What’s The Real Difference Between Husky Liners And WeatherTech?

If you’ve ever opened a car magazine within the past couple of decades, then you’re obviously aware of WeatherTech’s existence and likely aware of its dominance in the market. But then you see Husky Liners that look every bit as good in pictures, but can be had for a little less. Worth it? There are a few subtle differences and a little bit of a cost discrepancy between them, so what’s the deal? 

You could argue this is a little bit of a Coke vs Pepsi sort of argument, and you’d be right in the way that most people wouldn’t notice a difference. The ones who do, though? Man, some surprisingly strong opinions and diehard loyalists start to come out of the woodwork with some serious passion considering we’re talking about something as benign as a floor mat. I think I even saw someone claiming their dad out his life to his WeatherTech floor mats somehow. No idea on that one.

So what’s the difference?

The quick answer:

The WeatherTech DigitalFit mats are made from a surprisingly rigid thermoplastic, while Husky’s floor mats can be had as a tough rubberized thermoplastic with the WeatherBeaters or a more pliable elastomeric rubber with the X-act contours. Both will do an excellent job of protecting your carpet.

The long answer:

WeatherTech DigitalFit:

A common reaction to picking up a set of DigitalFit floor mats that I’ve seen is that people are expecting to grab a flexible rubber, but are instead surprised by the stiff plastic construction. I had the same reaction when I first came into contact with them. In those magazine ads I’ve been seeing since time immemorial, they just always looked rubbery to me (and they do offer rubber floor mats as well).

Oh yeah, and there are lasers too. Not built into the floor mat or anything (that would be weird, but kinda cool), but WeatherTech uses lasers to exactly map the floorboards of every car they offer their custom mats for. Then to stay in place, they have extruded cleats on the bottom to grip the carpet underneath as well as integrate with factory retention posts to stay in place. 

Pros: 

  • Custom-fit
  • Tough material that won’t wear out in this millennia
  • No odor (yes this is a problem for some rubber mats)
  • Highest sidewalls to contain spills
  • Most comprehensive vehicle model coverage
  • Three-year warranty

Cons:

  • Expensive
  • The tough thermoplastic can get a little slick when wet in areas without the ridges
  • If the edges curl, good luck getting them to sit flush

Husky WeatherBeaters and X-act Contour Floor Liners:

Still want that more pliable rubber feel under your feet that you might have been expecting from an all-weather mat? Husky’s X-act contour floor liners offer a similar custom fit (including the measurements with freakin’ laser beams), similar high edges to hold in dirt and spills, and stay put with those pokey cleats on the bottom and also tie into those factory retention posts. 

But then Husky also makes the rigid thermoplastic WeatherBeater floor mats as well, similar to the solid structure of the WeatherTech floor mats but with a rubberized surface for traction. Both options here come with a lifetime warranty as well, not that I can really imagine anyone wearing out any of the options here.

Pros:

  • Cheaper of the two brands
  • Available in pliable rubber or thermoplastic
  • Best grip available with the X-act contours
  • X-act Contour’s material settles in with time to hug the floor
  • Lifetime warranty

Cons:

  • Don’t contain spills quite as well, with shorter lips around the edge
  • The X-act contours can have a rubbery smell from the factory
  • WeatherBeaters can curl on edges like the WeatherTechs
  • Aren’t made for as many vehicles as the WeatherTechs

So there we go. Basically it comes down to if you want to save a little cash, go with the Husky WeatherBeaters floor mats. If you want that softer rubber under your feet, get the Husky X-act Contour floor liners.

Now go out and get them dirty!

ed. note: This article was provided by AutoAnything, and we felt that the editorial merit was worth sharing

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About the author

Garrett Davis

Garrett has something of a sickness when it comes to cars, working on everything from Jeeps, to sports cars, to over-engineered German nightmares. Currently he is embroiled in an Audi Allroad offroad project, and is slowly losing his grasp on sanity.
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