The other difference in the two that I find more compelling is the 92' of rope on the badlands vs 80' on the Badlands. Yeah you can carry extra straps etc, but when you need that extra 12 feet, you need it. If you can tell the difference in 6.2 lbs of winch weight you're fooling yourself.
12' of cheap winch rope seems like a pretty weak competitive advantage.
I was taught to cut the line down and re-splice the eye anyway to get best advantage. 60' is plenty of line for the vast majority of recovery situations here in the East. You want to be close to the spool for max power. Carry a winch extension that can be used if you need more length. Add an x-lock or two to your kit and you have an incredibly versatile solution.
