you get what ya pay for. I buy some of their soft goods, but I personally wouldn't buy something like a bumper or flares, just to have to replace them down the road. Buy something solid the first time

 

I've been wondering the same thing. I recently found a Smittybilt "equivalent" of a popular made in USA product for my Jeep at half the price. Design of the product was almost exactly the same and components looked very similar but I can't bring my self to pull the trigger because of my concerns on quality.

 

I have 2 of their XRC JK ATLAS REAR BUMPERs Quality appears to be good (only had them for a couple of weeks). Couple of things, if you have a the usual CB mount you will have to get one that put the antenna in the middle of the tailgate and it covers the rear plate abit. The reason I went with these is the the gerry cans mount. I seen one at the Jeep dealership and when I asked around it was the "you get what you pay for" and that the Atlas product line was the best. At $1k, time will tell.

Mine

Wife's

 

Lots of people bitch about them on here. But I choose to spend my money on engine performance, lift and the likes. Bumpers weren't a big priority. I have the XRC with tire swing and flat fenders on my LJ. I think the craftsmanship is perfectly fine. I've had no rattling, rusting or broken issues. Take it for what its worth. Again most people on here will say its crap.

 

Right. I don't plan on spending a ton of money on a front bumper, I'm looking for something small. Maybe a stinger too. I found one from RC that I like, and it's not too expensive either. A winch would be nice, but honestly I'd rather just carry around a comealong. Thats much less expensive. What do you guys know about the SRC or XRC front bumpers?

My biggest concern is build quality and the materials used...the type and size of steel, weld quality, etc. I don't want one made of steel thats no good, and of course that won't matter if the welds are poor. I'm no fabricator, but from what I've seen, the welds don't look bad at all.

I won't be buying a rear tire carrier until I have the funding (so, that will probably come last) but I was just wondering how one of their front bumpers would hold up. I've seen a facebook post with a highway collision and the bumper "saved the drivrs life". It was probably more than just the bumper, but I was still surprised at how well the thing held up.

 

I was really considering getting one of their rear bumpers with tire carrier (when I have the finances) until I read so many bad reviews and saw a couple pictures where the tire carrier buckled while swung open under the heavy load from the spare. I've now decided I'll save some more pennies and go a different route. Probably Poison Spyder, but who knows when the time comes to purchase.

 

Previous owner purchase, didn't replace soon enough with a not s&%#$ybilt product.

 

I've got the Smittybilt XRC Gen2 front bumper and my buddy has had the Gen1 for a couple years. We go off-road only a handful of times a year due to time constraints, but when we do, we use our equipment. So far we've had no problems with Smittybilt bumpers. I'd prefer to buy American, but it is what it is.

 

I have their steel glove box replacement, for the TJ. Lost the key and had to "break in" to get my phone and stuff out. Took about 3 hours! This thing was built TOUGH! Had to buy another one, and its a Smittybilt! I have no reservations about leaving my stuff in their glove box! Very impressed with the quality.

 

Good to know, I was planning on a locking glovebox/underseat box eventually. I'd imagine it would take 30 or so minutes, but 3 hours is actually pretty impressive. Especially for a box made of chinesium.

If I were to go to a local fab shop, how much cheaper would this be than buying one? I'm aware of how much sheet metal/stock cost, but I don't know what the labor costs.

 

Ok. I also want to get some shackle mounts made for some large (I think theyre rated at 17 tons, the pin is 1-5/8") shackles I have. I can't find any that work, but I'll look into that also.

 

I have e-autogrilles bumpers and rock rails - seems like they are built in the same factory where every barricade, smittybilt and other Chinese bumpers are built.

metal is very solid, welding is OK, powdercoating is crap. I had mine powdercoated in a local shop and still came out cheaper than poison spider. Been using shackles on the rear bumper to yank out jeeps stuck in the mud, been using winch on a front bumper to pull myself out of the mud, all solid so far!

my rock rails took the beating few times on rocks and have supported the whole weight of jeep a few times when hi-jack was used for trail repairs - no problems

 

Awesome. What about the smittybilt "rock sliders"? I'm 5'6 so will need something to step up into my jeep, but more importantly I'd like to keep the body protected. I don't think I'll do any legit rock crawling, but I can definitely see tree stumps or rocks dinging up the body being a problem. I guess these can't be too hard to do properly, right? Nothin fancy, just powder-coated ones made of DOM tube.

 

I actually have the Smittybilt XRC fenders (front and rear) and the body cladding too, and front bumper and back bumper. Installed almost a year ago, so far so good, I have no complaints

 

I have smittybuilt front bumper/stinger as well as rock sliders. Good quality, no complaints. Welds are solid and powder coat is good quality. I try buying American as much as possible but, with money constraints on mechanical issues I spend where it is most practical. I've got a 95 Rio Grande so after 20+ years, I'm in the process of upgraded my mechanical issues.

 

The only thing Smittybilt that I have purchased is their Overlander roof top tent and an awning. It is made in China but when I was searching for a roof top tent, they were all made in china, it was the least expensive so I went for it. I'm satisfied with it after a year of use.