Old school vs New school

[jeepgreenjon]

Welcome to a Wayalife!:beer:

So do you guys use American made tools on your parts too?:cheesy:

Im going to chime in here as well, as a mechanic ive tried a few different brands of tools and to be honest snap on stuff is good, their blue point line (news flash: can be MADE IN CHINA) is in my opinion just as good as their regular Snap on line. On that note a co worker and I each bought one of Snap-offs new 1/2 air impacts, had it back for warranty so many times they gave both of us new impacts, after the 3rd time in for warranty on the new impact I ended up taking a $200 loss and traded it for an IR (far superior product). My co worker soon did the same. Also in saying that my el cheapo Mastercraft Maximum wrenches have stood up just as well as my Snap on set.
SO even tho yes I agree north American made products are on average better, you can still occasionally find quality off shore stuff and you can still find North American made Crap. My advice, be selective! If it works well for you, dont worry about what other people say!

Just my two cents, take them or leave them

 

[catahoula]

Im going to chime in here as well, as a mechanic ive tried a few different brands of tools and to be honest snap on stuff is good, their blue point line (news flash: can be MADE IN CHINA) is in my opinion just as good as their regular Snap on line. On that note a co worker and I each bought one of Snap-offs new 1/2 air impacts, had it back for warranty so many times they gave both of us new impacts, after the 3rd time in for warranty on the new impact I ended up taking a $200 loss and traded it for an IR (far superior product). My co worker soon did the same. Also in saying that my el cheapo Mastercraft Maximum wrenches have stood up just as well as my Snap on set.
SO even tho yes I agree north American made products are on average better, you can still occasionally find quality off shore stuff and you can still find North American made Crap. My advice, be selective! If it works well for you, dont worry about what other people say!

Just my two cents, take them or leave them

X2! I was in the automotive paint industry for several years. Dealt with the same thing. I have old craftsman tools in my box and just recently....since i bought my jeep had to pickup some metric tools. Did not want to spend a bunch due to budget and spent very little on the tools I needed at HF. I purchased impact sockets hoping they would be stronger than the standard and a torgue wrench. I got to say I was pleasantly suprised on how well they worked. Like Eddie was saying it can also depend on the manufacturing plant they are using. When I bought my jeep brand new it had parts that were made in China branded by Mopar. I bought smittybilt side steps years ago. They started to rust. Steps were fine coating was not. Bought superlift for my Bronco. I knew from seeing around town their lift would rust. I had the coating burnt off and recoated red from a polymer coating company. Turned out awesome...never rusted. I do notice when some people complain it's sometimes about the coating. There have been several threads I've read of consumers pissed off because of product rusting and then saying it is a pos...including American companies. Maybe they farmed out to bad company....maybe they were trying to make more by offering that service by doing it in house. The last time I was on AEV's site their wheels are made in china and they state that as well due to they cannot find an American manufacturer. I've seen several member sporting those and have not heard of any problems. I do not have deep pockets fellas. I'm on a budget. So on that note...you and a buddy are out four wheeling. You need a trail fix. Your buddy has Chinese tools....whatcha gonna do?

Dammit! Is there a smiley face stirring the pot? I can't find it and is there one available?

 

[GCM 2]

result may vary....

I've got smittybilt all around my Jeep. Front bumper and rock rails. Everything has taken beatings out on the trails without giving an inch. If you're on a budget there's nothing wrong with buying what you can afford.

I have seen first hand what happens to Smittybuilt bumpers and rails out here in the southwest, lets just say the results of the beatings out here are far different from what happens in the southeast. It was not pretty to say the least.

I will say it again; "The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of a low price fades"

 

[Tranquillity]

Hey all. Being new to the forum and new to the jeep community I had a question that I'm hoping will stir a bit of debate. Growing up I was always a Toyota guy and my dream was to have one loaded with Smittybilt and KC lites.
Now that I have my Jeep and more money than I did when I was 20 I see so many different companies out there that make similar if not cooler products on all the various "Walmart " style shopping sites I.e. 4wheelparts, Quadratech, etc.
My question is this. Is Smittybilt and the like still at the top of the parts list in the 4wd world or will this draw laughs at the campsite? It seems reasonably priced and makes products that are similar to their more expensive counterparts.
I have seen all the amazing builds here and most seem to be built with good quality American made products, but short of being sponsored by these companies, my build might take years to complete on typical "fun money" budgets.
Any advice on this matter would be much appreciated by this noob and keep up the very informative chatter. I'm learning tons!
Hope to see you on the trail soon!

Well if your main concern is being laugh at, don't worry about that. I never heard of anyone being laugh at because he had shitty built or bummed ridge stuff... Unless you're planing a lowering kit on a wrangler you'll be fine. Jeeper are mostly helpful and friendly people.

As for quality, of course you get what you pay for. It all depend of your definition of wheeling, which is relative. I don't see the point of getting a 2000$ winch if you're never going to use it once in a while. A quadratec will be fine, lol even a hi lift could do the job. In other words, what's the point of buying a la-z boy if you're not going to sit on your ass all day!?:bleh:

 

[mrmet1983]

Don't listen to any haters !!! People love to hate on products for no reason. Smittybilt makes some great products I personally have a few smittybilt items on my rig right now and love them !!!


2013 JKUR 4" Enforcer lift w/ 35" fierce attitude MTs , RR modular front bump w/ warnvr8k

 

[wayoflife]

Well if your main concern is being laugh at, don't worry about that. I never heard of anyone being laugh at because he had shitty built or bummed ridge stuff... Unless you're planing a lowering kit on a wrangler you'll be fine. Jeeper are mostly helpful and friendly people.

Well said. You should never choose not to buy something just because you think people will laugh at you. It's your Jeep and that's all that matters.

As for quality, of course you get what you pay for. It all depend of your definition of wheeling, which is relative. I don't see the point of getting a 2000$ winch if you're never going to use it once in a while. A quadratec will be fine, lol even a hi lift could do the job. In other words, what's the point of buying a la-z boy if you're not going to sit on your ass all day!?:bleh:

This is where I'm gonna have to disagree with you. Clearly, you have never used a Hi-Lift to try and recover someone or, have been in a situation where a winch fails to operate when it's needed the most. A quality winch is like buying good health insurance, you get it with the hopes that you'll never need to use it but if you do need it, you'll have the peace of mind that it will take care of you. Of course, that's just my opinion.

 

[wayoflife]

Don't listen to any haters !!! People love to hate on products for no reason. Smittybilt makes some great products I personally have a few smittybilt items on my rig right now and love them !!

If you have good experiences with what you have and love them, I'm glad to hear it and I think it's good for the OP to know as much but, come on now, not everyone here is a hater and there are plenty of good reason for some of us to recommend against buying some Smittybilt products. I could just as easily say that you love them for no good reason and that you shouldn't be listened to. Just trying to put things into perspective here.

 

[GCM 2]

Don't listen to any haters !!! People love to hate on products for no reason. Smittybilt makes some great products I personally have a few smittybilt items on my rig right now and love them !!!


2013 JKUR 4" Enforcer lift w/ 35" fierce attitude MTs , RR modular front bump w/ warnvr8k

Not hating on Smittybuilt, just sharing first hand experience with the product. I had a few items of theirs on my TJ, they did not hold up. They do make some things that are truely not worth the money, like their sliders for instance, this is more of a cosmetic add-on than anything. Their bumpers aren't too bad, but in comparison to other mfg's bumper, they typically fall short in many areas. Your build is typically dictated by your budget, for many people Smittybuilt is what is in their budget and there is nothing wrong with that. If you can't afford the best, no one should put you down because of that. But just because you can't afford the best doesn't mean you should compare your parts as being able to do what the best can do, that's where I will throw the bullshit flag up.

 

[mrmet1983]

If you have good experiences with what you have and love them, I'm glad to hear it and I think it's good for the OP to know as much but, come on now, not everyone here is a hater and there are plenty of good reason for some of us to recommend against buying some Smittybilt products. I could just as easily say that you love them for no good reason and that you shouldn't be listened to. Just trying to put things into perspective here.

Great point I just don't like when people bash a company. If you don't like said company thats ok explain what your problem was with them not just say oh they suck !! I've had problems with Tera flex and wud never buy from them again but having said that others love them i just had a bad exp with a rear trackbar braket and on top of that some awful customer service. Would just rather someone explain to the OP why they don't like them rather then just say oh smittybilt is trash. I personally have never had a problem with smittybilt and love the overhead console !! My buddy has their full metal fender set and rock sliders and swears by them.


Sent from my JK

 

[mrmet1983]

Not hating on Smittybuilt, just sharing first hand experience with the product. I had a few items of theirs on my TJ, they did not hold up. They do make some things that are truely not worth the money, like their sliders for instance, this is more of a cosmetic add-on than anything. Their bumpers aren't too bad, but in comparison to other mfg's bumper, they typically fall short in many areas. Your build is typically dictated by your budget, for many people Smittybuilt is what is in their budget and there is nothing wrong with that. If you can't afford the best, no one should put you down because of that. But just because you can't afford the best doesn't mean you should compare your parts as being able to do what the best can do, that's where I will throw the bullshit flag up.

I agree you can't compare a 300$ bolt on rock slider to a 600$ weld on slider. Like Eddie always says it depends what you do with your rig also. My buddy blacknblue has the smittybilt sliders on his jku and I've seen him slam on some rocks hard and nothing but a small scratch. Not sure if the TJ sliders were weaker but his are holding up great and has had them for 2 years with pretty hard wheeling. But I couldn't agree more that you get what you pay for but for some people that's all they need.


Sent from my JK

 

[wayoflife]

Great point I just don't like when people bash a company. If you don't like said company thats ok explain what your problem was with them not just say oh they suck !! I've had problems with Tera flex and wud never buy from them again but having said that others love them i just had a bad exp with a rear trackbar braket and on top of that some awful customer service. Would just rather someone explain to the OP why they don't like them rather then just say oh smittybilt is trash. I personally have never had a problem with smittybilt and love the overhead console !! My buddy has their full metal fender set and rock sliders and swears by them.


Sent from my JK

Surprisingly, their full metal fenders are one of the few things they make that I have found to be pretty strong. Being that they cover the entire area in question as opposed to just being a metal flare, they distribute the load well and can take a beating. Having said that, I'm gonna have to agree with GCM 2 on their rocker guards. They are more cosmetic than anything and cannot handle the kind of trails we have out here in the west. Having said that, I would like to point out that others have chimed in about fitment and finish quality issues as well so, there had been some constructive criticism made. As far as TeraFlex goes, they're no different than Smittybilt to me - some of their stuff is okay.

 

[JKU EXTREME]

look around you, how much stuff in your house right now can you honestly say is truly american made.[/QUOTE]

The furniture in my house may not all be American made but I will be damned if the best American vehicle I own does not have AMERICAN made products on it
(Not bashing Smittybuilt, prefer American mods)

 

[1yellowjk]

I ran a smitybilt winch on my olf JKU, used it quite a few times; pulling stumps, stuck rednecks and twice for getting me around a jam....no problems, so in the case for winches I had no issues and would and did buy another.

I know a few people that run their metal flat fenders, style wise I don't like the cut, but quality seems there and they like them.

I like the American vs "China" debate, but in all honesty I look for the best deal and quality, I have found that both can be found in either manufacture reguardless of their geographical location. I still have a bad taste from when American products sucked and honestly it will depend on what I am buying on if I make the choice to buy USA or foriegn....also just FYI, buying from overseas does not mean that your not helping americans or supporting american jobs.

I like some smitybilt products and as with anything you normally don't like EVERYTHING from a company..I think that can be said for Smitybilt as well.....now Body Armor is a whole other story..ask me why I think they are the worst company in the world and I will gladly give you my :twocents:

 

[GCM 2]

Surprisingly, their full metal fenders are one of the few things they make that I have found to be pretty strong.

Yep, I'm with you here. They are not everyone's taste as far as looks go, but the fact that they cover so much surface should an impact happen, there will be minimal or no damage.

My old Teraflex boatside sliders held up fairly good, but showed some serious denting and bending, where the EVO sliders that replaced them, show absolutely no signs of abuse with much harder use.

 

[wayoflife]

I ran a smitybilt winch on my olf JKU, used it quite a few times; pulling stumps, stuck rednecks and twice for getting me around a jam....no problems, so in the case for winches I had no issues and would and did buy another.

I've been running my WARN PowerPlant for almost 7 years now. I'll let others decide for themselves how much, how hard or how easy they think I've been on it during that time. After seen how they've let others down on the trail, I think I'll stick with what I know works especially when I'm 100 miles out from the nearest pavement.

I like the American vs "China" debate, but in all honesty I look for the best deal and quality, I have found that both can be found in either manufacture reguardless of their geographical location. I still have a bad taste from when American products sucked and honestly it will depend on what I am buying on if I make the choice to buy USA or foriegn....also just FYI, buying from overseas does not mean that your not helping americans or supporting american jobs.

For me personally, "best quality" is always the determining factor when buying products for my Jeep - NOT "best deal". I would never suggest that ALL American companies make the best quality products but, I rarely find Chinese products that can offer anything more than a best deal. Of course, that's just me. :yup:

 

[catahoula]

I am so grateful for forums like this. I know I was stirring the pot a bit. This is where I go for opinions, tips, write ups, and reviews from forum members who have first hand purchased and used the products that I am curious about getting down the road. The videos are sweet too!:thumb: Like what GCM2 said about the TF sliders. I was considering those for my jeep, but were curious about the durability of them. I mean I don't climb mountains like him, but his comment is worth something to me as is Wayalife's and others who are always out on trails testing their rigs. I just have some small mods now, but I would love to have some EVO stuff on mine in the future.

 

[wayoflife]

I am so grateful for forums like this. I know I was stirring the pot a bit. This is where I go for opinions, tips, write ups, and reviews from forum members who have first hand purchased and used the products that I am curious about getting down the road. The videos are sweet too!:thumb: Like what GCM2 said about the TF sliders. I was considering those for my jeep, but were curious about the durability of them. I mean I don't climb mountains like him, but his comment is worth something to me as is Wayalife's and others who are always out on trails testing their rigs. I just have some small mods now, but I would love to have some EVO stuff on mine in the future.

Regarding what GCM 2 said about TeraFlex rocker guards, pictures are worth a 1,000 words - I simply cannot make this stuff up. One hit of a rock and see how much it deformed the rocker guards...

This was a light hit but still, you can see how it deformed the rocker guard...

I should note, these were NOT hard hits. I can't imagine what these rocker guards would have looked like if they were.

 

[NFRs2000NYC]

First, smittybilt is far from the "top of the jeep parts" world. If the best was a 10, smittybilt would be around a 4-5...about average. Now, there are certain things that you can go with them (light mounts, light guards, tow hitch, etc etc) For parts that are designed to save your Jeep from damage, I would go with a quality, well made, part (I don't care where it's from)....provided that it is well made. My Rampage front bumper (American company, built in China) is solid as a bank vault. My smittybilt rock sliders have worked for me (scraping on rock and minor knocks,) but I wouldn't feel confident that they would take a hit with the full weight of the rig. I bought them when I first got my rig, and didn't know much. Would I buy them again...honestly, I love the look, but would probably would go with something better because I want the rig as capable as possible. I would like to get EVO sliders, but they are weld-on only, and that is deal breaker for me (I know it's stronger that way.) If I lived near them, absolutely, but I don't.

Some manufacturers charge a comical amount of money for their stuff. River Raider and Nemesis are some examples. $1400 for skids? Cmon, that's comedy money. $700 for corners? No thanks. Having said that, there are manufacturers that charge a reasonable amount of money for quality parts. Evo parts are generally priced right. I have been involved in the car modding world for nearly 16 years and know what it costs to produce a part, know how much profit is being made, etc.

Go with a quality product that is priced right, looks right, and most importantly, have great customer service and honor their warranties.

Just a quick example...I had an issue with my rampage bumper (wrong winchplate and missing hardware) and they took care of me ASAP. They answered my calls. They returned my calls promptly. They overnighted a replacement at their expense. It was a pleasure dealing with them. Now another big name company which I won't mention told me I have to ship the part back to them for examination (shipping on my dime), dodged my emails for 2 weeks, and IF they found a problem, they would ship me a replacement item at my expense. Not something I appreciate.

Overall, the made in the USA argument is not the only one. There are lots of things to consider when purchasing an item.

 

[Dusty]

A bunch of the guys in the local jeep club are running Engo winches, anyone have any experience with them?

 

[wayoflife]

A bunch of the guys in the local jeep club are running Engo winches, anyone have any experience with them?

They are the exact same thing as T-Max, Bulldog and just about any other Chinese made winch, just with a different badge. While they'll probably work, the question that needs to be asked is for how long and how well.