Has anyone ordered from US Jack recently?

[Kreeker]

I was told that a cheaper price could be had by calling US Jacks directly. I called today, and the guy who answered said they could not give a cheaper price because they had sufficient supply. Does this make any sense?

I think the US Jacks are worth $205 shipped, but if it's possible to get a discount I would obviously rather pay less. Have any of you gotten them for cheaper recently?

 

[Joe B.]

I got mine at much less than that but it was over a year ago. Maybe I have been pimping them too much here and they have gotten wise and raised the price!

In fact, I asked the lady why they did not sell online and she told me that they don't because it takes to long to update a website when they change prices. (They appear to be in the jack business but not to focused on the 'having a website' business.)

 

[Kreeker]

I got mine at much less than that but it was over a year ago. Maybe I have been pimping them too much here and they have gotten wise and raised the price!

In fact, I asked the lady why they did not sell online and she told me that they don't because it takes to long to update a website when they change prices. (They appear to be in the jack business but not to focused on the 'having a website' business.)

Lol that's definitely obvious... Their website is so bad

But you don't need a flashy website if you have a great product.

 

[Joe B.]

That is about what I paid about a year ago.

 

[Cinneagh]

You just have to wait it out if you can. When I called for mine in April they inferred that they do have periodic sales.

US Jack's main client is the Federal Government and everything else revolves around that. They were great people to deal with.

 

[Kreeker]

You just have to wait it out if you can. When I called for mine in April they inferred that they do have periodic sales.

US Jack's main client is the Federal Government and everything else revolves around that. They were great people to deal with.

Unfortunately, I don't have any jack stands and need them within 2 weeks I have a new floor jack (OTC 1532) being delivered today.

I could buy the Harbor Freight 3-ton jack stands to hold me over, but according to some I would be risking my life. Also, when they do go on sale I would only technically be saving $25 because the HFs would probably cost around $50. This is based on the idea that I could get the US Jacks for $140 shipped.

Tools are really hard to buy for me at least because there is little to none research done on them. I found ONE jack stand comparison review, and of course the US Jacks were not included in the review. In the comparison review the author states "For $20, these feel extremely well made and are the bargain buy of the bunch.". Yet, I hear about HF jack stands failing. However, the reports are not well documented and there is not way to know if it was user error...

 

[Joe B.]

I would still think it is worth the money to go with US Jack. However, if you have not seen photographic or legal evidence of the HF jack failure, then it never happened. The interwebs are full of BS stories that if were true would be back up by pictures and lawsuits. Everyone has a digital camera these days and we love to sue people.

 

[Kreeker]

According to some trolls, that is.

How many thousands/millions of those have been sold and are working fine? If they were truly a safety risk, many people would have died from failed HF stands.

The HF units are the same Chinese jack stands sold under many different brands. I have two sets of Chinese stands that have been working fine for years.

Are they the nicest stands? No. But if you use them properly I doubt you're risking your life.

I have seen one thread on another forum where a person claimed their HF stand failed, but many posters in the thread argued it didn't fail and the guy had put it together wrong or was using it wrong.

Side note:

Remember, US Jack stands are rated differently than most brands. The 3-ton US Jack stands are equivalient to the 6-ton stands offered by most brands. Many brands rate their stands by pair, where US Jack rates them individually. Look at the online produce manual for the HF stands, for example. They're rated at 3 tons "Evenly distributed across two Jack Stands."
http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/38000-38999/38846.pdf

I definitely agree with you, but are people really that pro-american (I am pro american btw) that they would create stories on the internet about a non-american product?

Also, I've heard people when describing a cheaper stand, say "they do a simple job well". This may be true, but I am also looking for something that will last potentially my whole lifetime (I'm 22 right now). I'm not saying the HF stands won't last a while, but I think there is a much better chance that the US Jack stands will last "forever". Also the the US Jacks base is 40 sq. in. larger, and an almost flat saddle which seems to be more desirable.

And yes I know that the US Jacks are rated per stand which definitely increases my trust in them. Could the 3 tons safety be used on large SUV?

I would still think it is worth the money to go with US Jack. However, if you have not seen photographic or legal evidence of the HF jack failure, then it never happened. The interwebs are full of BS stories that if were true would be back up by pictures and lawsuits. Everyone has a digital camera these days and we love to sue people.

The only thing really holding me back is that I'm the type of person who buys almost always buys top of the line stuff (sometimes unnecessarily), and I'm trying to get away from that. This is a situation in which top of the line is probably worth it though...

 

[Kreeker]

First, where are all these documented cases of HF jacks stands, or other imported jack stands, failing?

I think lots of people will paint items from HF or other places with a broad brush, even if they have no idea what they're talking about.

"Hey, this guy I know had a Harbor Freight screwdriver that was horrible and broke right away. The jack stands must be equally terrible, so surely they'd fail and crush you."

I like USA made items, or First-World items, a lot. Heck, I'm wearing USA made shoes right now. How many people can say that?

If you want to avoid the HF stands because you don't want to buy a Chinese item, that's fine and understandable. But don't claim you're taking a risk by buying them, because that doesn't appear to be the case.

Well my nervousness is coming from people on this forum and other forums, saying the Chinese jacks are garbage and should not be trusted. I'm not making these claims.

A jack stand failing is whole different story than some cheap ratchet failing. You could potentially lose your life.

Here are some threads I have read online. Harbor freight is not mentioned specifically.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/pors...-jack-stand-accident-while-under-porsche.html

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=70117&st=80

http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/vintage-mustang-forum/523223-warning-jack-stand-failure.html

 

[Kreeker]

I really haven't convinced myself yet which is why I'm still confused. It just seems that the majority of people on this forum recommend not going with the Chinese jacks. On the evo forum, most of the people say to just go with the HF.

 

[hammester]

I have had harbor freight jack stands for 4 years now and have not had any issues with them. The way people talk about them on this forum would make you think they fail all the time, however I have yet to see a documented case in which they have failed. How many picture are taking of broken ratchets, screwdrivers, ect and posted on her. Don't you think if these were prone to fail that you would see a bunch of people posting pictures and lawsuits since the injuries would be pretty severe. Go to harbor freight and look at them yourself in person before you make a final judgment at least that way you can decide for yourself if they will work for you or not. I am by no means telling you to buy the harbor freight one's, just trying to help you make an informed decision.

 

[USA Tool Supply]

Sorry to hear of your experience. We are a supplier of US Jack, and sell their product online. I do not know much about how their web site sales work.
In our experience dealing with them they are one of the best. Good knowledge of the products, always dependable and shipping goes out next day.
Nice folks.