What jack do you carry?

[zuren]

Shortly after I bought my van, I put a Kobalt bottle jack in since I really hate the OEM jacks that come with most cars and trucks. Fortunately, I have never had to use it for any roadside emergency.

When doing some home improvements last week, I noticed our upper cabinets were sagging so I thought this was a perfect job for the bottle jack. The jack barely lifted the cabinet, so there is something very wrong. The jack barely lifts (with the valve tight) then when I loosen the valve, the lifting piston won't return to flat. If I stand on it, it goes done but does not stay. Has anyone fooled around with a jack like this? Is there something better/less failure prone that I should be carrying versus a bottle jack?

Thanks!

 

[workingonit71]

bottle jack leak-down safety

Here's a link to a thread about jacks:http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/35801-Changing-a-flat-on-lifted-trucks-tall-bottle-jack-or-hi-lift/page5 page 5, where I started to tell about my new preferred jack, and later, of all the jacks I use. I, too, have had hydraulic jacks leak-down while using them, and usually I have two jacks for all situations and jack-stands where I can. I particularly distrust bottle jacks, and prefer mechanical (bumper, scissor, Hi-lift) to them. They have drawbacks, too. The Unijack I just bought has a bottle jack/jackstand all-in-one. If it ever leaks down, at least the jackstand part remains for safety.