Which rolling jack to buy? Complete file, 3 Pro brands reviewed:
With 30 years of experience in tools and workshop equipment, the hydraulic wheel jack is closely linked to the evolution of our company.
Indeed, when we launched our website www.millmatpro.com in 2007, our spearhead was, at the time, the KS Tools aluminium jack (160.0315 then 160.0365), a real success with more than 1,500 jacks sold from 2007 to 2015. Then the market evolved, steel jacks became less and less expensive, even to the point that our bestsellers in terms of jacks, went from the 2 ton aluminium jack, to the extra low 2 ton steel jack.
2 reasons for this, the extra low steel jacks have been slimmed down (from 45kg to 32kg) which has inevitably played on the price. The KS Tools 160.0366/7/8 series has been replaced by the 161.0366/7/8 series and the price has dropped by about 30%.
This article aims to answer that question,
ARE ALL JACKS THE SAME?
The answer might surprise you, because from the pictures and even reading the description, it seems difficult to see a real difference between a KS tools jack, a Clas jack or a Beta jack, Millmatpro is going to bring you REAL answers.
In order to help you choose a hydraulic rolling jack, we have made a comparison of three jacks, from three different brands. All are extra low 2 ton jacks, which represent the core of the market. We will compare the KS Tools 161.0367 hydraulic jack, the Clas OH6014 equipment jack, and the Beta model 3029/2T (030290020) extra low hydraulic jack.
We will note 3 criteria for each of these professional wheel jacks,
1 / the hydraulic system (size of the cylinder, type of control, raising and lowering speed...),
2 / the chassis (dimensions, capacity),
3 / accessories and extras of the jack
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KS TOOLS JACK 161 .0367 (10/15)
Hydraulic system: 2/5
This is a 2 ton capacity jack, equipped with a braked descent, the control is done by the rotation of a cardan shaft at the entrance of the jack, on the right to close the circuit and put the jack in lifting mode, on the left to open the circuit and put the jack in descent mode, the descent will be done automatically at a slow and constant speed. While this safety standard may be appreciated by novice jack users, an experienced user will find the descent too slow.
KS Tools' choice of jack seems quite similar to the others, however we note much lighter return springs, a plastic filler cap, and above all a very (too) thin cardan drive. Unfortunately, we count a rather large number of cardan shaft breakages.
There are two reasons for this: – the gimbals act as a "fuse". If the user puts too much force into the handle when tightening it, the thread could be damaged in the cylinder itself. Then the design of the shaft itself is a bit too weak, KS tools is trying to remedy this problem with thicker replacement shafts.
Chassis: 3/5
A double pump cylinder allows for fast lifting.
Made from 5mm thick folded steel plate, we note its minimum height of 80mm (fairly standard for extra low) and its maximum height of just over 500mm.
As for the useful height, the 10 cm is reached after 31 cm of jack depth.
Accessories: 5/5
As far as accessories are concerned, KS Tools has not forgotten anything, foot pedal, nylon wheel, storage cup, foam on the handle, and handle on the handle. Unfortunately, the type of hande sometimes has something to do with broken gimbals, so in use we advise tightening using the handle arm and not the handle.
Conclusion:
The 161.0367 jack is the reference on which we have the most experience, with nearly 400 sold since 2017. Clearly, the shift KS Tools made at the end of 2016 by replacing the range with 161.0366/7/8 was a choice to democratise steel jacks a little more. Of course, the gimbal drive is a flaw that forces us to judge its hydraulic system severely, but we have to admit that the price offered for this product makes it one of the best quality/price ratios on the market for extra low hydraulic jacks
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OH6014 (10/15)
Hydraulic system: 4/5
The double pump cylinder with quick lift is very classic, and is equipped with the same control system as on the KS Tools. However, you can see that the locking shaft is much thicker than the KS Tools, as are the return springs.
Customers wanting a jack with more efficient lowering will appreciate the lack of braked lowering.
Finally, the lifting capacity of this jack is 2.5 tonnes instead of 2 tonnes for its other two belligerents.
Chassis: 4/5
The design is almost identical to the KS Tools 161.0367 jack, but thanks to a 275 mm wider front axle (as opposed to the KS Tools 255 mm), with a different angle, the depth is increased by 3 cm (i.e. 34 cm) to reach 10 cm in height. That's always a little extra to take a point of anchorage.
Also the minimum height is 75 mm, so it's in the lowest jacks of the models.
Accessories: 2/5
The Clas OH6014 extra low jack is the least accessorised. There is foam on the handle, and a longer handle for more comfortable use, as well as nylon wheels.
Conclusion:
Clas has chosen for its OH6014 extra low jack a certain efficiency and increased reliability, at the expense of the little extras in accessories
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BETA 3029/2T JACK (14/15)
Hydraulic system: 5/5
There is also a dual pump cylinder for fast lifting. The 2T cylinder is finished to a higher standard than the competition. The return springs are as strong as on the Clas jack, but its biggest strength is its control system: no cardan system (with the disadvantages we know about them on the KS Tools model), but a more reliable system of solid locking lever, integrated into the jack and controlled by the handle itself.
This system has two big strengths: Unrivalled reliability, and the deadman control, which stops the jack lowering as soon as the technician lets go of the handle for any reason.
It is also equipped with a braked descent.
Chassis: 4/5
The chassis of the Beta 3029 2T extra low jack has a more atypical look, with a more advanced design.
The minimum height is the same as the Clas model at 75 mm for a maximum height of 500 mm.
This is the widest of the three jacks with 283 mm of front end for a depth of 33 cm under the 10 cm height.
Accessories: 5/5
It's simple, everything is there! Foot pedal, nylon wheels, storage cup, handle with T-command, foam on the handle. With attention to detail and a beautiful finish.
Conclusion:
As a reminder, Beta tools is the Italian tool leader and major player in the market. They chose to take their time in bringing their extra low steel jack model into the catalogue.
The new 3029 2T Extra Low Roller Jack is therefore the result of almost a decade of work and testing, study and reflection, to create the most reliable and robust jack
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Looking at the scores, Beta wins the match, primarily for its reliability and workmanship. After development, even though we might think that the Clas and KS tools jacks are identical, we can see that they are in fact different in many details. KS Tools focuses on accessories and tricks, Clas focuses on technicality, Beta combines the two brilliantly.
Now you have all the information about these three models and can make your choice with full knowledge. We remain at your disposal on 04 77 64 66 60 for any other question on the range of extra low 2T steel rolling jacks.
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