Best Jack Stands for home mechanic work??

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Originally Posted By: Trav
It make no difference when anyone retired or how someone chooses to spend their money.
The OP said he was favoring American made and didn't mind spending a little more. He didn't ask how the US made products stack up against HF stuff.
IMO HF doesn't even belong in the thread.

Living frugal by buying from HF isn't going to make a lick of a difference in the amount of money you save for retirement.
In fact it could be just the opposite, buy cheap stuff and replace it numerous times vs buying quality once is a fools errand.




Exactly.

The only folly is thinking that buying HF is somehow going to magically create retirement bliss, or the worse aspect, that somehow people buying locally made items to keep their fellow countrymen employed are to be belittled for whatever reason. Its just so weird.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
It make no difference when anyone retired or how someone chooses to spend their money.
The OP said he was favoring American made and didn't mind spending a little more. He didn't ask how the US made products stack up against HF stuff.
IMO HF doesn't even belong in the thread.

Living frugal by buying from HF isn't going to make a lick of a difference in the amount of money you save for retirement.
In fact it could be just the opposite, buy cheap stuff and replace it numerous times vs buying quality once is a fools errand.




I agree. While I have nothing against HF and do buy certain items from them, I know that if buying from them is going to have any measurable impact on my retirement I have real problems. Or I buy a lotttttttttttttttt of stuff I don't need. LOL
 
We are not assisting the OP very much.

Sadly, JCWIT is correct that US Made does not guarantee quality.

Stephen1966 will concur that there are numerous threads at garagejournal.com bemoaning US Jacks and Hein Werner (US version) with poor quality welds. Here's one of many: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148786
"Yah the welds are pitiful, the paint looks crummy because they are packed very poorly in the box"
"Yep, i made a similar thread a little while ago. Sorely disappointed with the QC on the HW jack stands. One of the arms didnt even fit into the stand without a hammer."
"I would not accept that quality, especially since you paid well over double what a better looking import set would cost."


From Benjamming's excellent suggestions, the US Jack seems to be the best value, but I would insist at ordering time that the welds are excellent, or they will be returned.

We drive our families around on Chinese rotors, so if and when US made jackstands become extinct, we will have to determine which of the imports are good quality. This is what we should be doing here. First, the OP needs to determine which jack "pad" design he likes best. I am at a loss for determining quality beyond fit and finish. Ideas, anyone??
 
Originally Posted By: Trav

In fact it could be just the opposite, buy cheap stuff and replace it numerous times vs buying quality once is a fools errand.




Have yet to replace 1 item at Harbor Freight with money out of my pocket. Most everything from there except power tools carries a lifetime guarantee.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav


Living frugal by buying from HF isn't going to make a lick of a difference in the amount of money you save for retirement.




So saving money and creating a nest egg has nothing to do with having money for retirement? Your logic escapes me as does your knowledge of finance.
 
Originally Posted By: NormanBuntz
Anything that not made in China.


Check the country of origin of your computer.
 
Originally Posted By: jcwit
Originally Posted By: Trav


Living frugal by buying from HF isn't going to make a lick of a difference in the amount of money you save for retirement.




So saving money and creating a nest egg has nothing to do with having money for retirement? Your logic escapes me as does your knowledge of finance.


How in hades do you know what i know or not about finances?
What does this have to do with jack stands or HF for that matter. You having a bad day or what?
 
Originally Posted By: jcwit
Originally Posted By: NormanBuntz
Anything that not made in China.


Check the country of origin of your computer.


Panasonic Toughbook and Fujitsu both Made in JAPAN.
lol.gif


SAM_1222.jpg
 
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Originally Posted By: doitmyself
We are not assisting the OP very much.

Sadly, JCWIT is correct that US Made does not guarantee quality.

Stephen1966 will concur that there are numerous threads at garagejournal.com bemoaning US Jacks and Hein Werner (US version) with poor quality welds. Here's one of many: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148786
"Yah the welds are pitiful, the paint looks crummy because they are packed very poorly in the box"
"Yep, i made a similar thread a little while ago. Sorely disappointed with the QC on the HW jack stands. One of the arms didnt even fit into the stand without a hammer."
"I would not accept that quality, especially since you paid well over double what a better looking import set would cost."


From Benjamming's excellent suggestions, the US Jack seems to be the best value, but I would insist at ordering time that the welds are excellent, or they will be returned.

We drive our families around on Chinese rotors, so if and when US made jackstands become extinct, we will have to determine which of the imports are good quality. This is what we should be doing here. First, the OP needs to determine which jack "pad" design he likes best. I am at a loss for determining quality beyond fit and finish. Ideas, anyone??


I think people get a little too worked up over the appearance of jack stand welds on GJ. I personally wouldn't have any problem with the welds seen on any of the US Jack stands that have been posted on Garage Journal.

There's never been any evidence posted that the US Jack stands posted on GJ (or any other jack stand weld complained about) were in any way unsafe or didn't meet their rated load. Some people there just get mad that they're not pretty enough.

Here's a relevant snippet from a thread on GJ:
Quote:

And, I can already predict how this thread will go, since they're all the same:
-Someone will claim that you'll surely die if you buy a low-priced jack stand because they sometimes have ugly welds. They may even point to one of the few failures, or claimed failures, posted online.
-Someone else will point out that low-priced jack stands are sold by the millions and there are very, very few reports of failure, and some of those failures don't even really appear to be failures.
-Someone will say you should spend big money on Hein Werner or US Jack stands. They'll claim you're cheap if you don't buy the expensive stands and you shouldn't try to save a buck on safety equipment.
-Someone will point out that there are complaints about the quality of the welds on both US Jack and Hein Werner stands.
-Someone will show pictures of stands they made.
-The thread will end with everyone thinking everyone else is stupid.
 
LOL. Excellent rebuttal. A lot of this boils down to principles, not quality. US vs. Import. Perfect welds vs. good enough, especially when tied to price paid.
 
Originally Posted By: jcwit
Originally Posted By: NormanBuntz
Anything that not made in China.


Check the country of origin of your computer.



If I lie under my laptop, my life is not in jeopardy!
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
LOL. Excellent rebuttal. A lot of this boils down to principles, not quality. US vs. Import. Perfect welds vs. good enough, especially when tied to price paid.




I'm not trying to rebut anyone's opinion.
smile.gif


I would encourage anyone in this thread to buy whatever jack stands they like. If anyone wants to spend the money on US Jack stands, I say go for it. If I were going to buy some pricey stands, those would be the ones I would buy.

But, I think the high price makes some people unnecessarily take out the magnifying glasses to study the welds, without considering that this is purely a functional item that isn't made to be pretty and doesn't need to be.
 
What I dislike about threads such as this are the blanket statements that "such & such" brand or store are absolutely garbage.

Harbor Freight tools for instance are made at a price point that many folks out there in consumer land find acceptable and work for them usually in a DIY basis. Granted they are not made for the ASA Certified mechanic using his tool for 8/10 hours a day, but for many others they work just fine.

Case in point, I have a set of jack stands that I purchased from a seller at our local flea market, MIT brand, got them years ago, have no idea how much I paid for them. In the last 2 years I've used them 2/3 times, and then for compact/mid size autos. They do the job and I'm careful with how I use them.

Another case in point, I have a 1/2 torque wrench that I purchased for $12.00 IIRC, got it at H/F, used it once when I rotated my tires last year. Is it dead on as far as the torque/clicker goes, who knows, but its more than enough accurate for torqueing up wheels when rotating tires. The alternative is no torque wrench at all.
 
Well over the years, I've collected sections of pre-cut sections 4x4s & 6x6s in one foot lenghts. I'm nervous about getting under any car that is sitting on jack stands. I use the wood blocks as additional support (just in case). Yes it takes me an addition four minutes or so, but it helps keeps some evil dreams out of my head. Like the stands giving away or one of the teeth breaking under load.
 
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I like HF for buying tools that I might not use very often (or potentially only once). Instead of struggling with the wrong tool, or I suppose renting one, you can buy one for a reasonable price. For ratchets and tools that I will probably use regularly, I still prefer to pay for quality. I prefer American made for anything I buy, and tools are where one of the few product segments where I can find American made. For some things, a consumer market product just does not exist anymore unless you look used.

Like Norman points out, we are talking about equipment to keep a car from potentially squeezing the life out of you, so for me the extra $$ for quality isn't a waste.

Not all American made is the highest quality, but it sounds like US Jack is. I'm also interested in the JackPoint product too, but need to dig around for feedback on them.
 
i have a pair of Larin jack stands that are pin style they work well, i also have larger heavy duty jack stands but i can't remember the brand, i wanna say either larin or craftsman, i'll have to check on that.
 
I mentioned above that I'm careful when using jack stands.

With that said I never, ever get under a vehicle supported by jack stands, maybe working on brakes, but under, nope, not gonna happen. That's what I have ramps for.
 
i use ramps as well but in some applications i use jackstands.


when i removed the transmission out of my 92 f150 i backed it up onto ramps on the rear axle and i jacked up the front, put the front on stands and then put wood blocks under the wheels as well.
 
Originally Posted By: Black_Thunder
i use ramps as well but in some applications i use jackstands.


when i removed the transmission out of my 92 f150 i backed it up onto ramps on the rear axle and i jacked up the front, put the front on stands and then put wood blocks under the wheels as well.


LOL, At 70+ years old the above is never going to happen with me doing the work, its what I pay a good mechanic for.
 
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