I feel like y'all are working together to monopolize the garage AND basement home gym community! & based on the quality of the content, I'm not mad about it.
Was going to get a Rogue Ohio Bar then I found a very lightly used Ohio Power Bar for $100 cheaper than retail so my wallet made the choice for me. No regrets it has been fantastic as I am only really doing bench, squat and deadlift with it and I'm not the incredible Hulk so I lift normal amounts of weight! Love the content Coop you have been a huge help in my home gym decision making!
The knurling on the OPB is way better for power lifting type training. Also OPB has a center knurl. I ended up getting an Ohio Bar as well as I added in front squats and other cross fit style lifts. The more passive knurl and no center knurl really help tearing up my hands, neck, chest and sometimes chin.
Started a few months ago using an cheap Spanish brand Olympic barbell (28mm, no center knurl, dual marks, needle bearings) and only really discovered what I got by watching these videos, so thanks Coop! I’m ordering an Ohio Power bar for squats, not really because I need it .. but we all like nice things :)
I have been lifting for forty plus years and never thought about knurling until I started watching Coop and now I have become a knurling snob. What a sommelier is to wine Coop is to knurling
I do oly lifts since over 20 years. 90% of the time I use a multipurpose bar. You will definitely an advantage with a pure wl bar. But this is only necessary for 1RM and if you load ~150kg.
Good vid. After watching like 4 this one actually left me with all the info I need. Been using my grandpa's bar for a decade and it's always will but I need an upgrade for my.beloved squat rack.
That was my first upgrade too and it was perfect! Of course now I have 4 different barbells and pretty much every type of specialty bar haha! It's a dangerous road to start down...
Couldn’t agree more with the beginning, got my bar 12 years ago (basically the cheapest I could find) & looking to treat myself & can’t believe the amount available now!
For those on a budget, Rogue Boneyard bar is a good option as well. Basically a "cosmetic blem" Ohio bar for cheaper. Have had mine about 6 months, use it 6 days a week and no complaints.
See, I don't think they're worth it. For a slight savings, you lose the lifetime warranty that Rogue is legendary for upholding. Also, the resale value on boneyard bars is MUCH less than retail bars.
@@GarageGymReviews After a Cerakote Ohio Bar as primary, was looking for a second for landmines (good but a less expensive upgraded beater bar) and other outside the rack lifts bought a LUXIAOJUN Men's Training Bar-BF Special after Brandon's review at a price of $219 all in. Cheaper than a Boneyard after shipping and tax.
@@GarageGymReviews Understood, and you are right. I was able to get mine for $229 shipped to my door and have no plans of ever reselling. As far as any warranty work, short of it snapping in half, I planned on doing any maintenance it ever needed myself anyways. 20+ years of auto mechanics, so these are easy. So, kinda special circumstances in my situation I guess. Keep up the great content sir! You've got a new fan here.
Love the barbell talks and videos. You should do a best barbell category each year. Best eco bar, best mid price etc like a garage gym awards show every year
Knurling is a process in which groved hardened wheels are clamped around or forced into into a round object so that you force material up and create a patern in the material. What we see on bars is standard diamond knurling at different depths. Mountain knurling is "complete" knurling. Its as deep as you can go. Volcano knurling is just not to full depth and hill is either just deep enough to make the patern or is knurled then turned back down to take off the peaks. Thats a technique used normally when a diameter gets turned undersized or wears undersized and you need to make that back up for whatever mating part your using
Love the video. Last year I had to take a course about decision making for my masters program and used a lot of information like what you talked about in this video to perform an engineering trade study over what the best power bar for me would be as my final project. The Ohio power bar won but I got tired of waiting for it to come back in stock and picked up a Texas power bar instead. Thanks for all the work you put into this stuff
I, my son, and many of his college football buddies love the Starting Strength bar (bare steel, Mark Rippeto bar) from Rogue (the B&R bar) or Texas Power Bars (Starting Strength bar). Bare steel and slightly finer knurling feels so good.
By far one of the most informative videos I have come across and I dig your mustache and beard. Addicted to knurling, didn’t realize a ring and earrings I bought many years ago were the material. Very cool.
I have two cheap marcy grip olympic weight sets. They are perfect for me. Octagonal plates that don't roll away. Two holes in each plate for handles that allow you to use the plates by themselves for many exercises. I have had them for probably 20 years. I'm set, but I understand how many people are into so many details. Fun to think about.
Good advice! Been using Ohio bar for over a year, bought for CrossFit style workouts but during lockdowns have used it primarily for powerlifting and really can’t fault it.
I have been waiting for the Ohio bar to come back in stock for a while now, but whenever they come back in stock they sell out immediately. Now you’re making it even harder for me to buy this bar. Thanks Coop.
I love trying different bars myself. I see a budget barbell with non screw ends under 150 I often buy them. I found the best bar under $100.00, Bonnlo from Amazon, think they are more now. Best under $150.00, Popsport - they have a great coating. Not sure what it is. Weird ends too. Best around $200.00 Diamondpro. The old again faster bar had great spin, but the finish as terrible. I have a couple Bonyard Rogue bars. I don't feel like there is anything special. Old style Titan barbell, good beginner bar. I have a Valor womens bar for my wife. Very nice for under $100.00 when I bought it.
i often see so many people flexing how cool and hardcore they are as a person my flexing their mountain knurl. just every time i hear those words i get shivers down my spine by how cool and hardcore they are for using a mountain knurl.
Thanks for the detailed breakdown of barbell features and benefits. You talked me into springing for the Ohio bar. Hope your referral link still works going through the Canadian site.
COOP ,love the videos man. I would love to see you do a video on gym timers. Fitness clocks. Im thinking on getting one but there are so many out there and alot im sure are junk.
Thanks Coop. After watching this I decided on the "Original" Texas Power Bar Black Cerakote Shaft w/Chrome Sleeves. I would have gone cheaper on the plain steel but the bar will be in my garage and I live on the Gulf Coast so corrosion is a serious issue here.
I have the Titan Regular Bar. 30mm and pretty stiff. Great for power lifting movements and cleans. I got mine on sale for $115.00 free shipping. I've beat it up the last 2 years with no change. I was going to buy a 28mm power bar but I just can't justify needing another bar that does the same.
I own a Rogue IWF Weightlifting bar w/ center knurl in bright zinc. If i had to do it over again, I might get the stainless steel version at the cost of a few extra dollars and the center knurl. I do love having the passive center knurl for squats. I also own a 20kg Rogue Boneyard Ohio Bar that I got for super cheap on OfferUp. If you are going into a second had buy (especially with a Boneyard bar), I def recommend bringing your pinch collar clamps to do some inspection under the sleeves to see if there's any defects that might be problematic for your intended use/ or as additional negotiation leverage.
Great video. Rogue Chan bar is underrated. If you want one bar that does it all but priotitizes power lifts and has a center knurl (it's passive but great on shirts) - I do not think there is any other alternative. Was nice to see it mentioned.
The outer knurling of the Chan bar feels fantastic, and I love the passive centre knurl. However, the non-knurled section on either side of the centre knurl is too wide for deadlifts (at least, it is for me); I find that my natural grip-width results in my hands being on non-knurled parts of the bar - which is a real shame, because otherwise the bar is perfect. If only the outer knurling was spaced at the standard width (and the bar retained its passive centre knurl).
@@mattneilson1824 Good points to add here for anyone reading. Honestly, it has been so long since I had deadlift thanks to quarantine, and I'm not sure if I increased my grip width or not. Either way, I sort of convinced myself that this was the proper width that I should be using since the knurl starts wider specifically for deadlifts (so it doesn't rub on your legs). I do occasionally find myself wishing knurl went center more for tricep bench work/etc but the compromise is worth it. It would be nice if Rogue offered options here. Maybe even standard knurling as is, and then passive in the center and increased knurling by putting passive right next to aggressive for closer grips, or all more aggressive - whatever. Most of the stuff I ordered from Rogue was made as I ordered it because I was piecing together something more vintage, and they can customize cerakote bars - so why not knurling? :-p
@@DampRaccoon I agree, customisation of the spacing would completely solve the problem. I should point out that the increased spacing won’t be a problem for everyone with respect to deadlifts - and I’m sure it’s actually preferable for a lot of people. Before buying the Chan bar, I read some reviews that stated that the increased spacing was ideal for taller lifters, and at 6ft3in I thought I would fall into that category... but those reviews must have been making the assumption that taller lifters have wider stances. I happen to have quite narrow hips, so my stance is fairly narrow (meaning that I don’t need a wide grip). So the knurling doesn’t scrape my shins when deadlifting with a standard barbell anyway. In fairness, I should have realised this before I bought the bar. I really wanted that passive centre knurl, though, and Rogue doesn’t offer it on any of their other bars. With the exception of deadlifts, the Chan bar satisfies all of my needs. Kind of ironic, I suppose - since, as you said, the wider spacing is supposed to be specifically for deadlifts.
@@mattneilson1824 Good information, Sir. Before I purchased, I read about 6 ft plus males unsatisfied, and 5'6" females satisfied. Certainly a controversial build.
That Ohio barbell is a legit all purpose bar. Highly recommend to anyone looking to buy your first high end barbell. I have 2 Ohio power bars and a seriously underrated Rogue echo bar along with my Ohio bar for reference. I want to try that Kabuki bar and have used Texas and cheapos at commercial gyms.
I'm looking at a used rogue echo bar, and wondering whether to buy it at such a good price but also I don't really do Oly lifts and would prefer IPF markings. What's been your experience with this bar?
I surely paid for an olympic bar that offers much more than what I need it for. It has 1,000 pounds capacity. I simply wanted a squat and bench press bar. I'm a weakling and I bought what was available at the time, which cost $160. I supported a small business sport equipment store though.
Most low-mid range bars lack center knurling. I never intend to do any Olympic movements, and I love the back squat, so I definitely want the center knurling. I got the Titan power bar.
I own the Eleiko PWB and the much cheaper Rogue Ohio Power Bar - I actually prefer the Ohio Powerbar for most lifts, except from front racked.. Black Zink Oxide coating, on the shaft on the Ohio Power Bar, did however not last long before deadlifts made it look worn. My recommendation would be Ohio (Power) Bar in stainless!💪🏼😊
Great content, as always And I like that you mentioned Fraser using an Ohio bar. He has to be the most down to Earth dude I've ever seen at the absolute peak of his field. He's trained in a smaller gym than mine for most of his career and is an unstoppable, monster competitor. Respect
Currently for power bar I like my REP 29mm deep knurl, and for Olympic my Rouge 28mm Oly bar But between the two the oly bar just has a better feel to it
I’m happy with my Titan Powerbar. It was half the price, I’ve had it for a year and it still looks new. Maybe I’ll upgrade one day but it meets my garage gym needs.
Wow, I suddenly feel like a Neanderthal. I just have whatever 45 lb bar Sport Authority sold me 28 years ago. It's still going, but I have no clue which if these it's like or if I'd be doing better with something else. You just opened my eyes.
I'm a machinist and "volcano" knurling is not achieved from "chopping" off the tops of the knurl. It's made by not setting the knurling tool as deep. All knurling types shown are determined by the depth the knurling tool is set at.
hi coop, about doing the oly lifts on a non spinning sleeve....the rotational momentum not being dispersed by the spinning sleeve can actually bring about an unexpected resulting force that leads the bar pathway towards your face....so lifters that are used to spinning sleeves can really be caught off guard and break their faces.
'More bars than Verizon'! Love it! That made me laugh! Anywho. I bought one recently. A British brand [I live in Wales.] MiraFit. A good quality one with the grip. £124. Surprisingly cheap.
@Garage Gym Reviews. In the EU we don't have the same degree of variety or options although it is better than before the rise of crossfit. There are a ton of retailers but the products are more or less the same. I don't think any decent quality barbell can be purchased for much less than 300 euros and those bars are imports from China or Taiwan - which is fine, quite a few high quality bars are made in Asia (Both DHS and ZKC have retailers in the EU - in the 600-800 euro range however - Gymway (Taiwan) does seem to have a couple of retailers as well 300-500 euro range). Made within the EU are brands like Eleiko (Sweden), Hatlex (Italy), Pallini (France), Leoko (a Finnish quality manufactorer known in Scandinavia and Russia) and the newcomer Gungnir (Norway which is not in the EU making it a quite expensive product) - price range from ca 500 euro and up to twice that amount for the most expensive Eleiko bars. Bear Fitness (Italy), Powergear (Italy) and Bulldog Gear (UK) might make their own barbells or they might be partial imports like Sqmize and ATX (both from Germany) - their prices are quite a bit lower than the brands made 100% in the EU. To my knowledge no olympic barbell made in the EU comes with the 28.5mm diameter, which I think was popularized in the US with the rise of Crossfit, and in my experience the quality crossfit 28mm barbells from Eleiko and Hatlex performs just as well if not better than the 28.5mm imports from either East or West (granted I've only tried Rogue and ATX so it might be different with say Vulcan and Texas power bars that at least on screen seem very high end). Bulldog Gear makes a 28.57mm bar but I don't know if it is 100% made in the UK. Oh and I always forget, which isn't okay as they make great products - Werksan from Turkey, not in the EU, but they have plenty of EU retailers. Anyways - maybe it is time to make a GarageGymReviews channel for EU residents, as there are differences. - A sidenote I think you are doing your subscribers some what a disservice by not mentioning the two IWF certified Barbell brands from China - ZKC and DHS, as they are cheaper than Eleiko and Werksan but def. on par quality wise. I noticed you mentioning Uesaka (Japan) and Gymway a few times so I´m a bit perplexed as to why you would leave out these two great alternatives for serious weightlifters. The same could be said about Vulcan barbells - I wish we had a company like that in the EU, a full line of locally made quality barbells with a price tag that doesn't destroy your marriage ...
Also, If you ever need to change your water heater, look into the new hybrid technology. It uses the heat and humidity in your air to heat your water so it leaves your garage cooler and with lower humidity.
It's cheap but effective but I will go with Synergee Regional Barbell. Checkout it's comparison with Rogue Ohio bar th-cam.com/video/6BYVzMNY7BQ/w-d-xo.html
you missed the luxiaojun E1 training barbell for weightlifting. it's super budget friendly with high quality build, perfect knurling, and bearings for spin.
Just wondered if Coop’s silverware has knurling on it.
Not yet. But now that you mention it, I'm going to be looking for some.
Coop's forks about to have 28.5mm volcano knurled handles with calibrated prongs
Coop beat me to it, I was going to say “he will now”
Coops silverware is rated at 190k tensile strength
...his garage door doesn't have springs, it has resistance bands. Hey yo lol.
Here ya go!
Intro 0:24
Steel 1:01
Knurl 2:07
Spin 4:23
Whip 5:39
Finish 6:30
What Bar Should You Get 7:40
Not the hero we deserve, but the hero we need
thanks basement dude
Noice💪
What’s the verdict of that blacked out baresteel barbell you posted a few weeks ago?
I feel like y'all are working together to monopolize the garage AND basement home gym community! & based on the quality of the content, I'm not mad about it.
Bruh, this man has like 99% of the worlds gym equipment.
He’s a goofy
@Sad After he’s strong af though
@Sad Afterthere's no "look" to going to a gym. It comes down to genetics and overall lifestyle
let's see you lift what he lifts
Facts!
Coop, you should do a blindtest of all of Your bars and try to guess which is wich just based on knurling and feel.
“I have more bars than Verizon”
Narrator: he had two barbells
Was going to get a Rogue Ohio Bar then I found a very lightly used Ohio Power Bar for $100 cheaper than retail so my wallet made the choice for me. No regrets it has been fantastic as I am only really doing bench, squat and deadlift with it and I'm not the incredible Hulk so I lift normal amounts of weight! Love the content Coop you have been a huge help in my home gym decision making!
The knurling on the OPB is way better for power lifting type training. Also OPB has a center knurl.
I ended up getting an Ohio Bar as well as I added in front squats and other cross fit style lifts.
The more passive knurl and no center knurl really help tearing up my hands, neck, chest and sometimes chin.
Thank you for breaking it down for us Coop! Here for the algo 📈📊
My boyfriend is a former marine and I'm trying to build him a home gym for his birthday, but I have no idea what I'm doing! Thanks for the info!
Started a few months ago using an cheap Spanish brand Olympic barbell (28mm, no center knurl, dual marks, needle bearings) and only really discovered what I got by watching these videos, so thanks Coop!
I’m ordering an Ohio Power bar for squats, not really because I need it .. but we all like nice things :)
This is my favorite lifting channel now, helped me so much to making my own home gym.
Coop basically needs a different bar per excercise and color coded for the day. Love it.
I have been lifting for forty plus years and never thought about knurling until I started watching Coop and now I have become a knurling snob. What a sommelier is to wine Coop is to knurling
I started off with the rogue beater bar that I found on Craigslist and then upgraded to a cerakote Ohio power bar. Best purchase I’ve ever made
you go online
you select "sort by" > availability
you buy whatever pops up in your price range
You train 2 months and your bar breaks, your foot breaks, your floor breaks.
Then you come back and watch reviews to not have it happen again.
I do oly lifts since over 20 years. 90% of the time I use a multipurpose bar. You will definitely an advantage with a pure wl bar. But this is only necessary for 1RM and if you load ~150kg.
The only TH-cam videos where I watch the full ads. Thanks Coop for being you. I wish I could tip Phil too.
Good vid. After watching like 4 this one actually left me with all the info I need. Been using my grandpa's bar for a decade and it's always will but I need an upgrade for my.beloved squat rack.
Algo gang--great vid Coop! Probably gonna upgrade from a $40, used, rusted, 30 year old bar to an Ohio Power Bar soon.
That was my first upgrade too and it was perfect! Of course now I have 4 different barbells and pretty much every type of specialty bar haha! It's a dangerous road to start down...
I got an Olympic bar that came in a $300 set (with 260# of plates) from Scheels. 100% worth it. Still use it.
"And he lifts way more of all you watching" epic
And this is false.
lol not even close.
Couldn’t agree more with the beginning, got my bar 12 years ago (basically the cheapest I could find) & looking to treat myself & can’t believe the amount available now!
For those on a budget, Rogue Boneyard bar is a good option as well. Basically a "cosmetic blem" Ohio bar for cheaper. Have had mine about 6 months, use it 6 days a week and no complaints.
See, I don't think they're worth it. For a slight savings, you lose the lifetime warranty that Rogue is legendary for upholding. Also, the resale value on boneyard bars is MUCH less than retail bars.
@@GarageGymReviews After a Cerakote Ohio Bar as primary, was looking for a second for landmines (good but a less expensive upgraded beater bar) and other outside the rack lifts bought a LUXIAOJUN Men's Training Bar-BF Special after Brandon's review at a price of $219 all in. Cheaper than a Boneyard after shipping and tax.
@@GarageGymReviews Understood, and you are right. I was able to get mine for $229 shipped to my door and have no plans of ever reselling. As far as any warranty work, short of it snapping in half, I planned on doing any maintenance it ever needed myself anyways. 20+ years of auto mechanics, so these are easy. So, kinda special circumstances in my situation I guess. Keep up the great content sir! You've got a new fan here.
@@jallen1227 how’s the cerakote bar holding up?
@@Soccrboi I've had a cerakote rogue ohio bar for 5 years and it still works perfectly with no rust.
My Mammoth bar just showed up a few days ago. It is worth the cost! American Barbell knows what they’re doing.
I bought one for $90 online at walmart. It holds weight and it weighs 45lbs. works for me.
Love the barbell talks and videos. You should do a best barbell category each year. Best eco bar, best mid price etc like a garage gym awards show every year
Coop the kinda guy to do gender reveals for his kids with colored barbells
lmao
Fr 😂
Knurling is a process in which groved hardened wheels are clamped around or forced into into a round object so that you force material up and create a patern in the material. What we see on bars is standard diamond knurling at different depths. Mountain knurling is "complete" knurling. Its as deep as you can go. Volcano knurling is just not to full depth and hill is either just deep enough to make the patern or is knurled then turned back down to take off the peaks. Thats a technique used normally when a diameter gets turned undersized or wears undersized and you need to make that back up for whatever mating part your using
Love the video. Last year I had to take a course about decision making for my masters program and used a lot of information like what you talked about in this video to perform an engineering trade study over what the best power bar for me would be as my final project. The Ohio power bar won but I got tired of waiting for it to come back in stock and picked up a Texas power bar instead. Thanks for all the work you put into this stuff
Texas bars different bars for different lifts. No whip-Some whip-Heavy whip
Power: 28.5
Squat: 31.75
Deadlift: 27
I, my son, and many of his college football buddies love the Starting Strength bar (bare steel, Mark Rippeto bar) from Rogue (the B&R bar) or Texas Power Bars (Starting Strength bar). Bare steel and slightly finer knurling feels so good.
Coop leads by example, the correct choice is ..... but ALL of them.
Because of the center knurl, I like Olympic Weightlifting bars as the one bar to rule them all.
Absolutely the best bar selection tutorial on the tubes. You da man, coop!
Don't forget, another reason to get the rogue bar is because hands down they have one of the best TH-cam commercials ever.
Thank you for the explanation about the bar! I finally understand the difference between grip, the sleeve etc etc! Keep going, you're the best!
I went with the Rogue Ohio bar and I couldn't be happier! Thanks for all the info Coop!
Spent too much on a crap one off craigslist, after a few months I upgraded to my TexasPowerBars bar.. couldn't be happier
By far one of the most informative videos I have come across and I dig your mustache and beard. Addicted to knurling, didn’t realize a ring and earrings I bought many years ago were the material. Very cool.
I have two cheap marcy grip olympic weight sets. They are perfect for me. Octagonal plates that don't roll away. Two holes in each plate for handles that allow you to use the plates by themselves for many exercises. I have had them for probably 20 years. I'm set, but I understand how many people are into so many details. Fun to think about.
I was waiting for this video!!
Me too man
this is the video i was looking for as im looking for my first barbell to purchase
Good advice! Been using Ohio bar for over a year, bought for CrossFit style workouts but during lockdowns have used it primarily for powerlifting and really can’t fault it.
Good bar
I have been waiting for the Ohio bar to come back in stock for a while now, but whenever they come back in stock they sell out immediately. Now you’re making it even harder for me to buy this bar. Thanks Coop.
It’s a good feeling after buying my first power bar that it’s the same one coop recommends!
Picked up a 50$ barbell welded it onto the inside boom “power bar no spin” and the grip was not bad
I love trying different bars myself. I see a budget barbell with non screw ends under 150 I often buy them.
I found the best bar under $100.00, Bonnlo from Amazon, think they are more now.
Best under $150.00, Popsport - they have a great coating. Not sure what it is. Weird ends too.
Best around $200.00 Diamondpro.
The old again faster bar had great spin, but the finish as terrible.
I have a couple Bonyard Rogue bars. I don't feel like there is anything special.
Old style Titan barbell, good beginner bar.
I have a Valor womens bar for my wife. Very nice for under $100.00 when I bought it.
If you want a bar that is pretty easy on the hands but still somehow provides good grip, check out the American Barbell bars.
i often see so many people flexing how cool and hardcore they are as a person my flexing their mountain knurl. just every time i hear those words i get shivers down my spine by how cool and hardcore they are for using a mountain knurl.
Thank you for the advice and review of this product, it has become much clearer for me to plough the vulture
“I like them and I like talking about them” Coop just living his best life lol
Thanks for the detailed breakdown of barbell features and benefits. You talked me into springing for the Ohio bar. Hope your referral link still works going through the Canadian site.
COOP ,love the videos man. I would love to see you do a video on gym timers. Fitness clocks. Im thinking on getting one but there are so many out there and alot im sure are junk.
Thanks Coop. After watching this I decided on the "Original" Texas Power Bar Black Cerakote Shaft w/Chrome Sleeves. I would have gone cheaper on the plain steel but the bar will be in my garage and I live on the Gulf Coast so corrosion is a serious issue here.
Just bought an Eleiko XF bar this weekend, nice to see that Coop approves. (Eleiko is as expensive as AB and Rogue etc here in Norway).
Never knew about different bars till i found your channel,
Amazing information
I have the Titan Regular Bar. 30mm and pretty stiff. Great for power lifting movements and cleans. I got mine on sale for $115.00 free shipping. I've beat it up the last 2 years with no change. I was going to buy a 28mm power bar but I just can't justify needing another bar that does the same.
I own a Rogue IWF Weightlifting bar w/ center knurl in bright zinc. If i had to do it over again, I might get the stainless steel version at the cost of a few extra dollars and the center knurl. I do love having the passive center knurl for squats.
I also own a 20kg Rogue Boneyard Ohio Bar that I got for super cheap on OfferUp. If you are going into a second had buy (especially with a Boneyard bar), I def recommend bringing your pinch collar clamps to do some inspection under the sleeves to see if there's any defects that might be problematic for your intended use/ or as additional negotiation leverage.
My favorite type of bar is the one where the cougars buy me the drinks and take me home.
This is an excellent video. The best barbell buyer’s guid I’ve ever seen. Good stuff!
Great video. Rogue Chan bar is underrated. If you want one bar that does it all but priotitizes power lifts and has a center knurl (it's passive but great on shirts) - I do not think there is any other alternative. Was nice to see it mentioned.
The outer knurling of the Chan bar feels fantastic, and I love the passive centre knurl. However, the non-knurled section on either side of the centre knurl is too wide for deadlifts (at least, it is for me); I find that my natural grip-width results in my hands being on non-knurled parts of the bar - which is a real shame, because otherwise the bar is perfect. If only the outer knurling was spaced at the standard width (and the bar retained its passive centre knurl).
@@mattneilson1824 Good points to add here for anyone reading. Honestly, it has been so long since I had deadlift thanks to quarantine, and I'm not sure if I increased my grip width or not. Either way, I sort of convinced myself that this was the proper width that I should be using since the knurl starts wider specifically for deadlifts (so it doesn't rub on your legs). I do occasionally find myself wishing knurl went center more for tricep bench work/etc but the compromise is worth it.
It would be nice if Rogue offered options here. Maybe even standard knurling as is, and then passive in the center and increased knurling by putting passive right next to aggressive for closer grips, or all more aggressive - whatever. Most of the stuff I ordered from Rogue was made as I ordered it because I was piecing together something more vintage, and they can customize cerakote bars - so why not knurling? :-p
@@DampRaccoon I agree, customisation of the spacing would completely solve the problem.
I should point out that the increased spacing won’t be a problem for everyone with respect to deadlifts - and I’m sure it’s actually preferable for a lot of people. Before buying the Chan bar, I read some reviews that stated that the increased spacing was ideal for taller lifters, and at 6ft3in I thought I would fall into that category... but those reviews must have been making the assumption that taller lifters have wider stances. I happen to have quite narrow hips, so my stance is fairly narrow (meaning that I don’t need a wide grip). So the knurling doesn’t scrape my shins when deadlifting with a standard barbell anyway. In fairness, I should have realised this before I bought the bar. I really wanted that passive centre knurl, though, and Rogue doesn’t offer it on any of their other bars.
With the exception of deadlifts, the Chan bar satisfies all of my needs. Kind of ironic, I suppose - since, as you said, the wider spacing is supposed to be specifically for deadlifts.
@@mattneilson1824 Good information, Sir. Before I purchased, I read about 6 ft plus males unsatisfied, and 5'6" females satisfied. Certainly a controversial build.
@@mattneilson1824I’m curious, which bar would you go with if you could only choose one?
That Ohio barbell is a legit all purpose bar. Highly recommend to anyone looking to buy your first high end barbell. I have 2 Ohio power bars and a seriously underrated Rogue echo bar along with my Ohio bar for reference. I want to try that Kabuki bar and have used Texas and cheapos at commercial gyms.
I'm looking at a used rogue echo bar, and wondering whether to buy it at such a good price but also I don't really do Oly lifts and would prefer IPF markings. What's been your experience with this bar?
I'm a simple man, I see a Garage Gym Reviews video with the word 'Barbell' in the title, I click it
My favorite power bar is the elitefts bar because I like the knurl... It is okay Coop we are still friends.
I surely paid for an olympic bar that offers much more than what I need it for. It has 1,000 pounds capacity. I simply wanted a squat and bench press bar. I'm a weakling and I bought what was available at the time, which cost $160. I supported a small business sport equipment store though.
“More bars than Verizon”
Nice bar 🔥
Most low-mid range bars lack center knurling. I never intend to do any Olympic movements, and I love the back squat, so I definitely want the center knurling. I got the Titan power bar.
I own the Eleiko PWB and the much cheaper Rogue Ohio Power Bar - I actually prefer the Ohio Powerbar for most lifts, except from front racked.. Black Zink Oxide coating, on the shaft on the Ohio Power Bar, did however not last long before deadlifts made it look worn. My recommendation would be Ohio (Power) Bar in stainless!💪🏼😊
Great content, as always
And I like that you mentioned Fraser using an Ohio bar. He has to be the most down to Earth dude I've ever seen at the absolute peak of his field. He's trained in a smaller gym than mine for most of his career and is an unstoppable, monster competitor. Respect
Sure there are more varieties of barbells in different price ranges now, but there are still none in stock!
Awesome guide Coop !!
Super informative video man thanks! Just got a Rogue Castro Bar for myself. After a lot of thought I decided I wanted an old fashioned raw steel bar.
I actually bought my Bells of Steel Power Bar due to your video
Next you should do specialty bar buying guides
Currently for power bar I like my REP 29mm deep knurl, and for Olympic my Rouge 28mm Oly bar
But between the two the oly bar just has a better feel to it
I’m happy with my Titan Powerbar. It was half the price, I’ve had it for a year and it still looks new. Maybe I’ll upgrade one day but it meets my garage gym needs.
Which one did you get? Dont they have like 3 of them?
Wow, I suddenly feel like a Neanderthal. I just have whatever 45 lb bar Sport Authority sold me 28 years ago. It's still going, but I have no clue which if these it's like or if I'd be doing better with something else. You just opened my eyes.
I'm a machinist and "volcano" knurling is not achieved from "chopping" off the tops of the knurl. It's made by not setting the knurling tool as deep. All knurling types shown are determined by the depth the knurling tool is set at.
I was wondering when you were going to mention Matt Fraser and how he just uses an Ohio Bar for everything. I wasn't disappointed
I love this channel almost as much as my wife hates the money I spend after watching it.
Nice video. I have a Fringesport Wonderbar & a Rogue operator bar. I like them both a lot.
Thanks Coop! Another great video that helps the home gym community make more informed decisions when buying equipment.
ISF power bar all day long. Great price and solid quality.
hi coop, about doing the oly lifts on a non spinning sleeve....the rotational momentum not being dispersed by the spinning sleeve can actually bring about an unexpected resulting force that leads the bar pathway towards your face....so lifters that are used to spinning sleeves can really be caught off guard and break their faces.
I was just looking for a video like this a week ago!
'More bars than Verizon'!
Love it! That made me laugh!
Anywho. I bought one recently. A British brand [I live in Wales.] MiraFit. A good quality one with the grip. £124.
Surprisingly cheap.
Jesus man... I thought it was just a bar lol thanks for the information I'm mind blown
You know your bars Bro, and now we are all barbell experts ! lol
I ordered a rogue stainless power bar for the garage gym I am building.
power bars are where its at. always trained with one always will. the first time I saw the olympic bar in person I was so confused🤣 It looks so small
And, as always...STAY BIG
Eleiko bars have the best whip lol
@Garage Gym Reviews. In the EU we don't have the same degree of variety or options although it is better than before the rise of crossfit. There are a ton of retailers but the products are more or less the same. I don't think any decent quality barbell can be purchased for much less than 300 euros and those bars are imports from China or Taiwan - which is fine, quite a few high quality bars are made in Asia (Both DHS and ZKC have retailers in the EU - in the 600-800 euro range however - Gymway (Taiwan) does seem to have a couple of retailers as well 300-500 euro range). Made within the EU are brands like Eleiko (Sweden), Hatlex (Italy), Pallini (France), Leoko (a Finnish quality manufactorer known in Scandinavia and Russia) and the newcomer Gungnir (Norway which is not in the EU making it a quite expensive product) - price range from ca 500 euro and up to twice that amount for the most expensive Eleiko bars. Bear Fitness (Italy), Powergear (Italy) and Bulldog Gear (UK) might make their own barbells or they might be partial imports like Sqmize and ATX (both from Germany) - their prices are quite a bit lower than the brands made 100% in the EU. To my knowledge no olympic barbell made in the EU comes with the 28.5mm diameter, which I think was popularized in the US with the rise of Crossfit, and in my experience the quality crossfit 28mm barbells from Eleiko and Hatlex performs just as well if not better than the 28.5mm imports from either East or West (granted I've only tried Rogue and ATX so it might be different with say Vulcan and Texas power bars that at least on screen seem very high end). Bulldog Gear makes a 28.57mm bar but I don't know if it is 100% made in the UK. Oh and I always forget, which isn't okay as they make great products - Werksan from Turkey, not in the EU, but they have plenty of EU retailers. Anyways - maybe it is time to make a GarageGymReviews channel for EU residents, as there are differences. - A sidenote I think you are doing your subscribers some what a disservice by not mentioning the two IWF certified Barbell brands from China - ZKC and DHS, as they are cheaper than Eleiko and Werksan but def. on par quality wise. I noticed you mentioning Uesaka (Japan) and Gymway a few times so I´m a bit perplexed as to why you would leave out these two great alternatives for serious weightlifters. The same could be said about Vulcan barbells - I wish we had a company like that in the EU, a full line of locally made quality barbells with a price tag that doesn't destroy your marriage ...
Summer is coming up. Could you do a video on keeping the garage gym cool?
Shade the garage door, and install a mini-split.
Also, If you ever need to change your water heater, look into the new hybrid technology. It uses the heat and humidity in your air to heat your water so it leaves your garage cooler and with lower humidity.
Very informative! Thank you!
Never really considered the knurl or much else until recently…now I’m a snob and spend way more time researching gear than I do lifting lol
I have a boneyard Ohio bar and love it. I never could figure out why it went to the boneyard.
I found GarageGymLab's Barbell Survey far easier to use for picking the perfect barbell.
It's cheap but effective but I will go with Synergee Regional Barbell. Checkout it's comparison with Rogue Ohio bar th-cam.com/video/6BYVzMNY7BQ/w-d-xo.html
Most important aspect of a good bar is one that's in stock...
AMERICAN BARBELL for me.....nicest knurling in my opinion.
you missed the luxiaojun E1 training barbell for weightlifting. it's super budget friendly with high quality build, perfect knurling, and bearings for spin.