Kuma no long makes pellet grills.

[2008RN]

I am in this long term search for the prefect grill for me. I have been saving money this year, and will continue for another 1.5 years. I have already built my Fridge smoker and love it. I have a very old Weber that I have kept alive close to 2 decades. Still use the weber for finishing glaze on some smoke recipes; as well as standard grilling with a homemade smoke box(ie: burgers, brats, and steaks.)

In my searching I found that Kuma is no longer making pellet grills. See https://www.kumastoves.com/Content/Page/grill-announcement. They are putting Kuma Pellet Grill into a state of dormancy in order to work on May 2020 EPA regulations on wood stoves.

In my search, longevity of the company/product line needs to be factored in. Pellet grills are fairly new to the scene. Treager's patent expired in 2006, and many companies have climbed on board. Many of these companies started up in the last recession they changed from previous metal working areas into making pellet grills. Most of the great pellet grill companies employ under 50 people and their gross revenue is under 5 million a year. With a pellet grill, it is only a matter of time before the electronics go out.

I really want made in the USA grill; I want it to be my last grill I ever purchase. Now looking in the $2K area, and I am willing to wait until spring of 2021 to make my final decision.

Thought anyone?

 

[bones1]

Me too.

 

[bones1]

What about these https://smokinbrothers.com/products/american-made-wood-pellet-grills-premier/ and here http://www.blazngrillworks.com/about-us

 

[retfr8flyr]

MAK 2 star.

 

[JC in GB]

One of the reasons I went with a gravity feed smoker. No electronics to wear out and very few mechanical operations. That has always been one of my biggest fears about the pellet cookers. What do I do if something goes wrong? I know that these cookers can put out some fantastic product but my wariness about electronic and mechanical problems kept me away. Wish you luck in finding a cooker that fits your needs.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Kuma broke my heart. They had combined the nicest features of a few of the grills costing twice as much. Now, a wait and see...JJ

 

[2008RN]

From what I can find out Blaze grill works, and MAK employees 30+ people and revenue less than $6M/year. Pitts and Spitts is even smaller.

Yoder is the biggest company among the higher end companies with 100 people and over $13 million in revenue.

Don't get me wrong, I want these business to thrive and grow. This is why I am going to buy all American. I have dropped Rec Tec from my list because of this.

As a side note: Weber propane Grills employees at least 1,200 in manufacturing and addition 400 people in corporate. Weber Summit is also under consideration, has a burner dedicated to smoking. It isn't going to smoke like the big boys, but for searing, finishing food with braise, and day to day grill it works.

 

[bones1]

And this one https://www.bbqguys.com/cookshack/f...6717&cjevent=c3cfa4c3896711e982f901cf0a24060f

 

[retfr8flyr]

I am in this long term search for the prefect grill for me. I have been saving money this year, and will continue for another 1.5 years. I have already built my Fridge smoker and love it. I have a very old Weber that I have kept alive close to 2 decades. Still use the weber for finishing glaze on some smoke recipes; as well as standard grilling with a homemade smoke box(ie: burgers, brats, and steaks.)

In my searching I found that Kuma is no longer making pellet grills. See https://www.kumastoves.com/Content/Page/grill-announcement. They are putting Kuma Pellet Grill into a state of dormancy in order to work on May 2020 EPA regulations on wood stoves.

In my search, longevity of the company/product line needs to be factored in. Pellet grills are fairly new to the scene. Treager's patent expired in 2006, and many companies have climbed on board. Many of these companies started up in the last recession they changed from previous metal working areas into making pellet grills. Most of the great pellet grill companies employ under 50 people and their gross revenue is under 5 million a year. With a pellet grill, it is only a matter of time before the electronics go out.

I really want made in the USA grill; I want it to be my last grill I ever purchase. Now looking in the $2K area, and I am willing to wait until spring of 2021 to make my final decision.

Thought anyone?

This is exactly why I ruled them out when I was looking for my grill. I just didn't have any faith that they would stay in the grill market. This market is so competitive now and the profit margins are fairly small that if a company hasn't been doing it for quite a while, I just don't know if they will make it and leave me stuck with an unsupported product.

 

[JC in GB]

I read their announcement and it sounds like they are retooling to meet the new EPA standard.

Have they changed their intentions?

 

[chef jimmyj]

I spoke to a manager. He said, if, they make more it would be 2 to 3 years out. Sucks...JJ

 

[WBDubya]

Another vote for MAK 2 Star.

 

[TexVike]

From what I can find out Blaze grill works, and MAK employees 30+ people and revenue less than $6M/year. Pitts and Spitts is even smaller.

Yoder is the biggest company among the higher end companies with 100 people and over $13 million in revenue.

Don't get me wrong, I want these business to thrive and grow. This is why I am going to buy all American. I have dropped Rec Tec from my list because of this.

As a side note: Weber propane Grills employees at least 1,200 in manufacturing and addition 400 people in corporate. Weber Summit is also under consideration, has a burner dedicated to smoking. It isn't going to smoke like the big boys, but for searing, finishing food with braise, and day to day grill it works.

What is your source material? That seems awfully high for MAK and Blazin.

 

[2008RN]

What is your source material? That seems awfully high for MAK and Blazin.

Sorry I didn't save my source material references. I really did not plan on publishing. This was research for my self, attempting to weigh as many know variables. Such as customer reviews, blogs, both on products and the company, metals/thickness, designs, service, etc.... Part of this included Company bios. Oh ya, I shouldn't forget my wants and needs out of a pellet grill.

About 9 months ago I spend about 1 month scouring the internet looking for data, on all of the top companies that I was considering as options. Many of these are privately held and data is not easily available. Since I knew nothing about these companies, any and all data was considered. Some came from stories/articles/trade literature about the companies. Others from places like owlers.

Publicly owned companies data is everywhere, since they have to file with the SEC.

I tried not only finding where the companies where today, but what the roots of the company was in the past. Since pellet grills are somewhat new, it was interesting . I also tried to find information on depth of the company. Some companies have 1 person at the top with no apparent successor to take over the company. Others like Yoder has a son heavily involved in the company.

Some of the data was 3-4 years old, but that was the best I could do. So with estimated growth rate I estimated, drew lines in the sand as in less than 6 million a year. $6million a year is nothing to sneeze at, but after working at IBM & HP, and hospital industry. 6 million is a variance. I guess that is just my perspective. When I was at HP, the production line at one facility shipped $1 million of products an hour.... So you can see my perspective can be little skewed.

 

[chef jimmyj]

WOW, I didn't research that deep picking my CARDIOLOGIST! LOL...I like the amount of effort you put in to research and find the best product. I too am looking for a Once and Done Pellet Grill purchase and will be looking for your final decision. What Grill is currently in the lead?...JJ

 

[2008RN]

WOW, I didn't research that deep picking my CARDIOLOGIST! LOL...I like the amount of effort you put in to research and find the best product. I too am looking for a Once and Done Pellet Grill purchase and will be looking for your final decision. What Grill is currently in the lead?...JJ

I wish I could say there is a clear winner. My price range is right at the $2,000 mark. I want to be able to smoke as well as grill. I want something in the 600 sq" of main cooking area. I also want this to hopefully replace my 20 year old weber Genesis (with a custom design wood chip box) that I keep patching back together. Maybe the is a pipe dream.

There are some really nice pellet poopers out there. Pitts and spits Maverick 1250, or Memphis Elite if money was readily available. Both little outside my price range. Both companies put out an excellent product made in the USA. Both companies are smaller boutique companies.

Even with all of the flaws of Yoder, (rust, pellet consumption, and wheels (non-compitition) I am leaning towards the YS-640 with the heat diffuser door and sear grates. The newest model makes it more competitive than it was before.

BTW, I am a Cardio thoracic nurse. Ever need a good Cardiac/thoracic surgeon or Cardiologist in Eugene, OR .....