About OTC
OTC traces back to 1925, when Godfrey Kaplan opened a small machine shop in Owatonna, Minnesota and began building tools for technicians -- the company is celebrating its 100th year of continuous operation. Sealed Power Corporation (now SPX Corporation) acquired OTC in 1985, and in December 2012 the brand became part of Bosch, integrated into the Automotive Service Solutions Business Unit of the Bosch Automotive Aftermarket Business Division. Manufacturing remains rooted in Owatonna, and the brand today spans vehicle electronic diagnostic equipment, shop lifting equipment (power train lifts, transmission jacks, stands, cranes, and presses), and specialty hand tools for underhood and undercar service.
On RevRated, the OTC S06 6-Ton Jack Stands is one of our top picks in our independent jack stand testing. It carries ASME PASE-2019 certification -- the current revision of the US safety standard, one version newer than the PASE-2014 stamp most competing consumer stands still list -- paired with a self-locking ratchet mechanism that physically cannot release while the stand is under load. The stand holds a 4.8-star rating on Amazon, and the welded anti-sink foot pads are the kind of shop-equipment detail that reflects OTC's professional lineage under the Bosch umbrella rather than a DIY-only supply chain.
Brand website: otctools.com
What OTC makes
OTC's range runs wider than the products we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
Jack Stands & Lifting Support
professional-grade jack stands built to current ASME PASE certification -- the line featured on RevRated — featured on RevRated
Scan Tools & Diagnostics
professional vehicle electronic diagnostic scanners and code readers
Shop Equipment
power train lifts, transmission jacks, cranes, and hydraulic presses for professional bays
Specialty Tools
pullers, torque and adjustable wrenches, sockets, retaining ring pliers, and tube cutters
Specialty Service Tools
underhood and undercar service tools for modern vehicles and motorcycles
Why we recognized OTC
The RevRated Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose products consistently stand out in our hands-on category reviews. OTC earned it on the strength of the products below, evaluated the same way every product on this site is: bought, run on real vehicles, and judged on merit.
OTC products we rated highly
OTC S06 6-Ton Jack Stands
One of our top picks in jack stand testing. The S06 carries ASME PASE-2019 certification, the current revision of the US safety standard and one version newer than the PASE-2014 certification most competing consumer stands still carry. Its self-locking ratchet mechanism requires the load to be lifted off before the pawl can disengage, removing the common failure mode of a release lever getting bumped under load, and welded anti-sink foot pads keep the legs from sinking into asphalt or soft shop floors under concentrated weight. Rated for 6 tons (12,000 lbs) per stand with a 15.625 to 23.6875-inch height range, and it holds a 4.8-star rating on Amazon.
Read the 7 Best Jack Stands of 2026 guide →What earned OTC the recognition
- The OTC S06 is one of RevRated's top picks in our independent jack stand testing, in a field that included Pro-Lift, VEVOR, Amazon Basics, and Jack Boss.
- ASME PASE-2019 certification is the current revision of the US portable automotive service equipment standard, one version newer than the PASE-2014 stamp most competing consumer stands in this category still carry.
- A self-locking ratchet design that cannot release while the stand is under load, removing a common DIY error mode rather than relying on the user to engage a separate step.
- Welded anti-sink foot pads address a failure point -- legs sinking into asphalt or soft shop floors -- that lower-tier stamped-base stands don't account for.
- OTC has built professional automotive service equipment in Owatonna, Minnesota since 1925 and has operated as part of Bosch's Automotive Service Solutions Business Unit since December 2012, the same engineering and quality lineage that supplies commercial shop bays.