Main difference between eleiko comp bars and training bars is the knurling depth (training not as sharp) and the calibration weight. Comp pars are 20kg +/- 20g i believe, training bars arent quite so accurate.
Depends where your focus, i'm biased to powerlifting as thats what i do. To me a stiff bar is more versatile. Squats, bench, dead, goodmorning, rows, whatever else.
Whippy bars are good for Oly lifts.
Side note, don't ABC make an oly bar as well?
Side note, don't ABC make an oly bar as well?
So $400 for deeper knurling?
goodness me knurling wheels must be expensive.
Mainly for certified calibration and tighter mass tolerances matey.
Also prices in Aus is ridiculous due to the middle-man fees. I cant see these bars costing more than AUD$500 from the factory.
So the fundamental or essential difference between the two should be the accuracy of the bar weight and tolerance of load?
not the knurling.
So $400 for deeper knurling?
goodness me knurling wheels must be expensive.
That said, if I was going for 'one bar only' and intended on doing both, I'd perhaps go the ABC Power Bar, but request Needle Bearings. You'll have a terrible time doing big back squats or bench with a whippy oly bar, so a stiff bar with 'smooth' collars is your cover all solution.
[MENTION=10544]rino60[/MENTION]; - thanks for the input mate! I hadn't thought of getting the ABC bar with needle barings. Genius!
I'm 99% sure ill be getting my rack from Sam's so if you recon their bar is ok I might suss it out. Have you had any first hand experience with it?
BTW, that pic of your bar is sweeeet. It makes me want oneCheers for putting it up!
Quick update
I called ABC and asked if this could be done but they were a bit... well... vague really. They told me that they couldn't do the BOP220 with needle bearings and that if I wanted something like that, I should choose a different bar all together. So with this in mind, I asked about how different the whip is between one of their Oly bars and the power bar. I was told that there is no difference at all because all their products use the same bars (shafts) and it's only the knurling and bearings that differ. I also asked what the shaft diameters were and the answer was "between 28mm and 29mm". PSI rating... "not sure". I decided to give up and check out the downloadable specs from their website but that wasn't much help either. In the specs, they show the collar diameter as being "50mm aprox"! Can their tolerances and QC really be this loose?
When you compere this to the Rogue site that not only shows all the specs in detail, but also has vids that show how the things are made, its hard to keep the faith that the ABC bars the better choice
http://www.rogueaustralia.com.au/the-ohio-bar-au
The only thing I know for sure is that Ive got 140kg of bumper plates sitting in the shed that aren't going to lift themselves!
I'll be the first to admit that ABCs customer service didn't instil great confidence in me
Durability is what you're getting with ABC, and I'm yet to see a bar comparably enduring in anything near the same price point.
I should note that I've got 300kg of bumpers from Hellion, and those puppies have tight tolerances. They fit the ABC Bar like a glove.
That said, I'm eyeing off a Rogue Ohio Power Bar, which I might get for Christmas. Either that or a Texas DL bar.
Which Sam's rack are you thinking of getting? I've used a couple of them, and reckon they're pretty good kit.
I've had limited first hand experience with a few of the Sam's stocked ATX bars, and found them quite well built. Not sure about durability but feel was good, and build quality high.
No worries RE the pic. I'll be doing up a gym thread soon, just waiting on the latest few purchases to show up.
Don't get me wrong, they were friendly and tried to help. They just weren't big on the details. :-/
This is 50% of the equation for me. I love things that last but the functionality has to be there too.
Nice! I've heard those Hellions are sweeeet! Lucky man. I'm pretty happy with the Pendlays so far... you know... without actually having used them yet hahaIn terms of fit, I know Pendlay recommend Rogue bars as they are 50mm collars and the plates are 50.4mm. That's why I was interested in knowing what the ABC collars were.
Given that you've already got the ABC power bar and you can't see it dying any time soon, what's the thinking behind having more than one power bar?
Im looking at either the Barbarian commercial or Barbarian Pro rack. Still not sure if I want/need the plate storage or if being able to add the lat tower down the track would be better. They both feel solid as a rock and I can't see myself out growing or out using either! The other rack I was looking at was the Muscle Motion commercial rack but haven't seen that one up close.
It seems like 90% of the gear at Sams is pretty good. Nice to hear the bars are too!
Now this I'm looking forward to! Sounds like your going through the same process as me. Would be sweet to compare set ups once we're both done!
I've just measured the sleeves in a few places, and they are very consistently D50.0-50.1mm. Measured the shaft, and I'm looking at D28.8-29.0mm relatively consistently across the shaft - no rapid variations, straight as an arrow. Minor variation in knurl - only if I'm being extremely pedantic. Nothing approaching enough to consider it below par in any way.
The Hellion Plates are outstanding. Ever so slightly thicker rubber than stainless centre, so they lock into a solid mass when clamped or stacked.
I'd like a second bar to have a good bar in the rack, a good bar on the deck (both predominantly for power lifts), then my rubbish MM bar for Oly lifts
I've got the MM Commercial Power Rack, and have the following thoughts:
Pros: Strong as an ox, heavy (200kg) and stable. Welded joining plates makes assemble simple, and rigid as all heck - no requirement to bolt down. You honestly have no idea how handy plate storage is, and unless space was a proper issue, I'd personally not get a rack without it. Great pullup bar.
Cons: Plate storage is fixed spacing (due 'tapered fixtures' that you'd have to drill massive holes in rack to move) and this spacing does NOT allow bumpers on adjacent hooks. Mine are currently on bottom, mid and upper of the five, with the 2nd from bottom holding fractionals and the 2nd from top holding clamps. Sable type safeties are a pain. Not a massive issue (my bench and squat safety are same height), but turn and drop are better. No band pegs. J Hooks (4 of) don't have plastic or other protection for the bar. No walk through (not an issue if rack is facing a wall and the back brace provides a calf raise ledge).
The only thing I'd replaced it with in the Australian market would be a Rogue RML-690 or (lotto dependant) one of the Iron Edge pro racks. Under $2k, the only other rack I'd even consider other than the Barbarian would be the Monsta Rack from rawfitnessequipment.com.au simply due provided accessories (band pegs, torsonator, etc).
I plan on uploading a gym walk through quite soon, once finalised. Will let you know and post when done.
Again thanks for the detailed breakdown. Is interesting the hear your thoughts on the plate storage issue. To be honest im trying to convince myself I don't need it and that the extra money would be better spent on other equipment (like the lat attachment for instance). In fact one of the rationals I had for buying bumpers was that I could make up a basic "toaster rack" to sit either side of the rack, thus negating the need for a weight tree. However, when all is said and done, you'er probably right abut the convenience of dedicated rack based storage :-/ I like the build quality and hole spacing in the Rogue and Iron Edge racks but don't like the chin bars as much as the "monkey bar" style and the 'lotto dependence" for the iron edge gear might be an issue too. I also checked out the Monsta Rack and that thing looks awesome! Again, I cant believe how cheap they are for what you get! Whats the catch? In the grand scheme of things, how would you say the Barbarian racks stack up in terms of quality and "bang for buck"?
Seriously cant wait to see this!
Just wanted to say thanks again for your input mate. I'm pretty analytical (very analytical) when it comes to purchasing equipment but I live in Tasmania and can't just go in and check the gear out in person, so I rely heavily on info from those who have. Trouble is, a lot of people wont take the time to pass the info on once the excitement of purchasing their own kit wares off. Your thorough and well thought out information is absolutely golden. Much respect to you mate!
Quick update
I called ABC and asked if this could be done but they were a bit... well... vague really. They told me that they couldn't do the BOP220 with needle bearings and that if I wanted something like that, I should choose a different bar all together. So with this in mind, I asked about how different the whip is between one of their Oly bars and the power bar. I was told that there is no difference at all because all their products use the same bars (shafts) and it's only the knurling and bearings that differ. I also asked what the shaft diameters were and the answer was "between 28mm and 29mm". PSI rating... "not sure". I decided to give up and check out the downloadable specs from their website but that wasn't much help either. In the specs, they show the collar diameter as being "50mm aprox"! Can their tolerances and QC really be this loose?
When you compere this to the Rogue site that not only shows all the specs in detail, but also has vids that show how the things are made, its hard to keep the faith that the ABC bars the better choice
http://www.rogueaustralia.com.au/the-ohio-bar-au
The only thing I know for sure is that Ive got 140kg of bumper plates sitting in the shed that aren't going to lift themselves!
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