Price: $245.00
Pros: Simple install. Pulls hard.
Cons: none yet
Recommended? Yes

Comments: Installed simply paired with the smittybilt winch plate. Ive used it to pull jeeps out of the muudd sunken to the frame. My first winch but seems great.

Price: $299.00
Pros: looks good on their XRC Bumpers!
Cons: none so far
Recommended? Yes

Comments: haven't used it yet but it looks good. Will go out on the trail and try to get stuck now that I have the 33" tires to test out!

Price: $300.00
Pros: cheap
Cons: Paint on outside faded fast.
Recommended? Yes

Comments: I bought this winch because it fell in my budget well at the time. I've had no problems with it so far. Its pulled my Jeep out of mud a few times and did fine. The quality of the paint and stickers on the outside is crap within a few days its started to fade to grey.

Price: $300.00
Pros: not oversized,doesnt weigh much,85lbs
Cons: none
Recommended? Yes

Comments: liked the fact it wouldnt drag my front suspension down...with the mount which is a rc-1049 it weighs about 55lbs plus the winch weight 85lbs it only dropped 3/8 of an inch!did before and after measurements!you can mount lights in the roller fairlead there are holes already there for that too!

Price: $250.00
Pros: cheap, reliable, looks sexy
Cons: none
Recommended? Yes

Comments: its very powerful and reliable when needed and it lookes really good

Price: $299.00
Pros: Price, Load rating
Cons: stainless rusts fast
Recommended? Yes

Comments: So far not a bad thing to really complain about, minus the lever has some rust on it, "nothing a little naval jelly or rust remover couldnt take care of.

At roughly 300$ its hard to beat a 8000lb winch. Ive read a lot of mixed reviews on it, so far it seems ultra cold weather is its real weakness?? If anyone has had any other issues let me know. Other wise as long as it holds up im happy with it!

Price: $299.99
Pros: Low price
Cons: Slow. Hard to free spool when new. Cheap plastic solonoid box.
Recommended? Yes

Comments: I bought my 2nd Gen Smitty Xrc8 winch about 3 years ago. It is a good entry level winch. I could not afford a Warn at the time. I have used mine fairly heavy for three years without any major problems. Lots of pulls on snow runs each winter. It finally gave out on me on my latest trip. Luckily, I was not on a trail where I really needed it. I was just pulling a small log onto the trail to cut for firewood. I am not sure what is wrong with it, it will not spool in anymore....just grinds. I'll attempt to fix it if possible, then sell it. I definately got my $299.00 out of it, so no regrets. I replaced the Smitty with a used Warn xd9000i I bought from a friend for $400.00.
Even though the Xrc8 died on me, I still hit the "yes" on the recommend box. It is a good entry level winch. With a few new internal parts, it may come back to life again.

Price: $300.00
Pros: Cheap. Effective. Long cable for remote. Easy to install.
Cons: When remote goes out, so does the winch.
Recommended? Yes

Comments: I pulled a few people out of the sand on the 4th of July, and the take up on my winch wouldn't work. I had to spool it in by hand

Price: $450.00
Pros: recovery ability
Cons: none yet
Recommended? Yes

Comments: Bought it after getting stranded over night in the hills. wish I had it sooner

Price: $279.00
Pros: Great winch at a great price through streetsideauto.com
Cons: None
Recommended? Yes

Comments: Great winch!

Price: $1.00
Pros: Great buy
Cons: None yet
Recommended? Yes

Comments: I plan on getting another for the back of my Jeep. I have seen this little winch pull a huge 1 tone through some major snow.

Price: $299.00
Pros: Strong power
Cons: Controller breaks (i'm on #2 and it's broken), cable came separated from spool by losing the bolt, shift lever weak poor design
Recommended? No

Comments: I have had this since Jan. (4 months). I got the first one and the and the "shift" lever was jammed (took 5 minutes to get in to engage not good when stuck in the mud) and I took it back to replace the entire winch.

Then next time I used it the cable with controller broke and wouldn't unwind the winch (not a huge problem as you can free spool it out) They sent me a new one with out any questions.

The same issue with the controlled occurred a second time (still waiting to talk to them about a new one)

Then the bolt that hold the cable to the winch disappeared and the cable came free from the spool. Creating all kinds of winching issues on while out in the mud since the end was flapping all over the place and creating a binding issue with the outer housing supports. Smittybilt says they don't have a screw to put in at this time. So go to the hardware store and buy what the guy at Smittybilt told me would fit. I take off the cable and and don't find anyway to reattach the cable with what the guy said. It appears that the bolt has sheared off and there is no way to attach it.

Nothing but problems with this brand winch. Yes, it can pull it's weight when it works right but if you plan on really using it I would upgrade to a better quality. It sucks to be out there and you look like a fool because your winch is a POS, and you can't get out because your POS is broken.

I am going to buy me a Warn the next chance I get. Probably today since the POS I have is broken!!!!!!!!!!

Price: $200.00
Pros: Great winch
Cons: none
Recommended? Yes

Comments: Haven't actually used it to get myself unstuck yet but used it for plenty of other things though.

Price: $450.00
Pros: Price, Synthetic rope
Cons: not quite on par with other manufactures quality
Recommended? Yes

Comments: Have not used it many times yet. One note is the way the remote plugs into the control box, you push it in and turn it. I do not like this, I feel like it could break or have problems in cold, dark, or muddy conditions.

Price: $299.00
Pros: cheap
Cons: cheap
Recommended? Yes

Comments: only good if you have a daily driver you dont push very hard off road

Price: $300.00
Pros: fast motor. Easy to wire and install.
Cons: none yet
Recommended? Yes

Comments: nice winch so far. looks good and am stoked to get stuck so I can use it.

Price: $450.00
Pros: Great price
Cons: Slow line speed
Recommended? Yes

Comments: I purchased the XRC8 Comp model (with the synthetic line and aluminum hawse fairlead). This is a good economy winch. If you are purchasing a winch for recovery and piece of mind, this is a good choice. If you need a fast line speed to run difficult trails where you need to winch, then spend your money a a high dollar winch.

Price: $299.00
Pros: Been a great winch so far, only used it to pull others out of snow banks tho.
Cons: none
Recommended? Yes

Comments: Got this winch as a Christmas gift and love it. It has plenty of pulling power and a smooth operation. I have found that the clutch can stick a bit in it but it's also winter and it's brand new.

Price: $299.00
Pros: Price
Cons: No mount plate
Recommended? Yes

Comments: Good for price, Have to buy extras

Price: $250.00
Pros: Cheap and it works
Cons: None
Recommended? Yes

Comments: No Comment