One purchases a winch to recover or mobilize his vehicle in worst case scenarios.
It is not sensible to purchase a cheap privately labeled model. These are produced in vast quantities and varying quality, and simply fitted with a sticker and a box by the purchasing organization.
I could order winches from China tomorrow and brand them in whatever manner I choose. It is no more complicated than a few telephone calls. These companies aren't designing the winches and commissioning their manufacture. They are essentially buying out of a Chinese catalog.
Brands such as Warn and Superwinch have long supplied the most demanding users, and when you become stuck in an inaccessible location, or simply cannot traverse an obstacle, you immediately become a demanding user.
You'll only need your winch when nothing else will suffice. At that point, it cannot fail.
Beyond that, it's simply a decoration, and that's a problem. Decorations have a nasty habit of failing when they are asked to do their job after a few months of sitting idle.
The day you find that it has failed is the very day you most need it to function.
Don't cheap out. If you cannot afford a good winch, wait and save money until you can.
A winch is not a toy. It is meant to save you from your toys. It is also incredibly dangerous; likely the most dangerous machine many people operate.
Buy something you can trust, that doesn't require asking everyone if it can be trusted in order to reach that conclusion.
Cheers,
Kennith
