Great thread!
I too purchased a "Cheap" winch made by Runva. It lasted a little while and saved my ass until the day it FAILED, out in the field. Have you ever used your Hi-Jack as a winch until you are puking?? Yeah, it SUCKS! I will also note this winch was sucking the life out of my deep cycle battery, long pulls were risky.
I took the winch apart to discover the seals failed and it was full of corrosion. JUNK.. :doh:
Looking Warn's website these are the following models:
VR
M
Zeon
Zeon Platinum
XD
9.5
Can we put them in order of which to buy ? I would but I have not owned any of them.
Synthetic vs Steel. I own and have used both.
Synthetic - Safer, lighter, no sharp frays to cut up your hands, will not rust, can be cut in an emergency, can be tied, won't crimp so bad.
Steel - Better rubbing on rocks, less maintenance, cheaper to buy, wont get wet and freeze in winter like Synthetic.
If money is no object I vote for Synthetic with some line protectors. Some guy's swear by Steel but there are many safety precautions to follow.