Enhanced Universal Aluminum Hawse Fairlead by Smittybilt 2809 Review

Looks good and great price but my screws rusted in the first rain. That's why I'm only giving it 4 stars. It probably should be a 5 star product for the price but I think 20 cents more it could have been flawless.

After 10 months, the hardware is completely rusted and the aluminum surface looks rough and oxidized. I've only used it twice with synthetic rope. I will try to post a picture. Yes it works but I'm switching to Warn's Fairlead. If you buy this you will get stainless hardware for it.

The fittings rust very quickly and just look ugly. I had to buy real stainless steel hardware. The mouth actually prevents the Smittybilt X20 10k winch from winding the ends of the spool even under light loads. 1/2 cm wider wouldn't hurt. I believe this Hawse Fairlead has a fairly standard bore, but bear that in mind when purchasing.

When I bought this I switched from steel cable to synthetic. When switching to a synth they recommend switching to a corded cable or replacing steel pulleys with polished pulleys (safe for a synth). It was cheaper than poly rollers. IMHO that's better too. As an added bonus, it pairs with Factor55 Flatlink E for great looks and even better functionality.

I am completely satisfied with the quality, finish, finish and of course the price. I have no idea why anyone would pay 2x or 3x more because this line is all you need in a synthetic rope. There are some VERY small, very small indentations (like a pin prick) that have been smoothed out by the final polishing. Also, the see through finish is perfect giving a smooth smooth finish with a good rope radius. Also included is a pair of stainless steel allen head screws. Nice gesture.

I bought this leader to use with the Smittybuilt synthetic winch cable that I purchased. It is beautifully made and finished and will work well I am sure. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that it's too small to fully cover the hole in my bumper where it mounts. My original leash was also a Hawse type, but steel (or cast) and it was slightly larger and covered the hole in the bumper better. In addition, this element, like the winch cable, is made in China. As I said, the workmanship…

When I first received the product the screws were missing but I still couldn't use them due to the small gap between my bumper and the winch. The clus itself has noticeable indentations on the surface on either side of the casting. It's fully polished but you can see the pinholes and horizontal lines where they are. Luckily no one was near where the rope passes. The inner oval cut was not machined 100% accurately. It looks like the inner rounded edges are hand made and not CNC machined so you…