product here in the US that was made in China.
First - the reason companies have their products made in China is so they can sell/produce them cheap - not so they can produce a quality product.
Second - the economies don't work out - there are only very limited corners you can cut to make a quality product less expensive. Then when you factor in shipping from China, you are not going to be able to compete in the US – the price will be too high.
So if you buy a grill made in China, it is extremely likely that it will be a low end budget product. And if that is what you are looking for, then that is what you should buy. The old adage “you get what you pay for” does not *always* work on the high end, but it almost always works on the low end.
First - the reason companies have their products made in China is so they can sell/produce them cheap - not so they can produce a quality product.
Second - the economies don't work out - there are only very limited corners you can cut to make a quality product less expensive. Then when you factor in shipping from China, you are not going to be able to compete in the US – the price will be too high.
So if you buy a grill made in China, it is extremely likely that it will be a low end budget product. And if that is what you are looking for, then that is what you should buy. The old adage “you get what you pay for” does not *always* work on the high end, but it almost always works on the low end.
Big Poppa
Administrator
Thanks Kite. I have a saying that the Traeger is the most expensive bbq made. Why? Because it hooks you and it wont be your last....but also after a short while you start to want higher temps and steadier temps....Many of us bought a traeger first including me.
GMG makes a great price performer and it is a nice product.
GMG makes a great price performer and it is a nice product.
Sir Lamerok
New member
I started with a Traeger and now have a Mak 2 star. I considered a GMG but I felt it was my Traeger with a better controller. Bottom line is you can cook great food on all of them.