I do not know anything about the Smittybilt line of winches, but their other products have never struck me as top shelf. OK, but not great.
My experience with winches over the years has me only look at one brand for a self-recovery unit...WARN, period. There is a reason that they are the most popular winch you will see on serious trail and competition rigs, they work, they last, and WARN stands behind them.
For trailer winches and other applications not as critical as one you count on to get you out of a bad place in the middle of nowhere, I am open to other lesser brands.
