Burgener & Rippetoe Bar - Initial Review

[Robfitx]

I recently purchased the Burgener & Rippetoe (B&R) bar. Of course I love it, since it's new and I've only done a few workouts with it. However, I want to give something back to this forum that I've learned so much from, so I would like to share my initial impressions on it. I will add more to the review once I've had it longer.

I wanted a general purpose bar with a center knurl that was functional enough for the occasional olympic lift, while being mainly used for power lifts. I was leaning towards the chan bar; however, when I taped my existing bar to simulate the knurling I realized that my deadlift stance is too narrow which would result in my hands being partially off the knurl. I also considered the Rogue power bar, but I like the "history" behind this one which is discussed in Ripp's video at around minute 21:40 of his video about bars: h t t p s://vimeo.com/22156830 . Rogue sells it for $295 and just like everything else from them, it arrived on my doorstep two days after ordering it.

The bar is made by York (for Rogue) based on Ripp's specifications, is 29mm, and has a total center "opening" of approximately 16 3/4 inches. It has two marks, with the inside being 32 inches and the outside being about 36 inches apart. I would describe the knurl as "medium". The knurl is not too sharp and feels almost sand-papery. Despite being a comfortable feeling knurl, it locked tightly to my hands in the deadlift. The center knurl feels the same as the rest of it and stayed in place very well in this morning's low-bar back squats. In testing the spin in the rack, it definitely spins longer than other bushing bars that I've had. However, I have not done any serious olympic lifts with it yet so I can't really comment on the way it spins in practice.

This bar only comes in bare steel, which is definitely new to me. According to Rogue's instructions, it's supposed to be oiled occasionally with 3 in 1 or WD-40. I'll probably try WD-40 first, as I'm not sure I'll like to use it with oil on it but we'll see. Rogue has a decent video on maintaining this specific bar: h t t p s://w w w.youtube.com/watch?v=UjtGMHawlAI .

I've attached a few pictures, although I am not sure how to embed them:

[Bench905]

Embedded

[dragon360]

Nice looking bar - thanks for the quick review.

[keyboardworkout]

I considered one a couple of years back but the initial reviews spooked me. Would be nice if they got those problems sorted out.

From memory some of them were:

Bars not straight from the factory. Loose sleeves. Sleeves that didn't spin well. Stress cracks on the inside of the sleeve.

[Robfitx]

I considered one a couple of years back but the initial reviews spooked me. Would be nice if they got those problems sorted out.

From memory some of them were:

Bars not straight from the factory. Loose sleeves. Sleeves that didn't spin well. Stress cracks on the inside of the sleeve.

It was straight using the "floor spin" test per the video above, but I did not do the more accurate test done later in the video. Sleeves seemed good to me, but I'll definitely report back if I run into any issues as I use it more.

[FNG37]

Had one going on 4 years now. Use it for the powerlifting movements, but not the quick lifts.

Depending on your care it will patina out where gripped most often. Just knock the chalk off ever other week or so. I would recommend 3 in 1 maybe once a month. I'll do it on a day where the bar can sit for a few days, then wipe off all the excess before the next use.

Has been a real nice general use bar.

[morebarbell]

Nice. I want one of these bars just can't justify buying one since Craigslist has been so good to me. It's on my list though.

[gleason73]

Made in Canada! Decent bars.

[Stasher1]

Nice. I want one of these bars just can't justify buying one since Craigslist has been so good to me. It's on my list though.

There was one on the Atlanta CL for a decent price, but the bare steel is a deal-breaker for me.

[morebarbell]

There was one on the Atlanta CL for a decent price, but the bare steel is a deal-breaker for me.

A few months ago there was a York 32004 up in Minneapolis for cheap but the chrome was a deal breaker for me. We could have worked out a trade.

[thejosef]

There was one on the Atlanta CL for a decent price, but the bare steel is a deal-breaker for me.

Same here. I have one bare steel Rogue Ohio bar.. but just don't want the maintenance of 2 bare steel bars. Awesome bar though and it's nice to see a recent version of one.. hopefully all of it's prior issues have been resolved.

[PriorMike]

How is the play in the sleeves?

[GarageIron]

I considered one a couple of years back but the initial reviews spooked me. Would be nice if they got those problems sorted out.

From memory some of them were:

Bars not straight from the factory. Loose sleeves. Sleeves that didn't spin well. Stress cracks on the inside of the sleeve.

Most of the initial reviews on various sites were by the same person. I bought that bar off of the reviewer and took it back to the York factory. It did have the wrong bushings in it. The B&R as many know is just a 32004 power bar with the 32002 Olympic sleeves. That particular bar was out by 1.5mm if I recall, which is (or was) fairly common. There were no stress cracks in the sleeve. Like most bars, the sleeve is press fit from two pieces. When sleeves are chromed or coated, that space is filled in/masked and the sleeve look like one solid piece. On a bare bar you can see the press fit space, and this was mistaken for cracks. Once I had the right bushing it it, the bar was awesome.

[AttyGuy]

There was one on the Atlanta CL for a decent price, but the bare steel is a deal-breaker for me.

You know, if you'd wipe your shaft down after every use, you wouldn't have to worry so much about bad things happening to it.

[Stasher1]

You know, if you'd wipe your shaft down after every use, you wouldn't have to worry so much about bad things happening to it.

On the other hand, if I don't wipe it off, the shaft will be properly lubed for the next go 'round.

[Robfitx]

Always use protection on your shaft to prevent bad things from happening.

[keyboardworkout]

GarageIron,

Maybe you could elaborate on your old thread.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=148300043

My next experience was with a York B&R bar. This was (what I thought) the solution to my problem above. Same steel shaft unplated with sleeves from another York bar. They didn't work together, the tolerances were all messed up between the two... well you know the story. sleeve's sliding around everywhere, etc. My first thought was to create and sell B&R repair kits for current owners (The fix is pretty simple if you know a machinist). But after some thought, I realized the real solution was just make the power bar with no plating. So I did... and I'm pretty sure its awesome.

[Robfitx]

How is the play in the sleeves?

I'm certainty no expert on what the standard is, but there is very little play in the sleeves.

[dieselmike]

I got the B&R bar this past Christmas. Loved it out of the tube. And after 4 months of use I can still say it is my favorite bar. The fact that it was bare steel was actually what attracted me to it. Raw steel combined with a little chalk makes for the best grip IMO. Robfix's description of "medium" knurl is very accurate. I use it for all my lifts, but it really excels on deadlifts.

I did not experience any of the ill issues mentioned in above posts with sleeves, bent bar, etc.