Show her pictures of your JL's winch!

[RedJeep78]

Warn Zeon 10 with flatlink. I love mine.

 

[ECHO]

 

[Oneilc01]

what winch plate did you use?

Winch mounting kit #82215182
Fair lead adapter plate for JPP centered winch 82215528
Grille and Winch Guard Hoop #82215351

 

[Renegade Wrangler]

My setup
Warn 10 s Platnum a

bull bar, with Stubby Mopar metal bump and A Factor 55 Flat Link Hook with a wind gard.

 

[Sorbs]

It’s under there somewhere...

 

[Stry]

Warn Zeon 10-S

 

[American Adventurist]

there's no comparison between Warn and Superwinch. Warn is the original and all of the products (except the VR) are made at one facility in Oregon. They even cut their own gears. They also test their products and their competitors on their dynos in the same facility, and their products consistently perform better and survive far more duty cycles than anything else out there. I've been through the facility and know the engineering team. I wouldn't buy anything else (and not because I'm loyal).

Times are changing.

I got to talk to lots of people at Overland Expo and I made it a point to talk winches.

As many of you may know, Superwinch was sold recently and bought out by Westin. They bought everything except the rights to the EXP series which was under litigation from Warn. Westin seems to understand the importance of the brand, and Superwinch intends to be back in a big way and may have something new on the market in time for SEMA 2019. We will wait and see, but I'm told they will still be making and selling the excellent Talon and Tigershark series.

In other news, Warn was also bought out recently by Keystone, and it seems some of the parent companies that own places like 4wheel Parts, ORW etc don't care for Warn's new parent company as they are direct competitors in other areas, so they may choose to promote other brands now that Warn is a Keystone asset.

Competition is good as this benefits us all, but as much as we want made in USA products it seems both brands are more and more likely to be made in China.

Speaking of made in China, it's harder and harder for me to dismiss ComeUp winches. They're actually pretty good.

The winch industry is evolving so my recommendation is to not get too hung up on where it is made but focus on how it is made and what the specs are, and what you actually want to do with a winch.

 

[RMojitoJL]

Warn VR

Stock fog lights relocated to new bumper?

 

[GPsGeeps]

Warn Zeon 10S on a Warn winch plate.

 

[Brosef]

Times are changing.

I got to talk to lots of people at Overland Expo and I made it a point to talk winches.

As many of you may know, Superwinch was sold recently and bought out by Westin. They bought everything except the rights to the EXP series which was under litigation from Warn. Westin seems to understand the importance of the brand, and Superwinch intends to be back in a big way and may have something new on the market in time for SEMA 2019. We will wait and see, but I'm told they will still be making and selling the excellent Talon and Tigershark series.

In other news, Warn was also bought out recently by Keystone, and it seems some of the parent companies that own places like 4wheel Parts, ORW etc don't care for Warn's new parent company as they are direct competitors in other areas, so they may choose to promote other brands now that Warn is a Keystone asset.

Competition is good as this benefits us all, but as much as we want made in USA products it seems both brands are more and more likely to be made in China.

Speaking of made in China, it's harder and harder for me to dismiss ComeUp winches. They're actually pretty good.

The winch industry is evolving so my recommendation is to not get too hung up on where it is made but focus on how it is made and what the specs are, and what you actually want to do with a winch.

good post. a few things I would say though.

1. Superwinch wasn't just 'bought out by Westin'. they weren't making enough money to service their debt, and so the lenders took over. that happened after they decided to move their manufacturing operation from China to Oregon (just a few miles down the road from Warn) and they were unable to get products manufactured. one of the troubles with utility patents is that in order to get that protection, you need to disclose how your product works - essentially giving everybody the design you developed. competition is better for us as consumers. but intellectual property infringement discourages R&D and product innovation, so consumers lose.

2. that's correct that Warn is now owned by Keystone, but so what? that has nothing to do with the merits of the product. and it makes it obvious that you have some personal thing against Warn. nevertheless, the fact that it's still sold by 4WP (who owns and sells their Smittybilt branded competitive products) speaks volumes about the quality of their products.

3. I agree that where it's made isn't everything. there's some good product that is made in China. but as a general matter, it's not as reliable as U.S. manufacturing (particularly in the instance of smaller companies that don't manufacture at the same scale and have the same supplier relationships).

with all that said, help me understand how 'times are changing'? Warn is still at the forefront of design and engineering, and they continue to put out the best products. their competitors will continue to compete with them in the only way that they can - by selling a lower quality product for less money. and there's nothing wrong with that, and I agree that is good for consumers to have options. not everyone can afford to pay for a Warn, and some people don't ever use the product anyhow, so what difference does it make to those populations?

I would be wary of what the self-interested people at 'Overland Expo' or elsewhere in the trade say. they all have an agenda. I don't work in the industry and don't have anything to gain from you buying a winch, Warn or otherwise. my only hope is that the market continues to evolve in a way that serves consumers best, with continued innovation and improved quality at better costs to the consumer.

 

[American Adventurist]

good post. a few things I would say though.

1. Superwinch wasn't just 'bought out by Westin'. they weren't making enough money to service their debt, and so the lenders took over. that happened after they decided to move their manufacturing operation from China to Oregon (just a few miles down the road from Warn) and they were unable to get products manufactured. one of the troubles with utility patents is that in order to get that protection, you need to disclose how your product works - essentially giving everybody the design you developed. competition is better for us as consumers. but intellectual property infringement discourages R&D and product innovation, so consumers lose.

2. that's correct that Warn is now owned by Keystone, but so what? that has nothing to do with the merits of the product. and it makes it obvious that you have some personal thing against Warn. nevertheless, the fact that it's still sold by 4WP (who owns and sells their Smittybilt branded competitive products) speaks volumes about the quality of their products.

3. I agree that where it's made isn't everything. there's some good product that is made in China. but as a general matter, it's not as reliable as U.S. manufacturing (particularly in the instance of smaller companies that don't manufacture at the same scale and have the same supplier relationships).

with all that said, help me understand how 'times are changing'? Warn is still at the forefront of design and engineering, and they continue to put out the best products. their competitors will continue to compete with them in the only way that they can - by selling a lower quality product for less money. and there's nothing wrong with that, and I agree that is good for consumers to have options. not everyone can afford to pay for a Warn, and some people don't ever use the product anyhow, so what difference does it make to those populations?

I would be wary of what the self-interested people at 'Overland Expo' or elsewhere in the trade say. they all have an agenda. I don't work in the industry and don't have anything to gain from you buying a winch, Warn or otherwise. my only hope is that the market continues to evolve in a way that serves consumers best, with continued innovation and improved quality at better costs to the consumer.

1. You seem well informed, good on ya

2. Something against Warn? Hardly. I'm from the PNW so that's the home team, and I've worked with them on many endeavors. But you do make me laugh out loud when you say "the fact that it's still sold by 4WP (who owns and sells their Smittybilt branded competitive products) speaks volumes about the quality of their products" You do realize how ridiculous it is to say that just because something is sold by 4WP (or ORW or anyone else who resells) somehow speaks to quality. Hardly. It speaks to the fact that margins are good and it's profitable to resell the brand more than anything else.

3. Dead horse. Carry on with the flogging sir.

How are times changing? If you can't see it, I can't help you.

The tone of your post is fairly argumentative, why is that? Nothing I said was untrue nor is there any bias one way or the other. And I don't work for any of these companies. What I do like to do though is share what I know with fellow enthusiasts. Sharing info is the purpose of any forum.

Have a good rest of your day.

 

[Datjeeptho]

Warn Zeon 10 with flatlink. I love mine.

What bumper is that? I like it a lot lol

 

[Skook Trail Rider]

Warn platinum 10s

What kind of wheels to you have? They really look good on the white Jeep. Actually looking for wheels with orange bead rings.

 

[Kpunk'n]

Warn winch, already showed off my new LED fog lights on the Punk'n thread.

 

[Brosef]

1. You seem well informed, good on ya

2. Something against Warn? Hardly. I'm from the PNW so that's the home team, and I've worked with them on many endeavors. But you do make me laugh out loud when you say "the fact that it's still sold by 4WP (who owns and sells their Smittybilt branded competitive products) speaks volumes about the quality of their products" You do realize how ridiculous it is to say that just because something is sold by 4WP (or ORW or anyone else who resells) somehow speaks to quality. Hardly. It speaks to the fact that margins are good and it's profitable to resell the brand more than anything else.

3. Dead horse. Carry on with the flogging sir.

How are times changing? If you can't see it, I can't help you.

The tone of your post is fairly argumentative, why is that? Nothing I said was untrue nor is there any bias one way or the other. And I don't work for any of these companies. What I do like to do though is share what I know with fellow enthusiasts. Sharing info is the purpose of any forum.

Have a good rest of your day.

hey man - I'm sorry my post came across as argumentative. I'm not trying to pick an internet fight here, but I was responding to what I would say were inconsistencies in your post. specifically:

- your post said that you're most interested in comparing product quality and specs and what's best for the consumer. yet you're also talking about how Warn is now owned by Keystone and that's causing heartburn for 4WP and other vendors. what relevance does that have to your point about doing what's best for consumers? just seems like you're trying to take a cheap shot at Warn and talk up Superwinch (a competitor who infringed on Warn's IP - which, as I pointed out, is actually bad for consumers so I'm not sure why you promote them)

- you said that Warn is likely going to start making all their winches in China. that would be new news - do you have a source for that? they have always made the VR there to hit a lower price point, but everything else is made in Oregon. I would say this was something in your post that was factually incorrect (unless you know something I don't).

in any case, like you, I also just want us enthusiasts to share information and have all the facts. it's good to have people like you on the board to share info. cheers