Craftsman 3-ton jack stands, pair

What it is good at

• Holding a raised car steady while the jack is lowered and moved out of the way
• Adjustable height with a locking pin or ratchet bar that seats in defined steps
• A wide flat base that resists tipping on a hard surface

Check before you buy

• The rating printed on the stand against the vehicle weight, with margin left over
• The locking mechanism: a pin that seats fully, not a worn ratchet bar that can slip a notch
• Base and saddle condition — bent, cracked or welded-up stands are scrap, not a repair job

Who it is not for

Anyone who cannot first get the car onto hard level ground. On a soft or sloping surface the stands are not the problem to solve; the location is.

A jack lifts and a stand holds. Those are different jobs, and the difference is the reason stands exist: they are built to sit under a load for as long as the work takes, which a hydraulic jack is not.

Pair stands with chocks behind the wheels that stay on the ground and leave the car in gear or in park with the brake set. Then look at the stands themselves once more: the paint flaking off a weld, a base that has been straightened after a bend, or a missing pin is enough to take them out of service.