If everything goes as planned I'll be closing on a new house in a couple weeks with a 30x50 shop in the backyard. A 2 post lift is near the top of the priority list. It seems like Bendpak is at minimum $1000 more than comparable lifts of other brands. Is it worth the difference? What brands do you like and what would you stay away from?
We use Bendpaks at Flyin' Miata, and I have one of FM's old lifts in my shop. I can't think of us ever having a problem with one in over 20 years.
That's anecdotal, of course. But if I were shopping for a new lift, I'd probably start and stop my shopping at Bendpak because in my experience, they just work and that's not really a place I want to skimp.
Bendpak or Rotary are the way to go. Have one of each in our home shop. Have had to replace cylinder seals on both, but no critical safety issues. Rotary was easier to find parts for. As I remember, the Bendpak cylinders used 1 of 3 different seal sets and there were no identifying markings on the cylinder to denote which were used until it was disassembled.
That said, if you're purchasing new, you may never have to put seals in it. Both of our racks were pulled out of commerical shops that were being re-fitted with new equipment.
So, I've been batting this idea around in my head for a while. I like the Bendpak, as it's one of the only options for a lift that fits a 9' ceiling, is affordable, and is ALI certified.
If low ceilings are a concern you could consider the portable Maxjax M6. I was fortunate to find a very lightly used one selling cheap and it's the best addition to my garage. Doesn't go high enough to stand under, but with a low ceiling you'll be limited by the car hitting the roof before you reach the upper travel of the lift.
I don't think you can go wrong with a Bendpak. I have a Bendpak 4 post and I like it. I also have a Rotary 2 post that I've had for about 15 years and would recommend those too.
I've had my BendPak XPR-10A for over 10 years, love it. OIl changes, tire rotations, rear subframe removal for all new bushings, body off the frame of the '71 Bronco (and back on, numerous times), rasing the lawn tractor to clean the deck, install new blades, loading and unloading big, heavy items from my trailer - useful as hell.
When you're under a 3/4 ton extended cab truck that's 6 feet in the air, you don't want to worry about lift quality.
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