Advice on a possible crazy/stupid purchase

"Bad Idea Hat" (taoistlumberjack)
02/19/2014 at 19:50 • Filed to: None

I haven't had a set of jack stands, or even a reasonably good jack, since I moved out of my parents' house. Yes, that's been a decade. Mostly it's because I just borrow the heavy duty stuff from my dad.

With that in mind, I found something of an amazing deal on 4 jack stands and a jack, $60 for all. Here's the kicker; how many of you shop at Aldi?

Yes, they are selling these at Aldi. I usually get the staples there, because there is no damn reason to pay $5 for a large bottle of ketchup when you can get it for $2. I've never purchased anything at Aldi that couldn't be eaten or used to clean something.

Here's the link to the info; !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

It's from a brand called Auto XS, which apparently is manufactured by Wachsmuth & Krogmann.

Any sort of input is welcome. My brain says sketchy, but my brain also wanted to short Google stocks.

edit - Thank you Oppo. Pretty much confirmed what I was worried about. This of course means I get to SPEND MONEY THAT I'M NOT ALLOWED TO SPEND ON NICE STUFF.

DISCUSSION (22)

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Bad Idea Hat
02/19/2014 at 19:54

Would you trust your wife's or kids' lives to it?

That is the main question.

Bad Idea Hat > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
02/19/2014 at 19:56

I wouldn't trust any jack stands or floor jacks to that standard, for what it's worth. That's mainly a product of my distrust of large falling objects and things that can and will fail.

crowmolly > Bad Idea Hat
02/19/2014 at 19:57

That jack is a chunk of shit. I owned one and it failed. Not catastrophically but enough that I had zero faith in it lifting a car. Aside from the pump the little casters busted. Edit: and PS, I am not one to be hard on my stuff.

In most cases you cannot go bad with jackstands.

As far as JACKS go, you can go very wrong. Do not go too cheap.

Decay buys too many beaters > Bad Idea Hat
02/19/2014 at 19:58

As far as jack stands go they should be fine (assuming decent construction, it's pretty hard to screw up a jack stand), but I'd look into a proper floor jack. I've had pretty mixed experiences with trolley jacks, lots of force on a really small area.

davedave1111 > Bad Idea Hat
02/19/2014 at 19:58

Have a look on Ebay - seems about the normal price for a cheap set of stands and trolley jack.

I doubt there's a safety issue, so it's just a matter of whether you'd rather buy something better quality or go with the cheap stuff.

Saying that, at the cheap end I'd prefer non-ratchet stands. But I'd be astonished if they're selling anything unsafe in the US, so they're almost certainly fine. Just make sure they're locked in before you go under the car.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Bad Idea Hat
02/19/2014 at 19:59

Jack stands with the pin are the only type to buy.

Bad Idea Hat > crowmolly
02/19/2014 at 20:00

Thank you, this just settled it for me.

 > Bad Idea Hat
02/19/2014 at 20:00

2 ton jack seems pretty light weight. I wouldn't use anything under 3 and a half.

Team6.1 > Bad Idea Hat
02/19/2014 at 20:00

Jack...maybe. Jack stands...hell no. Hell. F'n. No. To save $50 bucks I would never trust those to be under my cars. Cars are heavy as a mo fo. And I got this whole not squished thing going on.

crowmolly > Bad Idea Hat
02/19/2014 at 20:01

BIH, normally I'd say it wouldn't be bad just to have as a spare but I really didn't like the fact that it really just fell apart on me during casual use.

Jeremy H formerly Kalakaboooom > Bad Idea Hat
02/19/2014 at 20:02

The jack, of course needs to be strong but I wouldn't look at it as much as the jackstands, as long as it jacks up the car for the 30 seconds before you find a good spot to place those stands that is fine. But those jackstands, honestly I would only use brands I trust. The ones I use, they are 3 ton jack stands, that I use to hold up my 2700 pound car. I'm just super paranoid, so I got ones that double lock, that is the regular way they lock into place and then another piece of hardcore metal that they come with that you place into a hole on the neck where the latch shits are. I wouldn't do it. Never ever ever go cheap on a safety purchase. Don't be dumb and spend way too much for what you need but just use good judgement. The fact that you are asking here, while smart, is enough info you need, keep looking brother it's what I would do.

desertdog5051 > Bad Idea Hat
02/19/2014 at 20:02

A friend of mine bought a 3500# rated floor jack from Auto Zone. I tried to straighten it under a small car chassis and it fell off. It bent the frame of the jack badly. My used, quality jack has been through the same and never suffered the same problem. Check CL or somewhere like pawn shops for a used quality jack. You will be much happier. Example, my used Blue Point (Snap-On) bench grinder cost the same as a POS China version and works so much better. I have had both versions.

Bad Idea Hat > crowmolly
02/19/2014 at 20:03

That's frightening.

I really have to thank you, though. The cheapness scared me, but Aldi has given me some things that, while too cheap to believe, were better than name brand.

Apparently this is not one of those times.

desertdog5051 > desertdog5051
02/19/2014 at 20:05

Just remember that prices on CL and at Pawn shops are always negotiable.

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > Bad Idea Hat
02/19/2014 at 20:09

Costco near me has what seems to be a really nice aluminum low profile jack. Looked nice and beefy, and if i didn't already have a nice jack, I would probably pick it up. Couldn't find it listed online though.

Lokki > Bad Idea Hat
02/19/2014 at 20:09

Just don't. Look at the construction on that jack. Pretty pathetic, IMHO. Compare it to the Harbor Freight 1.5 ton jack listing for $90 (link below) and for which you find get a 20% off coupon in the back of any car magazine. You can buy jack stands separately for not much money, and besides, those Aldi jack stands won't lift your car high enough to slide under the car on a crawler - so, what's the point? Another $30 total is going to make you a lot happier for a lot longer - not to mention safer.
http://t.harborfreight.com/rapid-pump-15-…

crowmolly > Bad Idea Hat
02/19/2014 at 20:10

It's good that you are asking around. That's the real way to find out what's actually a good value and what is just masquerading that way due to low price.

After this thing busted I looked around for a while and settled on a Kobalt (which is no longer made) which is heavy but very heavy duty.

For what it's worth, and I never thought I'd actually say this... Harbor Freight has some stuff that's actually not too bad.

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-heavy-du…

A buddy has this one for his low clearance cars and it has worked perfectly in 2 years of use.

Bad Idea Hat > crowmolly
02/19/2014 at 20:16

Kobalt's what my dad has. They are...old. It's another reason I'm buying some, is because I'm considering "losing" his. They're starting to get a mean wobble, and they seem to be more bent every time I look at them.

crowmolly > Bad Idea Hat
02/19/2014 at 20:18

Yeah, I haven't had issues with mine. But again, it's a heavy bitch, even for a 3 tonner.

Singhjr96 > Lokki
02/19/2014 at 21:27

Fucking A, this was exactly what I was going to recommend. I don't want to get crushed, so these would do the job well. I'm paranoid So would get jacks, a couple of cinderblocks, and jackstands. Just me but yeah. Makes working on a car so much easier. So hard to change oil when you don't have one.

Singhjr96 > Lokki
02/19/2014 at 21:29

Oh and I got a 40% off coupon in the mail for a jack from harborfreight the other day from one of those money mailer coupon envelopes. I also got an coupon for some $25 dollar 3 and 1/2 ton stands. I'm about to go by harbor freight soon. So look for those envelopes.

911e46z06 > Bad Idea Hat
02/20/2014 at 11:05

Harbor freight for jack stands. Never done me wrong.