The Best Winch Brands to Get You Out a Bad Situation (Photos)
10-26-2017, 06:39 AM
#21
JK Enthusiast
10-27-2017, 09:42 PM
#24
synthetic winch line
I'm happy with my Smitty X2O 10k. The one thing to be careful of is make sure you don't leave the switch flipped to "wireless" or else you'll kill the battery in the handheld unit. I make certain to flip the switch on the solenoid back to wired, and click the button on the handheld back to wired.....cuz you can't easily replace that battery in the handheld. The numbskull that I am, I drained my battery before. Smitty sent me a new module for the winch and a new handheld with no questions. I'd prefer to just be able to simply pop a new battery in, but I realize these are the types of things you sacrifice for the price.
In regards to safety......I personally just don't like the idea of so much energy tied up in a steel cable....should it snap. I don't care how careful you're being, accidents happen. I'd much prefer that should a line break, it just drops dead to the ground like a synthetic will, rather than a steel cable snapping and possibly whipping back at you. When out wheelin', I'm always dumbfounded when rolling up on someone using steel cables without some sort of dampener (blanket or anything) over that line. For the weight savings and sand being a safer tool, I choose synthetic since it's a readily available option.
In regards to safety......I personally just don't like the idea of so much energy tied up in a steel cable....should it snap. I don't care how careful you're being, accidents happen. I'd much prefer that should a line break, it just drops dead to the ground like a synthetic will, rather than a steel cable snapping and possibly whipping back at you. When out wheelin', I'm always dumbfounded when rolling up on someone using steel cables without some sort of dampener (blanket or anything) over that line. For the weight savings and sand being a safer tool, I choose synthetic since it's a readily available option.
10-30-2017, 06:01 AM
#25
Thanks again for input everyone, I hear what you are saying keep puting all this out there, I know I am not the only one, and every manufacture says they are the best on the Market so the information from those who have experienced it is a value you can't put a price on. thanks again for everything. I will let you know what I put on mine and my thoughts on how well it works when I return back to the states.
As for the steel vs synthetic discussion, there are tons of threads. I would say that being able to retie a synthetic line in the event of a break is a big plus. Also, synthetic line is safer and just plain easier to handle. For a little bit more money, you get a lot of bonuses.
10-30-2017, 06:09 AM
#26
JK Enthusiast
Smittybilt should be a known "no", I've seen their stuff fail across the board.
But Engo has proven itself that less expensive doesn't have to mean cheap. In that famous winch shootout a few years ago, they outperformed Warn (and so did a couple other winches) and yet Warn won based on packaging and some other arbitrary crap. Seriously, I don't care if it's boxed pretty, and I don't care if the winch is quiet... if it does the job and doesn't fail on me.
Engo's got a lifetime mechanical warranty and 1 year electrical, and like I said, I've had mine working 5 years, it's been out in the elements and works every time I need it.
Make your own decisions of course, but I'm not going to buy Warn because marketing told me to, and definitely not because they're the most expensive one out there. Warns can and do fail just like any other winch.
But Engo has proven itself that less expensive doesn't have to mean cheap. In that famous winch shootout a few years ago, they outperformed Warn (and so did a couple other winches) and yet Warn won based on packaging and some other arbitrary crap. Seriously, I don't care if it's boxed pretty, and I don't care if the winch is quiet... if it does the job and doesn't fail on me.
Engo's got a lifetime mechanical warranty and 1 year electrical, and like I said, I've had mine working 5 years, it's been out in the elements and works every time I need it.
Make your own decisions of course, but I'm not going to buy Warn because marketing told me to, and definitely not because they're the most expensive one out there. Warns can and do fail just like any other winch.
10-30-2017, 06:15 AM
#27
Smittybilt should be a known "no", I've seen their stuff fail across the board.
Engo's got a lifetime mechanical warranty and 1 year electrical, and like I said, I've had mine working 5 years, it's been out in the elements and works every time I need it.
Make your own decisions of course, but I'm not going to buy Warn because marketing told me to, and definitely not because they're the most expensive one out there. Warns can and do fail just like any other winch.
Engo's got a lifetime mechanical warranty and 1 year electrical, and like I said, I've had mine working 5 years, it's been out in the elements and works every time I need it.
Make your own decisions of course, but I'm not going to buy Warn because marketing told me to, and definitely not because they're the most expensive one out there. Warns can and do fail just like any other winch.
And to be clear, I never bought a Warn based on marketing. I bought one based on directly friend's and and personal out in the field experience. I don't think I ever watch a video or cared to think about the packaging.
I am curious, do you have a link to the winch shootout? I am not familiar with that link. The problem with a lot of those "tests" is that they are simple marketing schemes in themselves, so hard to believe whether they are impartial or not.
10-30-2017, 08:51 AM
#28
JK Enthusiast
Yeah, the marketing I'm referring to is that even though this winch shootout was conducted pretty impartially (in that, you can see who performs well in the actual use of the winches), somehow the Warn "wins" based on things like the packaging and labelling, which makes me think the outcome was paid for or maybe just poorly considered.
Massive Multi-Winch Shootout - Four Wheeler Magazine
You can see that the Warn in this test failed the stress test, in fact only the Engo and another winch survived all the tests. Engo comes out with best value, but Warn comes out on top. I feel like they've capitalized on their name, and that's fine. But the Engo is a solid alternative that costs a lot less.
Massive Multi-Winch Shootout - Four Wheeler Magazine
You can see that the Warn in this test failed the stress test, in fact only the Engo and another winch survived all the tests. Engo comes out with best value, but Warn comes out on top. I feel like they've capitalized on their name, and that's fine. But the Engo is a solid alternative that costs a lot less.
10-30-2017, 10:19 AM
#29
Yeah, the marketing I'm referring to is that even though this winch shootout was conducted pretty impartially (in that, you can see who performs well in the actual use of the winches), somehow the Warn "wins" based on things like the packaging and labelling, which makes me think the outcome was paid for or maybe just poorly considered.
Massive Multi-Winch Shootout - Four Wheeler Magazine
You can see that the Warn in this test failed the stress test, in fact only the Engo and another winch survived all the tests. Engo comes out with best value, but Warn comes out on top. I feel like they've capitalized on their name, and that's fine. But the Engo is a solid alternative that costs a lot less.
Massive Multi-Winch Shootout - Four Wheeler Magazine
You can see that the Warn in this test failed the stress test, in fact only the Engo and another winch survived all the tests. Engo comes out with best value, but Warn comes out on top. I feel like they've capitalized on their name, and that's fine. But the Engo is a solid alternative that costs a lot less.
11-01-2017, 07:56 AM
#30
JK Newbie
I also went with the Warn Zeon 10S on my JK for the following reasons: durability, reliability, availability of parts, customer service.
I've used this winch on multiple occasions, 3 or 4 times for me and 4 or 5 times to get someone else out of a jam. It works flawlessly.
One discussion that drives me crazy is the "buy cheap and replace it when it fails" philosophy. Guess what? When it fails you will not be in your front yard practicing winching techniques - you will be out in the middle of nowhere, now stranded with a broken winch.
Anything mechanical can fail, just play the odds.
We also have an Engo on our other vehicle. While we have not used it as much (3 or 4 times), it has performed flawlessly as well. Who knows, maybe in a few years their reputation will be on par with Warn.
I've used this winch on multiple occasions, 3 or 4 times for me and 4 or 5 times to get someone else out of a jam. It works flawlessly.
One discussion that drives me crazy is the "buy cheap and replace it when it fails" philosophy. Guess what? When it fails you will not be in your front yard practicing winching techniques - you will be out in the middle of nowhere, now stranded with a broken winch.
Anything mechanical can fail, just play the odds.
We also have an Engo on our other vehicle. While we have not used it as much (3 or 4 times), it has performed flawlessly as well. Who knows, maybe in a few years their reputation will be on par with Warn.