Interested in purchasing first pellet Grill. Want something that I can grill and smoke on.  Therefore most interested in Cookshack Fast Eddy PG500 & MAK 2 Star General.

First considered Rec Tec Bull—seems to have good bang fo the buck and solid construction with lots of 304 stainless steel, WiFi, but concerned that grilling would be limited. as there is no direct grilling area.   Rec Tec Rep claims it foes a great job grilling burgers & steaks with optional searing grates, but I’m skeptical.

Read very favorable reviews on MAK 1 Star and 2 Star grills with FlameZone.  Leaning towards 2 Star, but price is $3.1 K with WIFI.  That’s an awful lot for first foray into pellet grilling. Therefore looking at Fast Eddy PG500.  However, have some concerns.  How accurate is the controller?  Is it PID?  How is it as a smoker?  Nearest dealer is more than 1 hr away & has none in stock.  He’s pushing Traeger—says he got rid of his PG500 because it was putting ash in food, the heat was uneven in the indirect zone due to proximity of direct grill, and the smoked and grilled meat was not as moist as on other pellet grills. 

The stainless steel construction seems good, and the presence of a direct grilling zone is a major plus. However, the lack of WiFi, lack of built in meat probe, possible uneven heat are all concerns. 

MAK 2 Star sounds more ideal with more sophisticated controller, available WiFi and FlameZone for direct grilling.  Seems to be more efficient, a better smoker, using fewer pellets and may heat up faster.  However it is MUCH more expensive.

Would by primarily cooking for 2 with occasional larger gatherings when our children are back in town or when we host several neighbors.

Any insights would be appreciatedFas

All 3 of the units you are looking at will do an excellent job for you. If I was in your position I would go with the PG500 no questions asked. I use to own a PG500 and didn't experience the issues your dealer claims. The PG500 has 4 different zones and each are used differently. I'm guessing your dealer "assumed" the temp would be even in all different zones. The PG500 isn't designed that way.

Now my personal feeling is don't get hung up on having a PID controller. To me it is more markerting hype than anything else. I have owned PID and non PID controllers and all are different but get the job done.

I have owned a PG500, Yoder YS640, FEC-120, and Blaz'n Grid Iron smokers. I never experienced any huge temp swings or huge ash covering my food on any of my units.

To me the PG500 is one of if not the best all around units you can buy. Now one of its main strengths is the direct grilling zone. One of it major downsides is its size. If you need more space I would go with the MAK or Rec Tec.

Good luck in your search.

The PG 500 is the only one of those 3 that does not need any special grilling accessories.  It does not put ash on food, it is as good a smoker as any pellet unit made.  The other dealer comments, personal preference, and I am not going to argue with someones personal taste.  Never saw food come off a PG500 that was drier then another unit.  The FE controller will more then meet performance needs.

Bottom line question to ask yourself is, will I grill more then I BBQ.  If so, the FE is probably the better choice.

From a biased PG500 owner.
The "issues" that the dealer warned you about are imaginary.
Of course there are temp differences within the zones - just like there are in every cooking appliance ever constructed. Check the side to side and front to back temps in your oven sometime.
The only real issue with a PG500 is size. If you think you will be cooking for a lot of people you might need to look elsewhere. I have made burgers for 15 and you could easily do 3 if not 4 pork butts. You have to be creative and move the food around a little bit, but it isn't difficult.
There aren't many other grills out there where you can make your protein, veggies, bread, and dessert all on one cooker at the same time. And for ~$1700 it's a no brainer for me.
Now, I am equally confident that the other 2 cookers would help you produce fantastic food. They have very loyal followers for a reason.
It really comes down to what features are important to you - the food doesn't care what you cook it on.

the food doesn't care what you cook it on.

So true