Which Floor Jack Brand Wins?
In our test we compared 8 floor jack options head to head. Daytona DJ3000 came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Daytona DJ3000
Price shown in test: $280
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Pittsburgh
Price shown in test: $160
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The quick take
The short version of why each pick lands where it does, built straight from the measured results.
“If I had to choose just one jack, I would definitely go with the Daytona when you consider the value price as well as the performance.”
Placed top three in 1 of 10 measurements.
The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
Minimum height
- 1Daytona DJ30004 in
- 2Huskyright at3 in
tied with the Maasdam for the lowest of all 8 jacks
- 3Pittsburghjust over3 in
(stated elsewhere as 3.38 in)
- 4Snap-on
will not go lower than 4 in
- 5Arcan Professional Tools
very close to 4 in, the same as the Daytona
- 6Maasdamright at3 in
tied with the Husky for the lowest of all 8 jacks (advertised as 3.125 in)
- 7Esco3.75 in
- 8Blackjack5.75 in
without the adapter, the highest (worst) minimum height of all 8 jacks
Maximum height
- 1Daytona DJ3000
very close to 23.25 in, the second highest of all 8 jacks behind only the Snap-on
- 2Huskyright at20 in
- 3Pittsburghjust under20 in
pretty much the same as the Maasdam
- 4Snap-on24 in
the highest of all 8 jacks, three quarters of an inch better than the Daytona
- 5Arcan Professional Tools
very close to 19.5 in, the lowest maximum height of all 8 jacks
- 6Maasdamjust under20 in
as advertised (about 19.75 in)
- 7Esco20.25 in
- 8Blackjack
claimed 20.875 in without the adapter, but actually reached 21 in in testing
Pumps to full height, no load
- 1Daytona DJ30004.2 in
(also stated later in the video as 4.3), tied for the fewest pumps with the Snap-on
- 2Husky7.5 pumps
- 3Pittsburgh6.3 pumps
very close to the same as the Maasdam
- 4Snap-on
very close to 4.2 pumps, the same as the Daytona
- 5Arcan Professional Tools6.5 pumps
very close to the same as the Maasdam and Pittsburgh
- 6Maasdam6.3 pumps
a huge improvement over the Blackjack's 47 pumps
- 7Esco9.5 pumps
with the handle jack, or 17 pumps using the quick lift pedal
- 8Blackjack47 pumps
by far the most of any jack tested, attributed to its short handle; the jack also does not return to the home position without some manual assistance
Weight
- 1Daytona DJ3000103 lb
heavier than every jack except the Snap-on
- 2Husky76 lb
the same as the Pittsburgh
- 3Pittsburgh76 lb
just 1 lb heavier than the Maasdam
- 4Snap-on110 lb
the heaviest of all 8 jacks
- 5Arcan Professional Tools55 lb2nd
the second lightest of all 8 jacks
- 6Maasdam75 lb
- 7Esco87 lb2nd
the second heaviest jack at that point in testing
- 8Blackjack44 lb
the lightest of all 8 jacks
Handle pressure to reach 3 tons / 6,000 lb
- 1Daytona DJ3000108.5 lb
about 11.5 lb more than the Husky
- 2Husky92.5 lb
the least effort (best result) of all 8 jacks
- 3Pittsburgh97 lb
almost the same as the Maasdam
- 4Snap-on105 lb
- 5Arcan Professional Tools97 lb
relatively easy to use given its light weight
- 6Maasdam
very close to 98 lb
- 7Esco109 lb
quite a bit of effort, almost the same as the Daytona
- 8Blackjack132.5 lb
the most effort of any jack tested
Max lift capacity (jack dyno) before bypass valve released
- 1Daytona DJ30006,855 lb
about 450 lb less than the leader (Pittsburgh)
- 2Husky7,042 lb
- 3Pittsburgh7,301 lb
the highest of all 8 jacks, described as the leader
- 4Snap-onalmost7,300 lb
very close to the leader (Pittsburgh)
- 5Arcan Professional Tools7,029 lb
within 300 lb of the leader (Pittsburgh)
- 6Maasdam7,269 lb
easily beating its own 3 ton rating
- 7Esco6,499 lb
the lowest of all 8 jacks, about 800 lb less than the leader (Pittsburgh)
- 8Blackjack6,336 lb
Pressure drop after 5 minutes under load
- 1Daytona DJ3000310 lb
about 50 lb more drop than the Husky
- 2Husky261 lb
described as the best result up to that point in testing (later beaten by the Arcan's 195 lb)
- 3Pittsburgh319 lb
about 40 lb better (less drop) than the Maasdam
- 4Snap-on304 lb
very close to the same as the Daytona
- 5Arcan Professional Tools195 lb
the best (least drop) result of all 8 jacks
- 6Maasdam359 lb
(from 7,269 lb down to 6,910 lb)
- 7Esco207 lb
- 8Blackjack327 lb
Rolling resistance under about 1,500 lb load
- 1Daytona DJ300088.5 lb2nd
of force to roll forward 3 in, moved into the lead over the Arcan at that point in testing, second best overall behind only the Snap-on's 81 lb
- 2Husky105 lb
of force to roll forward 3 in, by far the best result up to that point in testing (later beaten by the Daytona and Snap-on), 15 lb better than the Pittsburgh
- 3Pittsburgh120.5 lb
of force to roll forward 3 in, a little better than the Maasdam
- 4Snap-on81 lb
of force to roll forward 3 in, the best (easiest rolling) result of all 8 jacks, attributed to its large wheels
- 5Arcan Professional Tools98 lb
of force to roll forward 3 in, took the lead over the Husky at that point in testing (later beaten by the Daytona and Snap-on)
- 6Maasdam124.5 lb
of force to roll forward 3 in, quite a bit better than the Blackjack
- 7Esco100.5 lb
of force to roll forward 3 in; presenter notes the rear caster wheel isn't providing all that much support
- 8Blackjack141 lb
of force to roll forward 3 in, the worst (hardest to roll) result of all 8 jacks; during the test the left rear caster wheel lifted off the ground, the frame twisted noticeably, and the caster wheel appeared to have some camber
All measurements (6 more)+
Pumps to lift a loaded pickup truck to max height
- 1Daytona DJ300028 pumps
tied for the fewest with the Snap-on
- 2Husky31 pumps
the same as the Pittsburgh
- 3Pittsburgh31 pumps
the same as the Husky
- 4Snap-on28 pumps
tied for the fewest with the Daytona
- 5Arcan Professional Tools35 pumps
four more than the Pittsburgh and Husky
- 6Maasdam30 pumps3rd
finished third best of all 8 jacks
- 7Esco44 pumps
13 more than the Pittsburgh and Husky, the most of any jack in this test
- 8Blackjack58 pumps
(47 baseline plus 11 more under load), by far the most of any jack tested
Reach at 7.75 in of clearance
- 1Daytona DJ300050 in
no issues
- 2Husky50 in
plenty of handle travel, no issues
- 3Pittsburgh50 in
performed just fine
- 4Snap-on50 in
performed very well
- 5Arcan Professional Tools49 in
almost as good as the jacks that reached 50 in
- 6Maasdam50 in
functioned just fine
- 7Esco30 in
limited because the handle tilts upward, one of only three jacks (with the Arcan and Blackjack) that could not reach 50 in on this test
- 8Blackjack22 in
limited because the jack handle tilts upward, one of only three jacks (with the Arcan and Esco) that could not reach 50 in on this test
24 hour hold test at about 3,500 lb
- 1Daytona DJ3000
survived without a problem
- 2Husky
survived without a problem
- 3Pittsburgh
survived without a problem
- 4Snap-on
survived without a problem
- 5Arcan Professional Tools
survived without a problem
- 6Maasdam
survived without a problem
- 7Esco
survived without a problem
- 8Blackjack
survived without a problem
Build quality
- 1Daytona DJ3000
lift arm centered and properly aligned, welds look great with no gaps or sloppy work, described as the best build yet at that point in testing; five grease fittings (two front wheels, lift arm shaft, two handle socket shaft) with a generous helping of grease throughout; subjective build quality rating of 1.5
- 2Husky
welds a little sloppy but much better than the Maasdam; grease fitting in the same location as the Maasdam and Pittsburgh, just above the lift arm shaft
- 3Pittsburgh
much better than the Maasdam despite the similar look: lift arm properly aligned and centered, no gaps or seams in the welds, presenter doubts the welds will ever fail
- 4Snap-on
welds look great, described as the work of a professional welder; five grease points (two wheels, lift arm, two handle socket shaft), same underlying design as the Daytona with a larger saddle and different frame; subjective build quality rating of 1, the best possible rating, tied with the Arcan
- 5Arcan Professional Tools
described as excellent, lift arm centered and properly aligned; subjective build quality rating of 1, the best possible rating, tied with the Snap-on
- 6Maasdam
poor: presenter says 'you could tell that it was built on a Monday,' the lift arm is not properly aligned and badly favors one side, several welds are incomplete and others are sloppy; presenter notes the welds will probably never fail but questions why settle for this when better built jacks are available
- 7Esco
welds look pretty good but not quite as good as the Daytona's; lift arm assembly properly aligned; rear caster is pretty stiff for about half of its rotation
- 8Blackjacknot tested
Background
- 1Daytona DJ3000
sold at Harbor Freight, marketed as a super duty high performance professional grade jack designed to compete against the Snap-on, all 3 ton capacity like the rest of the field
- 3Pittsburgh
sold at Harbor Freight; presenter notes it looks almost identical to the Maasdam apart from color, stickers, and using a lock clip instead of a bolt to secure the handle, speculating both may share a factory or parts source
- 5Arcan Professional Tools
made of aluminum, unlike the steel construction of the other jacks; bolted together instead of welded; no grease fittings, though most moving parts arrive pre greased
- 6Maasdam
a 3 ton low profile jack marketed with a speedy lift; one grease fitting located just above the lift arm shaft; available at Home Depot
- 7Esco
out of the box the handle was bent and the halves would not go together, requiring the presenter to straighten it before assembly; the only jack in the test with plastic wheels instead of metal; no grease fittings, though the oil port cover can be removed without tools
- 8Blackjack
made by Torin; right out of the box the handle was split and very loose; the handle rotates 360 degrees and includes a safety bypass to prevent overloading; requires a separate extension adapter (2.5 ton maximum capacity) to reach full lifting height
- 2Huskynot tested
- 4Snap-onnot tested
Wheel diameter
- 4Snap-on4.2 in
the largest front wheels of all 8 jacks
- 7Esco2.95 in
front wheels, the smallest measured; plastic rather than metal
- 8Blackjack3 in
front wheels
- 1Daytona DJ3000not tested
- 2Huskynot tested
- 3Pittsburghnot tested
- 5Arcan Professional Toolsnot tested
- 6Maasdamnot tested
How it was tested
- minimum and maximum lift height measurements
- number of handle pumps to reach full height, unloaded
- weight of each jack
- handle pressure (lb of downward force) required to lift 3 tons / 6,000 lb
- maximum lift capacity on a jack dyno before the bypass valve released pressure
- pressure bleed-off after holding a load for 5 minutes
- front wheel diameter
- rolling resistance: force required to roll the jack forward about 3 in while supporting roughly 1,500 lb
- number of handle pumps to lift a loaded pickup truck to maximum height
- reach/clearance test at 7.75 in of ground clearance
- 24 hour hold test supporting about 3,500 lb (half of a roughly 7,000 lb hay baler) per jack
- controlled pressure release test
- subjective build quality and weld assessment
“If I had to choose just one jack, I would definitely go with the Daytona when you consider the value price as well as the performance.”
