As background, I was a life-long stick burner and gasser. Then my neighbor bought a “T” pellet grill at Costco. Great tasting food, but he started having issues soon after he purchased the grill. Of course I needed to one-up him, so I started an extensive research process. All results seemed to point to MAK for my needs.
I ordered a One Star General in the spring of ’12 and it’s been in use at least weekly since. No problems and more than 100 perfect meals to date. It’s nearly impossible to ruin a meal with this grill, but more importantly it adds an exquisite taste to everything. Your guests, even those not “into” grilling, will rave.
In terms of quality manufacturing, nothing compares. It seems to weigh nearly twice as much as the Costco bargain brand, all the seams fit, the closures are tight, the screws all align and it has the best computer-based cooking controller on the market.
I had an opportunity to visit the business in Oregon last year and saw the precision manufacturing and assembly process first hand. There are no short cuts, virtually all components are assembled by hand, and there are numerous quality control steps at every station.
The MAK grill is not a “use it 4-5 years and replace it” investment. Simply stated, while these units may cost more than a lesser “bargain brand”, I expect it will be the last grill I’ll ever need to buy -- well worth it!
Dave – Sausalito, CA
