The Cheap Bar

[Jay Going]

The boss says that your barbell should cost about $300 at a minimum. I think this makes sense for anyone who falls into any of the following categories:

1. within the SS demographic (males 18-35)
2. thinks they may someday lift more than 300 pounds
3. wants to do Olympic lifts
4. drops the bar from overhead or onto the rack safeties

I suspect there are many people who do not fall into any of those categories. For them, perhaps there are cheaper alternatives that work okay.

Take me for example. Old guy way to hell and gone on the left side of the genetic ability curve.

I bought the Dick's Sporting Goods 300 pound special that is routinely ridiculed, a York squat rack with safeties, and an Adidas bench. It's all been working fine. I think it came in a few dollars shy of $500.

My daughter spends that much of Crossfit in 4 months.

[Adam Skillin]

The boss says that your barbell should cost about $300 at a minimum. I think this makes sense for anyone who falls into any of the following categories:

1. within the SS demographic (males 18-35)
2. thinks they may someday lift more than 300 pounds
3. wants to do Olympic lifts
4. drops the bar from overhead or onto the rack safeties

I suspect there are many people who do not fall into any of those categories. For them, perhaps there are cheaper alternatives that work okay.

Take me for example. Old guy way to hell and gone on the left side of the genetic ability curve.

I bought the Dick's Sporting Goods 300 pound special that is routinely ridiculed, a York squat rack with safeties, and an Adidas bench. It's all been working fine. I think it came in a few dollars shy of $500.

My daughter spends that much of Crossfit in 4 months.

Of course there are cheaper alternatives. But there are good cheaper alternatives and very, very bad cheaper alternatives.

Get the CAP Barbell OB-86B for $125 on Amazon, as has been mentioned on these boards tens of thousands of times if you need a serviceable barbell in the sub-$250 range. It's the only one I'm aware of. Hot-rolled 32mm barbells are junk.

On a side note: Don't drop a bar onto rack safeties. Place it on them if you must, but try to avoid that too. But never EVER drop a bar onto the rack safeties unless it's life or death. Sure-fire way to mess up your barbell, even if it's a good one.

[hollismb]

I bought the Dick's Sporting Goods 300 pound special that is routinely ridiculed, a York squat rack with safeties, and an Adidas bench. It's all been working fine. I think it came in a few dollars shy of $500.

This one? Careful with that bar, it's only rated up to 300 pounds.

When I bought my first set of plates, I went with the Hi-Temp bumpers for the durability and sake of keeping noise down (neighbors). At the time, I thought to myself, 'I'll probably never need to load more than 405 on the bar anyway'. But, boy, was I wrong about that one. Perhaps one day, you'll have to buy more weight, and replace that bar.

[scwot]

Careful with that bar, it's only rated up to 300 pounds.

Just read the first review, refers to the bar snapping! Yikes!

[John Hanley]

I suspect there are many people who do not fall into any of those categories. For them, perhaps there are cheaper alternatives that work okay.

Actually, there are not many.

[Jacobnorton]

The boss says that your barbell should cost about $300 at a minimum. I think this makes sense for anyone who falls into any of the following categories:

1. within the SS demographic (males 18-35)
2. thinks they may someday lift more than 300 pounds
3. wants to do Olympic lifts
4. drops the bar from overhead or onto the rack safeties

I suspect there are many people who do not fall into any of those categories. For them, perhaps there are cheaper alternatives that work okay.

Take me for example. Old guy way to hell and gone on the left side of the genetic ability curve.

I bought the Dick's Sporting Goods 300 pound special that is routinely ridiculed, a York squat rack with safeties, and an Adidas bench. It's all been working fine. I think it came in a few dollars shy of $500.

My daughter spends that much of Crossfit in 4 months.

I've been using that set for a few months as well. Bar just broke on my set of 315lb deadlifts yesterday. Set the bar down, went to change the weight so my brother could deadlift, and the sleeve that threads into the collar was so stripped that it just fell off. haha. The other side had done this as well, but I put some jb weld on it and kept going. Not this time. B&R bar is in the mail. Bought 270lbs of cap 45lb plates that are proper diameter too that I've been using. Set worked great for starting out, but I've outgrown it now.

[manveer]

Damn, I didn't realize just how shitty these bars are. They seem similar to the ones I used to use at LA Fitness.

[hollismb]

Damn, I didn't realize just how shitty these bars are. They seem similar to the ones I used to use at LA Fitness.

This one? The one that has the sleeve that looks like a giant bolt, and has knurl that extends to far into the center, with too wide a center knurl, so you're almost guaranteed to drag knurl up your shins while deadlifting, and cut into your delts if you low bar squat with broad shoulders? Look at how far from the sleeve the knurl goes as well. At least they're probably rated for more than a 300 pound (static) load.

[manveer]

This one? The one that has the sleeve that looks like a giant bolt, and has knurl that extends to far into the center, with too wide a center knurl, so you're almost guaranteed to drag knurl up your shins while deadlifting, and cut into your delts if you low bar squat with broad shoulders? Look at how far from the sleeve the knurl goes as well. At least they're probably rated for more than a 300 pound (static) load.

Similar. I think I've used that bar at other LA Fitness locations. The ones I used were shittier and had a 32mm diameter.

[Jay Going]

Thanks for all the feedback. I appreciate the input.

Coach Skillin: I have an OB86B that I use when I live half a year in the South. I cheerfully stipulate that, except for the visibility of the knurling, it is superior in every way to the Dick's special. I got the Dick's for my half year up North. I thought it a cheap way to get 255 pounds of iron plates. If the bar proved unworkable, I would have scrapped it and got another OB86B. As it turned out, it worked for me. Perhaps because I will be pulling 300 pounds on the 10th of Never.