Warn Zeon vs Warn Evo

[Golden Power]

I work at an off-road shop in Houston TX, the evo10s is the winch we sell the most, I use one, my boss who owns the shop uses one, and many people in our group use them. If someone wants the best we will recommend the Zeon line and if someone wants to save money we recommend the smittybilt. I have never seen issues with the evo line other than the wireless remote failing however it still works in a wired manner, but that does not mean that other issues don't exist. You are free to make your own decision and no matter what one you buy you will be happy. Also for whatever winch you end up with PLEASE use some sort of power switch or relay. I have seen some of the lesser quality winches (Looking at you Rough Country) catch fire due to bad control boxes. If it weren't for the interrupt relay I insisted on my friend installing his land cruiser would be a pile of charred metal.

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[BaconFury]

Xeon in made in USA, Evo is made in China. Who do you support?

Xeon in made in USA, Evo is made in China. Who do you support?

The Xeon is not "Made in the USA". Warn's non-VR winches are assembled in Oregon with globally sourced parts. Meets the legal definition though.

 

[John Benoit]

The Xeon is not "Made in the USA". Warn's non-VR winches are assembled in Oregon with globally sourced parts. Meets the legal definition though.

Mine was made in the USA. Why do guys always have to try and prove someone who is not your Clik wrong? Do you not have anything better to do than to try and argue with people on the internet? Let it go. Please don’t respond to me again.

 

[John Benoit]

Or maybe this. Just a little humor before the repetitive winch arguments erupt.

So are you a poser?

 

[OrneryBear]

Right now you can pickup the Warn VR Evo10 for $319 after rebate from Northridge.
https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/jeep-truck-suv-winches/103252-warn-vr-evo10-winch-w-steel-cable

That's mighty tempting, is there any difference between the 10 and 10s besides the cable and fairlead? at $319, that's pretty tempting to buy, pull off the steel cable and install a freedom winch line and a yankum fairlead and call it done.

 

[c20040215]

That's mighty tempting, is there any difference between the 10 and 10s besides the cable and fairlead? at $319, that's pretty tempting to buy, pull off the steel cable and install a freedom winch line and a yankum fairlead and call it done.

The synthetic rope version also has $100 rebate which bring it down to $550.

https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/...p5SPai9Mwi4Y5Bd3U5LDR3l4AmXI0ps6bbAHA1Lo88xps

 

[BaconFury]

That's mighty tempting, is there any difference between the 10 and 10s besides the cable and fairlead? at $319, that's pretty tempting to buy, pull off the steel cable and install a freedom winch line and a yankum fairlead and call it done.

Looking at the parts breakdown they share all identical parts with the exception of the roller/fairlead and cable/rope.
https://us-east-2-02900067-inspect....nt/DownloadFile?downloadId=2505&type=original

 

[OrneryBear]

The synthetic rope version also has $100 rebate which bring it down to $550.

https://www.northridge4x4.com/part/...p5SPai9Mwi4Y5Bd3U5LDR3l4AmXI0ps6bbAHA1Lo88xps

This is true, but I was also already planning on running yankum fairlead and the freedom winch line.

I guess I could buy the 10-s and just get the yakum fairlead and remove the hook from the warn line just rock a single thimble on the end to save like $100.

Looking at the parts breakdown they share all identical parts with the exception of the roller/fairlead and cable/rope.
https://us-east-2-02900067-inspect.menlosecurity.com/safeview-fileserv/tc_download/8e826721abb029b691d4744905f5085130ea2c854f34d89415b8b282244c350b/104295A3.pdf?&cid=NDBB2472A6EA4_&rid=f868014ad75f6d731f5bad68afe235ef&file_url=https://www.warn.com/Attachment/DownloadFile?downloadId=2505&type=original

awesome, thanks!

 

[Terrymo]

So are you a poser?

Nope just someone with a sense of humor. I have a Warn Zeon 10s but that’s just my personal choice.

 

[Sobchak Security]

I am starting to look at winches and the Evo power cords sticking up is the only thing that keeps me looking.

 

[Murphydog]

Having installed the EVO the only knock is that the wires come out of the back of the controller and can get mashed against the grill. I believe the ZEON has bus bars so the installation is a little cleaner.

I re routed the wires out of the side of my controller (piss poor hack job on my part) such that the wires no longer rub my grill.

 

[Sgt Beavis]

To me, it's a buy once, cry once situation. The Zeon is worth the money, it's just more of it. Also, I do quite a bit of fording in my adventures. The ability to operate the winch underwater is a plus to me.

There's nothing really wrong with the EVO, IMO. You're just getting better with the Zeon.

Funny thing is, I've had it for almost 3 years and I've never had to use it to pull myself out of a situation. But I've ended up pulling several other rigs out of different situation. interestingly, I've never had to extract a Wrangler. It's almost always unmodified Tacos, 4Runners, or Outbacks driven by people that don't know the limits of what they have. I had to extract a Passat once. The driver had zero thoughts on what that poor sedan was actually capable of.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I am all for the knock offs. My very reputable Offroad fabrication shop says they have more warn failures than Smittybilt or Apex. I also don't think Matt's Offroad recovery would use the Apex if it wasn't reliable. I have one on my TRX and my buddy has a Warn Zeon Platinum 12k on his TRX. My wireless range is far superior to his and his losses the signal randomly and I never have.

For my Wife's Jeep, I went with an Openroad 13k. It has a good reputation, fits nicely and is used by a lot of the Ozark Adventures owners and followers. I think, for it's intended use, it is perfect.

I was told that almost all winch manufacturers except the Warn Platinum, use the same 2 Chinese factories and just rebrand them.I don't know if this is true but if you take off the fancy covers, they all look like a Smittybilt.

 

[c20040215]

I am all for the knock offs. My very reputable Offroad fabrication shop says they have more failures than Smittybilt or Apex. I also don't think Matt's Offroad recovery would use the Apex if it wasn't reliable. I have one on my TRX and my buddy has a Warn Zeon Platinum 12k on his TRX. My wireless range is far superior to his and his losses the signal randomly and I never have.

For my Wife's Jeep, I went with an Openroad 13k. It has a good reputation, fits nicely and is used by a lot of the Ozark Adventures owners and followers. I think, for it's intended use, it is perfect.

I was told that almost all winch manufacturers except the Warn Platinum, use the same 2 Chinese factories and just rebrand them.I don't know if this is true but if you take off the fancy covers, they all look like a Smittybilt.

I believe you get what you pay for. The QC, the fit and finish, and part quality, customer service, and name.

However, it does not mean a non USA made winch is unreliable. Proper maintenance is key to ensure your winch, regardless of brand, to work when you need it. Cover it when not in use, test run it every so often, make sure the wire connections are good and free of corrosion, make sure the rope are in good shape etc..

As for most of the key components are from the same factory, I have no doubt that is the case.

 

[J0E]

Xeon in made in USA, Evo is made in China. Who do you support?

Only the Zeon Platinum is made in the USA. I've got a 12K Platinum winch and it's a fantastic winch with one fatal, well known flaw: No wired remote and an unreliable remote.

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