Which Ohio bar for a less agressive knurling

[Aly199]

I believe I have the Black Oxide Ohio bar at my local gym. I'm happy with it. It has enough grip for some deadlifts, but not too much so it is uncomfortable for squats. In considering the new bar, my wife and I will be sharing it so another reason not to want an aggressive knurling. I see that Rogue also makes a Cerokote version and Stainless steel. They seem like good options for longevity, but how do the knurling compare on these?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Equipment | Starting Strength

[Adam Rose]

Any Ohio Bar is pretty passive. Standard rogue coating will be milder than stainless, and cerakote will be mildest of them all.

[Aly199]

Thank you for the reply Adam. That was all I needed to tip me over the edge and make my order. I will consider your barbells in the future Mr. Rippetoe. It looks like we are going into another lockdown where I live so slowly building up my garage gym.

[Sebastian Ohanian]

I believe I have the Black Oxide Ohio bar at my local gym. I'm happy with it. It has enough grip for some deadlifts, but not too much so it is uncomfortable for squats. In considering the new bar, my wife and I will be sharing it so another reason not to want an aggressive knurling. I see that Rogue also makes a Cerokote version and Stainless steel. They seem like good options for longevity, but how do the knurling compare on these?

I have a stainless ohio bar that I keep outdoors. It is a great piece of equipment. I use it for pulls and bench/press. The knurling is very good. I think the coating makes it a bit more slick, but I have never had an issue with it.

[Mark Rippetoe]

There is no coating on a stainless steel bar.

[Sebastian Ohanian]

There is no coating on a stainless steel bar.

Maybe coating is the wrong word. Isn't there a layer of something that forms on the steel that gives it the anti-corrosion property? I had always assumed this was what made it more slippery than raw steel.

[AndrewLewis]

Maybe coating is the wrong word. Isn't there a layer of something that forms on the steel that gives it the anti-corrosion property? I had always assumed this was what made it more slippery than raw steel.

Stainless steel is made with a high quantity of chromium. Chromium oxidizes extremely quickly into a very stable oxide. What you see when you see a stainless steel bar is chromium oxide: Cr2O3.