Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I needed some racks to haul my kayaks, so I went to a local big box store, and found a set of J-Racks for about $80 (a few cents less), plus tax. Two sets would cost me almost $170! Wow! Then, I found these. Two sets for less than $54. Yeah, I bought these instead. I had some concerns when I read the reviews. The straps are no good. The instructions are horrible or non-existent. Cheaply made. And on and on. But, of over 400 reviews, only about 40 were negative. Time to order them. Shipping wasn't too bad, and packaging was satisfactory. I want to address some of the concerns. One, the straps. I don't see anything wrong with them, except that they're a bit shorter than I would like. They work like a charm, hold securely at highway speeds, and do what they should do. I really don't want the ratcheting types, as I feel it would be too easy to over-tighten with those. Remember, these are plastic boats most of us are tying down. You can deform them with too much pressure. Use front and rear tie downs along with your straps, and your kayak is going nowhere (and you should use the tie downs, which unfortunately don't come with the racks). I'm only going to gig my rating because of the length of the straps, and the lack of front and rear tie downs. Two, the instructions. It is correct, there are not detailed instructions included, just a parts diagram. But guess what, it shows how the parts go together. Too be honest, I think one could put them together even without the diagrams. You've got the rubber block that goes at the bottom, the tubes to form a J which go into the block, the carriage bolts to hold them together and the steel plate at the bottom. You could put the block on upside down, but with the plate, you'd soon realize you had done so. Look at the parts before you start, and you should be OK. Some have said (and there's a good Youtube video showing it) to put the blocks in boiling water to soften them up. I was about to do that, but I didn't feel like digging out the pot and firing up the stove (besides, with my luck I'd burn myself). The blocks are stiff, but you can pry them open while put the tubes in; it's really not that hard. One other suggestion, though. Before using the lock nuts, pull the carriage bolts through using the regular nuts. The bolts spin with the lock nuts, but the regular nuts will pull them into position. Then back off the nut and replace it with the lock nut. (A ratchet box wrench is a great tool for assembly and mounting.) And by the way, if you have trouble with this diagram, you will lose your mind if you buy something from IKEA. A couple of other points. Remember, you have to have cross bars with your roof racks. They mount on the cross bar, not to the rack. The J-racks are universal fit. I can't vouch for round or square cross bars, but they work great on the Rola 59836 Hyundai Tucson Cross Bar I've got on my Tucson. They're wide, and not real thick, and the J-rack clamps tighten down just fine. Seriously, if you're looking for some inexpensive (I don't think cheap is right) racks, that will get the job done, and you don't mind putting them together, these are for you. Believe me, I'd rather spend $54 than $170 and assemble them myself.