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Which of these two bumpers is better?

  • The AEV is awesome, get it and make your Jeep awesomer!

    Votes: 8 88.9%
  • The ARB is awesome, spend the $360 on more Jeep toys and beer!

    Votes: 1 11.1%

AEV vs. ARB front bumper: Is the AEV really $360 better?

4K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  Kiwi Jeeper 
#1 ·
Howdy all, I have a 2015 JK and I'm looking at two front bumpers.

The AEV Premium Front Bumper ($1320):



and the ARB Deluxe Bull Bar Bumper ($954):



They look very similar and, so far as I can tell, the features are identical: Both have similar recovery points, support the factory air bag system, take the factory fog lights and two auxiliary driving lights, etc. I'm wondering why I should pay the extra $360 for the AEV bumper. ARB gear has a great reputation for being well made, but is the AEV more durable than the ARB?

$360 buys a lot of other toys for the rig, so I'm wondering about this price difference for two markedly similar products.

Would love to hear from folks here who own or have direct experience with either or both of these bumpers. Other folks are, of course, free to give me their opinions too, so I included a poll. :)

Thanks for the help!
Eric
 
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#2 ·
That's alot of money for a bumper regardless of which one you choose. I can't imagine how one can be worth that much more than the other, but others may have an opinion. Personally, I chose a DV8 bumper that is very strong and very well made. It was also a fraction of the price of either of these.
 
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#8 ·
I think it just comes down to what each company thinks their stuff is worth. Either product would be a homerun, but it just depends on which you prefer in the end.

I was hugely impressed with the AEV products. The install is not complicated, but takes quite a bit more time than most because the front bumper is made up of several different pieces before the actual bumper cover goes on.
With that said, everything fits like a glove and it looks killer.


Another aspect to consider is if you plan to match a rear bumper from the same brand, and in that case which you like better.
 

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#9 ·
One thing that I didn't mention before, the ARB matches up really well with stock fenders, but may not look as good with after market fenders. I don't know if you plan to upgrade your fenders or maybe you already have. Either way, I thought I would point that out because that will change the appearance.
 
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#10 ·
We bought a used JKUR that had the AEV premium bumper with the hoop.

I put the Warn X8000I winch from my old TJ on it. The winch area is very tight. it's hard to see the line and there is very little gap. Putting a new winch line is hard as reaching the retaining screw can be a frustrating exercise.

As a poster above said - the bumper is multiple pieces to it takes time to remove and re-attach. If I was selecting a bumper, I would choose one with easier access to the winch.

Just my $0.02
 
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#11 ·
One of the key things why I went with ARB is that it had frontal crash protection certification to not materially change air bag behavior. That keeps my insurance and local regulators happy. ARB had done crash testing data to support their certification.
 
#13 ·
I think the weight between the two would be about the same if you compared them apples to apples; that is with the winch mount plate required for the AEV. Doesn't the ARB accept a winch without the need for an extra $150 plate?
Having said that, the AEV looks better and it's what I have. But I also obtained it used when a guy took my offer of $500 for the front and rear AEV (MW3) bumpers and a JKU factory soft top. I'm not sure I'd have paid over a grand for just one AEV bumper, or any bumper for the matter. If you're going to go with full width that I assume it won't be a hard core rock crawler, so I'd go with the lightest and least expensive...in that order.
 
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