I looked at a smittybuilt top when wanting to replace mine. I went with the Pavement Ends Sprint Top in the end. I read too many bad reviews in the Smitty. Put on my PE top 3 weeks ago and it's great. Used all the factory hardware and header. It's frameless, so I don't need the frame anymore. The top flips up in 10 seconds flat for open air driving but leaves the back in place to cover the back seats.
The material is a little thinner than the stock top, but no leaks, and the tinted windows look nice.

 

I have a smittybilt top on my TJ. I bought it new about 2-3 years ago. For the price, it's a pretty good top.

I like the tinted windows in the back, they are pitch black. You really can't see through them from the outside, it looks really nice. It is 100% waterproof, never had a leak, even in some torrential downpours.

However, despite there being no leaks, the top does let a bit of moisture through when it rains. If you place your hand of the roof of the top from the inside it is slightly damp. In other words, it does let a lot of humidity in. Not sure if that normal with all tops though.

Also, the stitching has come out in 2-3 ares. The velcro near where one of the back windows attaches has ripped out a bit. You just have to be careful and go slow when folding the top up or down. Never force anything....that's where I went wrong.

All in all it's a good top for the price. I'm happy with my purchase, never once regretted it. That said, if I were to buy another top soon, I would seriously consider the quadratec soft top. A bit more expensive but I've heard great things about them. Supposedly they are exactly the same as OEM tops, but don't quote me on that.

 

Its an adequate top. I have one that the used car dealer got me new when i bought the jeep. its not a great fit, its thin and a bit noisy. when its time to replace it I wont be getting another, perhaps a quadratec or perhaps splurge on a bestop twill. But I dont hate it. It is adequate.

 

The last brand of top I'd buy would be a Smittybilt. If I couldn't afford a good quality top like from Bestop, I'd save and wait until I could.

 

You seem pretty confident with what you just said, but offer nothing to back up your claims.

 

So Bestop would be the best brand to go with? I want something that will last

 

Yes, absolutely. Get a Bestop Sailcloth Replace-A-Top and you'll be surprised how much quieter your interior will be after it's installed. It's thicker and much quieter than the other fabrics commonly used. You'll need to verify the soft top hardware is what the factory installed for that particular top to work. If your soft top support mechanism is an aftermarket model, a different model soft top would be required for it.

If you're unsure, post a picture of the soft top supporting structure and we can tell you if it's factory or aftermarket.

 

My TJ had a Smittybilt top on it when I got it. It was bad about buffeting at anything over 25 and on the highway was really noisy. Had trouble with the rear window zipper and it had a drip leak in the back. (Kept an old cake pan below it when parked). Put the top down one weekend when up at camp and on the way back couldn't keep the zipper in the rear window from pulling apart and the next rainfall, I had three leaks. Also had some bad spots on the velcor.

Replaced it with a Bestop Replace-A-Top and it fit like a glove, was tight and easy to put on. There are many options, mine is the 79141-35 which is the sailcloth in Black Diamond with tinted windows and no door skins. If you run the air on recirc you will get just a slight noise from some of the straps in back (windows will be sucked inward since you have no air coming in from outside), if you run your air with outside air, the windows will be bowed out by the positive air pressure in the Jeep and it is dead quiet at 70 MPH on the Interstate. (There is a little wind noise around the window frame, but it is a Jeep.

I met the previous owner a few months later and he was surprised that I had to replace the top since it was only a few years old, but then he add, but it was an economy top. (About half of what a Bestop runs). If money is tight, a new Smitybilt is better than a really worn out top, but plan on replacing it in a few more years.

Oh, if you replace your top, do it while you can lay it out for a bit in the warm sun so it's nice and pliable. It will stretch when you put it on and it's easier if it's warm. The manufacturer of the OEM Mopar tops that come on our Jeeps is Bestop.

 

I agree with Jerry and had a Smittybilt top on my TJ when I got it. As long as I own the TJ there will not be a Smittybilt top anywhere near it. Sorry to be so adamant, but in the three months the top was on the vehicle while I owned it, the top was nothing but trouble. The Jeep came with a month of warranty, unfortunately, it did not rain during that time. As I said the PO had put the top on a few years earlier and was surprised it needed to be replaced.

Your post even mentions one of the problems I had - velcro coming loose.

 

My TJ had a Smittybilt on it when I bought it, Ive kept it on for two years now. I puty top down all the time, constantly un zip the back to get stuff out and have never had a problem with it. Starting to think maybe I just got lucky and have an above average top for that brand.

 

The only two brands of tops and door tops I've had on all our jeeps are best top and smittybilt. I just recently bought another smittybilt because I needed something fast and cheap (cheap being the main consideration) and the top went on a jeep for a first time driver. If she makes it a year or two without totaling the Jeep, I'll invest in a better top.
The quality of the smittybilt is far below that of the best top in fit, the vinyl material used for the top, and the material used for the windows. If you've got the money, try something other than smittybilt. There's a lot of them out there, good luck with your choice!:thumb: