Barbell collar recommendations?

[coleossus]

My gym's loose-ass spring collars fucked up my 440 squat pretty badly tonight.

Anyone have any recommendations for strong collars? I want to buy some of my own so I don't have to fucking worry about 200 lbs of plates drifting mid-set if I get a little sloppy on the way out of a squat. I just can't tell what collars are actually dependable, and which ones are just sales gimmicks.

[Barry Charles]

I have prolocs. I keep them in my gym bag for exactly the reason you describe. They are especially good for deadlifts in that they have a big flat surface to push against the plates. Durable as far as I can tell. Heavier than spring collars, but not enough to count the weight.

[Dildo Bolt]

Prolocs are legit

[hollismb]

I like the Rogue HG collars, which are really just Rogue branded Lock Jaw Pro collars. Those OSO collars do look pretty nice though. Not that I'm in need of any more collars, but I'd be interested if someone who had experience with both was willing to compare the two.

[coleossus]

I'm disinclined to go for the Prolocs. I looked them up, and I have some questions about the durability of anything made of plastic. I tend to be pretty rough on things, because I'm an idiot, and I'll likely destroy the Prolocs when trying to tighten them. I broke my first shaker bottle by over-tightening it, literally split the cap into two pieces.

The OSO collars look a little more my speed. I like billet aluminum, too. Sturdy shit in my experience. Looks like I'm far less likely to accidentally break those.

Any other recommendations, that aren't just the outright full-steel collars that cost $200+

[Dildo Bolt]

The pair I've used at the gym for a year tightens just fine. A piece of plastic chipped off one of the screw handles but it works fine. The gym ordered another pair or two in the last month. I don't have experience with the other collars mentioned but the Prolocs are far superior to spring collars and the clamp with rubber handles.

[Agilic]

What's wrong with a basic spring collar? I just ordered the pair from Rogue (great products but horrendous customer service) for $9 or $13 or whatever it was, and they seem just fine, very sturdy. Granted I've only lifted five times with them, but I always used basic spring collars at the gym in the past and never had an issue. Seems like a silly item to spend hundreds on imo.

[Cody]

York spin lock collars are pretty sweet. Get them used from eBay, probably $40 or so. Otherwise, Ivanko makes a nice collar, I think about $100 new. Skip all the plastic junk they sell and get full metal construction.

[Dildo Bolt]

You would buy used collars online? How would you know if they even work properly anymore?

[Cody]

You would buy used collars online? How would you know if they even work properly anymore?

Spin locks are pretty bullet proof. EBay has buyer protection in place if things aren't as described. I have a pair downstairs.