I hear about a lot of people buying Milemarker (=Harbor Freight), Champion and T-Max winches which are made in China.

I, for one, can't see paying just as much for a "Made in China" winch as an American-made one. Both Ramsey and Warn offer "Economy" models which are competitive with the foreign-made ones.

http://www2.northerntool.com/product-1/200183124.htm

http://www2.northerntool.com/product-1/200316005.htm

http://www.amazon.com/WARN-900560-Remote-Fairlead-Compliant/dp/B000LPMLTW

Sometimes it is almost impossible to find American-made products that are price-competitive. In the case of winches I think we have some good options.

I ordered the T-max because it is the best made electric winch, not because it was cheap. Where ever it is made the standards are higher then any other winch.(Heavier duty gears, motor, water proof, no solenoids, REAL wireless remote, easily servicable motor....)

But your basic premise is correct. Cheap electrics last only a few uses and are not worth it. Especially considering how many higher end units are made today at a competitive price.

I used hydraulic winches for 15 years because NO ONE made a good electric winch back then....

i have the milemarker and im very happy with it. Used it alot this summer and not one single problem with it. Very strong and very well priced.

I won't disagree. They seem to do just fine. I just thought it was noteworthy that Ramsey and Warn both make good winches for a similar price. Since most winch shops seem to push the Chinese winches (higher profit), most people aren't even aware of the less-expensive American models.