Grabar USA - out of production?

psrivats

psrivats

Team green shackle
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It almost seems like Grabar USA (the originators of the fantastic A pillar mounted Grab bars for our jeeps) may not be in business anymore. Not a single one to be found online, and the website doesn't go anywhere. No facebook updates since 2022 March. I will be giving them a call tomorrow but I am not not hopeful at all. I remember that @L J posted they were on sale last fall at Quadratec. After that I haven't seen or heard anything.

It really saddens me when original products die like this. The market is flooded with not-so-well made copies and people of course buy them since they are cheaper. Sometimes it works, sometimes it's crap .. but the end result is that good original products like Grabars get pushed out of the market. And the sad part is people buy copies knowing they are bad because they are cheaper and they are willing to take that risk. I fucking hate the "price first" consumer culture that we have succumbed to as a society.

Does anyone have a extra or unused set that they would be willing to sell? I would like to buy one.
 
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Chris said:
No shocker there. How could they stay in business with all the Chinese knock-offs?
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If Rigid, JW Speaker, Truck-lite or even Warn were operating on a smaller scale, they would face the same fate eventually, then?

Every time I see that Truck-lite knockoff thread on this forum, I die a little inside.
 
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psrivats said:
If Rigid, JW Speaker, Truck-lite or even Warn were operating on a smaller scale, they would face the same fate eventually, then?

Every time I see that Truck-lite knockoff thread on this forum, I die a little inside.
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Hey man, I’m about to do the same thing to the wheel market 🤫
 
I like how they pull you forward so you don’t hit the striker with your back. I’ve got one TJ lifted 4” plus a body lift on 35’s with them and my wife can get in it easier than my other on 33’s with 3” of lift and normal roll bar type handles.

She poo poo’d me wanting some in my ‘03, now she approves. I constantly remind her of that😆.

image.jpg
 
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I bought a set off of Amazon myself and they wouldn't fit around the roll bar. I didn't have the means to grind on them, so I sent them back. They did look well built.
 
I have an original set of the GraBars. Fantastic product. What a shame they’re no longer around, and the true shame is that folks support the knockoff brands.

I too cringe at the knockoff Truck Lite thread. I will support the real brands like Rigid & JW Speaker any chance I get.
 
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Last edited:
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The sad thing as a small scale US manufacturer, is that you must have a price point that makes it not profitable to rip off.

I bought my Grabars direct from them 8/22. Paid $86 with free shipping. Didn't buy them based on price. Bought because they were US made and the product quality is exceptional.

The common problem these days is there are so many people ripping off product ideas that have access to significant resources and cheap labor.

The only reason I can keep doing what I do, is that all my equipment is paid for, and I do everything but powder coating in house. I keep my margins thin and rely on volume.

If you are able to design and build your own tooling, drive it, and process all the material yourself through final assembly, thats huge.

My guess is that their margins were thin, didn't do anything inhouse, and had some overhead.
 
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The front grab handles from Carolina Metal Masters (CMM Offroad) are similar in function, but better looking, to me. I've had mine for 6 years and continue to enjoy the effortless mount and dismount without having to pull on the steering wheel. The CMMs are rock solid. The soft roll bar handles never were much help.

https://cmmoffroad.com/products/cmm-offroad-tj-lj-yj-billet-front-grab-handles-1987-2006
Also, they offer easy mounting points for doorless mirrors or cameras.
 
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Mark K said:
The front grab handles from Carolina Metal Masters (CMM Offroad) are similar in function, but better looking, to me. I've had mine for 6 years and continue to enjoy the effortless mount and dismount without having to pull on the steering wheel. The CMMs are rock solid. The soft roll bar handles never were much help.

https://cmmoffroad.com/products/cmm-offroad-tj-lj-yj-billet-front-grab-handles-1987-2006
Also, they offer easy mounting points for doorless mirrors or cameras.
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If people thought the Grabars were expensive, do you think they are going buy this made out of billet aluminium?

Also, the grabars were much less invisible once installed. They were there where you needed them, and integrated well inside the TJ. This one is way too blingy, atleast for me.
 
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AndyG said:
I like how they pull you forward so you don’t hit the striker with your back. I’ve got one TJ lifted 4” plus a body lift on 35’s with them and my wife can get in it easier than my other on 33’s with 3” of lift and normal roll bar type handles.

She poo poo’d me wanting some in my ‘03, now she approves. I constantly remind her of that😆.

View attachment 455428
Click to expand...

They are also never in the way, unlike he roll bar velcro versions.
 
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psrivats said:
If people thought the Grabars were expensive, do you think they are going buy this made out of billet aluminium?

Also, the grabars were much less invisible once installed. They were there where you needed them, and integrated well inside the TJ. This one is way too blingy, atleast for me.
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Agreed. The CMM handles are hideous.

I bought my GraBars in the Spring of 2018 for $86. The Chinese copies at the time were less than half that. But there were already more than enough bad reviews and reports of the copies breaking that I never gave a glancing thought of not buying the real thing.
 
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Irun said:
They are also never in the way, unlike he roll bar velcro versions.
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Very true- they are always exactly where you need them-

I’ve got a set of the other kind that migrate around and any day now I expect to find them in the jeep behind me going down the road🙄
 
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