Looking for a barbell!

[Isaac Carrillo]

I found a Rogue Matt Chan barbell for $250 and was able to negotiate it for $200, due to nobody offering the guy for about 8months, so I was wondering if the bar is worth buying or should I wait to save for another?

[Meshuggah]

Those look like nice bars, but keep in mind there will be more whip (flex) than a regular power bar. Personally, I would go with a brand new Rouge B&R.

[Isaac Carrillo]

Those look like nice bars, but keep in mind there will be more whip (flex) than a regular power bar. Personally, I would go with a brand new Rouge B&R.

Right now I have a cheap $80 barbell with bolted ends, and wanted to invest in a good one for now, but I can save up to the b and r ahhh

[Isaac Carrillo]

I'm not lifting to heavy at the moment
s 260
b 185
p 130
pc 135
dl 285

[Chris Griffith]

I've had a Chan as my only bar for almost two years. Its a high quality bar, but here are some downsides to consider:

-the center knurl is so passive its essentially worthless
-the wider non-knurled area is too wide for most people--you'll probably have 1-2 fingers on the smooth portion during presses and deadlifts, depending on grip width
-the black zinc coating gets ugly and worn quickly (although it's done a nice job keeping rust off in my very humid garage with virtually no maintenance)

If I had it to do over I'd get an Ohio Power bar.

[Dave Joksimovic]

I've had a Chan as my only bar for almost two years. Its a high quality bar, but here are some downsides to consider:

-the center knurl is so passive its essentially worthless
-the wider non-knurled area is too wide for most people--you'll probably have 1-2 fingers on the smooth portion during presses and deadlifts, depending on grip width
-the black zinc coating gets ugly and worn quickly (although it's done a nice job keeping rust off in my very humid garage with virtually no maintenance)

If I had it to do over I'd get an Ohio Power bar.

+1 for an OPB or a B&R... I'm as cheap as the next guy and always looking for a deal, but buy once cry once on some things...

[GammaFlat]

I own the Chan bar and I really like it. Our use profile is loading it over 300 for squats and in that neighborhood for deads. You can definitely see a lot of bend on 330 squats. I've owned the bar for 1.5-2 years (I think).
I love the finish - no sign of wear or corrosion
It is a little whippy
The knurling is not objectionable to me and my son
I wish the diameter were larger (minor gripe)
I was used to junk bars where the ends were smooth chrome so the "ridgey" Chan took some getting used to.. Mostly the noise of sliding on weights.
200 bucks is a great deal. Just make sure it is straight. I'd do that in a heartbeat.
Having said all that I am sure there is B&R in my future.
If I had nothing and needed a bar I'd probably get the B&R mostly for the slightly larger diameter. The whippy part of the Chan doesn't bother me. As it stands I'll be happy to use both.
My old junk bar (chromie ends) works great for chins sitting across the top of my body solid rack - that works shockingly well. Chin bars built into racks usually don't seem to have a diameter I like.

[The Flush]

I got a great deal on a used Chan bar as a part of my used rack and platform purchase. It is completely adequate for my purposes right now and it is significantly better than the cheap bar I have. I had the change to use a B&R during a SSC session and like it a bit better.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

I found a Rogue Matt Chan barbell for $250 and was able to negotiate it for $200, due to nobody offering the guy for about 8months, so I was wondering if the bar is worth buying or should I wait to save for another?

Save your money. The Chan bar is trash.

Take the 200 dollars and save for a new, better bar.

The advice to "just get it for now" seems a bit silly to me. You're ~100 bucks away from a brand new, much higher quality barbell that is appropriate for your use.

[thejosef]

Save your money. The Chan bar is trash.

Take the 200 dollars and save for a new, better bar.

The advice to "just get it for now" seems a bit silly to me. You're ~100 bucks away from a brand new, much higher quality barbell that is appropriate for your use.

"Trash" is a bit harsh, lol. Though I'm not a huge fan of it either due to the wider smooth center area. But yeah, you are very close to a brand new bar, so be patient and make it happen. B&R 2.0 and OPB are the obvious choices here. Both are 29mm, which is more appropriate for your current training.