Requesting Barbell Advice

I would stay away of FD/NL barbells. Normally you look at the tensile strength of a barbell as a good indicator of it's ability to handle deformation due to the loading and retain it's original shape afterwards but that spec is n/a.
My minimum recommendation would be a Synergee barbell or bells of steel and if budget allows, a Rogue bar.
Then, depending on the way you use it (olympic lifts? Bench/squat/deadlifts?) You have to pickbeither a 28.5mm general purpose bar or a 29mm powerbar.

Make sure it has a center knurl if you will use it for squats. And that the tensile strengys is at least 180kpsi (minimum acceptable IMO)

I’ve been lifting at home with a no name brand 1000 lbs rated barbell since the start of covid and I’ve had no issues. I routinely squat and deadlift 405 for reps and dead 500 lbs and I’ve had no issues. Bar is still as straight as the day I bought it. I also paid $200 for the bar. My bar does not have centre curl and I’ve never had issues squatting without centre curl. The back oxide finish is coming off in spots where it’s contacting the rack though.

I will probably get a nice stainless steel power bar at some point but I’m in no rush. For Olympic lifting bar spin matters more and you probably need a nicer bar but for bodybuilding/powerlifting it really doesn’t matter as much as people claim. It’s a nice luxury but not completely necessary. I’m also aware that once I taste the forbidden fruit I will then want a second bar without centre curl for front squats or overhead press, a third bar for deadlifting, a safety squat bar, etc and next thing you know you spent $3000 on barbells.

thebigbully wrote: ↑ Seems too good to be true, is it? This bar is only 200$ and has a 1500lb rating. Anyone have it or could suggest whether it's worth the buy? I have always lifted at a commercial or private gym and have no experience buying gym equipment so I'd love some advice please!

I am an intermediate lifter and can easily deadlift 405 for reps. I will not be dropping weight as I am on the second floor

https://www.fitnessdepot.ca/H11OTO10276 ... tltgb.html

I bought this exact bar at the beginning of wave 1 when building out my home gym....I think I paid $149 at the time from fitness depot.

Honestly...I have no complaints. I use it mainly for the big lifts: squat, OHP, bench and deadlifts...I even drop it during deads and so far been great for over 1.5 years I've had it...I wanted to upgrade to a Rogue bar, but honestly, I really like this bar and see no reason to now.

thebigbully wrote: ↑ Seems too good to be true, is it? This bar is only 200$ and has a 1500lb rating. Anyone have it or could suggest whether it's worth the buy? I have always lifted at a commercial or private gym and have no experience buying gym equipment so I'd love some advice please!

I am an intermediate lifter and can easily deadlift 405 for reps. I will not be dropping weight as I am on the second floor

https://www.fitnessdepot.ca/H11OTO10276 ... tltgb.html

I clicked on the link yesterday, and it showed up as $198. I just happened to click on your link today and it shows $288, with the $198 NL barbell being a lower quality one that is rated at 700 lbs (and the $198 one is thicker than standard at 32 mm thickness -- suggesting lower quality steel, so need thicker bar to support weight). So you are right, it probably was too good to be true, as it was probably a pricing error and would have been a good deal if you ordered and they honoured the pricing error.

When I was going to a commercial gym that had lots of equipment, and before I really knew much about barbells, I always gravitated to certain barbells if they were available. While any of the ones at the gym would do, certain ones were just nicer and more enjoyable to use. For home gym, same is true, cheaper barbells will do, but going a little higher in price gets you a better, more enjoyable barbell. You probably would not be happy long-term with the 700lb rated, 32 mm barbell. And for the $288 one, I think Bells of Steel offers better value.

I'm a big fan of Bells of Steel equipment. Their equipment is very well reviewed, and reviewers always note the excellent price/quality relationship. it's not going to be as nice as Rogue, but pretty darn close at significantly lower price. Many elite lifters use Bells of Steel for their home gym. And since you are in Toronto, they just opened a temporary warehouse in Vaughan and now offer free local pick-up in the GTA. They plan to open a permanent warehouse and showroom in the GTA in September, and then will be able to offer lower shipping costs to all of Ontario as they will ship from this second permanent location.

Here's one you-tube review



PS: not obvious on their website, but if you need more than just a barbell, Bells of Steel has a gymbuilder function where you get a very nice discount if you order a Rack + Barbell + Bench, and then you also get a discount on any additions, like plates or other accessories. '

Happened to click on link again today, and it's back to $199,, with the 700 lb rated one now $149. $199 does look like a good deal.