have you weighed your olympic bar?

[kuoin]

I just bought a 300 lb olympic set from Dick's Sporting Goods and brought the bar into the house to weigh it...it is supposed to weigh 45lbs, but only weighs 38 has this happened to anyone else? It seems that quality control should be better than that...I could understand maybe a +?- 1 lb but 7...thats crazy

[michaelnel]

Yep, underweight bars are very common in the cheap Chinese 300lbs sets. In fact, I haven't heard of one that had a true 20KG bar in it yet.

[kuoin]

Yep, underweight bars are very common in the cheap Chinese 300lbs sets. In fact, I haven't heard of one that had a true 20KG bar in it yet.
I guess I'll just put (2) 2.5's on it and keep them there so I can figure my bar for 45 its really hard to figure weights when your bar is 38 lbs. ha ha

[farsscf]

I was under the impression olympic bars only weighed 45 lbs with olympic collars?

[itsallgood]

I was under the impression olympic bars only weighed 45 lbs with olympic collars?

good point

[extremeb]

i got the same weight set for christmas but im even worst off then you......mine is 33lbs :/

[michaelnel]

I was under the impression olympic bars only weighed 45 lbs with olympic collars?

True Olympic bars are supposed to weigh not 38lbs, not 45lbs, but 20 kilograms, or a little over 44 lbs. Lots of collars weigh 1/2lb each (the Muscle Clamps I just got do), so when you put them on a 20Kg bar, you end up with 45lbs.

[Emohawkus]

Okay, so the cheap sets are usually under weight and they sell the plates marked as 45 instead of 45lbs etc. to cover their ass, but like Dicks they sell a 300lb set for $109 or sell plates as .49 per lb and you weight them and they are less can you get your money? They can say "well they dont say 45lbs, so tuff luck", but they do sell them by the lb. I have 4 300lb sets and a whole bunch of dumbells lets say about 2000lb, so if I had a doctors scale and all the recipts and weight them and they came to 1700lb, could I sue for $150. Just a though, I dont have a doctors scale or all the recipts :)

[michaelnel]

I don't think it's worth worrying about. As long as they aren't drastically off from each other (like a pair of 45s that are actually 38 and 47), just lift 'em. If they are WAY off from each other like the example above, then you'd probably want to put a 10 on the side with the 38 to even out the side to side weight.

In reality, they are probably all FAR closer to being on spec than that. My cheap 300lb set from SA is pretty darn accurate, aside from the bar being way underweight.

If it bothers you that much, don't buy cheap stuff. Spend the money for competition-grade Ivanko stuff. Just be prepared to spend a helluva lot more money.

[dbx]

I have 4 300lb sets and a whole bunch of dumbells lets say about 2000lb, so if I had a doctors scale and all the recipts and weight them and they came to 1700lb, could I sue for $150. Just a though, I dont have a doctors scale or all the recipts :)

Ummm...no, but you might try returning the goods to the store you felt unfairly represented their goods.

And some people wonder why we need legal reform :rolleyes:

[Emohawkus]

Geez, I was only wondering, awhile back someone was complaining about them not weight the right amounts and that they wouldnt be able to fight about it since they dont say lbs on the plates, guess I should have found the thread and posted there.
I for one have had no problem with Dicks cheap plates, when I read the post I'm refering to above I weighed my bar and 2 45's and 2 35's on my bathroom scale and they were spot on give or take an ounce.

[michaelnel]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be critical of you.

Just pointing out that when stuff is cheap like the $109 Sports Authority and Dick's weight sets, it's cheap for a reason. This stuff is made in China by the lowest bidder, and their QA motto is "how little can we spend on quality and accuracy and still get it past the round eyes?".

If you want accuracy, Ivanko and others are ready to supply it, but at a premium cost.

For me, the cheap Chinese crap is way good enough.

[danny_1970]

my sears rubber encased set weighted in at 40 pounds.

[BusyDizzyIzzy]

I just bought a 300 lb olympic set from Dick's Sporting Goods and brought the bar into the house to weigh it...it is supposed to weigh 45lbs, but only weighs 38 has this happened to anyone else? It seems that quality control should be better than that...I could understand maybe a +?- 1 lb but 7...thats crazy

All the bars from Dicks weigh in around 37-38lbs. All 3 sets I purchased were 37lbs. on the bar. Their bars are off but I find the weights themselves to be pretty accurate and consistent from plate to plate.

[dbx]

All the bars from Dicks weigh in around 37-38lbs. All 3 sets I purchased were 37lbs. on the bar. Their bars are off but I find the weights themselves to be pretty accurate and consistent from plate to plate.

I bought mine from Dicks and it weighed 40lbs (possibly 1/2lb more or less). Definitely not consistent, eh? And yes, my plates weighed spot-on. Quality control is a major problem for lots of countries including, the U.S.

[Ujjay]

Personally I'd rather have a 40 pound bar, than spend 200 to get a 45 pound one.

[vikingsrule92]

Personally I'd rather have a 40 pound bar, than spend 200 to get a 45 pound one.

exactly. Mine weighs about 35lbs. but oh well. It was cheap (play it again sports) but it holds up fine and I would rather have that then spend $200 for a power bar which is right on.

[Ujjay]

BTW, I just bought mine for 100 dollars, and I weighed it, I think it's around 43 pounds. Too bad yours was off by 7 pounds, but at least it'll hold up.

[kuoin]

I agree its not that big of a deal.....I was really more curoius than anything...I am going from a set of one inch weights to this olympic set and I would really have been stoked if my bench went up 8lbs just from this move(its amazing how mental lifting can be!).......for that reason I'm glad I weighed the bar...I found the weights to be accurate however.....And man did this thread grow

[QUALITYGUY1]

My TDS weighs ~44 lbs...close enough, besides, it wouldn't be unusual for a bathroom scale to be off a pound or 2. ;)
I have a digital, but I don't have a master weight to check it...maybe that's what I should work on getting. :rolleyes:

[dbx]

The important thing to remember here, is simply knowing what your bar weighs. That's it! If it can hold "X" amount of weight, I don't give a rat's ass if it weighs 25, 30, 35, 40 or 45 pounds. Know what I mean? A 30lb bar is not necessarily inferior to a 40lb bar. Just because it's not the olympic standard of 44lbs, doesn't make a bar inferior in any way. Enough of the worrying already! :)

[DhsHamada08]

Im just wondering, I have aa 300 lb set and I got it from dunhams the bar weighs approx 42 lbs when ever a buddy of mine comes over to work out wiht me hes got to put all the weight on (plus lifting chains) and the bar is always "crooked" i dont know if thats the right word but it looks as if it could snap, is it possible to snap or bend from extended use at the max weight is supports and if so would that be the manufactures fault? JW!!!

[vikingsrule92]

it's been known to happen with weak or crappy bars but its not mfgs fault and you can't really return it for that, They can't snap they just bend if you put a lot on a weak bar

[vikingsrule92]

it's been known to happen with weak or crappy bars but its not mfgs fault and you can't really return it for that, They can't snap they just bend if you put a lot on a weak bar

[DhsHamada08]

another thing im jw and too lazy to go on google and search this up lol, you know how theirs a 300lb olympic set is there any other good sets with more weight that are possibly of higher quality then the common chinese made?

[vikingsrule92]

troy makes 500lb sets that are really nice for about $450 depending on the type of plate. They are really high quality but very expensive.

[vikingsrule92]

here's the link http://www.ironcompany.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=167 they have a bunch of nice plate packages at ironcompany.com although they're expensive

[dbx]

Im just wondering, I have aa 300 lb set and I got it from dunhams the bar weighs approx 42 lbs when ever a buddy of mine comes over to work out wiht me hes got to put all the weight on (plus lifting chains) and the bar is always "crooked" i dont know if thats the right word but it looks as if it could snap, is it possible to snap or bend from extended use at the max weight is supports and if so would that be the manufactures fault? JW!!!

Even the best quality bars bend when loaded up. My bar came included with a 300# set, and I have used 450# on it with no problems at all. I don't expect to ever go over 600# with it, but I have nor fears of it holding up at that weight.

This thread has nearly gotten out of control with unwarranted fears. Just lift and be happy! :)

[MRI Rat]

I just bought this set for myself too and found the bar to weigh 35#. I too was wondering if this is typical. I have seen the big steel collars that look like they might weigh 5# each but this set only has spring clamps.

This was my Christmas present to myself. The switch from standard weights to Olympic has added mathematics exercise to my workouts since the poundage are not even 10's, 25's, 50's I had to stop and think of the right arrangements of plates. My log has scribbles all over it where I add up the weight. LOL.

Maybe Dick's should send us all an extra set of plates, he he he.

Oh well. At least it was on sale!