Are all lift kits created equal?
 

I just placed my order today and want to get a head start on researching some mods. 1st on the list is a lift kit. I'm looking for a 4"-6" lift as I'm going to be running 37" tires. I've seen kits from BDS, rough county, skyjacker, etc. Are any of these kits superior to the others or are they pretty much the same?

BDS is the route I am gonna choose. They come with fox 2.0 shocks and they are some of if not the best out there in terms of shocks.

I reccomend BDS - however I contacted them and they have not put together a 6 inch lift kit yet. They only have a 4 inch.

but with a 4 inch you can run 37s

I'm also going to run 37's. I decided I want to go 6". I am leaning towards the 6" Fabtech kit with dirt logic shocks. The pro comp kit doesn't look bad at all either but I think the Fabtech has the edge.

Not all kits are created equal. Your top end kits like ICON, PMF and OUO to name a few are light years ahead of the low tier stuff. BDS is a good kit. There are better ones out there though.

Does icon have a kit for the 2017? And do you think it would provide a significantly better on road ride than the Fabtech with dirt logics?

I had Icon
 

Wont do it again. Took it off and sold it on eBay. The ride sucks. Use Carli or BDS OR OUO is nice. Icon is overrated and falls apart even the finishes look bad after a couple of car washes .

FYI, No matter who you use, the springs are pretty much all the same.. A company by the name of Betts Springs is the primary mfg of aftermarket lift kit springs..

Quality, design and ease of install are important. Budget and intended use would be the main factors. If you plan on doing some pre-running then you need a better more complete and compliant kit than a guy just driving up and and down the road that wanted bigger tires. Part of the reason the high end companies offer levels/stages of their kit. I've been told to get the most kit (no missing pieces to fill from other brands, steering, drive line, brake lines etc. are areas other than springs) for the budget you have and make sure to get the best shocks you can afford.
There are differences in quality, but there is also differences in intended use.

A lot of them use Eibach springs.

ICON makes high-end stuff. Maybe you got a batch on the finish, maybe your coils were the wrong weight rating or had too much pre-load. Was this a coilover conversion?

no springs
 

just coil overs for six inches and above and springs for 5 inches and less is my rule LOL

I have used suspensions from pretty much all the manufacturers you named. Powder coat quality is better on some than others. Shock quality is the biggest difference in most kits. The more the kit costs the better the shocks usually are. Fox, Icon and bilstein make some of the best shocks.