Grabar USA - out of production?

FWIW, I bought a set of GraBar knockoffs off Amazon earlier this year (after not being able to find the real ones). I have not had any issues with them lifting my 220lb butt into the seat. No hint of flexing or bending, even though I pull pretty hard on them.

I’ve also glanced at a set of the real grabars in person before, and did not notice any visual difference between the two.
 
PNW_LJ said:
FWIW, I bought a set of GraBar knockoffs off Amazon earlier this year (after not being able to find the real ones). I have not had any issues with them lifting my 220lb butt into the seat. No hint of flexing or bending, even though I pull pretty hard on them.
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Which ones did you get? I've been looking for a set of Grabars for my LJ, with no luck.
 
I have a set of Grabar USA lookalikes, acquired from Amazon in 2018 a few years after the originator passed away. The welds were fine, but there were chips in the powdercoat from being allowed to rattle around in the box during shipping. Amazon refunded my money but told me I could keep the grab handles rather than ship them back. A few dabs of black paint took care of the chips. It's tough to beat free.

The brand was "Opar," with the catchy Chinglish slogan, "Make your car unique like everyone else."


Here are some Grabar knockoffs currently available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MY9IGC9/?tag=wranglerorg-20
 
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Mr. Bills said:
I have a set of Grabbar USA lookalikes, acquired from Amazon in 2018 a few years after the originator passed away. The welds were fine, but there were chips in the powdercoat from being allowed to rattle around in the box during shipping. Amazon refunded my money but told me I could keep the grab handles rather than ship them back. A few dabs of black paint took care of the chips. It's tough to beat free.

The brand was "Opar," with the catchy Chinglish slogan, "Make your car unique like everyone else."


Here are some Grabbar USA knockoffs currently available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MY9IGC9/?tag=wranglerorg-20
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Serious WTF with regard to the countersunk holes. Why? That is a fairly critical connection that one would rather not have compromised with a low torque fastener.
 
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mrblaine said:
Serious WTF with regard to the countersunk holes. Why? That is a fairly critical connection that one would rather not have compromised with a low torque fastener.
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I dont think non fat people consider the things us fat people do..play it out in your head if one of these welds or fasteners breaks while pulling my pork into a jeep that is already too tall for me.
 
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P man said:
I dont think non fat people consider the things us fat people do..play it out in your head if one of these welds or fasteners breaks while pulling my pork into a jeep that is already too tall for me.
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mrblaine said:
Serious WTF with regard to the countersunk holes. Why? That is a fairly critical connection that one would rather not have compromised with a low torque fastener.
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Maybe they are using a countersunk hole as a recessed hole because the oem bolts would be too short.
 
LONGJP2 said:
Maybe they are using a countersunk hole as a recessed hole because the oem bolts would be too short.
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Then you do a counterbore so the faying surface is flat to maintain the applied torque. If you do a countersink, then the bolt edges dig into the face and the bolt loosens up since the surface area is too small to be useful. That and 12.8 cents buys a new longer bolt.
 
mrblaine said:
Then you do a counterbore so the faying surface is flat to maintain the applied torque. If you do a countersink, then the bolt edges dig into the face and the bolt loosens up since the surface area is too small to be useful. That and 12.8 cents buys a new longer bolt.
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I, in no way, thought it was a good idea.
Just trying to come up with a reason why. :unsure:
 
If anyone is looking, I bought a set of these that showed up early this week. The bar is solid, welding quality looks good, and the anchoring holes are not countersunk. The rubber handles are harder than those on the Grabars, but not bad. Also, the finish is smooth on these, unlike the wrinkled finish on the Grabars.

The challenge I see with installing these, based on an initial attempt, will be removing the grips to get the handles through the plastic trim and rubber grommets. These did not come with 1 1/2" rubber grommets, which is what I used for the original Grabar installation. However, I already have those, and it's not a problem to find inexpensive kits on amazon that contain them. FWIW, the new Grabar set I bought years ago didn't have them either.



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Installed a set of Chinese Grabars knockoffs, linked below, on the TJ. The quality looks okay, they turned out to be not what I was expecting. The welds are good and the bars are solid, but they're made of aluminum and flex more than I'd like. Maybe it's not an issue for someone lighter like me, but for bigger folks they'd likely bend/fatigue over time.

Plus, I had to enlarge the windshield mounting holes, because they were to small for the stock bolts. Lastly, the listing is confusing about whether they are steel or aluminum. For the record, they're 100% aluminum. FWIW, I ordered these to begin with because all the steel versions I could find had countersunk drilled mounting holes. These did not.

Bottom line, not recommended!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DGDSP64/?tag=wranglerorg-20


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Irun said:
Installed a set of Chinese Grabars knockoffs, linked below, on the TJ. The quality looks okay, they turned out to be not what I was expecting. The welds are good and the bars are solid, but they're made of aluminum and flex more than I'd like. Maybe it's not an issue for someone lighter like me, but for bigger folks they'd likely bend/fatigue over time.

Plus, I had to enlarge the windshield mounting holes, because they were to small for the stock bolts. Lastly, the listing is confusing about whether they are steel or aluminum. For the record, they're 100% aluminum. FWIW, I ordered these to begin with because all the steel versions I could find had countersunk drilled mounting holes. These did not.

Bottom line, not recommended!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DGDSP64/?tag=wranglerorg-20


20230917_195651.jpg
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And this is why us fat people need better quality shit to help pull our lard into the jeep. I remember when I installed my first set of grab bars (the originals) and pulled on them to test for flex there was very little to none. If they had flexed more than I liked they would have been returned.
 
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