Nerf bars?

Are the Smittybuilt nerf bars the exact same thing as N-Fab?

 

Has anyone had Line-X bed coating put on them? How did you like it? Did it wear good?

 

I put on the Smittybuilt Sure Steps today. The bars are super heavy and seem to be strong. I had put on Westin on my 2003 Chevy 4x4 years ago..The SB install really is harder, now im not sure if that's because this is my 2001 Taco or not..The Westin bolted right to the 03Chevy body bushings and was much cleaner..The SB has this block in the back of the bar that goes completely around the frame and it does stand out..Was a major PITA to install...My first expierence with SB..

 

From what I have read at various places, the Smittybuilt Wheel to wheel nerf steps are China made copies of the N-fabs. Not 100% positive, but lots of folks saying they are.

 

The Smittybilt side steps are Chinese made, licensed from N-FAB and are a total piece of junk. I have a set sitting in my garage waiting for AutoAnything to RMA them.
They were supposed to be 3 inch main tubes (I verified twice). They were supposed to fit (the passenger side brackets are not even close to the factory holes). And the things look like they were made in shop class (bad powder coat and thin metal).
The box and instructions say "Smittybilt", the step has "N-FaB" embossed on it. According to the paperwork, Smittybilt makes these for N-Fab through a license from someone else.
At this point, I'm hoping AutoAnything will get them out of my sight without the need to get nasty or call my credit card company. I will keep y'all updated. My opinion, stay away from anything N-Fab. I can't stand any company that sells out to the Chinese.