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.