Dang, Tee, you did that grill proud!! Looks brand new! I love the new 'brushed steel' look of the new grills, and hiding little scratches is another bonus.
Cliff - the quality of the metal makes a difference. Good components = longevity.
And - many know this..some may not - but MAK will not even buy a screw from China. And -t eh screws they use are of a high grade, non rusting stainless too!
True, no China made screws here! There are a couple of tiny exceptions to that rule--we make every effort to buy each and every bit that goes into our grills in America to support American jobs--from the metal to the powder coat to the wheels. However, there are a couple of items that we are unable to source from the States. I believe it's just a couple of little components that go into the control board that aren't USA made, and that's only because there simply isn't a source here for them. The boards themselves, however, are made locally here in Oregon, as are the rest of the grills.
Our parent company, MAK Metals, started out doing precision sheet metal work, and carried over that expertise into engineering and producing the grills. We've got kind of a fun video showing some of the processes that go into the making of each grill here if anyone is interested:
I know a few of you on the forum have gotten to tour the factory and have seen the robots and welders in action-- it's quite the sight!
We went through the Made in USA Certified process a few years ago, which detailed out the sources of every single item that goes into making a MAK. It was a very lengthy and involved process, but proved that we do indeed source everything possible from the US, and earned their seal of approval.