DEMELLO vs. ARB

[MudLovingFJ]

OregonSpeedFreak previously said:

Demello of course cuz
1."he's got your bumper *****"
2. he has friends in low places and knows who you are now...think about it... really think
3. american owned and made
4. DEMELLO OFFROAD IS A SUPPORTING VENDOR OF THIS "FREE" FORUM ARB IS NOT
5. Approach angle and winch mounting strength
6. you can get em totally custom or standard, and most any color, 1 hoop or 3 etc etc
7. Jason supports most of the big M&G's ,Trailrides and Events.
i rest my case
ps. my badass Demello prerunner front is on the way!!!

yup, you got it all! Demello all the way. Jason and crew are amazing and really go out of their way to make every single customer happy.

[mir207]

OK, so I originally pitched in with the pro's for Demello, but am now feeling a "budbuilt" coming on (now defined as irrational "only-way-to-go"-ism). It must be pointed out (for posterity and the sake of any newbies reading this) that the ARB is every bit as good a bumper as the Demello. The choice really is over weight and width. The weight is demonstrably not a show stopper in any way. Unless you plan doing a light, baja racer, in which case you want neither of these and want to ask someone (like Demello or several others) for a light tube bumper. As much as I like the Demello, I'm glad I went with the ARB, which is sold by many forum supporting vendors and so should not be discriminated against. The main reason is illustrated in Sol's image of the Demello. I guarantee you that I would have torn off my fender and broken my headlights at least once with this bumper vs. the ARB because of where the bumper ends on the sides. That's no bad reflection on the Demello, just reflection of my poor driving and overly ambitious rock crawling.

sbechtold previously said:

Demello:

Approach angle has also been mentioned, but I doubt the approach angle is much different, and in any case, if the front bumper is limiting your approach with this bumper and the necessary heavy front lift, then you probably have much bigger problems. It has never limited my truck, and I've had mine high centred on rocks, dug in wheels, and more scrapes down my skid trays than I can count.

(Side track diatribe) And the made in America smear always sticks in my throat. Buy what's best - not where it's from. If a US company makes good stuff, buy it because it's good. If someone else makes something better, buy it, and force the American company to do better to earn your business. ARB's are made in Australia and there's nothing to be ashamed of in that nor should it be xenophobically discriminated against. I thought everyone here would be smart enough not to be nationalist sheep

[1911]

Disclaimer: I'm running a Demello bumper, so I'm probably biased.

The ARB is the "gold standard" of bumpers by which all others are judged, and rightly so. If heavy duty is your goal, then look no further.

Having said that, I think the Demello is a great compromise of many desirable features; strength, weight, clearance, recovery points, and last of all looks. I've bashed mine on rocks and pushed other trucks directly with it, with no damage at all. It may not be the perfect bumper for every situation, but it's damned good for most uses.

[fj_tonka_toy09]

Fjamming previously said:

I said Demello, but I have AP. He asked about ARB or Demello. I would prefer the Demello in that comparison.

I understand, but I said most :P. They're both very nice bumpers but shipping across the country killed the deal for me so I had to scout out other options. The only thing I don't like about my ARB is the shaking but I'm kind of used to it now. I do like all of the different mounting options for lights on my ARB..and the marker lights and turn signals just give me even more lights to intimidate someone else .

[Fjamming]

fj_tonka_toy09 previously said:

I understand, but I said most :P.

That you did!

mir207 previously said:

I guarantee you that I would have torn off my fender and broken my headlights at least once with this bumper vs. the ARB because of where the bumper ends on the sides. That's no bad reflection on the Demello, just reflection of my poor driving and overly ambitious rock crawling.

You're right. :P You use your bumpers as feelers. I guess it's a different style of driving.

mir207 previously said:

Approach angle has also been mentioned, but I doubt the approach angle is much different, and in any case, if the front bumper is limiting your approach with this bumper and the necessary heavy front lift, then you probably have much bigger problems. It has never limited my truck, and I've had mine high centred on rocks, dug in wheels, and more scrapes down my skid trays than I can count.

We should take some measurements at the meet and greet. I think it sticks out much further then any other bumper. You wheel it hard and it's a good bumper for your style of crawling. I tend to pick lines where I don't drag on the side of the vehicle so a compact bumper works for me. Btw, I don't have a Demello bumper

mir207 previously said:

(Side track diatribe) And the made in America smear always sticks in my throat. Buy what's best - not where it's from.

Well said. Goes against the idea of capitalism.

[uphill]

I run an ARB. I like my ARB a lot. If I had it to do over again, I'd buy one from DeMello.

[blackseabk]

The reason I went with ARB is because it is the only one that is crash tested, that has Hi lift attachments, and the only one claims airbag approved. Wish it didn't weight as much but if I am going to have a head on collision (which is very common here due to many two lane roads) it is priceless.

[Eagle Scout]

For the Demello Front Bumper/winch, are there slots to put drive lights in the front, because I am interested in getting the Demellos but I also want to get drive lights in the front. and also, what lift kit did you get? I'm just admiring your ride.

[1911]

Eagle Scout previously said:

For the Demello Front Bumper/winch, are there slots to put drive lights in the front, because I am interested in getting the Demellos but I also want to get drive lights in the front. and also, what lift kit did you get? I'm just admiring your ride.

I'm not sure who you're asking, but I'll respond since I have one -

The round holes on each side of the winch box are for additional lights, I just don't have any in mine yet. One of these days...

In the top picture (of my previous post in this thread) is my current setup, Donahoe coilovers set at 2" of lift and OME 895 springs in the rear.

The bottom picture is an older one when I still had my OME 883 springs in front and the back was stock.

[football751]

1911 previously said:

The round holes on each side of the winch box are for additional lights, I just don't have any in mine yet. One of these days...

Are there any other places to put lights, like on the center hoop? Or are you limited to those two small lights?