Tech & Auto
How Good Are Harbor Freight's Badland Brand Winches?
By JOE CAPRARO
Winches can be a lifesaver for those who often go off-roading. While there are various brands out there that can be pricy, Harbor Freight offers a budget-friendly brand: Badland.
The ZXR 9,500-pound winch costs $339.99 and has the same capacity as the highly-rated Warn 9.5XP-S for more than $2,000; however, it uses a steel rope instead of a synthetic rope.
A Jeep owner named Jeff posted to JL Wrangler Forums and shared that he had no issue with the premium series Badland Apex 12,000-pound winch after one year of frequent use.
Jeff also said he previously owned the ZXR 12,000-pound winch and had no problems with that model, even after using both winches underwater.
A comment on Overland Bound pointed out that professional recovery services in Utah, like Matt's Off-Road Recovery and Moab Motorsports TrailMater Recovery, use Badland winches.