Almost decided on a winch - WARN or Superwinch?

I am currently in the market for my first winch.

I have decided between the Superwinch Talon 9.5SR, or a WARN 9.5XP (which I will get synthetic rope for).

Both products look to be top notch, though after some reading I favor the Superwinch:
WARN's reliability is legendary
BUT
I like Superwinch for how the rope connects to the drum, the external brake, what sounds to be better water resistance, and the price point.

My last nagging doubt is repair.
I live in Oregon, and driving to WARN's Milwaukie Service Center is no big deal. WARN also has an incredibly extensive network of repair centers and replacement parts dealers. Will I have more problems with Superwinch? I can't find where the nearest service center might be...

I'm probably overthinking all this, but if there's something else that makes one or the other the clear victor for me, I'd love to hear it!

 

In the same boat, but think I'm going to go with the older EP series since they are under 750 right now for the EPi9.0s, and about 550 shipped for the EP9.0. Just haven't decided which one. If steel cable going to get some syn line from Viking. Talon series draws a few more amps and is a couple pounds heavier, has larger stronger gears. However the solenoid is water tight they say. I like Superwinch have talked to them on the phone a couple times and they are super helpful. FWIW Viking Winchline supplies them w/ the syn line so its good stuff. Spoke to Thor there about it today.

On the warn side I'd do a M8000...you can get one shipped for 484 from Streetside Auto w/ a discount code. Warn has tons of replacement parts on ebay which is nice.

Repair...if its out of warranty the stuff is pretty simple, and both companies have really detailed tech pubs for their products. Either way you go wont be a bad decision IMO.

 

Need a poll mike!

But I vote Warn for their reputation, and my personal experience with their winches. Plus being an oregon company and nearby to you is a bonus IMO.

 

Definitely Warn. Plus like you said you live in Oregon, buy local.

 

@singlefin:

I was looking at the EP line but they are impossible to find... at least I'm having trouble. I found a 24V model, which isn't much help.

You might want to look at Amsteel's website for rope, I think they are cheaper.

Bill Burke did a writeup regarding Amsteel

The amps on the Talon are more than EP, but take a look at line speed - looks retarded fast. If you can trust the numbers, it's twice as fast as the WARN under no load. Under load, it uses less amps and is a tiny bit slower.

 

Poll's don't get me the in-depth responses I already know WARN can beat a simple popularity contest.

... yeah, I just about had my mind up this afternoon until I thought of this

 

Warn wins, hands down

 

Warn or go home.

We had a 9.5hi for 6 years and it ran flawlessly (and was used hard).

 

Yeah I saw that writeup that BB did, for some reason he is a Superwinch user. Think they do their gearing type different which he is a fan of. I'll think Viking uses Amsteel...could be wrong.

Oh yeah, forgot about the line speed being a lot faster. I sent you some links to check out. Some good points about WARN being local and a OR company.

Can you remove integrated solenoids and relocate them? I know I've seen the ones not integrated (m8000) and relocated under the hood and in the grill area on some builds. Seems like a cool idea. Jasonlawncare has the EPi9.0s and had to remove a couple things and trim I'll FWD you the pm if you want.

 

So why does Bill Burke go nuts on Superwinch? I'm just , also wondering if there's a bit of David vs Goliath going on between companies.

http://www.moabjeeper.com/articles/general/listing.cfm?articleID=353

Nada, that's why there's the EP and EPi, for example.

 

I have personally been happy with my 9.5xp. You can not not buy a Warn after it pulled you out of a ditch I haven't had any problems with mine and I've pulled out a few full size trucks with it. The line speed is great as well. It spools in pretty quickly. There's a reason Warn wins the most votes at the end of the day. They are like Toyota of their market. Reliable and built to last.

 

Yeah figured that it couldn't be, wasn't sure cause it looked like it was just mounted on the top.

Check this article out...its written horribly but in the end it just comes down to Warn and Superwinch as winners. Pick your poison. Warn is a bit more money but has a couple advantages they list, and Superwinch is cheaper in price and has it's perks.

http://www.moabjeeper.com/articles/general/listing.cfm?articleID=353

haha, didnt realize you posted the same link!

 

EPIC win for mike

 

Oh you are such a fucker

 

There was just so much epic win with what you just did I can't get over it

 

That was the highlight of my trip. I love how you made it up that trail and at the end nearly flopped on the gravel road. I'm glad you didn't roll but it was still funny to see.

 

During the situation, not so good
Now, it's one of those cool stories I get to tell.

 

Warn.

 

Thats a tough call both companys make solid quality winch's. Every one i know with a warn loves it and every one with a super winch loves it But my friend replaced his warn with a super winch on his ranger. The warn is now used on his trailer due to relibility issues but thats because he thinks his truck is a gondola.