barbell choices

[Allentown]

you brush the bars off after you used them

They probably banned you for stepping over an unloaded bar on the ground, too. What is this, Soviet Union?

[nkupianist]

Thanks @Allentown and @damufunman . Apologies if I wasn't clearer earlier that this isn't a "in the elements" situation, just one in which it may get moisture from time to time and is always in some level of humidity in the basement. I don't know if this changes any of the earlier answers to any extent.

@damufunman , I wish this was the case, but I'd be very surprised if a rule like that was ever enforceable . There are slots in the day where people come in with no management around, along with the overnight period where keycard access is open but the place is unstaffed. Additionally, it's more of an old school 80s throwback gym than a powerlifting gym, and much of the clientele has been there forever and isn't going to learn new rules very quickly. Add the aforementioned stupidity factor - for example, after having it for 3 months, we've already had people put a couple of divots into the edges of the plywood of our platform dropping plates onto it instead of the rubber - and I'm not optimistic there. I do like to think no one will bend the bar given the conditions of the Yorks, but who knows.

With that said, though, under current management, people clean the place almost daily during the week, so I doubt there'd be an objection to some bar maintenance by them.

[damufunman]

Thanks @Allentown and @damufunman . Apologies if I wasn't clearer earlier that this isn't a "in the elements" situation, just one in which it may get moisture from time to time and is always in some level of humidity in the basement. I don't know if this changes any of the earlier answers to any extent.

@damufunman , I wish this was the case, but I'd be very surprised if a rule like that was ever enforceable . There are slots in the day where people come in with no management around, along with the overnight period where keycard access is open but the place is unstaffed. Additionally, it's more of an old school 80s throwback gym than a powerlifting gym, and much of the clientele has been there forever and isn't going to learn new rules very quickly. Add the aforementioned stupidity factor - for example, after having it for 3 months, we've already had people put a couple of divots into the edges of the plywood of our platform dropping plates onto it instead of the rubber - and I'm not optimistic there. I do like to think no one will bend the bar given the conditions of the Yorks, but who knows.

With that said, though, under current management, people clean the place almost daily during the week, so I doubt there'd be an objection to some bar maintenance by them.

As far as I could tell no real enforcement of brushing the bars. Just a sign on the wall above the gun racks that said "Please brush off bars with these here brushes we provide after using them." On several occasions I grabbed a bar that wasn't cleaned up prior, but I think for the most part people cleaned them up.

[OrderInChaos]

Don't know if this was already listed, but this is a stainless bar that comes at a low sticker price and if you're near Colorado is free pickup. Not too bad on non-freight shipping IIRC with my AB-3100.

I've heard the original run had some funny, slightly off center IPF markings... but 269 for a stainless power bar is pretty sick.

https://www.repfitness.com/bars-plates/ ... -power-bar

[mgil]

I have the black zinc OPB and a bare B&R.

I would recommend the bare steel or stainless steel OPB. The bare steel is a better alloy from a strength standpoint, but yeah, more maintenance.

I wouldn’t buy a black zinc OPB again. This one I have currently is a replacement because the bar discolored under the finish. This one has as well.

[iamsmu]

I have the black zinc OPB and a bare B&R.

I would recommend the bare steel or stainless steel OPB. The bare steel is a better alloy from a strength standpoint, but yeah, more maintenance.

I wouldn’t buy a black zinc OPB again. This one I have currently is a replacement because the bar discolored under the finish. This one has as well.

I have the black zinc normal Ohio Bar. I wouldn't buy another black zinc bar either. It turned some weird green. The zinc on the sleeves rubbed off. The bar is dirty, which is my faulty, but it looks like hell after just a couple years.

I'm curious to see how the cerakote on the American Barbell training bar will hold up.

I have some Cap OB86Bs with black oxide. They have both rusted a little.

[OrderInChaos]

...
I'm curious to see how the cerakote on the American Barbell training bar will hold up...

You have one too? I got the olive drab/bazooka green one in July. I'm babying it in terms of J-hooks and avoiding metal-to-metal, otherwise will be very interested to see if any corrosion strikes, since my gym is a typical "Southern Home" carport garage that's open air, completely non-climate controlled.

Hypothetically better than stainless. Hope that bears out!

[iamsmu]

...
I'm curious to see how the cerakote on the American Barbell training bar will hold up...

You have one too? I got the olive drab/bazooka green one in July. I'm babying it in terms of J-hooks and avoiding metal-to-metal, otherwise will be very interested to see if any corrosion strikes, since my gym is a typical "Southern Home" carport garage that's open air, completely non-climate controlled.

Hypothetically better than stainless. Hope that bears out!

I got a red one in about 3 days ago.



Yesterday I tried doing some power cleans with it. I hit it on the lever on my lever belt on the way down. I started to tear up thinking that the beautiful thing was damaged. Happily, it was just fine. I'll be using a velcro belt on those, if a belt at all in the future.

The bar moves so freely in the sleeves. I'd be a little worried about benching with it. I'm going to see how it is for deadlifts on Monday. I might try pressing with it tomorrow.

The knurling is not very aggressive, but it seems very grippy. I think Cody noted this in his review.

[Cody]

The knurling is not very aggressive, but it seems very grippy. I think Cody noted this in his review.

Indeed! I do wish there were more options on the market for really aggressive knurl. I want to try the new Vulcan bar out, but I don't know anywhere local that's picked them up.

[damufunman]

...
I'm curious to see how the cerakote on the American Barbell training bar will hold up...

You have one too? I got the olive drab/bazooka green one in July. I'm babying it in terms of J-hooks and avoiding metal-to-metal, otherwise will be very interested to see if any corrosion strikes, since my gym is a typical "Southern Home" carport garage that's open air, completely non-climate controlled.

Hypothetically better than stainless. Hope that bears out!

I got a red one in about 3 days ago.



Yesterday I tried doing some power cleans with it. I hit it on the lever on my lever belt on the way down. I started to tear up thinking that the beautiful thing was damaged. Happily, it was just fine. I'll be using a velcro belt on those, if a belt at all in the future.

The bar moves so freely in the sleeves. I'd be a little worried about benching with it. I'm going to see how it is for deadlifts on Monday. I might try pressing with it tomorrow.

The knurling is not very aggressive, but it seems very grippy. I think Cody noted this in his review.

Nice! I'm looking at getting one as well, hoping for a Black Friday Sale. Unless of course a stainless and/or bearing variant comes up at a good price. Didn't Rogue have a 2 for 1 sale or something ridiculous on their WLing bar a couple years back? Maybe @Hanley would be interested in splitting an order with me on that if that ever happens again...

[iamsmu]

Nice! I'm looking at getting one as well, hoping for a Black Friday Sale. Unless of course a stainless and/or bearing variant comes up at a good price. Didn't Rogue have a 2 for 1 sale or something ridiculous on their WLing bar a couple years back? Maybe @Hanley would be interested in splitting an order with me on that if that ever happens again...

From IG, it looks like you are doing your olympic lifts with the B&R bar. That must suck. It's too stiff, the knurling is too rough, and there is center knurl. You'd be much happier with something else.

I can't recall how good the Black Friday sales are. It's so random, I never count on them.

[mgil]

Rogue does have an Ohio (not power) Bar in stainless in the boneyard for a bit of a savings. The 28mm bars are ridiculously expensive.

[damufunman]

Nice! I'm looking at getting one as well, hoping for a Black Friday Sale. Unless of course a stainless and/or bearing variant comes up at a good price. Didn't Rogue have a 2 for 1 sale or something ridiculous on their WLing bar a couple years back? Maybe @Hanley would be interested in splitting an order with me on that if that ever happens again...

From IG, it looks like you are doing your olympic lifts with the B&R bar. That must suck. It's too stiff, the knurling is too rough, and there is center knurl. You'd be much happier with something else.

I can't recall how good the Black Friday sales are. It's so random, I never count on them.

Yup B&R.

So it's not just my pussyhands, that knurling is a bit rough? I don't think I'm lifting enough (or fast enough) for the stiffness to be an issue. I have caught my throat a couple times with that center knurl, definitely getting a bar without it next go round.
As for the Rogue BF sale, I got the impression it was a bit willy-nilly and couldn't plan on anything. I've got both Rogue and American Barbell in mind, so whichever sale is better is likely the way I'll go.

Rogue does have an Ohio (not power) Bar in stainless in the boneyard for a bit of a savings. The 28mm bars are ridiculously expensive.

The bushing training bar isn't too bad. Bearings (and SS) are expensive, which is sad. I'd love to have a bearing bar, but can't justify that extra cost when most bushing bars will be fine for me. Was considering a boneyard bar (and American Barbell's equivalent), but not having a warranty is worrisome. But apparently disassembling for clenaing/maintenance voids the warranty so maybe it's a moot point? I plan on cleaning up bearings/bushings at some point, though maybe it's unnecessary at home gym? If so, then warranty is good. But then again, how many warranty claims do you think Rogue has had on bars?

[iamsmu]

The bushing training bar isn't too bad. Bearings (and SS) are expensive, which is sad. I'd love to have a bearing bar, but can't justify that extra cost when most bushing bars will be fine for me. Was considering a boneyard bar (and American Barbell's equivalent), but not having a warranty is worrisome. But apparently disassembling for clenaing/maintenance voids the warranty so maybe it's a moot point? I plan on cleaning up bearings/bushings at some point, though maybe it's unnecessary at home gym? If so, then warranty is good. But then again, how many warranty claims do you think Rogue has had on bars?

I think the Rogue training bar only comes in black zinc or cerakote. And they cerakote the sleeves. I wouldn't buy a black zinc bar again. And I wouldn't want cerakote on the sleeves. . . . The black zinc looks so cool when it first arrives, but then it turns an ugly green and the sleeves go grey. [My wife has the Bella in black zinc. It has stayed black. Perhaps there was something wrong with my Ohio bar.]

The American Barbell is $30 cheaper, comes in more colors, and doesn't have ROGUE written in the middle. Branding on plates is one thing, on the bar is another. . . . $30 doesn't mean much at this price range though. . . . I think the AB shipping was only $25 dollars or something and I'm all the way across the country from them. It took a while to get here. But the unboxing experience was worth the wait. Incredible packaging.

I'm not worried about a warranty on bushing bars from these companies. But I wouldn't buy a bone yard bar because I don't know the exact flaw. It could mean some irritating asymmetry . . . . $225 is good for an Ohio bar, but I'd rather just pony up the extra $50 or whatever for one without defects. . . . You have Rogue competition bumpers! $50 can't mean all that much to you either.

I had the AB training bar on the ground loaded up to 185 or something light. I could roll my hand back and forth on the bar and make it spin without moving the plates. It glides nicely. I'll try this with some other bars later, but I don't think I have any that move so freely.

[damufunman]

The bushing training bar isn't too bad. Bearings (and SS) are expensive, which is sad. I'd love to have a bearing bar, but can't justify that extra cost when most bushing bars will be fine for me. Was considering a boneyard bar (and American Barbell's equivalent), but not having a warranty is worrisome. But apparently disassembling for clenaing/maintenance voids the warranty so maybe it's a moot point? I plan on cleaning up bearings/bushings at some point, though maybe it's unnecessary at home gym? If so, then warranty is good. But then again, how many warranty claims do you think Rogue has had on bars?

I think the Rogue training bar only comes in black zinc or cerakote. And they cerakote the sleeves. I wouldn't buy a black zinc bar again. And I wouldn't want cerakote on the sleeves. . . . The black zinc looks so cool when it first arrives, but then it turns an ugly green and the sleeves go grey. [My wife has the Bella in black zinc. It has stayed black. Perhaps there was something wrong with my Ohio bar.]

The American Barbell is $30 cheaper, comes in more colors, and doesn't have ROGUE written in the middle. Branding on plates is one thing, on the bar is another. . . . $30 doesn't mean much at this price range though. . . . I think the AB shipping was only $25 dollars or something and I'm all the way across the country from them. It took a while to get here. But the unboxing experience was worth the wait. Incredible packaging.

Yeah I'd get the cerakote, but I think the AB training bar is thought to be a bit nicer, according to Garage Gym Reviews or some such site. There's also the Precision Training Bar (as opposed to the Training Bar), but it doesn't come in cerakote, and I think the extra cost is for (arguably) useless welded sleeve design. Also the chrome Training Bar is cheaper plus free shipping.

I'm not worried about a warranty on bushing bars from these companies. But I wouldn't buy a bone yard bar because I don't know the exact flaw. It could mean some irritating asymmetry . . . . $225 is good for an Ohio bar, but I'd rather just pony up the extra $50 or whatever for one without defects. . . . You have Rogue competition bumpers! $50 can't mean all that much to you either.

Naw, just got a bonus, along with having bought our place and expecting a kid, so I wanted to get the home gym set up and be done with it, opted for the slightly nicer plates, assuming they'll last longer than regular bumpers (and also had several reasons to justify it at the time, probably would've looked at Rep or some other brand if I was doing it now).

I had the AB training bar on the ground loaded up to 185 or something light. I could roll my hand back and forth on the bar and make it spin without moving the plates. It glides nicely. I'll try this with some other bars later, but I don't think I have any that move so freely.

Hnnggg AB has a closeout Stainless training bar for 20% off https://americanbarbell.com/products/cl ... aining-bar
Again, unknown defect and no warranty though.

[Skander]

.
As for the Rogue BF sale, I got the impression it was a bit willy-nilly and couldn't plan on anything. I've got both Rogue and American Barbell in mind, so whichever sale is better is likely the way I'll go.

There's also the rep Gladiator bar which gets good reviews. I can't imagine it will last forever, but might be good way to dip your toes in a bearing bar.

I'm lifting on a Pendlay 2013 bearing bar right now. I like it a lot and what I find interesting is that it doesn't "spin for days". Really it spins just enough- but better than the bushing equivalent. It makes me think a bar with really good bushings could be good, even if they don't spin forever.

[damufunman]

.
As for the Rogue BF sale, I got the impression it was a bit willy-nilly and couldn't plan on anything. I've got both Rogue and American Barbell in mind, so whichever sale is better is likely the way I'll go.

There's also the rep Gladiator bar which gets good reviews. I can't imagine it will last forever, but might be good way to dip your toes in a bearing bar.

I'm lifting on a Pendlay 2013 bearing bar right now. I like it a lot and what I find interesting is that it doesn't "spin for days". Really it spins just enough- but better than the bushing equivalent. It makes me think a bar with really good bushings could be good, even if they don't spin forever.

Yeah I've looked at the Gladiator. At that price I'm a little concerned with where they cut cost. I've only seen good reviews, but has any one ever written a bad review of a decent sized company?
The mechanical engineer in me wants to get a bearing bar, but practically, a bushing bar would work fine, and is a lot cheaper. And honestly, i don't think it be able to tell a difference between a bearing and bushing bar at this point.
But that stainless tho.....

[Skander]

Seriously go to a local Oly gym and bring your bar and compare. See what you think.

Also, there's a decent secondary market for everything but standard weights and cheap benches. If you don't like the gladiator, sell it for a hundred bucks in a couple years and it's not that much of a loss at that price (especially if you don't get the stainless)

That being said, I'd love a rogue or AB SS bearing bar... They both have pretty gentle knurl though. Better than the palm destroying eleiko (do NOT buy a competition bar for home use...), but like my Pendlay I think there are times when slightly sharper would be nice.

[nkupianist]

Don't know if this was already listed, but this is a stainless bar that comes at a low sticker price and if you're near Colorado is free pickup. Not too bad on non-freight shipping IIRC with my AB-3100.

I've heard the original run had some funny, slightly off center IPF markings... but 269 for a stainless power bar is pretty sick.

https://www.repfitness.com/bars-plates/ ... -power-bar

Catching up on the thread. Thanks! This is a really helpful additional suggestion. Haven't gotten to circle back with ownership yet, but it's good to know this is an option if cost ends up being a bit factor.

[Skander]

I have the black zinc OPB and a bare B&R.

I would recommend the bare steel or stainless steel OPB. The bare steel is a better alloy from a strength standpoint, but yeah, more maintenance.

I wouldn’t buy a black zinc OPB again. This one I have currently is a replacement because the bar discolored under the finish. This one has as well.

Do you think the bare steel would survive the ocean state?

Also, was that just an aesthetic issue, or did it indicate an underlying problem?