Which Kinetic Recovery Rope Brand Wins?
A head-to-head test of 7 kinetic recovery rope options with the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video.
Sgt Knots
Price shown in test: $50, the least expensive rope tested
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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 | Weight | Claimed Capacity | Length New | ElasticityNew (force vs. stretch distance) | Length After 25 Pulls | Permanent Stretch | ElasticityAfter25Pulls (7,000 lb) | Elasticity Loss In Inches | Coating Wear | Construction Cut Open | Elasticity Loss Percent | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sgt Knots$50, the least expensive rope tested | just over 8 lb | up to 30,000 lb of tensile force | very close to 31 ft 4 in | 980 lb at 1 ft, 1,875 lb at 2 ft, 3,220 lb at 3 ft, 4,860 lb at 4 ft, reached 7,000 lb at very close to 5 ft (about 17% stretch at 7,000 lb) | 32 ft 3.5 in | 11.5 in | 1,297 lb at 1 ft, 2,558 lb at 2 ft, 4,547 lb at 3 ft, reached 7,000 lb at 4 ft (48 in) | 12 in of elasticity lost (from about 60 in new to 48 in after 25 pulls) | rubberized end coating showed some wear and tear but remained serviceable | cutting the rope open revealed a woven inner rope inside the outer jacket; the outer jacket appeared to have gotten hot enough that it melted onto the inner rope | not tested | not tested |
| 2Inclake$80 | 8.67 lb | up to 28,660 lb; stretches up to 30% under load | 29 ft 2 in at introduction; later in the elasticity section the transcript instead states 'the In Clake is at 20 ft 2 in under a small amount of tension' - kept verbatim as a likely caption digit error (9 misheard as 2) rather than silently corrected, since the 29 ft 2 in figure is consistent with the later permanent-stretch math (30 ft 4.5 in after 25 pulls being 14.5 in more than 29 ft 2 in) while 20 ft 2 in is not | 926 lb at 1 ft, 2,264 lb at 2 ft, 3,705 lb at 3 ft, 5,800 lb at 4 ft, reached 7,000 lb at 54 in | 30 ft 4.5 in | 14.5 in (stated in the transcript as 3 in more than the Sgt Knots' 11.5 in) | reached 7,000 lb at 41 in | 13 in of elasticity lost (from 54 in new to 41 in after 25 pulls) | fabric sleeve did a great job protecting the rope | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 3FieryRed$123 | 6.98 lb, the lightest rope tested | minimum breaking strength of 29,300 lb; comes with two soft shackles rated for 43,000 lb; made of 100% nylon 66 | 30 ft 9 in, starting off a little long | 1,436 lb at 1 ft (most force required yet at that point), 2,462 lb at 2 ft, 4,172 lb at 3 ft (least elastic yet), 6,355 lb at 4 ft, reached 7,000 lb at 51 in | 31 ft 6 in | 9 in, briefly the best (least) result at that point | reached 7,000 lb at 46 in | 5 in of elasticity lost, by far the best (least loss) result at that point, tied for best overall with Smittybilt and Yankum | rubberized coating showed more wear and tear than the Sgt Knots and Inclake, but the rope remained safe to use | not tested | 9.8%, the best (lowest) percentage loss of any rope tested | not tested |
| 4Rhino USA$150 | 10.6 lb, the heaviest rope tested | breaking strength of 34,370 lb; claims to stretch and store four times more energy than a tow strap | 30 ft 8 in, a little long | 1,016 lb at 1 ft, 2,598 lb at 2 ft (most force yet at that point), 4,319 lb at 3 ft (least stretch yet at that point), reached 7,000 lb at 4 ft (48 in) | grew 10 in from its starting length | 10 in, second best result at that point, behind the Fiery Red's 9 in | reached 7,000 lb at 42.5 in | 5.5 in of elasticity lost | fabric sleeve did a great job protecting the rope end, like the Inclake | not tested | 11.5%, second best percentage loss | 1 in, thicker than most of the other ropes tested (7/8 in) |
| 5Smittybilt$169 | 8.87 lb | breaking strength of 30,000 lb; 12 woven strands for better elasticity and strength; max elongation 30% | 29 ft 9 in | 1,601 lb at 1 ft, 3,541 lb at 2 ft, 5,746 lb at 3 ft (most force yet at that point), reached 7,000 lb at 41 in | 30 ft 5.75 in | 8.75 in, the least permanent stretch of any rope tested | reached 7,000 lb at 36 in | 5 in of elasticity lost, tied for the two-way best result with FieryRed | rubberized coating held up by far the best of any rope with a rubberized coating; some paint stains but very good overall condition | not tested | 12.2%, tied for third best with the Yankum Rope | 1 in, like the Rhino USA |
| 6Bubba Rope Power Stretch Recovery Rope$233 | just over 9 lb (also stated as 9.02 lb later in the video) | elongation from 30 to 35%; eyes spliced to military spec | 30 ft 7 in, a little too long | 400 lb at 1 ft, 1,130 lb at 2 ft (by far the most stretch yet at that point), 1,931 lb at 3 ft, 2,887 lb at 4 ft, 4,682 lb at 5 ft, first rope in the lineup to reach 6 ft (72 in) before hitting 7,000 lb; the stretchiest rope tested when new | stretched the most of any rope | 17 in, the most permanent stretch of any rope tested | still the stretchiest rope, reaching 7,000 lb at 56 in; no explicit inch-loss or percent-loss figure is stated for this brand in the transcript, unlike the other six ropes | not tested | rubberized coating looked to be in the best shape of any rope tested, with very little wear and tear | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 7Yankum Rope$242, the most expensive rope tested | 8.175 lb | not separately stated in the transcript beyond it being the diameter rope used by Matt's Off-Road Recovery | right at 30 ft | 1,585 lb at 1 ft (about the same as the Smittybilt), 3,370 lb at 2 ft (less than 200 lb apart from Smittybilt), 5,798 lb at 3 ft, reached 7,000 lb at 41 in, tied with the Smittybilt | 30 ft 9 in | 9 in, tied for second best with FieryRed | reached 7,000 lb at 36 in | 5 in of elasticity lost, tied for the best result with FieryRed and Smittybilt | rubberized coating wear was about the same as the FieryRed, with quite a bit of wear and tear | not tested | 12.2%, tied for third best with Smittybilt | not tested |
How it was tested
- baseline pulling force comparison using a tow chain with a Suburban (2WD and 4WD) and a tractor, to establish how much force is available before testing the ropes (not a rope product test)
- rope length measurement when new, straightened with about 150 lb of force
- elasticity test: force required to stretch each rope to 7,000 lb of load, measured at 1 ft intervals
- 25-pull torture test using a Suburban with 7 ft of slack
- permanent stretch: rope length measured again after the 25-pull torture test
- elasticity retest: force required to stretch each rope to 7,000 lb of load after the 25 pulls, and the resulting loss of elasticity in inches and percent
- rubberized end coating wear/durability, visually assessed after testing
- internal rope construction, one rope cut open to inspect
“So, which rope is best? I think that really depends on what you're looking for. If you plan to use a recovery rope several times each week, the fiery red, Smittybilt, and Yank'em ropes experience less stretch after 25 pulls compared to Sergeant Knot's and the Bubba Rope. Having made 177 pulls with seven different brands, I much prefer the Bubba Rope over all the other brands.”
Data notes and caveats
No single winner is declared; the reviewer explicitly frames the choice as depending on use case. For frequent weekly use, FieryRed, Smittybilt, and Yankum are named as retaining the most elasticity/least permanent stretch after 25 pulls. Separately, the reviewer states a clear personal preference for the Bubba Rope specifically for its gradual windup/wind-down feel, despite the Bubba Rope objectively having the most permanent stretch (17 in) and remaining the stretchiest rope of the group after 25 pulls; the Bubba Rope is also the one actually used to pull the RV out of the pond in the closing segment. Because these are two separate, non-overlapping favorites rather than one clear overall verdict, winner/runnerUp/budgetPick are left null per spec and both framings are preserved in videoNotes and the relevant products' own notes. The Inclake's starting length is stated two different ways in the transcript (29 ft 2 in at introduction, 20 ft 2 in later in the elasticity section); kept both verbatim and flagged as a likely caption digit error rather than silently corrected, since only the 29 ft 2 in figure is consistent with the later permanent-stretch math. Meta chapters (Baseline Testing, Length Testing, Elasticity Testing, Torture Testing, Stress Testing, Elasticity Loss, Conclusion) align cleanly with the transcript's test structure.