Starting Strength Equipment by Texas Strength Systems

[slhuckstead]

Wes is a good guy, a handshake kind of guy. I have known Buddy Capps for decades, and I'm confident in the absolute quality of all of this equipment. In fact, I have a bar in my gym, and old first-generation Texas Power Bar made by Buddy in 1980 and in use in the gym since then, that is still perfectly straight. This is a good fit, with all our equipment made in Texas. Feels very comfortable to me.

What type of knurling are you going to spec? I love the knurling on the old B & R (haven't used 2.0), but I find the new Texas Power DL bar in my gym to be a bit to much of a meat-grinder, so I go to the older, general TBR, since their knurling has been worn down by abuse and stupid things people do to bars they don't own.

[gadders]

I dare someone to photoshop up a Bosu Ball with a Starting Strength logo on it.

[stef]

I dare someone to photoshop up a Bosu Ball with a Starting Strength logo on it.

Email received in today's batch of spam:

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[Andy C.]

Wes is a good guy, a handshake kind of guy.

Agreed. I have purchased a standing pull-up bar, dip apparatus, and a 45 degree hyper/row combo from Wes. Good guy. Let me in his home, showed me all his stuff, etc. This was back in 2010.

No problems with any of his stuff that he made for me.

I have stuff in my small home gym from mech6 (take a look at his 100+ page thread on bodybuilding.com), elitefts, Rogue, ironmind, edge fitness systems, black widow training gear, and piedmont design associates (among others).

Wes' stuff may not be as polished, but it is fully functional, and that's what I mostly care about.

[k_kws]

I own bith a b and R bar and a capps tpb. Both are awesome. B and r is better for squats bc of thickness. Tpb is better for all else. Tpb knurling is great.

I've always wanted to try a Tpb. My gym has only one, but it's extremely bent to the point where I wouldn't use it for a squat or even rack pull.
But, I CAN confirm that the knurling feels great.

I don't even know how poorly you have to treat a bar to bend it that bad. It's visibly bent just when it's sitting in the rack, and when rotated the end of the sleeve is easily a full inch off-center. So sad.

[Mark Rippetoe]

What type of knurling are you going to spec?

The knurl will be very slightly more coarse than the B&R. This will provide a longer lifespan and still be easier on the hands that their regular Texas Chainsaw Massacre knurl on the TPB. The bar is assembled with roller pins, so there are no little shitty circlips holding it together.

I don't even know how poorly you have to treat a bar to bend it that bad. It's visibly bent just when it's sitting in the rack, and when rotated the end of the sleeve is easily a full inch off-center. So sad.

One of those bars has to be dropped across a bench to bend it that bad. Any loaded bar dropped across a bench will bend.

Wes' stuff may not be as polished, but it is fully functional, and that's what I mostly care about.

We don't want it "polished." All of these pieces are supplied uncoated -- bare steel. That way, each piece develops and ages with the training history of the gym. No maintenance is required, just don't leave them outside in the rain like a moron.

[JohnCuster]

Wes Zunker and his staff at Texas Strength Systems are manufacturing a line of Starting Strength Equipment. I designed every piece, they are manufactured to the highest standards of quality in the industry, and they are fully warranted by TSS. They are not cheap, because they are the highest quality equipment available on the market. Coming soon: SS Flat Bench, SS A-Frame Plate Rack.

Starting Strength Power Rack – Texas Strength Systems


Next project: The Starting Strength Bar by Capps Welding in Texas, makers of the Texas Power Bar.

Thanks for this venture Rip, very excited to see these things coming to market.

When I was rack shopping last year, I tried to get w/Brown Bros for a quote on a Rip Rack, but they never called back.

Sorinex did, so they ended up w/my biz...Sorinex makes a great rack, but I barely use any of the extensive bells and whistles that I paid (handsomely) for when I got their “Uber” package.

Can’t say enough good things about Buddy...he spent about 90 mins on the phone w/me reviewing the history of TPB and is helping me source an original version like you mentioned to go along w/the current order I just placed with him.

Starting to feel strongly that dead simple, no BS, is what the market needs and this roll out really fits that bill.

Now if we could get some easily sourced and well made 5mm (or sub) wood heel shoes w/double straps and a real leather/suede on the upper all might be right w/the world.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Believe me, I have tried like hell to get a bootmaker interested in selling 1000+ pair/year of all-leather properly designed American made weightlifting "boots" at the $500 price-point. Three companies were not interested. I was apparently unable to explain the market adequately or convincingly.

[JohnCuster]

Believe me, I have tried like hell to get a bootmaker interested in selling 1000+ pair/year of all-leather properly designed American made weightlifting "boots" at the $500 price-point. Three companies were not interested. I was apparently unable to explain the market adequately or convincingly.

I believe you...the lack of interest isn’t surprising given the ease of mass production w/crap material, even the best of that market is getting over run w/BOA lacing, plastic uppers, and “hybrid” shoes for the CF crowd.

I’ve been eyeing the ones at Titan in hi and low, which use to be the Safe models, as you know.

Again, hard to get them to reply to a call or email re: sizing...seems to be a theme in the industry and likely why Rogue thrives, simple responsiveness and customer support.

There are some small artisan companies in Italy still doing old school soccer shoes that might be able to make what you want, but scaling to 1000+ units might be a challenge for them and it would be MiI vs USA.

Also, meant, somewhat obviously, to say .5mm in last post...iPad did me wrong and I didn’t catch it.

Will the news Capps bar be similar to their All American Bar or totally new knurl specs?

[Warren M]

Canada West Boots or Viberg may be viable options if you are willing to deal with Canuckistani businesses.