Rugcel Tank Unboxing and Initial Impressions

[XJFanatic]

After a lot of back and forth I finally pulled the trigger on a winch for the JT. Had always planned on getting a Badlands Apex to match the JLU (been a great winch by the way), but the current pricing had me looking at other options. After reading a ton of Amazon reviews I settled on a Rugcel Tank. The winch comes in 10k, 12k and 13.5k variants. I chose the 12k as I wanted the black line and 12k was plenty. (Saved me 30 dollars to boot ?.)

As was the case with other reviews, it showed up in a 13.5k box. Guess the workers in the Chinese factory messed up.

Top layer: fair lead, solenoid relocation bracket, ground wire, bolts, manual and hook.

12.9 bolts ? most winches come with more than ample 8.8 or grade 5 bolts. So this was a nice surprise.

Mutant hook

lower layer: winch, solenoid pack, remote cable, wireless remote, spare remote battery and battery cut off switch.

winch looked good and had a QC tested

Wiring was easy, color coded and lettered tags were well done.

Quick pic of the remote setup, pretty slick and intuitive.

From here it’s install on the JT with a Westin WJ2 bumper. (Screw road salt, I will have the bumper stripped and lined after I move to Texas this summer).

After that it was time to test and tension. I enlisted the TJ to help out.

So my thoughts on this winch:
Likes: Very well packaged and setup out of the box. It is definitely designed to directly compete with the Apex. Line speed is comparable, motor is a little more powerful on paper. IP68/69 rated. Wireless remote with extra battery. Includes the battery switch which is a must to me.

Dislikes: I would like the winch to have an on off switch for the wireless. The apex does and I think it’s a nice safety feature. Also, the hook is oddly shaped. I had to unscrew my shackle and thread it threw the hook due to the clip, I could see this being a pro in some situations though.

Time will tell how it does on the trail, but the initial impression is very positive. The winch had no issues dragging the JT up the driveway with brake tension. Remote connects fast and is very responsive. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy this again at the price I paid. FWIW I’ve got a $250 zesuper on the TJ and an Apex on the JLU.

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[XJFanatic]

Edit to finish the review. Had to put the kiddos to bed.