Is this the bar you guys are talking about?
Australian Barbell Company Pty Ltd - 220CM OLY B/N POWER BAR
YES
Looks to be over $600 delivered for a fairly standard bushing bar :/
Undewr $500 delivered interstate if you ring up
I looked on that site and their other store-less site, couldn't find any dimensions for the shaft diameter.
28-29mm like all decent barbells, only cheap shit chinese bars and uber exotic squat bars are 30+mm
I also find it a little strange that this needle bearing bar is less than $100 more expensive
Australian Barbell Company Pty Ltd - 220CM CHR MENS OLY BAR- NEEDLE
I understand needle bearings are fairly expensive, and even though I can't find any shaft dimensions for this either, I would hope that it is 28mm with a different kind of knurl.
The difference in shaft material and knurl work combined with pricey needle bearings vs bushings, to me the price difference doesn't seem great enough.
The shafts are identical except for the set-out of the rings
I'm also finding no information on warranties anywhere which is an obvious concern on a $600 bar. Is it lifetime?
Only if dropped on a platform on ABC bumpers, pretty much the same as any bar, although I do recall ABC replacing a poster's bar who had bent it in 6 months. Can't really warrant when some poeanut goes and drops 5 plate squats on the pins of a rack
Also can anyone tell me if the bumper plates on there are for a single plate or a pair? The 25kg plate has a price of $474.51 which would be expensive for a pair and exorbitant for a single, like $100 more than Eleiko. The plates are also described as having 52mm bore holes which I'd think would flap around the bar a lot unless you lifted constantly with tight collars.
Get iron edge standard range of bumpers better value, very well made
I have used ABC gear in the past, my last gym had chrome ABC bars. Not sure on their specifics, but they were definitely a cheaper model. Shafts of at least 30mm with chrome that made the knurl slippery. They had a centre knurl and I think powerlifting rings. They'd been there for a long time (I'd hope) as the knurl on the outer 6 inches of shaft had been smashed completely flat and black from being bashed in racks all their life. Made anything snatch grip a challenge! The sleeves had a moderate knurl making that enjoyable zippy noise adding or removing plates. They were regular brass bushing bars, but they'd completely seized up over the years, some even completely rusted. I think one of them would spin when forced to, the others would either scream and squeak or were completely fused. I remember black end caps with Australian Barbell Co on them. They had very little flex to them, I remember shrugging 200kg or so and it barely flexing at all.
Cock knockers in gyms abuse the fuck out of the bars, not much you can do about that. ABC represents the best value for money in barbells IMO
In a previous gym, the nicest bar I had used until some experiences with WL bars was I think an ABC. It had a black shaft which I'd never seen before, and I recall it as being very thin compared to the regular cheap bars I was used to, definitely men's bar length though. It felt great to deadlift with apart from having a massive bend in it meaning you had to be sure to have the shaft oriented right before attempting to lift it.
