Any opinions on the new Smittybilt X2O winch

ITLL GO said:
Man, that's what I worry about too. $500 or so bucks seems like a lot of money to not work when you need it to. I feel like they are similar to Harbor Freight. Cheap and works for some people, but you get what you pay for. Personally learned a long time ago to never buy Harbor Freight tools.. I'm leaning the same direction with Smitty. But the price is so tempting for my CJ... And for the record, nothing on hay beast cost very much. Maybe I'll end up with a used Warn.
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Just say all the parts failed and have replacements sent early so you have trail spares!! [emoji87][emoji87][emoji87]

Kidding! Don't do that ;-)
 
The trouble is there is always "that guy" that has had nothing but luck. Last Feb. Cozdude's Q-tech saved about 8 Jeeps back-to-back (Punkin' included). The very next time I was out with a guy that had the same winch and it died mid recovery. :naw:

I will be honest, If I am leading a group I stage vehicles with Chinese winches like they don't have one. Then, if it fails we are better prepared to make adjustments and recover them. This said, more often than not they have worked just fine.




Side topic: except for the one guy who had literally gutted the winch to save weight. It was only there for "looks" :doh: Same dude was PISSED that he rashed his wheels.
 
ITLL GO said:
Congrats on the new winch. I'm excited to hear about it. Please update once you have it working and installed. I'm sure there are a lot of us who have been thinking the same thing. I hope you have a good experience with it!
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Will do, thanks.
 
mikefishes said:
If in the first 6 responses you got, three people said they had problem with the wireless, weak pins that break off, and a unit that was defective from the factory, how in the world did that make it an "easy decision" for you??
seems like a 50% success rate at best. [emoji15][emoji15][emoji15]
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I have to disagree with you. All of us who said we had minor issues also wrote that the winches work great. So actually that's a 100% success rate. I'm sure all of know that Smittybilt doesn't compare to Warn when it comes to winches but also not everyone can afford a Warn. So, is everyone who bought a wrangler sport or X an idiot for not buying a Rubicon? Some people buy what they can afford. It's called living on a budget. Yes, Warn makes the best winches, so say that in a helpful opinion next time. Don't belittle the guy.
 
wayoflife said:
What you're missing is that this is a forum that people share opinions and information on and not some kind of feel good life affirmation group that everyone participates on to pat each other on the back.
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That is TOO funny. I laughed out loud on this post.

As to the people trying to defend the OP… DON'T. He seemed to already have his mind made up and was looking for affirmation. A better thread title should have been "What is the best winch for under XXX amount?"

And for god sakes, why risk a $500-$750 tow out cost for the recovery of your vehicle because you saved $250 - $500 on a winch? I am completely with Eddie on this, buy good safety equipment, look to save money elsewhere. In my case, I could not afford to get the Jeep that I wanted a few months ago, so I am saving so that I can get the Jeep that I want 8 months from now. And THEN I will get the right equipment the first time. That's right, a WARN winch, based on what I have seen and heard about. When you get see a theme, there is truth and fact behind it.
 
If you can afford 600, you can afford 1000. The point of this forum is to point people in the best direction based on experience and gained knowledge. If you ask an opinion about a product, expect an honest answer.
 
NevadaZielmeister said:
That is TOO funny. I laughed out loud on this post.

As to the people trying to defend the OP… DON'T. He seemed to already have his mind made up and was looking for affirmation. A better thread title should have been "What is the best winch for under XXX amount?"

And for god sakes, why risk a $500-$750 tow out cost for the recovery of your vehicle because you saved $250 - $500 on a winch? I am completely with Eddie on this, buy good safety equipment, look to save money elsewhere. In my case, I could not afford to get the Jeep that I wanted a few months ago, so I am saving so that I can get the Jeep that I want 8 months from now. And THEN I will get the right equipment the first time. That's right, a WARN winch, based on what I have seen and heard about. When you get see a theme, there is truth and fact behind it.
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To be fair to those that either need to work with what they have or go without for potentially longer than 8 months? I'd buy my Smittybilt over again based on my personal circumstances at the time :)

I just don't put myself in a position to RELY on it without friends. Wheel responsibly, never alone and with redundant safety equipment.
 
Mountainjk10 said:
I have to disagree with you. All of us who said we had minor issues also wrote that the winches work great. So actually that's a 100% success rate. I'm sure all of know that Smittybilt doesn't compare to Warn when it comes to winches but also not everyone can afford a Warn. So, is everyone who bought a wrangler sport or X an idiot for not buying a Rubicon? Some people buy what they can afford. It's called living on a budget. Yes, Warn makes the best winches, so say that in a helpful opinion next time. Don't belittle the guy.
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I wasn't belittling him when I wrote that and I'll be careful with my words so I don't offend you either.

Your minor issue was the broken connector, right? I'll assume you didn't desperately need THAT to work when it failed... Apparently the only inconvenience was having to contact SMittybilt and have another one sent... I guess it's s good thing that you had a few days to wait it out. You're lucky it didn't break when you actually needed it to.

You should amend your earlier statement to read " all of us said that our winches work great..WHEN they work..." I think that would be more accurate.

Again, I'm certainly not trying to ruffle feathers and I understand wheeling on a budget. I did it for a long time and I still do. However, the OP did also pick up a pretty pricey bumper and stinger as well. The budget wasn't too terribly thin..
 
I appreciate the comments from everyone. (except the douche that called me a Jack ass.) I was only looking for opinions on the winch itself. I fully understand that in some cases you get what you pay for...or less, but all I was looking for were reviews from people that have at one time or another used the winch (or a similar Smittybilt model) or knew someone that had. I understand that lot's of people want to give their 2 cents on equipment they've NEVER ACTUALLY USED, but I was'nt looking for that. People that have their opinions based on their actual experience, like the folks that first commented, and Eddie (who unfortunately chimed in a little late) are the ones I was looking to get info from.
Happy Labor Day!
 
ITLL GO said:
Man, that's what I worry about too. $500 or so bucks seems like a lot of money to not work when you need it to. I feel like they are similar to Harbor Freight. Cheap and works for some people, but you get what you pay for. Personally learned a long time ago to never buy Harbor Freight tools.. I'm leaning the same direction with Smitty. But the price is so tempting for my CJ... And for the record, nothing on hay beast cost very much. Maybe I'll end up with a used Warn.
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Some cheap things are fine some things not (recovery gear). But harbor freight stuff is not all bad I have used some of their stuff just fine for many years.
 
Mountainjk10 said:
I have to disagree with you. All of us who said we had minor issues also wrote that the winches work great. So actually that's a 100% success rate. I'm sure all of know that Smittybilt doesn't compare to Warn when it comes to winches but also not everyone can afford a Warn. So, is everyone who bought a wrangler sport or X an idiot for not buying a Rubicon? Some people buy what they can afford. It's called living on a budget. Yes, Warn makes the best winches, so say that in a helpful opinion next time. Don't belittle the guy.
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eh, no. I have to disagree with you. If that were true, you would have bought a $400 Smittybilt rear bumper tire carrier instead of a $600 OR-Fab. Clearly, you liked one more than the other and really, there's nothing wrong with that as neither are critical to have in the first place. Again, your winch is a piece of safety equipment and I personally find it hard to understand how people will make a compromise here just to save a couple of hundred dollars but will pay top dollar for a bumper. I mean, if it were something like a parachute you were buying, would you still buy a Chinese made one just to save a couple of hundred dollars when you know spending a bit more would get you the best?

MedixJK said:
If you can afford 600, you can afford 1000. The point of this forum is to point people in the best direction based on experience and gained knowledge. If you ask an opinion about a product, expect an honest answer.
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Yup, that's about it right there :yup:

tdijet said:
To be fair to those that either need to work with what they have or go without for potentially longer than 8 months? I'd buy my Smittybilt over again based on my personal circumstances at the time :)

I just don't put myself in a position to RELY on it without friends. Wheel responsibly, never alone and with redundant safety equipment.
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To be fair to those who need to work with what they have, why not go without a winch for potentially 8 months or longer? If you never wheel alone and have redundant safety equipment, you don't really need a winch in the first place. In my opinion, better off just taking more time to save up and get what you know is the best your money can buy. But of course, that's just me.
 
jjlong said:
I appreciate the comments from everyone. (except the douche that called me a Jack ass.) I was only looking for opinions on the winch itself. I fully understand that in some cases you get what you pay for...or less, but all I was looking for were reviews from people that have at one time or another used the winch (or a similar Smittybilt model) or knew someone that had. I understand that lot's of people want to give their 2 cents on equipment they've NEVER ACTUALLY USED, but I was'nt looking for that. People that have their opinions based on their actual experience, like the folks that first commented, and Eddie (who unfortunately chimed in a little late) are the ones I was looking to get info from.
Happy Labor Day!
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For whatever it's worth, it's entirely possible that you bought a winch that will work when you need it and won't ever have any problems. I would never pretend to suggest that ALL Smittybilt winches or ones made in China will fail or spontaneously combust. My issue with them is in the quality control or lack there of. Even if the Chinese could get it to where only 1 in a 100 has issues, I personally wouldn't want to take a chance that I would get that one. Of course, the reality of things or, at least from what I have personally seen is that more times than not, people with Smittybilt, ENGO or the like winches will have them crap out when they really need them to work most. I wish this weren't true especially being that it really sucks to have to figure out different solutions when this happens on the trail but, that's what I have seen.
 
I have to agree, safety equipment must be #1 on the list for quality.
buy the cheapest winch,towstrap, cleavis, brakes and tires- but buy the most expensive stereo, light bar or shift knob.
 
jjlong said:
I appreciate the comments from everyone. (except the douche that called me a Jack ass.) I was only looking for opinions on the winch itself. I fully understand that in some cases you get what you pay for...or less, but all I was looking for were reviews from people that have at one time or another used the winch (or a similar Smittybilt model) or knew someone that had. I understand that lot's of people want to give their 2 cents on equipment they've NEVER ACTUALLY USED, but I was'nt looking for that. People that have their opinions based on their actual experience, like the folks that first commented, and Eddie (who unfortunately chimed in a little late) are the ones I was looking to get info from.
Happy Labor Day!
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I apologize for calling you a "JACKASS." It was meant jokingly without malice. I see how that could have been insulting. Happy Labor Day to you and yours.
 
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I have the same winch and it worked great the one time I used it to winch my YJ on the trailer, lol. I got it as a gift from my wife and my hands are tied because I wanted a Warn. Looks like I won't need to wait long for it to "break" to replace it.
 
wayoflife said:
eh, no. I have to disagree with you. If that were true, you would have bought a $400 Smittybilt rear bumper tire carrier instead of a $600 OR-Fab. Clearly, you liked one more than the other and really, there's nothing wrong with that as neither are critical to have in the first place. Again, your winch is a piece of safety equipment and I personally find it hard to understand how people will make a compromise here just to save a couple of hundred dollars but will pay top dollar for a bumper. I mean, if it were something like a parachute you were buying, would you still buy a Chinese made one just to save a couple of hundred dollars when you know spending a bit more would get you the best?
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Eddie, out of all the people on here I never thought I would be disappointed by your comments of assumption. Maybe next time you should ask where I got the Or-Fab carrier from before you comment about it. But, since you didn't I will tell you anyway. I bought it used for $200 because I couldn't afford a new one. It was pretty beat up and totally reconditioned it. Also, not everyone on this forum is a hardcore rock crawling wheeler. If I was doing your kind of wheeling I would want the best too. But in my geographical area all we have is flat trails and mud holes. My winch isn't a necessity but more of a security blanket. Sorry to go off on you but I you slightly hit a nerve. No hard feelings, just speaking my peace.
 
Mountainjk10 said:
Eddie, out of all the people on here I never thought I would be disappointed by your comments of assumption. Maybe next time you should ask where I got the Or-Fab carrier from before you comment about it. But, since you didn't I will tell you anyway. I bought it used for $200 because I couldn't afford a new one. It was pretty beat up and totally reconditioned it. Also, not everyone on this forum is a hardcore rock crawling wheeler. If I was doing your kind of wheeling I would want the best too. But in my geographical area all we have is flat trails and mud holes. My winch isn't a necessity but more of a security blanket. Sorry to go off on you but I you slightly hit a nerve. No hard feelings, just speaking my peace.
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He hit a nerve?

Don't worry I have just the thing, keep it for situations just like these:
ImageUploadedByWAYALIFE1441414254.001328.jpg
 
This is a funny thread....is Warn really made in the USA? What would be even funnier if they and Smitty were constructed at the same factory, shipped in the same container on the same boat overseas. I'm sure Smitty engineers could build a winch as good as Warn maybe even better. The way I see it its all about price point. I would think Smitty Built can't compete w/the Warn name. So to compete you build cheaper model, slap some nice graphics and amazing marketing behind the product. When I walked in to 4wheel parts yesterday there Smitty was front and center you wouldn't even see Warn if you walked straight to the counter. It would be funny to see who really sells more product. 10 awesomely marketed winches to 5 amazing product, I'm sure Smitty has a better profit margin than Warn. A normal hard working guy is going to spend his hard earned money on.....
 
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