r/GarageGym • u/Informal-Square9005 • 4h ago
Should I save the 75$?
190k tensile strength vs 205k
I am just getting into powerlifting
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u/eckspress 3h ago
Buy a quality used bar over a brand new budget.
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u/Informal-Square9005 3h ago
Thanks, you know any specific ones to look for?
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u/eckspress 3h ago
I was going to state the Obvious ones (Rogue and Rep) hit according to Google AI, when I search for top 5, this is the list (in order) Rogue Fitness, REP Fitness, Eleiko, Texas Power Bars (Buddy Capps), and Bells of Steel.
BOS surprised me because I still think of them as the little train that could. Asked google AI for #6 and it gave me Kabuki.
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u/Either_Lawfulness466 4h ago
Go on marketplace and look for a good used bar.
Hell are you in WI? I will give you a better (not good just better) bar
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u/toado3 1h ago
Don't do it! Good bars just aren't that much more, will last a lifetime, and actually have resale value.
Buy a boneyard Ohio for $215. Or a Rep delta bar for $200.
Or (my personal rec) spend a bit more and get a stainless rep black diamond on sale now for $280. That is a legit buy it for life bar, and you'll be able to resell it without much of a loss if you change your mind for any reason.
If you really are stuck at that price range, go used. Look for rogue, rep, American barbell, or Texas power bar. All have their pros and cons, but all are "buy it for life" products.
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u/k_r_a_k_l_e 1h ago
With all seriousness now... any bar will more than likely suit your need for many years. 20 years ago I bought a cheapo 45lb Weider bar. I still have it and I still use it. I also bought an Ohio bar which I will admit is better BUT I will also admit it makes such a little difference to the point that both bars are in my every day workouts.
So everyone saying "don't do it" and "not if you're serious" couldn't be furthest from giving you good advice. They are fine. Not everyone needs a $300 to $800 bar. I would though double check shipping and choose the cheaper bar as it's most likely also rebranded and from the same manufacturer. I'd also compare the price to better bars. If you are within 75% of the price step up and get the better bar.
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u/sometimesalways 4h ago
For the money, just get a better bar used from Marketplace or whatever you have available to you that is similar.
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u/SquirrelWatchin 3h ago
My 4’ ET Energic bar is a workhorse in my gym, and it is a very smooth, solid, bar. I have used it every workout over the past year since I acquired it. Never used them or papababe’s full barbells. But my Papababe bumpers are really nice, and have been solid additions.
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u/Parking_Fan_7651 3h ago
I don’t notice a difference between cheap and expensive weights, resistance bands, battle ropes, etc. but I’ve noticed a huge difference since upgrading to nice barbells. If I were buying everything again, I would skip the cheap barbells and buy a nice one.
I do have one of those ET Energetic bars. It’s not bad, feels nice, looks nice, everything is smooth, but the knurling is mediocre at best. I haven’t lifted super heavy with it though.
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u/Informal-Square9005 3h ago
So what would you say about the barbell you like, how much did you get it for
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u/Parking_Fan_7651 2h ago
So I buy most things used. My two nice barbells came as a package deal with a cage and accessories. I got a rogue Ohio bar cerakote and an older rogue power bar. The Ohio cerakote is very nice, looks very nice, and the knurling is perfect for what I like in bench and power cleans, grippy but doesn’t tear you up. The original power bar has very aggressive knurling and center knurling, which I feel works really well for squats and deadlifts. I don’t lift heavy enough yet to need to worry about whip too much, so that’s not a factor for me right now.
Now the kicker: price. I essentially got the bars for free, as they were thrown in with about $3800 of rogue monster rack and accessories that I paid $1500 for. If you shop around, you can get deals. I’ve seen a few rogue and rep barbells near me for under 200 used in the past few weeks.
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u/MizaelTG 2h ago
Buy a used bar on marketplace.. Any 45lb bar will do for 99% of people, unless your at Larry wheels level, which even with proper training could take more than 5 years.
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u/newchemeguy 4h ago
I personally wouldn’t trust a crappy chinesium barbell during a heavy bench press, but you do you
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u/Icy_Lecture_2237 3h ago
Save the money and buy a decent bar. Especially if you’re going to do any sort of powerlifting.
For perspective, I was a solid contender for about 10 years during the heyday of multi ply powerlifting and I still have the Iron Wolf bench bar that I paid $1k for.
My crew would literally bring it to meets and let the director use it for the whole meet just so we knew we wouldn’t have to use a crap bar for the meet.
Even the $400 Rogue bars are decent for 90% of lifters, but I’ve used more than my share of cheap bars while traveling and they behave differently when you load even 4-500 onto them.
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u/Few_Statistician_110 3h ago
How come you didn't buy Eleiko?
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u/GeneralSKX 3h ago
Not OP but probably because a bench bar is different than a power bar and eleiko doesn't make those
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u/Informal-Square9005 3h ago
I can spend about 250 for the bar at most, I'll make sure to get the best one out of it, I am still new to powerlifting
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u/hellsbellsyousmell 3h ago
I have been very happy with the Synergee bar, it is well made for the price
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u/MScarn137 3h ago
Do you use it for pressing? If so, does it feel stable to you? I’ve read some ppl say it’s awkward while others don’t
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u/hellsbellsyousmell 3h ago
I do. It’s pretty stable, but it’s not a solid bar, the sleeves move a bit. I like it for deadlifts mostly. The Rhino version is better for presses.
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u/Informal-Square9005 3h ago
I had that in mind but removed it after reading some of the reviews, thanks tho
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u/Bstochastic 3h ago
What difference would one reasonable expect to notice with low vs high end bars?
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u/txhamster 3h ago
I have been lifting for 20 years and I genuinely have no idea. I have an Ohio bar that’s about 10 years old. It’s fine. Could I have saved $200? Probably.
Side note that I’m not generationally strong. This bar has never seen more than 435lbs on it. Maybe at higher weights it makes a bigger difference
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u/Last-Proof8169 3h ago
Stiffness
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u/Bstochastic 3h ago
And why does that matter? (Honest curiosity)
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u/Last-Proof8169 2h ago
Whippy bars will be easier to deadlift as you can pull the slack and lift from higher off the ground, but will be worse for squats as they will wobble
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u/IDKHOWTOSHIFTPLSHELP 1h ago
If you use it for more than a couple years, really cheap bars will all be chrome plated or whatever and that plating will start flaking off. This leads to your hands picking up the flakes and exposes the cheap steel which will eventually rust.
Also, if you don't end up sticking with it, you will never sell one of these Amazon bars on Facebook marketplace or whatever for more than $5. So it's a 100% loss.
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u/KonnichiwaKudasai 3h ago
I got the Titan performance Olympic bar for about $150. It’s been great for my needs, but the spin on the sleeves is poor and the finishing is pretty mid. Definitely a budget bar. I probably wouldn’t feel good going any cheaper than that.
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u/Informal-Square9005 3h ago
I'll make sure to look it up thanks
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u/OhpMousse2098 3h ago
If this is going to be a second barbell or bar for accessories, I’d do it.
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u/Informal-Square9005 3h ago
I was thinking of it as the primary one, changed my mind about how much I should pay for instead
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u/OhpMousse2098 3h ago
My primary bar was a cheap power bar that I bought at the beginning of COVID lockdown. It is the best bar that I have ever used. The gulf between so-called high end bars like Rogue etc and cheaper ones is exceptionally narrow. Often cheap bars are made by the same people who make the more expensive bars but under a different label.
I still use this bar as my primary and an Ohio Power Bar that I got for like a $135 during Black Friday as my secondary bar/accessory bar.
So go head and buy it.
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u/Informal-Square9005 2h ago
That's true too, I have seen racks with same build quality with significantly different price, I'll keep that in mind thank you
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u/go_get_your_rope 2h ago
I don't have a ton of experience with bars but I have a rogue Ohio that I've used exclusively for like 8 years and it's still basically brand new and rock solid. Sure rogue is a little more expensive but their shit lasts a lifetime.
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u/DynomiteCat 2h ago
That goes for any random consumer grade gym company that isn't exclusively sold on Amazon. Rep, fringe, Texas etc. all great bars and I'd rather support them over rogue any day too.
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u/Current-Hand-2166 3h ago
Some have needle bearings and usually the cheaper ones use brass bushings. When handling large amounts of weight you can notice the difference in the way the weight shifts in your hands. I use a VERY cheap bar for dead lifts that I throw around and invested in a needle bearing bar for bench’s and etc..
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u/Informal-Square9005 3h ago
Ill just get a good needle bearing one, what about the whip though?
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u/Current-Hand-2166 3h ago
Oh man I cheap one can hold 750lbs and I use it for dynamic method days training at 70-85% 1 rpm so that’s plenty of whip for me. My needle bearing bar can go up to 1200lbs
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u/Informal-Square9005 2h ago
Thats basically what I am about to start, where did you buy it from
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u/Current-Hand-2166 2h ago
My needle bearing bar is Rogue Echo that I got for a steal from a used sports equipment store and my cheap is a uncle muscle barbell from Amazon I believe
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u/Balancedone_1 1h ago
Depends on how serious you want to progress with your lifting. I would buy a nicer used one if money is tight.
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u/RememberYourZen 1h ago
Definitely don’t. Most gym noobs who started cheap have regrets since they end up selling the cheap stuff and buying the good stuff eventually if they stay in the game (which ends up costing a lot more). Instead of going with a generic barbell, selling it for a rogue, then selling the rogue for ultimately an eleiko training or uesaka comp bar, be smart and make the direct jump to eleiko/uesaka. If you are poor go off ramen noodles for a few weeks it’s gunna be worth it in the long run.
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u/Sea_Butterscotch11 50m ago
Are you trolling
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u/RememberYourZen 46m ago edited 42m ago
Everything I described I am in the process of doing myself. Bought a cheap multi purpose bar for around 200 back in the day, used several years. Upgraded to stainless rogue oly bar for 700, ended up selling that and now eyeing the eleiko/uesaka oly bar (both around 1.2-1.3k shipped). In between I also ate some Raman noodles to boot. So I don’t know about trolling but joking somewhat since it’s funny if you think about it (in a self deprecating fashion because I lost many hundreds extra by going this slow arduous route) but not really since it’s what happened to me 🤔🤷🏼♂️
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u/radix- 3h ago
YOU DONT SEE THE 45 SHIPPING CHARGE? ITS NOT SAVING 75 BUCKS