Lemonhead78 -
Back when I decided I wanted to get a pellet smoker, having had years and years of charcoal and gasser BBQing an grilling using Weber products (I still own and use my Summit E450), I thought to get a sub-$1000 smoker. I saw all the hype about Traeger and of course got the sales rush at Costco when they started pushing their version of a Traeger. I read others who advised, "buy once, cry once versus buy twice, cry twice", but thought I needed to learn more before spending money on a MAK or a Memphis. So I bought the Camp Chef DLX several years ago. It is a decent pellet pooper, and has some neat features like the ash clean-out and pellet dump that others in that class do not, and I learned a lot about smoking (temps, pellets types, rubs, sauces, etc), but struggled with the quality. Things like wind, and vent cap openings, and controller fluctuations, lack of searing, etc.
Bottom line - I bought a MAK 2 Star last Memorial Day and could not be happier - and wishing I done it the first time. As others note, QUALITY is evident throughout. The 304 stainless, the size, the ceramic ignitor, the pellet Boss controller, the ash and grease cleanouts, the Flame Zone that goes from great smoke levels to very hot searing and, did I mention, the QUALITY! I like to call it The Beast because the build quality is second to none.
Of course, the best advice is go with your gut - if you really want the MAK, but want to get something now, there are plenty of less costly products out there that will do a decent job.
