ARB Vs. Relentless Fab Front bumper.

ok well i tried to see where you got the 600 in savings but i just don't see it.. just to be clear I've been looking at the steel one (i know thats not what op wants.)

fully assembled bumper w/ full light hoops (shipped) = 1075.00
DIY kit w/ full light hoops (shipped) 620 + 240 for welding (he listed 240 as the cheapest) = 860

difference in price is 215..

if you don't get the light hoops the difference in price is even less. the main reason i suggested it is because in the end it might save time/effort plus the welds would be perfect .

 

$830 for base steel bumper
$80 for cutouts
$150 for full tube
$145 for est. shipping

Total = $1204

This is everything I got on my DIY and paid $500 (actually $475) + $225 to weld it. Total is $700

I subtracted 700 from 1300 because someone posted that a full relentless was $1300 in an earlier post. But after checking it's actually $1200 which means I saved $500 which was well worth the DIY kit

 

Just my opinion but compared to a Relentless...... the ARB looks like a 2"x6" painted black strapped on the front of a truck.

 

Just my opinion but your opinion sounds like the pain a 2"x6" black strap on would bring.

 

It's over $1300 if you factor in paint.

 

I own an ARB so I'll throw in my .02

I purchased an ARB for several reasons; availability, price, off-road tested, DOT certification.

I wanted a bumper that I could purchase and obtain quickly, I didn't want to have to wait for the bumper to be built or deal with finding someone to put it together for me (not a big deal for most people).

I purchased my ARB for slightly under $800, most TW vendors bumpers are considerably more expensive (I realize the ARB had increased since I bought mine ~$860 now). Also the DIY kit from RF makes this kind of a moot point.

Nowadays I'm a function over form guy. I agree the Relentless one looks awesome (better than the ARB), but tens of thousands of people have installed ARBs on 1st ten Tacomas over the years with great success. They may not be the burliest or the heaviest, but the ARB has proven to be a very safe and reliable bumper. I can think of three instances off the top of my head where people in Tacomas have totaled their trucks with an ARB and walked away with minor injuries and I'm sure there are many others out there. Just to be clear I'm in no way questioning the safety of the RF bumper, just that I wanted to use something that is proven. I'm also not rock crawling and smashing into boulders on a regular basis, so if that's what you do the RF is probably the direction you want to go.

I know the air bag compliance of the ARB has been beaten to death so I'll keep this brief. The fact that the ARB is DOT approved was something of a selling point to me. I didn't want to be involved in an accident down the road and the insurance co. bend me over the proverbial barrel because I was running a bumper that was designed for "off-road use only" (RF has an off-road use only disclaimer on his site FYI). I realize this scenario is highly unlikely, but I like to cover my ass.

Hope this helps in your decision, good luck.

 

You seem a bit butt hurt. I wasn't trying to insult you or your truck dude. Here, I'll use someone else's truck so you don't get butt hurt....
It looks like a 2x6 mounted on the front that's been painted black (looks flat).......compared to the "RF"

 

Very good points...

 

All things being equal...
I'd rather my $ go to a fellow enthusiast... now I know ARB has a big presence in offroad, they make good quality products, but they charge extra for the ARB stamp on everything too...

I'll take the DIY kit when the time comes, send a bit of $ to support a fellow toyota enthusiast, and spend a little time to wrench on my truck... makes it a little less bought... a little more built. IMO...

in the end I think the Reletnless not only looks better, but when it comes to form, it's tighter fitting so better clearance for steep aproach angles, more customized for look and function (lights, bars, etc), and Small companies usually, USUALLY, have better customer service, 1 complaint, especially here, hits Relentless much harder than ARB...

just my $.02

 

The shop the truck is at wants $110 an HOUR to do the bumper in steel. I'm already making plans to have the job done by another fabricator. I've yet to contact the welder previously posted in the thread. I'll do that next, otherwise why ask for advice if I'm not going to utilize what's given. Thanks for the reference by the way.

 

Ok Ricky Bobby, if you ever feel the need to write in my opinion, with all due respect, bless you heart, before you make a statement, you should stop right there.

 

Crazy high prices. They are quoting you a price as if they are customizing a bumper from scratch. Everything is there that you'll need and for someone that has never put together a bumper it took us about 6-7 hrs total. But that's with breaks and taking our time. If they can get the bumper done in 2.5-3 hrs then maybe $110 an hr is fair but to pay $600-$700 is too high of a price in my opinion.

 

Have any of you arb bumper guys had any issues with it? I was changing the oil on my 99 taco the other day, rubbed up against the rubber bumpstop on the front of the arb and the damn thing came off. It looks like the inner rubber carriers or whatever dry rotted...I'm not trying to thread jack, but this could be a helpful point for someone researching bumpers. I've never done any offroading, unfortunately, with it nor have I done anything to put any stress on the bumper. Hell, I installed it this past June