OPINION Q: Winch shootout - Article

JKWrang said:
http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/129-1107-massive-multi-winch-shootout/

Not sure if the above is on here but what do you folks think of the results? If I were in the market for a winch does the Engo stack up like this article says it does in real life? It is very cost effective per this article.

I know most here are big fans of the Warn bran but this was interesting for sure. Thoughts?
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A budget winch is a budget winch. That being said, I purchased the Engo myself. Hasn't let me down yet. BUT it only gets used maybe once every few months. Not to take anything away from it but if I was able to wheel every weekend, I'd replace it with a higher end warn.

Hard to talk bad about the thing though. It's saved my day and a few of my friends as well.
 
It's a 4 year old article but I was pretty impressed with the numbers for the price. Not that this testing is exactly the most accurate measurement of the real world application here but for 300 bucks?

King copperhead do you have any pics? I'm interested in this thing
 
Is saving $300 bucks really worth being stuck out on the trail when it finally gives up and does not work any more? That is the question I asked my self before getting a Warn. It was worth it to me.
 
JKWrang said:
It's a 4 year old article but I was pretty impressed with the numbers for the price. Not that this testing is exactly the most accurate measurement of the real world application here but for 300 bucks?

King copperhead do you have any pics? I'm interested in this thing
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Here's some pics. On the jeep, unboxing, and in use.

Now before you pull the trigger I want to do my due diligence and remind you again, this is a budget winch. Most if not all of the winches in this price point are made on the same assembly line in China. Internally this winch isn't a whole lot different than what you'd get from Harbor freight. Also, the quality control is less tight than what you'd get from a higher end warn. (I'm not sold on their vr series, I've also witnessed An M8000 burn up on its first use.)

Also. The power wires are very short on this winch. So much so that I had to route my wires through the grill rather than under it for them to reach the battery. This is mostly aesthetic but it might matter to you.

With that mouthful being said. If you asked me if I'm happy with my winch, I would say absolutely. I've used it to extract myself, and several friends I would say, on 10+ instances in varying weather conditions in mud, rocks, and snow.
Do I recommend this winch to people who are on a budget? Yes I do.

Am I saying it's in the same league as a warn? Absolutely not. For all I know I got lucky and landed a good engo. (although I've yet to read about any failures or complaints on this model)


I only get to wheel once every few months. I do play pretty hard, but that's very subjective. Happy it hasn't let me down. If and when it does I'll replace it with a Warn (power plant or zeon) Not that I'm unhappy with Engo, but now that I've used a winch and know the value of one. I won't be so hesitant to spend 1k+ on one. When I bought the Engo I had never used a winch and wasn't sure how much I'd really need it.


Whew. Mouthful of a long post. But this always ends up being a sensitive topic. So trying to cover the bases and give a completely honest description.
 

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If you live in an area where they salt the roads it will begin to rust very quickly. Mine is less than 2 years old and looks like hell. That being said it works well for the price I paid. If I buy another winch it will probably be a warn.
 
BlueCopper said:
If you live in an area where they salt the roads it will begin to rust very quickly. Mine is less than 2 years old and looks like hell. That being said it works well for the price I paid. If I buy another winch it will probably be a warn.
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Well that's not good. They salt religiously up here... after the first massive ice-over
 
JKWrang said:
http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/129-1107-massive-multi-winch-shootout/

Not sure if the above is on here but what do you folks think of the results? If I were in the market for a winch does the Engo stack up like this article says it does in real life? It is very cost effective per this article.

I know most here are big fans of the Warn bran but this was interesting for sure. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

To paraphrase crippledpetey - if you were going to buy a parachute, would you pay a bit more for something you know works or would you choose to save a few bucks because a review of a Chinese made one 4 years ago sounded favorable?

To be clear, most like myself aren't so much as "fans of the WARN brand" but rather, feel that when it comes to "safety equipment", it doesn't pay to cheap out. If you want to save some money, do it on things like bumpers, light bars or grab handles. Regardless of the review, ENGO is made in China and while the unit they got worked well, the question is in quality control - will ALL the units they sell perform the same ALL the time? In the end, it's your Jeep and your money.
 
To be clear I read an article and asked for your opinions - which you are all giving and I appreciate. I'm not yet at the purchasing stage and am researching. Everyone's experience with their equipment is more important than the marketing rhetoric and the one piece I posted up - ESPECIALLY if you have used one and broke it like Overlander did

Thanks for the input, everyone. I had never heard of the Engo until I saw this article.
 
Anyone have thoughts on the Superwinch brand or should I just get a Warn and be done with it? I've got a tight budget so I'm thinking maybe I should get a Warn with a steel line and then upgrade it later.
 
JKWrang said:
To be clear I read an article and asked for your opinions - which you are all giving and I appreciate. I'm not yet at the purchasing stage and am researching. Everyone's experience with their equipment is more important than the marketing rhetoric and the one piece I posted up - ESPECIALLY if you have used one and broke it like Overlander did

Thanks for the input, everyone. I had never heard of the Engo until I saw this article.
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And I hope you know that some of us are just trying to help prevent you from making a purchase you might regret later and based on what we've seen. :yup:
 
wayoflife said:
And I hope you know that some of us are just trying to help prevent you from making a purchase you might regret later and based on what we've seen. :yup:
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Also - regarding your input and experience with the Warn brand. The VR line (I think that's it) would be similar type quality to something like a Quadratec or the Engo... or am I off base there.
 
JKWrang said:
Also - regarding your input and experience with the Warn brand. The VR line (I think that's it) would be similar type quality to something like a Quadratec or the Engo... or am I off base there.
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Nope, you'd be spot on. I know it's heresy but, I DO NOT recommend the VR line of WARN winches as they really are NO better than an ENGO or Qtech.
 
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