The QL is a huge deal on amateur flag football leagues. I think it's also big on the vertical jumping bidness.
Joined a new gym Sat and went for the first time tonight. Pros: 2 power racks, straight bars, and lock collars instead of spring clips. Cons: Very small for a globo gym, no showers, and very little knurl on said straight bars.
Warming up deadlift and two young bros are watching me. One says, "He's not locking it out though", at 275. They went to the other side of the gym when I loaded 315. Girl next to me on the Smith machine tells her boyfriend, "He's just setting it down."
Not that I'm all that strong yet but judging from the stares I was getting I suspect they don't see many do anything with 3 plates unless it's on the leg press.
Our Lifetime (bigger Globo gym) has 3 decent men's Oly bearing bars; and 5 women's bars.
And then they have a ton a shit bars: 29 and 32mm weird shit, with abnormal ring markings that aren't OL or PL.
The things where the allen screw always works its way out.
The few lifters at our gym that know any better, have to constantly rescue the bars from the landmine attachments, and the metal racks with the metal bladed J-cups.
. . .idiots using them for 6 plate Beta-Density shrug/rackpulls and slamming them into the rack.
See guys doing heavy decline benches w/ a good spinning bearing bar . . . with no thumbs false grip.
Even if they aren't abusing them, its frustrating when you want to clean or snatch and they're all being used for bosu-jefferson-squats w/ 95#.
There is only a few people who 'need' it, as you say above.
We do the trade off thing if there's no good bars available.
We do that with the platforms/racks too.