Pictures from said side-by-side experiences? Article write-ups? Links to articles or forum posts from your's (and Ray_G's) side-by-side experience (you both imply you were there experiencing these side-by-side experiences)? What brand were the "cheap" boards you used in your side-by-side experiences (and what were the not-cheap boards from these side-by-side experiences)? Not saying you two are wrong (after all - you use the word "my" so I'm assuming you were there). Just back it up with something - tell me "the rest of the story".
Fair enough; I'll dig through my pics and see what I can find but to start with the list of experiences, side by side:
Maxtrax vs fiberglass waffle boards (mine) vs TREDS vs 1st Gen ActionTrax vs one of those cheap sets of folding mats (see pic to illustrate those)
Ironically in that case (and we're talking over two years ago) I took very few photos b/c we were really focused on testing the actiontrax to confirm/deny durability. There's a backstory to that that I won't relate since it isn't my relationship, nor my money-I was just assisting.
The results were as expected and as this discussion has highlighted.
Maxtrax work, are durable, and bounce back from abuse the best.
Waffle boards work, are not all that durable, and don't bounce back well if you abuse them too much.
TREDS break. They work till the break, but they break, sometimes they don't break so bad that you can't keep using them but I don't consider them durable gear.
ActionTrax will get a bye b/c of the aformentioned backstory, and I'll circle back around to them in a moment.
The folding mats broke.
Test vehicles included a 1996 LR Discovery 1, an 08 LR3, and a Unimog-b/c that's how you really abuse something in my experience. Most of this testing was circa 2016, and once done we haven't felt the need to go back. In our testing-very much along the lines of the scientific quest you describe-we saw enough to be convinced of the buy once, cry once validity of MT. The same lessons we have learned with other critical items like tires, winches and winch lines, fridges, etc. I have found OJ's testing to be a very articulate expression with more 'scientific' rigor-with the same basic results. In other recovery applications I've used most of the above that survived for more than testing with all manner of Jeeps, Toyotas, an Excursion (wheeling a school bus!), Rovers, etc.
More recently we took what ActionTrax has on the market now and tested them (read: abused the piss out of them) along with Maxtrax.
Not many pics but this gives you the impression (you can see other test subjects in the background actually)
In this case MT continued to perform, they have pretty much become the standard against which to be measured-effectively they are the control at this point.
ActionTrax performed on par from what we did that day. I don't know that I consider them totally equal but I was impressed. That said, given that I own MT already and that I don't like the aesthetics of the saw tooth ends of the AT I don't know that I'll be buying any but were I to be buying from scratch I'd give them a very hard look.
My experience lends to the belief that the 'pro' version with metal hardware, of either MT or AT, is unnecessary.
From the limited time I've spent with TRED pros I think those are really what you get when you don't want them breaking the first time you use them and don't put them in the same boat as MT nor AT.
In fairness I haven't used a set of X-bulls.
Given the price of X-bulls, I may talk to my partner in crime and throw $100 at the problem to do some testing of those aside MT/ATs and report back the findings...b/c why not.
r-
Ray
