In pricing various items (from winches to snatch blocks as in an ARB block is $100+ and SB is like $30) I've notices Smittybilt stuff is way cheaper than others. Is SB stuff any good or Chinese knock offs?

 

Winches get great reviews from pretty much everyone who has one.

Snatch blocks, I wouldnt say I'd go cheap on any other recovery equipment. Others opinions may differ. The recovery kit that arb offers is truly top notch, as its close to the cost of a smitty winch.

 

Well, you get what you pay for in general. It is mainly produced overseas, but it's not total junk. A lot of their items are a pretty good value. I'd say it's better than complete knock off ebay stuff in general. I have their 10k X2O winch and it works great for me. I couldn't justify paying up for a Warn. I'd say their product is a little on the lower end, but there are plenty of other manufacturers scraping closer to the bottom of the barrel. That said, they are not on par with the big names you see around when it comes to bumpers/sliders/carriers and such.

 

Oh, I would add that I've dealt with their customer service on both my winch and on XRC rear bumper/tire carrier I had few years back. I was very pleased with the ease of dealing with them the few times I had to, both in fairness and timeliness of resolution.

 

i have their bumpers and rock rails. They were about half the cost of some of the other major brands. The bumpers took a bit of finishing work to get them to fit just right and the rock rails as well but im pleased with them over all and think they were worth the money.

 

Myself and just about every Jeep owner I know has used various Smittybilt items like bumpers, rails, and winches. No one has an issue with them. The X20 winches are an exceptional value. The bumpers fit great, I actually installed a new generation XRC rear onto a 2014 JK last night and it went directly on and fit perfectly. My 3 year old SRC front bumper has been horribly smashed into rocks many times and it's still there, covered in various black spray paints and spray bed liners. It's not bent though. The Tree straps and pull straps work great, the D-Rings are fine.

The junky shit like knives, seat covers that fade in 6 months and other soft items tend to be total scrap. Stick to the hard parts.

 

My smittybilt XRC rear bumper has been on for 2.5 years. Still looks as good as new. I've towed 5000 pound trailer with it. I am very pleased with its quality.

 

We are a seller of Smittybilt (and other items/brands) From our experience it is a value product that gets the job done. I agree with the other responses. Obviously there are better items with a much higher price tag. Also the hard parts as one said are the way to go. Gadgets, accessories are give or take from item to item. The customer service to date has been excellent. They are willing to fix any issues with the product so that the customer wants to come back. Winches is the number one item being sold from them. For as much as most use them (winch), the savings is worth it in my opinion. I do suggest to customers to test them from time to time. That way you know it works when you actually need it. Like spare tires. Many customers need to use the spare and it is flat too (not typical with Jeepers, but cars). Have to check it from time to time. Would be glad to help anyway we can. Sorry to ramble on.

 

Even their hard stuff is typically made with thinner gauge metal and crappy welding. I did some mods to a tube bumper once it was just a bit thicker then a pop can. They are cheaper because they are built that way with low quality materials and near slave labor from overseas. Like Rough Country lifts, they fill the need for a low cost solution for those that don't want to spend the money.

 

All of the bumpers and sliders are made of 3/16" cold rolled steel which is pretty standard thickness across the industry. The tubing is .120" wall. They have stepped up there game in the past 5 years even more. Maybe you had an older version. In regards to welds etc. It is not quite up there with top fabricators as this is more a mass production type product. I do feel they have shifted from a budget product to a mid line product where they hover at the best bang for the buck for your average wheeler/Jeep owner.