I have the 4x4DE points on my disco, and for normal snatch and winch recoveries I doubt there would ever be a problem.
If the car was on the chassis rails in the sand then you be an idiot to try and snatch it straight out without clearing as much sand as possible from the wheels and chassis, most normal recoveries on a single or bridled connection would not cause an issue.
If your pulling hard enough to bend the chassis rail then Im afraid you are doing it wrong.
Maybe an extra 5 mins thinking about what your doing instead of just trying to rip the car out of trouble is time well spent.
Snatch straps should be illegal they need smarts to be used safely and properly and I dont see that often enough when the strap comes out.
Now that will get me offside with plenty of people, but think back some time, when the deserts were first being explored, what did they use then.
Bog mats, and boards and a bit of shovel work are not only safer but more effective, a snatch strap is useless if you are solo, and outside of sand recoveries I believe that snatch recoveries are too uncontrollable, a winch or gentle pull with a normal strap is way safer, think about it, how many times have you snatched someone else, did you check the rating of the recovery point mounting bolts, are they correctly tensioned, is the actual point/plate/hook fatigue free, is it the correct grade of material, is it designed for shock loads like from a snatch recovery? Looks can be very deceiving!
I do carry a snatch strap and for the last 6 years I have owned this strap it's never come out of its bag, and yes I have been recovered and had to recover others, in sand its the shovel first which gives me time to advise on air pressures and gear selection, in the dirt and rock it's a little break and rethink the line and tyre pressures etc again.
I cant think of any industrial proceedure for moving or recovering vehicles that uses a shock load method to free the stranded vehicle, OH&S just wouldn't stand for it.
As for whether 4x4DE's products are a copy or rip off of others I cant say, but for what I am prepared to do in a recovery they well and truly exceed my requirements.
