Synthetic vs. Steel Winch Line Cable

Which of the two?

About to buy my first winch and stuck between two winches. These are the 2 that are in my price range.

X20-10k steel cable $399

Or

XRC-9.5k synthetic $449

Is the synthetic line worth the extra cost and at the cost of 500 lbs less (rated) power? I prefer the looks of the X20 and the option of wireless remote. I live in CO and hear that sometimes synthetic line can freeze in the cold since it holds water.

My gut says to go with steel and if I end up using the winch so much that cable becomes a pain then switch too synthetic. Unless you guys can suggest otherwise.
 
For an extra 80 bucks, you can get the Warn M-8000 (75 dollar rebate until end of March). It's what I will be getting this month.
 
swampdog said:
For an extra 80 bucks, you can get the Warn M-8000 (75 dollar rebate until end of March). It's what I will be getting this month.
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X2, it should be enough even for a 4-door. Just buy a snatch block, some D rings and a tree saver if you need extra pulling power like if you're stuck in thick mud. And you can always buy the synthetic line down the road if you trash your steel one.
 
dmpowder said:
About to buy my first winch and stuck between two winches. These are the 2 that are in my price range.

X20-10k steel cable $399

Or

XRC-9.5k synthetic $449

Is the synthetic line worth the extra cost and at the cost of 500 lbs less (rated) power? I prefer the looks of the X20 and the option of wireless remote. I live in CO and hear that sometimes synthetic line can freeze in the cold since it holds water.

My gut says to go with steel and if I end up using the winch so much that cable becomes a pain then switch too synthetic. Unless you guys can suggest otherwise.
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I had the smittybilt XRC 9.5k on my last rig, and while it is a decent winch for the price, your best bet is to take the advice of these two above me and go Warn.
 
I have a fully armored 4 door and I have the warn vr8000s. Plenty strong enough. Nice and quiet and smooth, which is not what I have seen from the cheaper brands.
 
Recovery gear is important, I would save a little longer and get as much Warn as you can afford. They are worth the money, as I have said on here several times I've had mine for 15 years and it still works great.
 
Rope vs Wire

In the next few weeks I'm gonna buy a budget winch. I have read the pros and cons of rope versus wire and I'm still undecided. I haven't had to use a winch yet knock on wood so it will not be used very often. I like the idea of wire being low maintenance and cheaper. But I keep going back to synthetic because of weight savings. How many years are you getting out of your rope and how does it handle in the mud.

Thanks
 
Rope will be much less painful to hang yourself with when you are angry about buying an off-brand budget winch that doesn't work when you really need it to.
 
Sharkey said:
Rope will be much less painful to hang yourself with when you are angry about buying an off-brand budget winch that doesn't work when you really need it to.
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Yup. If your budget isn't up to the cost of a Warn M8000 yet, keep saving and buy it once.
 
In my opinion the warn m8000 is one of the best in terms of cost vs reliability if cost is an issue. You could get one for marginally more than a budget winch. Also someone here brought up the point that it makes more sense to buy your winch with wire and then buy the synthetic separate, almost giving you the wire for a free back up. Just my opinion.
 
alf1096 said:
I haven't had to use a winch yet knock on wood so it will not be used very often.
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All you need to do is use a winch ONCE and you will see WHY you need to get a higher quality winch and stay away from the budget minded options. My wife was at first upset with me regarding the cost of my Warn winch, but after I used it to get our Jeep to the main road and wait for towing, she was VERY happy with it. We recommend the same thing with your situation: Buy once, cry once.
 
Sharkey said:
Rope will be much less painful to hang yourself with when you are angry about buying an off-brand budget winch that doesn't work when you really need it to.
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^ The wire vs rope argument has now been solved. Pass the info along to all your Jeep buddies. :clap2:
 
Sharkey said:
Rope will be much less painful to hang yourself with when you are angry about buying an off-brand budget winch that doesn't work when you really need it to.
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^^ awesome and true!

swampdog said:
Yup. If your budget isn't up to the cost of a Warn M8000 yet, keep saving and buy it once.
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I have an M8000, used it once when I was solo, worked great. you are correct swampdog, don't waste money on a China made failure waiting to happen
 
alf1096 said:
All of the above is funny. Let's assume I am buying the great warn winch. Now how about which one.
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well ive read a bunch of opinions on both, I have steel cable, went with it because it was cheaper and I don't live in a moist/salty environment so I wasn't worried about it rusting. also figured if I could upgrade to synthetic line of I felt a need to do it. if money is an issues, which it seems like it may be, buy a better winch with steel line instead of a cheap one with synthetic, as you can assume the synthetic line is also cheap.
 
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