Which Winches Brand Wins?
In our test we compared 7 winches options head to head. Zeak came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Zeak
Price shown in test: $370, just $20 more than the Badland
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Superwinch
Price shown in test: $674
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Rugged Ridge
Price shown in test: $289, the least expensive of the seven winches tested (also described later as 'under $300, the budget winch')
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The quick take
The short version of why each pick lands where it does, built straight from the measured results.
“the $370 Z came out on top with an average finish of 1.4 in five events. However, the Z did experience a rope failure.”
The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
Specs
- 1Zeak
rated 13,000 lb (higher than the other six brands, all rated 12,000 lb), wired and wireless remote, claimed 6 hp electric motor, IP68 waterproof, 500 amp 12V DC series wound motor, claimed no-load traction speed 21.3 ft per minute, 236 to 1 gear ratio with 3 stage planetary gear system, made in China
- 2Superwinch
no wireless remote, wired remote connects near top of control box, 12V DC sealed 6 hp motor, comes almost fully assembled with only one wire (winch to battery) to connect, claimed no-load speed 23.4 ft per minute, made in China
- 3Mile Marker Maverick Maverick
no wireless remote included, 3-stage planetary gear system, 3/8 in diameter 80 ft steel cable (not synthetic rope), rated 4.9 hp, 210 to 1 gear ratio, threaded anchor points, no cable tensioner, more setup involved than the Rugged Ridge, Badland, or Zeak, made in China
- 4Warn
standard duty winch with steel cable, 12,000 lb capacity, comes mostly assembled (only the ground wire needs connecting), wireless remote or wired connection to the control box, connectors described as very well constructed and durable, made in China
- 5Rugged Ridge12,000 lb
waterproof winch, state of the art 500 amp solenoid with a unique brake clutch system, 100 ft of 3/8 in diameter synthetic (nylon) rope, 12V electric motor rated 6.6 hp, comes with two wireless remotes plus a wired remote, some assembly required (solenoid attachment, wiring to terminals), 236 to 1 gear ratio with a 3-stage planetary gear system, made in China
- 6Badland12 ft
ergonomic handheld remote control (wired), claimed 6 hp series wound motor said to stay cooler on long pulls, 3-stage planetary gear system for fast line speed, automatic hold and brake, assembly about the same as the Rugged Ridge, 265 to 1 gear ratio, made in China, sold at Harbor Freight
- 7Smittybilt
requires significant assembly, described by the narrator as 'the IKEA of winches' (control box bracket install, wire fastening, rope fastening screw), made in China
Weight
- 1Zeak55.4 lb
same as the Rugged Ridge
- 2Superwinch83.6 lb
- 3Mile Marker Maverick Maverick83 lb
- 4Warn
very close to 79 lb
- 5Rugged Ridge55.4 lb
- 6Badland76.5 lb
- 7Smittybilt61 lb
Sound level
- 1Zeak86.4 dB
- 2Superwinch93.8 dB
- 3Mile Marker Maverick Maverick93.4 dB
by far the loudest of all seven winches
- 4Warn86.8 dB
- 5Rugged Ridge88 dB
measured 24 in from the winch
- 6Badland82.6 dB
- 7Smittybilt89.5 dB
Force to unroll rope (no load)
- 1Zeak4 kg
or about 8.2 lb, the least force of any winch tested
- 2Superwinch4.5 kg
or about 10 lb, same as the Mile Marker and the Warn
- 3Mile Marker Maverick Maverick4.5 kg
or about 10 lb
- 4Warn4.5 kg
or 10 lb, same as the Mile Marker and Superwinch
- 5Rugged Ridge8 kg
or about 17.6 lb
- 6Badland10 kg
or about 22 lb; the cable tensioner adds noticeably more resistance
- 7Smittybilt16 kg
or 35.2 lb, the most effort/resistance required of any winch tested
No-load current (amps)
- 1Zeak82 amps
going out, 84 amps going in
- 2Superwinch137 amps
going out, 162 amps going in, the most yet at that point in the video
- 3Mile Marker Maverick Maverick125 amps
going out, 131 amps going in, the most yet at that point in the video
- 4Warn89 amps
peak releasing the rope, 101 amps pulling the rope
- 5Rugged Ridge80 amps
releasing the rope, 83 amps pulling the rope
- 6Badlandabout20 amps
higher than the Rugged Ridge, 106 peak amps releasing the rope, 111 amps pulling the rope
- 7Smittybilt91 amps
going out; separately described as having the lowest no-load current pulling rope of all seven winches at 73 amps
50 ft no-load pull time
- 1Zeak51 seconds
the fastest of all seven winches
- 2Superwinch73 seconds
- 3Mile Marker Maverick Maverick1 minute 44 seconds
(104 seconds), very close to the same as the Badland, described as slower than average and 'won't win a speed contest'
- 4Warn1 minute 20 seconds
(80 seconds), a little faster than average but not nearly as fast as the Zeak
- 5Rugged Ridge1 minute 19 seconds
(79 seconds) at around 13.9V at the battery
- 6Badland1 minute 44 seconds
(104 seconds), 25 seconds slower than the Rugged Ridge; the narrator attributes this to the higher 265:1 gear ratio
- 7Smittybilt59 seconds
quite a bit faster than average, only 8 seconds slower than the Zeak's 51 seconds
20 ft hill pull, light load pickup truck
- 1Zeak36 seconds
tied with the Superwinch for fastest; 106 amps at the start of the hill
- 2Superwinch36 seconds
tied with the Zeak for fastest; 181 amps at the start of the hill, the most yet
- 3Mile Marker Maverick Maverick47 seconds
2 seconds slower than the Badland; 140 amps at the start of the hill
- 4Warn40 seconds
only 4 seconds slower than the Zeak and Superwinch, described as very close to average; 95 amps at the start of the hill
- 5Rugged Ridge53 seconds
120 amps at the start of the pull, increasing to a pull force of around 1,500 lb by the top of the hill
- 6Badland45 seconds
8 seconds faster than the Rugged Ridge; 180 amps at the start of the hill, which gave it a torque advantage over the Rugged Ridge
- 7Smittybilt37 seconds
only 1 second slower than the Zeak and Superwinch; 126 amps at the start of the hill, close to the Rugged Ridge
5,000 lb wheels-locked pull, current draw
- 1Zeak285 amps
the most yet at that point in the video
- 2Superwinch301 amps
the highest yet at that point
- 3Mile Marker Maverick Maverick220 amps
- 4Warn196 amps
almost the same as the Rugged Ridge
- 5Rugged Ridgealmost200 amps
- 6Badland261 amps
- 7Smittybilt307 amps
the highest of all seven winches, even higher than the Superwinch
All measurements (2 more)+
5,500 to 6,000 lb pull, 4 ft (tractor plus two vehicles)
- 1Zeak46 seconds
12 seconds faster than the Badland; mounted on the narrator's own heavy duty mounting plate
- 2Superwinch47 seconds
1 second slower than the Zeak; narrator notes it works pretty fast at 1,000 to 1,500 lb loads but heavier loads slow it down
- 3Mile Marker Maverick Maverick33 seconds
by far the fastest of all seven winches, about twice as fast as the Badland, described as very impressive
- 4Warn40 seconds2nd
good enough for second place in this specific event, behind the Mile Marker
- 5Rugged Ridge
skipped, the winch had already been damaged (twisted) during the maximum pulling force test
- 6Badland58 seconds
the winch mounting plate and the winch itself were visibly beginning to twist during this pull
- 7Smittybilt54 seconds
only 4 seconds faster than the Badland; narrator notes the heavy load really slowed the Smittybilt despite it being fast on the lighter tests
Maximum pulling force test (most rope on drum, until failure)
- 1Zeak
made it to 10,370 lb before the synthetic rope suddenly snapped, the highest force reached of all seven winches
- 2Superwinch
faded at 9,675 lb, wire rope did not break
- 3Mile Marker Maverick Maverickjust over10,000 lb
before running out of steam; finished at 10,072 lb per the closing recap, second highest of all seven winches
- 4Warn
ran out of steam at 9,187 lb, around 1,200 lb less than the Zeak; rope did not break
- 5Rugged Ridge
rope broke at just over 9,000 lb, about 3,000 lb short of its 12,000 lb rating; both of the narrator's 15,000 lb rated mounting plates ended up badly bent and the winch itself badly twisted
- 6Badland
made it to just over 8,000 lb before fading; the wire rope did not break
- 7Smittybilt
topped out at just over 9,000 lb before fading, described as below average on this test; the rope did not break
How it was tested
- force required to manually unroll the rope with the winch out of gear (no load)
- no-load current draw releasing and pulling the rope
- time to pull in 50 ft of rope with no load
- time to pull a 3/4 ton pickup truck (transmission in neutral) 20 ft up a 12 degree hill, a light load of roughly 1,000 to 1,500 lb
- current draw with the pickup truck's wheels locked, applying about 5,000 lb of pulling force
- time to pull a tractor and two vehicles (a farm implement plus pickup and RV, roughly 5,500 to 6,000 lb) a distance of 4 ft
- maximum pulling force test with most of the rope still wrapped around the drum, pulling until the winch fades or the rope fails
- bonus demonstration: using the top-performing winch to lift the farm implement off the ground
“the $370 Z came out on top with an average finish of 1.4 in five events. However, the Z did experience a rope failure.”
