Second Bar for Home Gym - Opinions?

[Dave_M]

I have a B&R 2.0, which was an easy choice for me for our first general purpose bar, it does everything you need it too. However, my wife and I train at the same time, and we have found at times it would be nice to have a second bar for either pulls from the floor or performing different exercises simultaneously inside and outside of the rack.

I could just get a second B&R, but that would be rather boring, and I'm experiencing a little bit of "paralysis by analysis" in weighing the various options. So, I thought I'd solicit the opinion of the gear heads and equipment gurus here.

Considerations:

- Price - not an object within reason, but I don't need a $1k competition bearing bar
- Neither of us will compete in the near future or likely ever
- I do the fast lifts (poorly, but I enjoy them) but not enough that I need a dedicated Oly bar
- Moderate to moderate-aggressive knurl (I could maybe handle super aggressive but the wife has to use it too)
- Preferably available from Rogue as they just up the road from me (but then again, so is Elite FTS).

What would you go with considering the above?

[Charlie Davies]

Would your wife (or a child) benefit from a women's bar? That's what I'm tempted to get next.

Rogue makes a 25mm/15KG bar that would be helpful for the smaller members of my family.

[iamsmuts]

Would your wife (or a child) benefit from a women's bar? That's what I'm tempted to get next.

Rogue makes a 25mm/15KG bar that would be helpful for the smaller members of my family.

I got my wife the Rogue Bella bar. It was a great purchase. I know there's some disagreement here about this, but she has very small hands and her grip was the limiting factor on her deadlift. The smaller bar allowed her to break through a sticking point, though it wreaks havoc on your plate math. . . . (Now days she warms up with the 28.5 mm Ohio and then switches to the Bella for top sets.)

[kpsmiley]

Sounds like the B&R bar is good enough for what Olympic lifting that you want to do so I would not invest in an Olympic bearing bar.

I agree with cwd that maybe you need a woman's bar for your wife. Rogue makes a B&R bar for women. I don't have one so I cannot comment on the bar itself. I cannot imagine that the quality would be much different than the men's.

I would definitely buy from Rogue though. I have bought a lot of products from them and the quality of their products is outstanding and so is the customer service.

[manveer]

Is the knurling on the Ohio Power Bar "super aggressive"? I love mine. I have a B&R (v1), a 15-lb Rogue bar for the wife to press with, and an OPB. I use the OPB 99% of the time. $250 for bare steel.

[John Hanley]

Is the knurling on the Ohio Power Bar "super aggressive"? I love mine. I have a B&R (v1), a 15-lb Rogue bar for the wife to press with, and an OPB. I use the OPB 99% of the time. $250 for bare steel.

OPB is nice.

You might also consider a 28mm bar that you could use for fast pulls & that your wife could use for deads (one mm can make a big difference).

I had this & loved it:

https://americanbarbell.com/products...n-training-bar

You could splurge on an Eleiko Sport Training Bar or Rogue Bearing bar.

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I'm not a fan of Rogue's 28.5 bars.

[Aaron Montgomery]

What are the major differences between the B&R v1, B&R 2.0, and the OPB? I think I have the B&R v1 (it has center knurling); waaaaaay better than the Weider el cheapo I was using before.

[manveer]

What are the major differences between the B&R v1, B&R 2.0, and the OPB? I think I have the B&R v1 (it has center knurling); waaaaaay better than the Weider el cheapo I was using before.

I don't have the v2 and haven't used it. From what I've heard, the v2 is built better (tighter tolerances) than the v1. Knurling is the same (?). End caps are different, but that doesn't make any difference really. The v1 has smooth sleeves and the v2 has ridged sleeves. I think the v2 spins less easily than the v1 (important for benching).

The OPB is pretty similar to the B&R v2, except it has more aggressive knurling and (I've heard) less spin. Gilchrest has the B&R v2 and OPB and did a comparison in another thread.

[Aaron Montgomery]

I don't have the v2 and haven't used it. From what I've heard, the v2 is built better (tighter tolerances) than the v1. Knurling is the same (?). End caps are different, but that doesn't make any difference really. The v1 has smooth sleeves and the v2 has ridged sleeves. I think the v2 spins less easily than the v1 (important for benching).

The OPB is pretty similar to the B&R v2, except it has more aggressive knurling and (I've heard) less spin. Gilchrest has the B&R v2 and OPB and did a comparison in another thread.

MORE aggressive knurling?!? My hands are already chewed up from my B&R...

[iamsmuts]

OPB is nice.

You might also consider a 28mm bar that you could use for fast pulls & that your wife could use for deads (one mm can make a big difference).

I had this & loved it:

https://americanbarbell.com/products...n-training-bar

I'd like a 28mm bar. That one is beautiful. It's $450. Ground shipping is only $25. Are there any comparable bars for $500 or less?