Chrome plated bars - Buddy Capps

[simplesimon]

I'm interested in the chrome plated Texas Power Bars (I don't see that option for the SS bars) and was wondering if anybody had experience with them. It's about $170 less than the stainless steel Ohio Power Bar, I'm guessing because the OPB is made of stainless steel vs the TPB just being chrome plated.

How durable is chrome plating? I'm wondering how well it holds up on things like rack pulls. I have no experience with this.

Thank you in advance!

[simplesimon]

Had to do a little bit of digging...Rogue's explanation of its F-scale for barbells cites three studies from the 1950's about chrome plating's effects on the durability of steel (saying it makes the steel less durable, the studies were done on industrial equipment). I tried to find something more recent but google didn't turn up anything for me. I did find an article about chrome vs stainless steel as it relates to medical equipment.

I think in conclusion, go with stainless steel over chrome plating if you can afford it.

[stef]

The plating can mess up the knurl. Ran into one* at a meet warmup room where the chrome had been slopped on after the knurl, making the bar slippery. I actually had to lift without normal warmups because there was no way to use it at anything other than very light weights without it messing up the pull as a result of the bar slipping. It felt like it was covered in warm butter. No good for the snatch.

*Note: this was not a Capps bar

[Oso Rojo]

Chrome is a plating, so if you cut the knurling after plating you would effectively remove all the chrome on the knurl. If you plate after knurling you are blunting the knurl. The thicker the chrome plating the less effective the knurl. Stef's butter bar was likely a well plated bar which had nullified the effect of knurls.

If you plate the bar with a thinner chrome layer, then the tops of the pyramids in the knurl would likely loose their plating very quickly. Bottom line the easier way to deal with this is stainless steel.

Note: anodizing is a different animal.

[Mark Rippetoe]

The easier way to deal with this is to just buy a Starting Strength Bar from Capps.

Starting Strength Bars | Made by Texas Power Bars | Powerlifting Barbell & Bars