Bent "Buffalo" Bar Recommendations

[AikiPapi]

Long time lurker here so sincere thanks for the education over the past few years related to SS and training in general.

I'm realizing in my mid-40s that while I may be able to keep the shoulder issues that plague my low-bar squat at bay a good bit of the time with some preventative work, there will be times when I aggravate something and cannot hold the bar on my back in this position without making things worse. Of course I'd like to continue training through as much of these periods as possible and thus my interest in a bent bar.

I've seen some basic discussion around the Buffalo (Ironmind), Duffalo (Kabuki), and Bow Bars (NYBB) but have yet to really see a detailed comparison of say the much cheaper Bow Bar vs. the others. I understand (and expect) that the significantly lower price will mean lesser materials and build quality, however I'm curious from a practical perspective how much difference that will make to someone like myself who will rarely have more than 300 lbs on the bar. Obviously limit strength (and further bending) of the bar is a non-issue, so are there any other concerns I should have going with the cheaper bar? Reviews on Amazon actually seem to be very positive for the NYBB version and it seems most of those folks are lifting a good deal more weight than me as well.

Does the Duffalo version actually have a greater degree of curvature than the others as it appears in pictures?


FWIW, I currently own a B&R Bar and Rogue R3 rack along with some bumper plates (also from Rogue) that I've been very happy with.


Thanks in advance for any insights you can share!

[Keith Norman]

From what I've been told by Internet experts, for what it's worth, that the TDS/NYB bow bar is the same bar sold by Westside Barbell and Crain's Muscle world. Those two just repackage and resell it with a mark up. This was off a bodybuilding.com forum post I found while researching all three. I really wanted the Duffalo bar because I know Chris is an anal perfectionaist and wouldn't let it leave his factory unless it was perfect, but it will have to wait.

[AikiPapi]

Sounds like we've read the same stuff. I too was leaning heavily toward the Duffalo Bar, but I'm hesitant to take a flyer on something that I'm not quite sure is going to have the intended effect for me (reduced shoulder strain). Starting to think that the TDS Bow Bar, while assumedly of lower quality, at least hedges that bet a bit. The truth is if I could find a way to squat low-bar without the chronic pain, any of these bars would be well worth the price!

[Keith Norman]

Sounds like we've read the same stuff. I too was leaning heavily toward the Duffalo Bar, but I'm hesitant to take a flyer on something that I'm not quite sure is going to have the intended effect for me (reduced shoulder strain). Starting to think that the TDS Bow Bar, while assumedly of lower quality, at least hedges that bet a bit. The truth is if I could find a way to squat low-bar without the chronic pain, any of these bars would be well worth the price!

While I was cleaning my garage this morning I played around with the bar a little bit. I was pretty easy on my shoulders and not that uncomfortable, but my Rogue S-1 Squat stand kind of makes it hard to take advantage of it. I have the same problem when I squat with a regular bar too. The J-cups end up just outside of the oly marks on my B&R bar. I was hoping the bow would help with this, but it didn't.

[Les Hahn]

While I was cleaning my garage this morning I played around with the bar a little bit. I was pretty easy on my shoulders and not that uncomfortable, but my Rogue S-1 Squat stand kind of makes it hard to take advantage of it. I have the same problem when I squat with a regular bar too. The J-cups end up just outside of the oly marks on my B&R bar. I was hoping the bow would help with this, but it didn't.

You might need to get some kind of monolift attachment for your rack. That way you could bring the hooks in and grab the outside of the bar. I am near the max limit on an 8' squat bar, so I know what you mean about trying to work around the hooks in a power rack.

[Travis Rask]

I squatted LBBS in chronic (rhomboid) pain for several years before abandoning them for SSB and eventually HBBS.

I've used the Duffalo bar several times in the past few weeks. No issues, although it's probably too early to tell. It is clear I'm able to get better into position.

The build quality is very good, using it in an R3/Titan rack is a PITA. I'm hoping some sort of J-hook adaptation comes out.

[Keith Norman]

I squatted LBBS in chronic (rhomboid) pain for several years before abandoning them for SSB and eventually HBBS.

I've used the Duffalo bar several times in the past few weeks. No issues, although it's probably too early to tell. It is clear I'm able to get better into position.

The build quality is very good, using it in an R3/Titan rack is a PITA. I'm hoping some sort of J-hook adaptation comes out.

Did you try switching sides on the J-hooks so that they are able to rotate a little?

[AikiPapi]

Thanks, guys. Keith reported similarly that one really should have a wider rack to take advantage of the curvature in these bars. I guess the part I don't get is that it seems most Rogue (and competitor) racks are the same 43" (interior) between the uprights, based on the fact that most have the same 43" pull-up bar installed across the top of the cage. If that's the case, and this certainly seems to be the right width for working with an Olympic-style barbell, what kind of rack are all the folks using these bent bars working with???

[AikiPapi]

This video was also helpful in that it shows both the Buffalo and Duffalo bars sitting next to each other in what I would assume is a pretty standard rack.

Product Review: Duffalo Perfomance Squat and Bench Press Bar w/ BONUS Exercise - YouTube

The fact that the Duffalo Bar clearly has more curvature ("higher peak") to it, seems to translate into a noticeably greater differential in height between the center of the bar and the furthest practical hand position over the 43" or so interior width of the rack. While there may still be some additional curvature across the J-cups and outside the uprights that's tempting to want to take advantage of, this does seem like the most promising choice for some one in my position.

A quick email exchange with the folks at Kabuki seems to confirm that this is all accounted for in the design and it is fully intended to be used with a standard width power rack.

Now to put my energy into justifying the cost of this new toy.....

[beastmaster103]

Did you check out the body tempering roller they also sell on Kabuki Strength? I'm intrigued by this device...and it sounds like it would do wonders (if one can handle the temporary discomfort) of alleviating tight muscles prior/post workouts.