Winch buying advice needed

[Zandcwhite]

If a steel cable has pokey bits it needs to be repaired or chucked.

If it's rubbing on rocks as suggested, it will have a stand here or there. I disagree that 1 strand means repair or replacement. That's not a reality even in the crane world where it REALLY matters.

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[6.2Blazer]

I've had winches on vehicles for 20+ years and of course started with steel cable (simply because synthetic wasn't an option back then). In my opinion, synthetic is better most of the time. It's much easier to work with and you don't have to worry about getting metal splinters in your hands. Walking up a steep muddy hill trying to pull 80' of steel cable can be quite a chore.
I don't think steel cable is horrible by any means and have it on two of my rigs at home, but also don't use the winch on those nearly as often as my 3rd rig. That one started with steel but swapped it over to synthetic. There are places where steel cable is better, but don't think I've ever been out on the trail and thought "man, I wish I still had steel cable".........

 

[Philly_]

What's a use case?

For steel, I think it's best suited if all you do is play in the rocks, and have a habit of dragging cable over them. Steel has awesome abrasion resistance. It's also a great option for low budget and low maintenance if you are not in a region that salts roads or has a lot of moisture. Otherwise, they require grease/oil/fluid film/covers to keep them from rusting.

For synthetic, I think that if it's stored properly on the winch, meaning fairly protected from sun/debris, it's a better winch line for those that will use their winch infrequently. With infrequent use, it could be argued that the added nonessential weight of a winch itself isn't worth it, let alone a heavier one with steel cable. It's also much easier to repair synthetic line and lighter to carry extensions. And for novice users, it is much easier to handle and has virtually no memory. And it floats! Haven't been in a situation where I needed my line to float, but I can't imagine one where it would be a bad thing.

So, I could see the pros/cons for either, and I've owned both. I prefer synthetic.

 

[Zandcwhite]

I've had winches on vehicles for 20+ years and of course started with steel cable (simply because synthetic wasn't an option back then). In my opinion, synthetic is better most of the time. It's much easier to work with and you don't have to worry about getting metal splinters in your hands. Walking up a steep muddy hill trying to pull 80' of steel cable can be quite a chore.
I don't think steel cable is horrible by any means and have it on two of my rigs at home, but also don't use the winch on those nearly as often as my 3rd rig. That one started with steel but swapped it over to synthetic. There are places where steel cable is better, but don't think I've ever been out on the trail and thought "man, I wish I still had steel cable".........

The only thing worse than dragging steel up a muddy hill is dragging frozen steel through waist deep snow. Lose your grip and it dissappears. Half way back to the rig just to find the damn cable and start trudging again.

 

[Philly_]

The only thing worse than dragging steel up a muddy hill is dragging frozen steel through waist deep snow. Lose your grip and it dissappears. Half way back to the rig just to find the damn cable and start trudging again.

I had flashbacks reading this. ?

 

[TheRaven]

Just a caveat on those Warn EVO winches, they are China made with Warn specs. They do carry the usual Warn warranty which is nice, but is it $200-500 nice compared to the Badlands that at this point has a very good reputation, comes with the synthetic rope, as well as wired and wireless controls and if its good out of the box will historically be just as reliable as the Warn.

Just because a thing is made in China doesn't mean that it's as crappy as the crappiest thing made in China. "China" builds what is ordered...if the cheapest thing is ordered, then cheap crap is what will be produced. But if a designer orders a quality item to be built, "China" will build a quality item...the difference is that it's going to cost more.

More importantly, Warn winches, whether made in the US or in China, are backed by Warn. Badlands winches are backed by Harbor Freight. Who would you rather work with to get your broken winch fixed?

I fully agree that it's a subjective choice, but i'll gladly pay $700 for a Warn winch rather than $400 for a Harbor Freight winch.

 

[yokramer]

Just because a thing is made in China doesn't mean that it's as crappy as the crappiest thing made in China. "China" builds what is ordered...if the cheapest thing is ordered, then cheap crap is what will be produced. But if a designer orders a quality item to be built, "China" will build a quality item...the difference is that it's going to cost more.

More importantly, Warn winches, whether made in the US or in China, are backed by Warn. Badlands winches are backed by Harbor Freight. Who would you rather work with to get your broken winch fixed?

I fully agree that it's a subjective choice, but i'll gladly pay $700 for a Warn winch rather than $400 for a Harbor Freight winch.

Pretty sure I covered all that in my post there. As I said, if you want to pay an extra $200-500 for a warranty and the Warn sticker on a Warn Spec-ed Chinese winch go for it. However if you want to save money on a product that has been shown to be a quality winch that comes with more features than the Warn for half the price get the Badlands. The failures you see from them have been documented to happen within the first tests of the winch within the 90 day no questions asked just bring it back and they hand you a new one warranty.

 

[Powelligator]

I'm the odd duck here that hasn't pulled a vehicle with a winch in several years, but... I pull dead and downed trees all over the property when needed and pull boat docks and anchors out of water and all sorts of weird use cases. A synthetic line would end up destroyed after one weekend of my use. Another thing is that the steel cables tend to be longer, on everything but the JL I use 8274's since those have a 150' cable. A winch on the front of a Jeep is a tool for me. But that's a weird case and I'm glad there are choices in cable types and lengths.

 

[TheRaven]

Pretty sure I covered all that in my post there. As I said, if you want to pay an extra $200-500 for a warranty and the Warn sticker on a Warn Spec-ed Chinese winch go for it. However if you want to save money on a product that has been shown to be a quality winch that comes with more features than the Warn for half the price get the Badlands. The failures you see from them have been documented to happen within the first tests of the winch within the 90 day no questions asked just bring it back and they hand you a new one warranty.

It's not that you didn't cover something...it's that you worked very hard to minimize a pretty dang important detail. It's not a "Warn Spec-ed Chinese winch". It's a Warn winch made in China. Harbor Freight winches are literally Chinese winches...they are built by a Chinese "OEM" and HF brands them...you can get the exact same winch without the Badlands brand on it. Seriously - https://ldnb.en.alibaba.com/.

Now you can argue that that alone doesn't matter much if HF's Chinese winches prove to be as dependable as Warn's Evos. And I won't go into arguing that because I don't have sufficient data and it really doesn't matter for my point. The cold hard truth is that unless you buy a Zeon you will probably be dealing with a problem with your winch at some point. I think being able to deal directly with Warn instead of being told "you'll have to talk to the manufacturer" by HF is EASILY worth $200-300 if you actually plan to use your winch.

I just want to make sure that potential buyers here realize that they are getting A LOT more than just "a warranty and Warn sticker" when they opt for an Evo instead of Badlands.

 

[Zandcwhite]

More importantly, Warn winches, whether made in the US or in China, are backed by Warn. Badlands winches are backed by Harbor Freight. Who would you rather work with to get your broken winch fixed?

i don't own either, but I'd rather deal with a retailer with physical stores literally everywhere than one that has none if I did have an issue. Hell in a pinch you could buy an entire Badlands if you needed say a solenoid for that moab trip you're leaving for in the morning and just return it when you're replacement solenoid showed up after the trip. Good luck getting that kind of turn around via shipping from anyone.

 

[Cycle11111]

My apologies if I posted in the wrong section.

Wifey wants a stubby bumper and winch for her 2023 JLU.

I have poured over lots of vendors and YouTube trying to get the best bang for my $$$, but am not making any headway.

My questions are:
1. Best bang for the buck winch for a novice Jeeper / what to stay away from
2. Should I kill 2 birds with one stone tone and buy a bumper/winch combos?

Thanks, Kleetus

I have a 12K Warn Platinum and although a great winch it is stupid expensive and the remote is truly a joke - the battery constantly drains itself to 0% in a month with no usage and Warn has been zero help. Lots of YouTube stories on this. This is mounted on my Sprinter. I have the 12K Alex Badlands on my JL - aluminum Rockhard number. This winch has been solid and has both wireless and wired controllers (The Warn only has the home of a Wireless controller). I got it with the one time 25% off so could buy 4 for my one Warn. I used the heck out of the Badlands locally in NorCal, in Moab and on the Rubicon and have nothing but good things to say about it.

 

[azjl#3]

go warn but never evo, i just went through that recall debacle. Zeon is gold standard, and you pay for it. I actually loved my m8000, still do. HF is hard to resist and has good reviews as well. Never used, just planned as backup? Thats why i went Evo, but if i had to do it again, HF badland all day every day just be sure to exercise it every 6 months or so. Let my Evo sit for 18 months only to discover it was dead, yeas, under warranty, fixed.

also, i just went all rope, shackles, pullies, everything, no metal shackles, no weight. Yankum ropes.

 

[TheRaven]

i don't own either, but I'd rather deal with a retailer with physical stores literally everywhere than one that has none if I did have an issue. Hell in a pinch you could buy an entire Badlands if you needed say a solenoid for that moab trip you're leaving for in the morning and just return it when you're replacement solenoid showed up after the trip. Good luck getting that kind of turn around via shipping from anyone.

Well if you want to try the 'ole exchange-o trick that's certainly a way to go...it's probably what i'd do in that situation. But otherwise, that physical store is going to tell you to call the manufacturer once that winch is more than 90 days old.

Coincidentally, if you're leaving for Moab the next day, Warn will have the replacement part (or replacement winch) you need waiting for you when you get there, with an installer. Personal experience. Granted that only works in Moab and western Oregon as far as I know.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Well if you want to try the 'ole exchange-o trick that's certainly a way to go...it's probably what i'd do in that situation. But otherwise, that physical store is going to tell you to call the manufacturer once that winch is more than 90 days old.

Coincidentally, if you're leaving for Moab the next day, Warn will have the replacement part (or replacement winch) you need waiting for you when you get there, with an installer. Personal experience. Granted that only works in Moab and western Oregon as far as I know.

True moab wasn't the greatest example but you get the point. I've had great luck running xbull winches on the last couple Jeeps. Never had a wireless remote battery that needed replaced let alone it draining itself when not in use. Like the apex it comes with a wire just in case you need it, but I never have. At $350 I'll just order anther one from Amazon before I worry about warranty claims and I'll have it within 2 days.

 

[DubaiMarauder]

I've been researching both the Warn and the Apex Badlands 12S winches recently, and aside from price tag and a few minor tech specs, they're fairly even. The Warn Zeon 12S has a slightly faster FPS pull rate, but when you're counting in inches and feet to get out of a tough spot, who cares how fast the drum pull speed is? The only other major difference is how Warn attaches their line to the drum. Warns appears to be slightly stouter than the Badlands, but otherwise, they're pretty evenly matched. I think for those who use their Jeep as a daily driver like myself who don't rock climb, the Badlands will be my choice. The $549 price tag doesn't hurt as bad either. For those who regularly rock climb level 9+ difficulty trails and have spent gobs of money on their build, then ok, they can justify sinking $2,000 on a Warn Zeon 12S. Even still, I'd argue that in 95% of cases where they require recovery or even as an anchor point, the Badlands would have more than sufficed. It ultimately boils down to elitism and brand bashing.

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