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BENT AFTER 2 MONTHS! Force USA Commercial Grade Olympic Power Bar (1500lb)

U

uppon2

New member
After testing my 1RM on Deadlift (160kg) Squat (120kg) and Bench (80kg) I have noticed that my Force USA Commercial Grade Olympic Power Bar (1500lb) is no longer straight. I never dump my deadlifts and I have never dropped the bar on to the safeties.

I am going to take the bar in there today and upgrade it. The best bar they have in there is either the Troy Texas Power Bar or the MuscleDriver Pendlay HD Olympic Bar 20kg

I have read some reviews and a few people have mentioned the Texas to be very strong, but the Pendlay is of better quality, though it does have a bit of a whip to it. Have any of you guys tried both bars? I want something for all round use, though I don't do many cleans, jerks etc. Mainly do the big 3 and some bodybuilding usuals.

I would honestly prefer to get an ABC bar or something like that but these are the best from the store I purchased from. I am concerned as the way they advertise the Troy is as if it were a Force USA bar? I dare say they aren't the same company.....
 
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Sounds like a shit bar if its bending on those weights!! Get a refund for sure man. I have a shitty old bar, not even an olympic that flexes but has kept it shape for about 20 years!!
 
That sucks dude! I still use my $20 big w small diameter bar at home, bent as fuck but holds over 200kgs no problems.

Good luck with the new one, sorry I can't recommend any!
 
That's cheap Chinese bars for ya. Don't even be surprised if they are bent before you ever even use it.

Texas is better for powerlifting or normal lifting weights than a pendlay.

Pendlay if you oly lift.
 
Sweet, thanks guys. I will get the Texas. It's from Gym and Fitness and apparently on the site it says Troy, but somebody purchased one from them and it is in fact the Capps. I did it on finance, so no refund can be given per se. I would be getting ABC if I could but the Texas will have to do
 
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The Texas is a good bar, Pendlay is no good for powerlifting as no centre knurling,
and the rings are at olympic spacing. Plus the knurling is pretty fine.

Troy is an American distributor, the bars are all made by capps.
The Texas bar I bought from Gymandfitness was sent from the Australian distributor for ForceUSA

There's lots of crappy bars in australia rated at 1500lb's that are probably as bad as that ForceUsa one

The Ironedge FAQ for their premium bar says it best
"• What Weight Rating do these have?
A: A high quality bar will be able to cope with more weight than anyone can lift. These bars are in that category. Ratings are generally only applied to cheap and inferior bars in an attempt to establish some credibility."
 
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Great info. I contacted them today and they said to bring the bar back so they can assess the situation. The bar was a floor model so it might have already been bent! I just never noticed it

Looking forward to the Texas bar now!
 
Alarm bells go off for me when it's called an 'olympic grade power bar'. That makes zero sense.

If you're more into powerlifting I guess you're right to go for the Texas, but Pendlay bars are great, been smashed in serious American gyms for years.
 
It turns out that the bar I originally had was discounted heavily. It was only $200, so it will cost me $400 to upgrade to the Texas. So at this stage I am going to just pay the bit extra and get an ABC bar. Anybody know a way to get one cheap?
 
I have the ABC power bar with deep fine knurl and am beyond stoked with it.

If you call up you should be able to get it for $433 + $70 shipping or something along those lines. Just be aware that their couriers (toll ipec) won't leave the bar on your doorstep if you aren't home so you might have to pick it up from a depot.
 
uppon2 said:
It turns out that the bar I originally had was discounted heavily. It was only $200, so it will cost me $400 to upgrade to the Texas. So at this stage I am going to just pay the bit extra and get an ABC bar. Anybody know a way to get one cheap?
Click to expand...

Thanks for your feedback. I am looking for a new bar myself so I will stay away from that model!

Let us know what you get next....Im not to sure where to buy ata good price so cant help you there.

Cheers
 
I've used my Force USA bar for over 12 months now...I've dropped it, done 280kg rack pulls on the safeties with it and it's still straight. I unload straight after the session.

That said, I'm looking at a new power bar, but will be getting new bumper plates first :)
 
D1cko said:
I've used my Force USA bar for over 12 months now...I've dropped it, done 280kg rack pulls on the safeties with it and it's still straight. I unload straight after the session.

That said, I'm looking at a new power bar, but will be getting new bumper plates first :)
Click to expand...

It seems some of the cheap bars are just better than the others. My cheapo second hand oly bar took a beating before I sold it and it was still straight, got hammered with deads, dropped off my back onto the safties with 160, only issue was it was slippery, and a little thick for deads.
 
Makes you wonder. My standard bar cost $55, done heaps of work including 180kg dead lift and it's still like the day I bought it.
 
I've bailed out on a 230 and 250 squat with two different ABC power bars.

The 230 landed on ironedge slings, still straight.
The 250 landed on solid safety bars, still straight.

Neither were soft drops as I always forget to just sit back down onto safeties, I dump it from about 3/4 of the way up by jumping out.

ABC gets my thumbs up!
 
Grippy said:
It seems some of the cheap bars are just better than the others. My cheapo second hand oly bar took a beating before I sold it and it was still straight, got hammered with deads, dropped off my back onto the safties with 160, only issue was it was slippery, and a little thick for deads.
Click to expand...

I wonder if it would be worth taking to an engineering shop and ask for it to be re-knurled? Shouldn't cost too much i would think
 
Headley said:
I wonder if it would be worth taking to an engineering shop and ask for it to be re-knurled? Shouldn't cost too much i would think
Click to expand...

Cheap bars can be had for $85 bucks, most shops with lathes that have 2mtrs between their chuck centres are going to be asking for $120hr with a 2hr minimum if your lucky.

Unless you got a mate who is fitter and turner I wouldn't bother.

Just buy an ABC bar if its an option, best value for money out there. Thats a coming from me who is the biggest tightarse forever and persisted with cheap bars for years before biting the bullet.
 
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