Automotive
The Best Jack Stands: 4 Compared (and One to Skip)
We compared four currently sold jack stands on locking mechanism, base footprint, stated ASME PASE compliance, and how honestly each maker states its load rating. This is the one product category where a bad buy can kill you.
The short version
The OTC 12-Ton Jack Stands (S012) are the pick: a single solid pin through twelve drilled positions, a welded steel base measuring 12-1/8 by 10-7/8 inches, and a printed ASME PASE-2019 compliance statement. The value pick is the Torin BIG RED Double Locking 2 Ton stand, which adds an independent locking pin behind the ratchet pawl so a slipped tooth is not the end of the story. The Sunex 1210 pin type stand suits people who need a low starting height under a truck, but Sunex does not print a standard compliance statement on that listing and rates its capacity across the pair rather than per stand. Skip the plain Torin BIG RED 2 Ton ratchet stand: identical base, identical dimensions, one lock instead of two, for roughly the same money. Whatever you buy, chock the wheels, work on concrete, and never get under a vehicle held up by a jack alone. Best for: anyone who plans to put their body under a car they lifted themselves.
Our picks at a glance
- OTC 12-Ton Jack Stands (S012) - Buy. A pin type stand with no ratchet pawl anywhere in the load path, a broad welded base, and a printed ASME PASE-2019 statement.
- Torin BIG RED Double Locking Jack Stands, 2 Ton (T42002A) - Buy. The cheap ratchet stand done properly: a separate locking pin sits behind the pawl so one failure mode does not become a collapse.
- Sunex Tools 1210 10 Ton Low Height Pin Type Jack Stands (Pair) - It depends. Pin locking in a low profile package, held back by a modest maximum height and a listing that does not state its standard.
- Torin BIG RED Jack Stands, 2 Ton (AT42002R) - Skip. The same stand as the double locking version with the second lock deleted, which is the one part worth paying for.
The verdict in 30 seconds
What mattered most
- Stated capacity
- Locking mechanism
- Lift range
- Base footprint
- Saddle
- Construction
A jack stand is the cheapest piece of equipment in your garage that is holding two thousand pounds off your chest. It has one job and it does it with a piece of stamped steel: either a spring loaded pawl dropping into ratchet teeth, or a solid pin passed through a hole. Between March and July 2020, Harbor Freight ran three separate recall campaigns through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covering four Pittsburgh Automotive jack stand item numbers and roughly 1.8 million pairs. Two of those campaigns, 1.7 million pairs between them, were filed because the ratchet teeth might not engage the pawl to a sufficient depth. We picked four stands you can buy right now and judged them on the things that actually decide whether the stand holds.
A pin type stand with no ratchet pawl anywhere in the load path, a broad welded base, and a printed ASME PASE-2019 statement.
Best for: Truck, van and SUV owners who want the simplest possible locking mechanism and have the height clearance to use it.
- Single pin style adjustment with 12 locking positions, so there is no pawl that can sit on a tooth tip.
- Formed and welded steel base with a 12-1/8 by 10-7/8 inch plus sign footprint, the widest in this group.
- OTC prints "Meets ASME PASE-2019 safety standards for stands" on the product listing and backs it with the OTC lifetime warranty.
- Minimum height of 17-1/2 inches puts it out of reach for most sedans and low crossovers.
- 27.8 pounds per stand makes it awkward to slide into place and to store.
- OTC lists the capacity as "Sold as a pair. Capacity: 12-ton" without spelling out a per stand figure on the page.
- Flat top horseshoe saddle is designed for axles and frame rails, not for a unibody pinch weld.
The cheap ratchet stand done properly: a separate locking pin sits behind the pawl so one failure mode does not become a collapse.
Best for: Compact and midsize car owners doing brake jobs and oil changes on a flat concrete floor.
- Adds an independent locking pin on top of the ratchet pawl, which is the specific redundancy the 2020 recalls were missing.
- Torin prints "Complies with ASME PASE-2019 Safety Standard" and states the load capacity as 2 Ton (4,400 lb) each rather than burying it in a per pair figure.
- At 5.3 pounds each and 10.8 inches at the lowest setting, it fits under cars that a 12 ton stand will never get near.
- The 7.1 by 6.3 inch base is small, so soft asphalt, gravel and any slope are genuinely off limits.
- A 2 ton rating is thin once you account for how makers limit the pair, and it is metric tonnes rather than short tons.
- 10 ratchet levels between 10.8 and 16.5 inches means the working height is fixed in fairly coarse jumps.
- One year warranty, against a lifetime warranty on the pro grade stands.
Pin locking in a low profile package, held back by a modest maximum height and a listing that does not state its standard.
Best for: Someone working on a truck or a lowered car who needs a pin lock that starts low, and who is willing to confirm the rating stamped on the stand.
- Pin type column with 1.5 inch increments, so nothing depends on a spring loaded pawl staying seated.
- Starts at 11 inches, which is low enough to slide under vehicles that a heavy pin stand cannot clear.
- Four leg steel base built from heavy schedule pipe, with a 3.1 by 5.1 inch V saddle and locating lugs for axles.
- The 1210 listing does not print an ASME PASE compliance statement, although Sunex states line wide PASE-2019 certification on its other jack stand pages.
- Sunex describes its jack stand capacities as applying across the pair, so the number on the box is not a per stand figure.
- Maximum height of 17.3 inches limits how much room you get once the vehicle is up.
- Sunex does not publish a base dimension or a per stand weight for this model.
The same stand as the double locking version with the second lock deleted, which is the one part worth paying for.
Best for: Almost nobody, since the same brand sells a double locking version of this exact stand.
- Identical published dimensions to the double locking model: 10.8 to 16.5 inches, 7.1 by 6.3 inch base, 5.3 pounds each.
- Torin prints "Complies with ASME PASE-2019 Safety Standard" and a clear 2 Ton (4,400 lb) each rating.
- Fully welded base and a notched saddle that sits sensibly on a pinch weld or frame rail.
- The ratchet pawl is the only thing holding the column, and pawl engagement is precisely what failed in the 2020 Harbor Freight recalls.
- The double locking version of the same stand exists in the same lineup at a very similar price, which makes this the wrong end of the shelf.
- The 7.1 by 6.3 inch base is the smallest here and offers little margin on anything but level concrete.
- A 2 ton rating in metric tonnes leaves less headroom than buyers assume once the pair limit is applied.
| Criteria | 12-Ton Jack Stands (S012) | BIG RED Double Locking Jack Stands, 2 Ton (T42002A) | 1210 10 Ton Low Height Pin Type Jack Stands (Pair) | BIG RED Jack Stands, 2 Ton (AT42002R) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Buy it | Buy it | It depends | Skip it |
| Best for | Truck, van and SUV owners who want the simplest possible locking mechanism and have the height clearance to use it. | Compact and midsize car owners doing brake jobs and oil changes on a flat concrete floor. | Someone working on a truck or a lowered car who needs a pin lock that starts low, and who is willing to confirm the rating stamped on the stand. | Almost nobody, since the same brand sells a double locking version of this exact stand. |
| Price tier | $$$ · premium | $ · budget | $$ · mid-range | $ · budget |
| Stated capacity | 12 ton, listed as sold as a pair | 2 ton (4,400 lb) each | 10 ton, stated across the pair | 2 ton (4,400 lb) each |
| Locking mechanism | Single pin, 12 positions | Ratchet pawl plus separate locking pin | Pin type, 1.5 in increments | Ratchet pawl only, 10 levels |
| Lift range | 17-1/2 in to 27-1/2 in | 10.8 in to 16.5 in | 11 in to 17.3 in | 10.8 in to 16.5 in |
| Base footprint | 12-1/8 in x 10-7/8 in, plus sign flat base | 7.1 in x 6.3 in | Four leg steel base, size not published | 7.1 in x 6.3 in |
| Saddle | Flat top horseshoe | 3 in x 1 in notched | 3.1 in x 5.1 in V with locating lugs | 3 in x 1 in notched |
| Construction | Formed and welded steel, baked enamel | Robotic welded steel | Heavy schedule pipe, four leg steel base | Robotic welded steel |
| Stated standard | Meets ASME PASE-2019 | Complies with ASME PASE-2019 | Not stated on this listing | Complies with ASME PASE-2019 |
| Weight and warranty | 27.8 lb each, OTC lifetime warranty | 5.3 lb each, 1 year | Not published, 1 year | 5.3 lb each, 1 year |
Which one is right for you?
- Truck, van and SUV owners who want the simplest possible locking mechanism and have the height clearance to use it. Buy it OTC 12-Ton Jack Stands (S012)
- Compact and midsize car owners doing brake jobs and oil changes on a flat concrete floor. Buy it Torin BIG RED Double Locking Jack Stands, 2 Ton (T42002A)
- Someone working on a truck or a lowered car who needs a pin lock that starts low, and who is willing to confirm the rating stamped on the stand. It depends Sunex Tools 1210 10 Ton Low Height Pin Type Jack Stands (Pair)
- Almost nobody, since the same brand sells a double locking version of this exact stand. Skip it Torin BIG RED Jack Stands, 2 Ton (AT42002R)
How we judged the field
Five things decide whether a jack stand holds. First, the locking mechanism: a pin passed through drilled holes in a column has no way to sit half engaged, while a spring loaded pawl resting on ratchet teeth does, which is the exact defect NHTSA recorded across three Harbor Freight recall campaigns in 2020. Second, the base: a wide, fully welded footprint spreads load and resists tipping, and a stand with a 7 inch base has no margin on anything but flat concrete. Third, a printed standard. ASME publishes PASE, the Safety Standard for Portable Automotive Service Equipment, whose current edition is PASE-2024 and which covers the design, construction, marking, operation, maintenance and inspection of automotive stands among other equipment. It is a voluntary consensus standard in the United States, not a federal requirement, and Sunex says as much when it describes putting its lifting equipment through “a voluntary and rigorous safety certification process, as outlined by the ASME PASE-2019 Safety Standard.” Fourth, how honestly the maker states the rating. Fifth, the height range, because a stand you cannot get under is a stand you will be tempted to skip.
The field splits cleanly by mechanism and by who the stand was built for. Professional grade pin stands from OTC and Sunex remove the pawl entirely but start tall and weigh a lot. Consumer ratchet stands from Torin and others are light, cheap, get low, and hang everything on one pawl, except for the double locking variants that add an independent pin behind it. We picked one pin stand at the professional end, one double locking budget stand, one low profile pin stand that is excellent but does not print its standard on the listing, and one plain ratchet stand that is a perfectly legal product and still the wrong thing to buy when its double locking sibling sits next to it.
OTC 12-Ton Jack Stands (S012) - buy
The OTC S012 is the least interesting stand here in the best possible way. A solid steel pin drops through the base tube and the support column at any of twelve positions, and there is no pawl, no spring and no tooth geometry to get wrong. The base is formed and welded steel in a plus sign layout measuring 12-1/8 by 10-7/8 inches with welded foot pads, which is the widest footprint in this comparison, and each stand weighs 27.8 pounds. OTC prints “Meets ASME PASE-2019 safety standards for stands” on the listing and covers the pair under its lifetime warranty. The catch is height: 17-1/2 inches at the lowest setting means this will not fit under most cars, and the flat top horseshoe saddle is shaped for axles and frame rails rather than a unibody pinch weld. OTC’s listing says “Sold as a pair. Capacity: 12-ton” without a per stand figure, so read the manual’s pair rule before you load it. For a truck, a van or a lifted SUV, this is the one to own.
Torin BIG RED Double Locking Jack Stands, 2 Ton (T42002A) - buy
Torin’s double locking BIG RED stand is the answer to the question the 2020 recalls raised. It uses the same ratchet column and pawl as every cheap stand on the shelf, then adds a separate locking pin that passes through the column independently of the pawl. If a tooth is marginal, the pin is still there. Published specifications are 2 Ton (4,400 lb) each, 10.8 to 16.5 inches over ten ratchet levels, a 7.1 by 6.3 inch robotic welded base, a 3 by 1 inch notched saddle and 5.3 pounds per stand. Torin prints “Complies with ASME PASE-2019 Safety Standard” on the listing and, usefully, states the capacity as a per stand number rather than a per pair one. The limitations are real: a small base means level concrete only, the rating is in metric tonnes, and the warranty is one year. As a first set of stands for a car owner, it is the right shape of compromise.
Sunex Tools 1210 10 Ton Low Height Pin Type Jack Stands (Pair) - it depends
The Sunex 1210 is a genuinely good stand with a listing problem. Mechanically it is a pin type column adjusting in 1.5 inch increments between 11 and 17.3 inches, sitting on a four leg steel base built from heavy schedule pipe, topped by a 3.1 by 5.1 inch V saddle with locating lugs that cradles an axle properly. Starting at 11 inches, it gets low enough to be useful on vehicles that a professional 12 ton stand cannot approach, which is exactly why it exists. Two things hold it back. Sunex describes its jack stand capacities as applying across the pair rather than per stand, so the ten ton number on the box is not what you think it is. And unlike Sunex’s other jack stand listings, this one does not print an ASME PASE compliance statement, even though the company states line wide PASE-2019 certification elsewhere. Sunex also does not publish a base dimension or a per stand weight here. Buy it if you need a low pin stand and you verify the rating stamped on the stand.
Torin BIG RED Jack Stands, 2 Ton (AT42002R) - skip
The plain BIG RED 2 Ton stand is not a defective product. Torin prints the same ASME PASE-2019 compliance statement on it, the same 2 Ton (4,400 lb) each rating, the same 7.1 by 6.3 inch welded base, the same 10.8 to 16.5 inch range and the same 5.3 pound weight as the double locking version. The difference is that the ratchet pawl is the only thing in the load path. That is the mechanism NHTSA described in campaigns 20E016000 and 20E027000, where ratchet teeth on 1.7 million pairs of Pittsburgh Automotive stands could fail to engage the pawl to a sufficient depth and let the column drop under load. Torin’s stand is a different product from a different manufacturer and there is no recall against it. But when the same brand sells a version of the identical stand with a second, independent lock for roughly the same money, buying the one with a single point of failure is a choice you have to justify. Most people cannot.
OTC 12-Ton Jack Stands (S012) vs Torin BIG RED Double Locking Jack Stands, 2 Ton (T42002A): which should you buy?
The OTC S012 and the Torin double locking stand are not really competing for the same buyer, and the deciding factor is the ground clearance of your vehicle. The S012 needs 17-1/2 inches of lift before it will slide under anything, which rules out most sedans and a lot of crossovers, and it weighs 27.8 pounds per stand. In exchange you get a mechanism with nothing to slip, a 12-1/8 by 10-7/8 inch welded base that shrugs off an uneven floor, and a lifetime warranty. The Torin starts at 10.8 inches and weighs 5.3 pounds, which is the difference between a stand you use and a stand you leave in the corner, but its base is 7.1 by 6.3 inches and its warranty runs a year.
So: if you work on a truck, a van, an SUV or anything you can already get a floor jack under comfortably, buy the OTC and stop thinking about it. If you work on a car, buy the Torin double locking version, use it on concrete only, and accept that you are trading base area for access. What you should not do is talk yourself into the S012 for a low car and then improvise, or buy the Torin and use it on a sloped driveway because it is light enough to move around out there. The mechanism matters, but the surface under the base has ended more people than the mechanism has.
What to look for
- Pin beats pawl: a solid pin through drilled holes cannot be partially engaged, which is the failure mode NHTSA cited across three Harbor Freight recall campaigns in 2020.
- Two locks beat one: if you are buying a ratchet stand, buy the version with an independent locking pin behind the pawl, because it turns a single point of failure into two.
- Read the rating twice: Torin states capacity per stand, Sunex states it across the pair, and OTC’s manual says the maximum load for an identical pair shall not exceed the rated capacity of one stand.
- Base area is not a detail: a 12 by 10 inch welded footprint and a 7 by 6 inch one behave completely differently on an old garage slab, and only one of them forgives a bad floor.
- Look for a printed standard: ASME PASE is voluntary in the United States, so a maker that prints the edition it complies with has told you something a maker that stays silent has not.
- Match the saddle to the lift point: a V notch or a flat horseshoe is made for axles and frame rails, while a small notched saddle is what you want on a unibody pinch weld.
Our final take
Buy the OTC S012 if your vehicle sits high enough for it, and the Torin double locking stand if it does not. Both print an ASME PASE-2019 statement, both are built the way a stand should be built, and neither asks you to trust a single pawl. Then use them the way the manuals say to use them: hard level concrete under three degrees of slope, wheels chocked in both directions before you lift, load centred on the saddle, stands used only as a matched pair and never under both ends of the car at once. Leave the floor jack in place with no load on it. The stand is not the risky part of this job. The floor, the slope and the shortcut are.
Questions, answered
Is a 3 ton rating per stand or for the pair?
It depends on the brand, and this is the single most dangerous ambiguity in the category. Torin states "Load Capacity (Each)" on its BIG RED stands. Sunex describes its jack stand capacities as applying across the pair. OTC splits the difference by writing "Sold as a pair. Capacity: 12-ton" on the listing, then resolving it in the manual: "Maximum load capacity per identical pair shall not exceed the rated capacity of the individual stand." Read that last line twice, because it means a pair of stands each rated for six tons is still only good for six tons in use, not twelve. Check the rating cast or stamped into the stand itself and treat the pair as limited to one stand's number.
What actually happened with the Harbor Freight jack stand recall?
Harbor Freight ran three recall campaigns through NHTSA in 2020, not through the Consumer Product Safety Commission, because jack stands are motor vehicle equipment. Campaign 20E016000, filed 20 March 2020, covered 454,000 pairs of 6 ton Pittsburgh Automotive stands, item 61197. Campaign 20E027000, filed 3 May 2020, covered 1,254,000 pairs of 3 ton stands, items 56371 and 61196. In both cases the stated defect was that the ratchet teeth might not engage the pawl to a sufficient depth, so the stand could drop under load. Campaign 20E046000 followed on 7 July 2020 for a fourth item, 56373, this time because the base seam weld could fail. Harbor Freight's own recall notice now covers all four item numbers together.
Do I still need to chock the wheels if the car is on stands?
Yes, and the manufacturers say so directly. Torin's jack stand manual lists "Use wheel chocks or other blocking device on opposing wheels before using jack stands" among its safety markings, then repeats it in the operating steps as "use wheel chocks on all unlifted wheels in both directions to prevent inadvertent movement." OTC's service jack manual tells you to "Apply parking brake and chock wheels before lifting vehicle." Stands resist vertical load extremely well and horizontal load poorly, so anything that stops the car rolling is doing real work. Chock before you lift, not after.
Can I use jack stands on asphalt, gravel or a sloped driveway?
No. Torin's manual is explicit: "Use only on hard, level surfaces, with less than 3 degrees of slope." OTC's stand manual says "Use only on a hard, level surface capable of supporting the load" and tells you to place the pair "on a smooth, hard, level surface to ensure a balanced load." A driveway that feels solid in February can take a stand leg on a hot August afternoon, and gravel simply lets one leg settle. If concrete is not available, the honest answer is to wait, not to improvise with plywood.
Should I leave the floor jack under the car while it is on stands?
It costs you nothing and it buys you a backup, and nothing in the manuals we read tells you to remove it. OTC's service jack procedure has you lower the vehicle onto the stands, do the work, then raise the vehicle back off the stands with the same jack, so the jack stays under the car throughout anyway. Leave it just kissing the lift point without carrying load. What you must never do is invert that arrangement: OSHA 1910.244(a)(2)(iii) requires that after a load has been raised on a jack "it shall be cribbed, blocked, or otherwise secured at once," and OTC's own manual says to "support vehicle with appropriate means immediately after lifting."
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