Comparing ESCO to US Jack stands

[etooey]

Hi folks,

I have a pair of old Torin "double locking" jack stands labeled as Husky. They work, but the hidden welds are super thin and surrounded by splatter, and I have only two. For certain situations I'd like to have the car on four.

I've been ruminating on which stands to get for a while. I've ruled out 6-ton rated stands because their minimum lift height is way too high for a compact car and my Hein Werner jack. I'd much rather start low and incrementally raise the car so I don't have to lift at a very severe angle. I'd really like something made in the US. I've narrowed the search to:

1. US Jack D-41609
2. ESCO 10498

I kind of ruled out the Hein Werner 3 ton stands because the bases are made in China, and there was a thread here a few years back showing some pretty horrendous welds.

I'm lifting unibody cars with pinch welds riding about 6" off the ground. Without having actually compared these two offerings in person, here are some points of comparison:

Advantages of US Jack's offering:

• Wide saddle in case I want to support something flat, but also has a divot in the center for control arm mounts or pinch welds to sit in
• 100% US made
• Double locking pawl
• Seem like they'd be safer/easier to get the car up onto due to lower minimum height, saddle shape, and wide base.
• Four legs might induce wobble, but less likely to actually tip

Disadvantages of US Jack:

• Feet look like they'd bite into blacktop
• Saddle is 1.5" deep, so a lot of weight on a small area (but nothing new for this style of jack stand on pinch welds)
• Damage to pinch welds or undercoating when using may encourage rust
• Thin/spindly appearance--are those angle-iron legs really heavy steel? Several pounds lighter than ESCO.

Advantages of ESCO:

• Rubber pad might avoid damage to undercoated (VW) /painted (Mazda) jack points
• Pin looks idiot proof
• Won't sink into pavement with the circular feet
• Top platform (not really a saddle) will support a longer section of the factory jack point
• Tripod design means no wobbling

Drawbacks of ESCO:

• Look like they would be tricky/not safe if lifting one end of vehicle only, because chassis would sit at an angle on edge of a round platform
• Tall minimum height adjustment requires car to sit at steep angle while lifting
• Made overseas

I also looked at the Norco low-profile forklift stands, but those seem like overkill for my application, and that style apparently can be wobbly with the flat base.

Has anyone here owned/used both the US Jacks and ESCOs? I see mostly praise from the folks who own them on various Internet forums, including GJ. The ESCO stands are also highly regarded. It's really hard to get a feel for which one is safer or better for my use.

I like to put wheels or ramps under the rails plus leave the jack underneath as backups, but I'm still rather paranoid. Cost is a tertiary consideration after safety and quality, but I'm not really in a position to install a lift or spend thousands right now. I just want to be safe and protect the car from damage too. It did occur to me to put a piece of rubber hose around the pinch welds as protection.

Are you folks with the US Jack stands still happy with them? Are they sturdier than they look? Do they sink into blacktop? How are they with unibody cars? Any regrets?

How are the ESCO stands when only the front or back is off the ground?

Thanks!

 

[Strouty]

Welcome to the GJ, great first post. Very obvious you searched and did research. All this being said, I am no help with your question, but I am interested in the opinions. I really just wanted to let you know how well you did asking your question!

 

[drtyler]

I have owned and used the US Jack stands for 4 or 5 years now (those 3 ton stands and also the 6 ton stands). I use the 3 ton stands most of the time. They have been very good and sturdy. The wide saddle is good too. I would not hesitate to make the purchase again.

I use them mainly on older German vehicles.

 

[zkling]

Easco, they are more suited to unibody vehicles and essentially replicate a lift. The US jack satands are all around garage stands.

 

[texchappy]

I've been looking at new stands as well so I'll be following the answers here.

BTW, have you looked into jackpoint stands?

 

[bart1]

I really like my escos

 

[etooey]

Hi folks!

Easco, they are more suited to unibody vehicles and essentially replicate a lift. The US jack satands are all around garage stands.

I really like my escos

Do you ever use them to lift one end only? The flat top seems like balancing pinch welds on the edge of a circle would be unstable/tricky unless the car is lifted at all four corners. (I'm okay lifting all four corners if that's better.)

I have owned and used the US Jack stands for 4 or 5 years now (those 3 ton stands and also the 6 ton stands). I use the 3 ton stands most of the time. They have been very good and sturdy. The wide saddle is good too. I would not hesitate to make the purchase again.

Do you use them on the frame, or do they have pinch welds?

Wish I could try them both

 

[zkling]

I don't have the easco's, but I built a set of my own based on their design (and some dimensions ) because I really wanted a flat top stand as I too primarily work on unibody vehicles. Mine are at a fixed height of ~16" IIRC. I've never had a sliding problem mostly because the top pad has a slot (I used a hockey puck ran through the table saw) really deforms and grips onto the metal surface. They are extremely stable.

I also have a older set of walker stand that have the same top profile as the US jack stands. More flat yet with a slight U in the middle unlike many of todays modern stands that have a deep V in the middle.

 

[etooey]

I picked up my 3 ton stands on Monday. The welds and paint look really good to me. Seems like they were assembled with care. I am having a hard time accepting the "thinness" of the design and also ordered some Norco 81205 pin type stands for comparison. When I pick them up, though, they feel more substantial than my old Torin 3 ton stands that had more "webbing" between the legs.

There is a little wobble because the four legs are not completely level. If I push down with about 40 pounds the legs meet the concrete floor fine. Wobble in the load bar is comparable to the Torin stands.

I really like the ratchet design on these. You can't bump or pull it out. It has to slide up and diagonally away from the load bar, lifting the load bar in the process.

The finish on the cast load bar could be a little nicer. There are some voids/bubbles and sharp edges on one of the saddles. The other one is a bit better. But that's nit picking.

I have Norco 81205's on the way and will need to decide whether to keep the Norcos and have a mixed set, or go with all USJ ratcheting types. The Norcos don't have quite the lifting range and adjustment that these do, but they would surely do better on blacktop unless I put plywood under the USJ stands. (Recently had my Torins dig into asphalt and had to cut some 3/4" plywood for them to sit on--worked a treat.)

Here are some photos:

 

[zkling]

What made you decide those over the Escos?

 

[etooey]

What made you decide those over the Escos?

Three reasons relating to the design: The ease of setting the height and getting the stand out in a hurry means I'll have my hand/arm under the car for less time when it's supported by the jack (although I would always have wheels/tires on in that case, so maybe it's not a bid deal), the minimum height is lower which makes the initial lift onto the stands safer, and the wide base provides better stability.

Two reasons that have little to do with the design itself: First, they're made in Michigan. Second, I e-mailed the company with some questions about how they're rated and tested and received a two page detailed response from the operations manager with photos of the test rig, an explanation of how often they calibrate gauges on it, the test they subject it to, etc. It did not appear to be pre-written---he must have spent a long time writing it. It was a pleasant surprise. I was waffling back and forth between them and ESCO anyway, so I decided to just place an order so I could hold them in my hand.

I also have the 5-ton NORCO's coming too, which also look like quality and a bit heavier than these, but also more than double the price! A mixed set might be nice though.

 

[Joe B.]

I love my US Jack jack stands. One think you did not call out was that they have a much wider base than any other option of similar duty.

Here is a thread I made a few years back on a wall rack for my stands.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=132869&showall=1View media item 14922

 

[etooey]

I love my US Jack jack stands. One think you did not call out was that they have a much wider base than any other option of similar duty.

Agreed! My old Torins were maybe 7" across, compared to 10" on the US Jacks.

I would have liked the 6 ton units for extra overkill, but the minimum lift is just too tall for a compact car.

 

[Joe B.]

Yup. They were the only jack with the range to comfortably lift both my Mustangs and my relativly high Toyota FJ Cruiser.

 

[etooey]

The Norco 81205 stands arrived yesterday. Holy **** are they heavy duty. Each one weighs as much as both USJ stands together. They don't go quite as high as USJ, but are within an inch or so.



The welds are blown out and splattered in a few places, definitely not as artistic as USJ, but they look solid.



Both base plates are warped, so they don't sit flat on the concrete. You can tell easily by holding a ruler to the bottom. It's not a lot of wobble, but they'll never sit flat.



They are advertised as having a 9" square base, but it's actually 8" square, compared to 10" on the USJ 3-ton. More worrisome to me is that there's a good 1/4" of clearance between the outside of the load bar and the inside of the vertical shaft it rests in. When pinned to the top setting, there is 1" of lateral wobble as the saddle pivots on the pin. With a tighter clearance this wouldn't be an issue. The saddle is close to flat, which I like, but I'd be afraid of dumping the load off the saddle with that much tilt.



I don't have any worries about these collapsing, but I'm not sold on their stability either.