Jeep Wrangler Forum banner

Another Winch Comparison

17K views 100 replies 31 participants last post by  GoldenSahara00 
#1 ·
Ok, I have seen posts about both of these winches. But I want to compare them side by side and get opinions. I've asked around a lot and made a list. I am getting completely mixed signals. I want to spend around $550 give or take. The two winches I'm looking at are the Quadratec Q11000s and the WARN VR10000.

Quadratec Q11000s
Quadratec Exclusive 92122 2031 - Quadratec Q11000s Self Recovery Winch with Dyneema® Synthetic Rope - Quadratec

WARN VR10000
WARN 86255 - WARN VR10000 Winch with 94' Wire Rope and Roller Fairlead - Quadratec

I especially like that I would have synthetic line with the Q series. But this is my first time getting a winch and I've only heard good things about Warn. Thanks for any help.
 
#15 ·
I hope the new waterproof ones are better than the new XRC's that came out when they went to series wound motors.

I got an xrc8, it's sitting in the floor in my house all wrapped up in the box waiting for a plate to be mounted on. I've unboxed it and it looks and feels pretty solid. I'm happy with it ( can't wait to use it!) I would also like to know what anybody thinks of them I read great reviews but I wanna hear some experiences please
I have a XRC8 that I bought new sitting on my garage floor too! Unfortunately, it is there because it quit working before it's second birthday.
It was also very hard to free spool, very slow, and loud.
I don't want to be a downer. I am just but one unhappy customer. I guess there are happy ones, I just don't know any.

From what i've heard, Superwinch and the Q series are ok. I dont think I read too many good things about Smittybilt. But, this is not from experience.

I'll probably end up getting the Warn. So even the VR series is ok?
My Smitty experience is above.
I don't personally have any experience with Warn's new VR series winches. But, if they perform anywhere near as good as my old used XD9000i I replaced my Smitty with, I would say they are worth the extra money.

 
#8 ·
I got an xrc8, it's sitting in the floor in my house all wrapped up in the box waiting for a plate to be mounted on. I've unboxed it and it looks and feels pretty solid. I'm happy with it ( can't wait to use it!) I would also like to know what anybody thinks of them I read great reviews but I wanna hear some experiences please
 
#9 ·
If your a buy local supporter buy warn. If you want to save buy quadratic. I personally don't like the synthetic rope ...yes I said it please dont send a posse to hunt me down.... I know its lighter and you cant get slivers but if it gets run across anything sharp it's done for you can tie it but its a hassle. I guess I prefer busting out the gloves and using cable because it holds up for my application. I stretch alot of fence with mine another suggestion you might go with used most people buy them and never use them could save you quite a few bucks. Just an idea, btw I have a mile marker 8000# which I love.
 
#11 ·
It's mostly assembled in the US, but it does have "global" parts as Warn puts it. It's getting harder and harder to find anything that doesn't have some Chinese parts in it. It's all about quality control. Warn has a solid reputation and they earned it. They'll make sure that any parts they use are up to their standards.

Quadratec is a good company. I've had nothing but good dealings with them. I wouldn't be afraid to buy one of their winches, because they have to meet Quadratec's standards.

If I had to choose between the two, I'd go with the Warn. They've been in business longer and have a lot more to lose if they put out a shoddy product.
 
#16 ·
Warn = overrated. Think ENGO. Lifetime warranty on mechanical. 1 year on solenoid. You can get a 12k ENGO with 16k rated 100' synthetic line, winch cover, wireless remote for under $500 shipped from CCOR. ENGO's pull ratings are highly underrated, and they were top rated in the large winch shootout a few years back. Nice thing about ENGO winch's too is that they are a lot more efficient(less power draw) than comparable series WARN winches for weight pulled.
 
#21 · (Edited)
The whole waterproof wihch thing is more of a current marketing fad. A winch will operate completely submerged in fresh water and not suffer any permanent damage. Think of our engine starter motors which is the same type of motor used in a winch. Starter motors are open to the elements, not sealed, mounted down low on our engines, and they get continually soaked as they get splashed continually when driving in a rainstorm. Do they have problems from getting wet? Nope.

Yes you could submerge the winch in fresh water & it would work just fine while submerged.... it's only in salt water where that wouldn't work.
 
#23 ·
The whole waterproof thing is more of a marketing fad. A winch will operate completely submerged in fresh water and not suffer any permanent damage. Think of our engine starter motors which is the same type of motor used in a winch. Starter motors are open to the elements, not sealed, mounted down low on our engines, and they get continually soaked as they get splashed continually when driving in a rainstorm. Yes you could submerge the winch in fresh water & it would work just fine while submerged.... it's only in salt water where that wouldn't work.
Good to know, I know next to nothing about winches haha I'm a bit if a newbie here
 
#24 ·
Any winch is better than no winch, but an unreliable one will piss you off sooner and more often than having no winch.

Warn overrated? By whom? Usually those without Warn experience. I have a M8000 that's over 25 years old....used heavily throughout its life.....zero failures. I took it in to Warn in Milwaukie, OR to be freshened up for its new TJ home. When I got it back it looked as brand new for substantially less than your normal Chinese wannabe winch would cost, and no major parts were needed. If you're looking for a reliable product, choose wisely with good information. I chose Warn because I wanted USA built, reliable, local service if needed, and parts always available. Of course, I work just across the street from their factory, which made it even easier to choose Warn !

If you plan to really use a product, buy the best you can reasonably afford. It's cheaper in the long run. And as always, please, if you have a choice, buy American made products. The job you save may be your own !
 
#26 ·
Any winch is better than no winch, but an unreliable one will piss you off sooner and more often than having no winch.

Warn overrated? By whom? Usually those without Warn experience. I have a M8000 that's over 25 years old....used heavily throughout its life.....zero failures. I took it in to Warn in Milwaukie, OR to be freshened up for its new TJ home. When I got it back it looked as brand new for substantially less than your normal Chinese wannabe winch would cost, and no major parts were needed. If you're looking for a reliable product, choose wisely with good information. I chose Warn because I wanted USA built, reliable, local service if needed, and parts always available. Of course, I work just across the street from their factory, which made it even easier to choose Warn !

If you plan to really use a product, buy the best you can reasonably afford. It's cheaper in the long run. And as always, please, if you have a choice, buy American made products. The job you save may be your own !
First off, this isn't "25 years ago" and this isn't the M series winch in discussion here. This is the "VR" series...........today..........not an 8274 or winch from WARN's premium line. Even so WARN's winches are and always have been heavily overpriced for what you get. Built in the USA or not(which does not guarantee a better product overall).
 
#30 ·
I certainly have no issues with other quality brands, and from what you're telling us, the ENGO falls in that category. I have no reason to doubt your word.

I do see more often than not, people using inferior products, relying heavily on that product to never fail..... And admittedly, it doesn't just apply to winches. But in this situation, VR series, M series, ENGO, whatever one may choose, my point was and is, don't be fooled by a lower or higher price. As I stated earlier, do your research and buy the best you can afford. Trusting a potentially dangerous situation to a mechanical device than can and will fail is quite serious. Not only should one buy the best quality affordable, but buy for how it is intended to be used and know how to properly use it.

I stated that my M8000 is over 25 years old because it hasn't failed me since the first time I used it and it has been used and sadly, abused many many times over those years....again, no failures.

I chose Warn, perhaps if ENGO was around back then and met my criteria, I might be writing about that.
 
#33 ·
Click the link, select "electric winches", peruse the Engo winches for sale. ;)

It could be said that I don't "need" a Warn, but they are local to me and they make a quality product that is both USA made and affordable to me, so I have three valid reasons to purchase their product.

Of course it helps for me that the LJ I'm currently interested in purchasing has a ti9.5 with synthetic already on it.
 
#36 ·
Click the link, select "electric winches", peruse the Engo winches for sale. ;)

It could be said that I don't "need" a Warn, but they are local to me and they make a quality product that is both USA made and affordable to me, so I have three valid reasons to purchase their product.

Of course it helps for me that the LJ I'm currently interested in purchasing has a ti9.5 with synthetic already on it.
Nothing wrong with buying a WARN at all. And Im definitely not saying the product isn't good. Its just that you pay a heavy premium for a product that today isn't going to guarantee you a superior product over a competitive brand that is priced significantly lower. There are other companies out there that do in fact make higher quality and better performing products for a lot less money. WARN may do final assembly of the products in the US, but a lot of the parts used are sourced from overseas. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Just because its made elsewhere doesn't mean the part or product is inferior. Many times it can be just the opposite in today's age.
 
#37 ·
I can agree with much of that for sure. I support local, regional, and national when I can as long as its a good product. I'm not going to support a USA company that makes junk.

As for those that don't see the Engo winches on NJO's link: I see them listed just fine, all I did was click the link, then select "electric winches". They list them all for sale right there.
 
#38 ·
I bought my first winch on e-bay for 30 bucks. A milemarker, it was a beast. I didn't care about it, didn't maintain it, and overloaded it regularly. That damn thing was indestructible. My WARN is 3 x as fast and is awesome. The speed is amazing(well, compared to the MM).

Winches are a must for a serious offroader, especially if you might get dogged off when your alone.

Might wanna buy a cheap used POS online and refurb it, then if you trash it who cares? I love my warn, don't get me wrong, but its pretty penny if I break it. I would never have bought one I don't think, but I comes with the AEV 350.
 
#41 ·
I just looked at the URL and the link takes me to Engo USA, so I'm not even looking at the same place you're talking about. Which I now believe is what you were trying to tell me. lol

My bad.
 
#43 ·
Can't speak much about the vr series from warn, but I have used the piss out of my Warn 9500 CTI without the slightest issue, but I also paid 1500 bucks for it. For a cheap winch I am sure the Engo would be fine, but when we spend thousands of dollars on wheels, tires, lifts, and armor do you really want a cheap winch? JMHOP. Good luck with whatever you choose.
 
#46 ·
Cheap is a relative term. Is it cheap because of MSRP, or because the parts used are actually cheaper? Can you say that Warn actually uses higher quality parts? Lots of people I wheel with have Warn's............they aren't built any better though.

The only area I found lacking on the ENGO winch was the power cables used. They are smaller. But could it be because they need a lot less current draw? I replaced mine with a larger 2 gauge set of power wires for 20 bucks(took 15 minutes)just to be sure.
 
#44 · (Edited)
Out of those two... the warn.

I would highly suggest looking at Engo as well, very good quality and a very good price. Not as good as top of the line WARN stuff, but compared to the VR series... I would probably go Engo with all the frills. Mine's been wonderful, used the mechanical warranty about 2 years into ownership for a manufacturer defect (there was a "recall" out, I just didn't know) and I got the replacement part in a few days and it was a 10 minute repair. When I emailed customer service, I was talking to an actual person within the hour, and he had the part shipped out within two hours.
 
#45 ·
Out of those two... the warn.

I wouldn't highly suggest looking at Engo as well, very good quality and a very good price. Not as good as top of the line WARN stuff, but compared to the VR series... I would probably go Engo with all the frills. Mine's been wonderful, used the mechanical warranty about 2 years into ownership for a manufacturer defect (there was a "recall" out, I just didn't know) and I got the replacement part in a few days and it was a 10 minute repair. When I emailed customer service, I was talking to an actual person within the hour, and he had the part shipped out within two hours.
I would without question put ENGO's new ES line of winches on par with WARN's Zeon winches from the premium series. Again less than half the price, more efficient motor(less amp draw/load), and lifetime mechanical warranty.
 
#48 ·
Winches seem to be a lot like cars. A Ford guy hates Chevys and vice versa. We sure don't throw up a friendly wave to a geo tracker heading the other way. They might think its as bad ass as I think my Smittybilt is. To each is own. I think all the winches guys Are vouching for are awesome. I bet they would recommend them to family. That being said you will probably love the one you choose the first time it makes a bad day go good!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top