2022 test11 productsAuto Parts & Repair
Which Jack Stands Brand Wins?
We compared 11 jack stands options head to head. US Jack came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
US Jack
Price shown in test: $227
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Runner-up
Big Red
Price shown in test: $80
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Build spec | Tip-over test, concrete, max height | Tip-over test, hot-asphalt simulation | Handle/press-pin test | Roll-forward test | Failure load test | Max lift height | Tip-over test, concrete, at max height | Roll-forward test, at max height |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Apex Extreme$31 | 2.03 mm steel (thinnest), 5.2 lb, height range 11.3 to 16.8 in, side-to-side wobble just over 0.5 in at max height; adequate but not excellent welds, one stand has an uneven leg length | 169 lb; the vehicle's back wheel contacted the jack stand during the test and bent it badly | 117.9 lb, a 30% decrease from the concrete result, attributed to thin sheet metal sinking into the rubber mat | press pin sheared at 315 lb of upward force (tested on a fresh press pin after the bent stand was straightened) | just over 99 lb; one stand was badly damaged during this test | mechanical failure at just over 9,200 lb; the pawl in the handle assembly was pressed outward from the main body | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2Husky$35 | 2.62 mm steel (about 25% thicker than Apex Extreme), 6.97 lb, side-to-side wobble 0.35 in, legs mostly even; heavier, more durable welds than Apex Extreme | 175 lb, no damage to either stand | 174.2 lb, only a 0.8 lb drop from the concrete result, called 'very impressive' | skipped, does not have a traditional jack stand handle | almost 209 lb | reached about 17,840 lb before beginning to bend; the test was stopped at that point to avoid damaging the test equipment | 17.5 in (about an extra inch of clearance versus Apex Extreme) | not tested | not tested |
| 3Arcan$41 | 2.56 mm steel, just over 7 lb, side-to-side wobble 0.478 in; welds much better than Apex Extreme, leg length a little off on both stands | 189 lb | 149.3 lb | press pin sheared as designed at around 210 lb, described as a good safety design | 238 lb | reached 15,500 lb before the ratchet bar began bending; the main body remained functional | 17.63 in (stated at various points in the transcript as 17.5, 17.6, and 17.63 in; the final recap figure of 17.63 in is used here) | not tested | not tested |
| 4Performance Tool$44 | 2.63 mm steel, just over 7 lb, side-to-side wobble 0.4 in; one stand has a leg length off by about 1/8 inch and lower weld quality on that stand | 170 lb | 124.3 lb, gave up early | press pin sheared at around 183 lb, described as good safety design | 259.3 lb | reached about 10,300 lb before the handle shaft holding the pawl broke | 16.8 in (same as Apex Extreme, but much thicker steel) | not tested | not tested |
| 5TCE$45 | 2.63 mm steel, 8.21 lb, side-to-side wobble 0.39 in; welds better than some other brands, both stands close to proper leg length; one stand's ratchet bar got stuck in the unlock position out of the box, flagged as a quality-control issue | 192 lb (3rd overall on concrete, behind US Jack's 231 and Big Red's 206) | 134.1 lb | tested deliberately without relying on its double locking safety pin; the press pin broke at 214 lb as designed | almost 241 lb (2nd place at that point in testing) | briefly surpassed 17,000 lb before the leg and ratchet bar began to buckle; ended the test visibly damaged ('blew a smoke ring') | 16.88 in | not tested | not tested |
| 6Daytona$50 | 2.63 mm steel, 7.3 lb, height range 11.25 to 16.875 in, side-to-side wobble 0.28 in (best of the brands covered to that point); very good weld quality, both stands very close to perfect leg length | 161 lb; width of the stand put it at a disadvantage versus several other brands | 143.4 lb (3rd place at that point in testing) | SAFETY FINDING: tested deliberately without the safety pin; unlike other brands, the press pin did NOT shear as designed, and the jack stand instead collapsed at around 240 lb of upward force. The reviewer explicitly recommends always using the locking pins to prevent this. | 253 lb (2nd place at that point in testing) | tested WITH the locking pin in place this time; briefly reached just over 11,000 lb before yielding; the ratchet bar bent and lost a tooth | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 7Pro Lift$54 | 2.86 mm steel (thickest of the brands covered to that point), 6.58 lb (relatively light), side-to-side wobble 0.14 in (tied best to that point); pretty good welds, first brand tested with no leg-length discrepancy at all | gave up early at 168.5 lb | not tested | SAFETY FINDING: tested deliberately without the safety pin, following the same pattern as the Daytona; collapsed at 212 lb rather than the press pin shearing safely. The transcript also notes its safety pin lacks a keeper pin and can easily fall out of position on its own. | 250.9 lb | legs began to collapse under load at around 11,300 lb; the ratchet bar also began bending | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 8Pittsburgh$60 | aluminum construction (unlike the other steel brands), 4.19 mm wall thickness, 4.1 lb (very light, claimed 50% lighter), side-to-side wobble 0.14 in (tied with Pro Lift); one leg on both stands is a little too short | 185 lb, aided by a wider base than many other brands | 143.1 lb, about the same as the Daytona | press pin sheared at 150 lb, described as good safety design | very close to 250 lb | reached a little over 9,400 lb before the top of the ratchet bar broke into several pieces | 16.44 in, lower than most competitors, which the transcript notes helped some of its later results | not tested | not tested |
| 9Big Red$80 | aluminum construction, just over 5 lb, side-to-side wobble 0.083 in (best of all brands, very good build); bottom of the stand is perfectly flat | 206 lb (2nd overall behind US Jack) | 152.8 lb (2nd place) | not tested | 279.5 lb (2nd overall behind US Jack) | reached just over 17,000 lb before getting crushed under load, with major damage to the stand and locking pin | 15.44 in, about an inch lower than most of the competition | not tested | not tested |
| 10Hein-Werner$81 | 3.31 mm steel (thickest in the lineup), just about 9 lb (heaviest), side-to-side wobble 0.58 in; very good welds, all four legs make contact with the table at once | not tested | not tested | press pin sheared at just under 200 lb, described as no safety issues | not tested | reached around 12,240 lb before the ratchet shaft pushed the pawl outward and downward | just over 19 in, the highest of all brands, offering 2.5 to 3 inches more lift than most competitors | 127.6 lb; when retested at a lowered height (2 notches down), performed much better at 176 lb | around 214 lb; when retested at a lowered height matching the competition, performed much better at just over 260 lb |
| 11US Jack$227 | 2.75 mm steel, very close to 8 lb, side-to-side wobble 0.4 in, 10 by 10 in base, double-lock security system (two pawls engaging two teeth); very good welds, all four legs make contact with the table at once; made with 100% USA parts | almost 231 lb, by far the best of all brands and the winner of this test | 229.9 lb, only about a pound less than its concrete result, and the winner of this test | withstood around 600 lb of upward force on the handle without ever giving up or collapsing, described as great safety design | 321 lb, by far the best of all brands and the winner of this test | reached just over 9,500 lb before the top of the ratchet bar broke; the rest of the stand remained operational | 18.25 in, about 1.5 in more clearance than most competitors | not tested | not tested |
How it was tested
- build specifications (steel/aluminum thickness, weight, side-to-side wobble at max height, leg-length consistency, weld quality)
- tip-over stability test on level concrete with a pickup truck at max height (lb of lateral force)
- tip-over stability test on a hot-asphalt simulation using rubber mats (lb of lateral force)
- handle/press-pin safety test (upward force in lb to shear the press pin or cause collapse, some brands tested deliberately without their safety pin)
- roll-forward test (lb of force to roll the pickup truck forward off the jack stands)
- failure load test under direct downward force via hydraulic press (lb, excluded from the final average-finish ranking since all brands far exceeded their rating)
“the wide base on the US jack and terrific build construction allowed it to dominate the showdown with an average finish of first place.”