Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The industry standard for recovery traction devices is MaxTrax...and they are totally awesome. They'll also cost you around $300 or more. The X-BULL version cost me $59 on Amazon for the pair. Do the math...I can burn through 5 sets of X-BULLs before reaching the $300 MaxTrax price point. Are they are as durable as the top tier product? Of course not...but if you are looking for a product that you may need off-road only once in a while (or just as peace of mind)...then perhaps you don't need to spend the $300 for the best product on the market. I've rarely needed to use a traction pad after decades of off-roading in sand along the Texas coast/beaches, gumbo mud in Southeast Texas, rocky slop trails in Virginia and Pennsylvania, or on the rocks in Moab (I actually stacked a couple of rocks instead). Inevitably, you may need to use this set to self-recover or use them to help a fellow off-roader out of a tough spot. At this price ($59), you can almost call them a disposable item. The X-BULL is so much better of an option than my 'younger man' days of shoving logs, sticks, pieces of lumber, etc. under your tires to give you just enough bite to sling muddy rooster tails on your buddies helping push you out (ah! the good ol' days - thanks buds!). They are tough, well made and will serve their purpose in multiple settings. To avoid UV deterioration (which also affects the MaxTrax by the way), I keep them inside the vehicle. The X-BULLs do not stack as cleanly as MaxTrax, but that's not a huge factor for me. Plus, they came in a cheap black zipper bag with a carrying handle, which will likely never survive the first time you try to shove a muddy or abused pair back inside...but it's a nice touch. So be prepared - if you store them inside - it could get messy...but typically if you have to take these out, you are probably messy already. I feel the need to remind customers purchasing traction devices, you are buying these to run over - typically in gnarly terrain - to get you out of a jam, unstuck, or over a difficult approach. You will scuff ANY brand up even if you run them over in your driveway or spin out your tires on them. Traction pads are meant to be another tool in your off-road kit that can be used to solve problems on the trail. HINT: Winches, snatch straps, tow ropes, jacks, etc. are also other tools that can aid in recovery. Look online for a review video by some great overlanding Australian YouTubers - "Which is the best 4x4 Recovery Tracks" (08 FEB 2020) who did "tests" on all the various types of traction devices on the market. The X-BULLs held up to some of their ridiculously brutal trials. Did they win? No. Were they the worst? Not even close. They held up sufficiently to be highly competitive all-around in my opinion, and extremely affordable for the average off-roader who'd rather spend $300 on more important upgrades to their rigs. MaxTrax are unquestionably the absolute best...but to me, these XBULL's are the 'everyman off-roader's - more than good enough!' Happy trails!