Need an EZ Curl Bar Recommendation

[rlundregan]

There is a super easy answer here, you know the second you actually invest in a curl bar Rogue will announce theirs.

So....take the plunge as long as it is returnable???

[Bench905]

I would order this York if it didn't have rubber grips: http://www.muscledriverusa.com/York-...ips_p_946.html

I did order the Body Solid for $48 shipped (because I want one now), but I'm still in the market.

[vonschnapps]

I would order this York if it didn't have rubber grips: http://www.muscledriverusa.com/York-...ips_p_946.html

I did order the Body Solid for $48 shipped (because I want one now), but I'm still in the market.

That's the York bar I've referred to as my other curl bar. The picture is a little misleading as the bends are actually steeper. The rubber grips aren't that bad, and it does give the feeling of having a thicker bar. That's a good price, thinking I paid over $130 for it a while back.

[Bench905]

Got the Body Solid yesterday. Overall, it's okay. No bushings, so it's a clanger. Knurling is better than I thought it would be. Came with some cheap collars too. Unfortunately, the bar and collars came in a bag and this thing was just dripping with oil....like a total mess. I grabbed it from the bag and my hand was totally covered in oil. Seems unnecessary.





[IMG][/IMG]

[morebarbell]

How's the fit of the sleeves on the bar? The sleeves on the $30 Cap ez curl bars are sometimes wobbly. Was it worth $20 more than the Cap bar?

...in a bag and this thing was just dripping with oil....like a total mess. I grabbed it from the bag and my hand was totally covered in oil. Seems unnecessary...

I had an economy Ivanko curl bar that was also packaged in a big full of oil. It's a bit over the top but it's better than a rusty bar. It's a long trip on the slow boat from China. Also, it's a good way of disposing of their country's used motor oil.

[Bench905]

How's the fit of the sleeves on the bar? The sleeves on the $30 Cap ez curl bars are sometimes wobbly. Was it worth $20 more than the Cap bar?

From Amazon, it's a $13 difference in price ($32 vs. $45). I think I read the BS was 18lbs while the CAP was 15, that's why I ordered the BS...thought it might be made a little better. But sleeves are kinda wobbly. There's probably not much difference between the two bars besides finish.

[Hardgains88]

What about something like this, it's the BETG rack able curl bar. I know it's schedule 40 or whatever and no rotating sleeves but I wonder how big a deal that is in a curl bar. I have a football bar from them and I curl with it and it's not a problem.love that bar by the way! It goes from $115-$140 depending on thickness. I have a cap that's ok had it for 10 years and the knurling is worn, hate that it is not rack able. Anyone have any thoughts n something like this?

[urbanlifter]

I wonder if this could really be all that bad for $115, and it looks like it comes with ring collars.

http://www.amazon.com/CAP-Barbell-In...A3YWDHS2JX2JV2

[morebarbell]

I wonder if this could really be all that bad for $115, and it looks like it comes with ring collars.

http://www.amazon.com/CAP-Barbell-In...A3YWDHS2JX2JV2

It would be easy to return to Walmart if you don't like it.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/CAP-Barbel...ck-57/37466169

A couple other possibilities...

A while back when I called Intek, they offered me a deal on their black zinc bar since it wasn't selling as well as their chrome bars. http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=153472461

Gtech Fitness had the GPI stainless bar priced about the same as their GPI chrome bar but I can't find it on their site now. Ironcompany has it for over $339. http://www.ironcompany.com/5ft-stain...-curl-bar.aspx It might be worth a look.

[Bench905]

What about something like this, it's the BETG rack able curl bar. I know it's schedule 40 or whatever and no rotating sleeves but I wonder how big a deal that is in a curl bar. I have a football bar from them and I curl with it and it's not a problem.love that bar by the way! It goes from $115-$140 depending on thickness. I have a cap that's ok had it for 10 years and the knurling is worn, hate that it is not rack able. Anyone have any thoughts n something like this?

I personally want knurling in a curl bar and I think the cut and weld instead of bending looks bad. But functionally, it should work. If I was spending that much and wanted rackable, I'd buy the Troy GOZ-74B for $150 or so - knurled, real sleeves with bushings, etc. I think Wayfair used to have the troy cheaper with a 10% off coupon...can't find them on wayfairs site anymore.

I'm kinda off things made with pipe...the fit with oly plates usually sucks...lots of play. The Troy is bent instead of chop/weld, knurled, rotating sleeves, bushings, etc. How can chopped and welded pipe be so close in price?

[swimmer32]

I would order this York if it didn't have rubber grips: http://www.muscledriverusa.com/York-...ips_p_946.html

I did order the Body Solid for $48 shipped (because I want one now), but I'm still in the market.

This was my second choice after the economy Ivanko bar that I ended up buying - mainly because I love the split sleeve design of York bars (although that curl bar isn't a "real" split sleeve).

[morebarbell]

Zurich barbell makes a York-style bar: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=156104053

I've seen the Zurich bars at a dealer and I would compare the build quality to the Hampton bars...fancy home use.

[rpark]

A little off topic.... why the love for a rackable curl bar? It would be beastly wide, and I'm not sure why anyone curls in a rack. Just curious, I've never really thought of curling in a rack.

[snova031]

A little off topic.... why the love for a rackable curl bar? It would be beastly wide, and I'm not sure why anyone curls in a rack. Just curious, I've never really thought of curling in a rack.

I like mine, and don't even use it for curls. Comes in handy for LTE's, close grip benching, rows. Never had any problems balancing it, either.

[Cleveland33]

A little off topic.... why the love for a rackable curl bar? It would be beastly wide, and I'm not sure why anyone curls in a rack. Just curious, I've never really thought of curling in a rack.

besides what snova said above, I think the biggest advantage is for loading the plates.

[rpark]

besides what snova said above, I think the biggest advantage is for loading the plates.

Oh I guess I better start working on my biceps, because I usually don't load mine up with 300lbs Actually, I have a preacher bench too so it can serve that purpose as well.

Thanks Snova and Cleveland, I was just curious.

[Synthetickiller]

What about something like this, it's the BETG rack able curl bar. I know it's schedule 40 or whatever and no rotating sleeves but I wonder how big a deal that is in a curl bar. I have a football bar from them and I curl with it and it's not a problem.love that bar by the way! It goes from $115-$140 depending on thickness. I have a cap that's ok had it for 10 years and the knurling is worn, hate that it is not rack able. Anyone have any thoughts n something like this?

I own this BWTG fat, rackable curl bar. I've used it more for pressing than anything else.
It's a great forearm workout on it's own. If you have puny upper arms or a crappy girp, this is one solution or at least another tool to add to your arsenal.
I rarely use it for curling. Although it's rackable, the plates will catch the post of the bar once in a while & this is on a rack with 2.25" wide posts. 3" would be a true nightmare. You'll find yourself grabbing spare collars force the plates to stay further out. A little extra pipe would have gone a long way.

For the money, I'd have picked this fat girp curl bar from across the pond, no ifs, ands or buts.

Considering the price for a rackable version w/ rotating sleeves that of any grip (2", 2.5" or 3") is about $170 + shipping vs $140 + shipping from BWTG, the choice is obvious.
You know, you just convinced me to put this bar on my "long list" if I feel that my fat gripz wouldn't do the job on a regular rackable curl bar.
Congrats!

I wonder if this could really be all that bad for $115, and it looks like it comes with ring collars.

http://www.amazon.com/CAP-Barbell-In...A3YWDHS2JX2JV2

Does anyone own this bar? I'm dying to know if the quality speaks for itself or if it's a waste of $115 vs a $40 curl bar.

A couple other possibilities...

Gtech Fitness had the GPI stainless bar priced about the same as their GPI chrome bar but I can't find it on their site now. Ironcompany has it for over $339. http://www.ironcompany.com/5ft-stain...-curl-bar.aspx It might be worth a look.

This bar piqued my interest as one of the top contenders for "best" curl bar.
OBZ-SS (GPI) $399



But in the process, I came across it's big brother. Both weigh the same, but this one is 54" vs 48".
OB-EZ (GPI): $345


OBZS-30 (Ivanko): $655 (Holy Sh*t!)


The GPI has more knurling and is nearly half the price of the Ivanko. Either is actually. I love Ivanko as much as the next guy, but is this bar really worth $655?
What would anyone buy if they had the choice? Can anyone justify spending $300 more for the Ivanko name or is there something I'm missing?

I personally want knurling in a curl bar and I think the cut and weld instead of bending looks bad. But functionally, it should work. If I was spending that much and wanted rackable, I'd buy the Troy GOZ-74B for $150 or so - knurled, real sleeves with bushings, etc. I think Wayfair used to have the troy cheaper with a 10% off coupon...can't find them on wayfairs site anymore.

I'm kinda off things made with pipe...the fit with oly plates usually sucks...lots of play. The Troy is bent instead of chop/weld, knurled, rotating sleeves, bushings, etc. How can chopped and welded pipe be so close in price?

That troy was such a nice bar! Next time, consult the forum, lol. No one wants heart ache from selling a nice bar!
I agree 100% w/ statements you've made about the cut pipe bars. Mine also has a lot of play in them. I use collars on my BWTG rackable curl bar for 2 reasons. First the one you stated... the plated will be everywhere! And two, the paint provides no friction at all. All of my plates, other than my rubber VTX plates act as children on a slip n' slide. As I said previously, I'm considering selling this bar at some point. I bought it on ebay, the the previous owner must had had similar concerns.

Zurich barbell makes a York-style bar: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=156104053

I've seen the Zurich bars at a dealer and I would compare the build quality to the Hampton bars...fancy home use.

So is fancy home use good or bad?
This look like a nice bar as well.






I didn't even want a curl bar till this thread came up... Now I want at least 3.

[swimmer32]

I didn't even want a curl bar till this thread came up... Now I want at least 3.

Ha! Happens to me all the time when I come to this forum! I can't remember the last time I actually curled with my curl bar. I mainly use it to work triceps and do rows.

[vonschnapps]

But in the process, I came across it's big brother. Both weigh the same, but this one is 54" vs 48".
OB-EZ (GPI): $345


So I searched for this (could always use another bar) and only found it at Dumbbell Buddy, but you have to place a minimum order of $500!

[Synthetickiller]

Ha! Happens to me all the time when I come to this forum! I can't remember the last time I actually curled with my curl bar. I mainly use it to work triceps and do rows.

I rarely do bicep work. I always have a difficult time doing arms in general unless it has to do with pressing (overhead or bench). A new bar would be a good motivator.

But in the process, I came across it's big brother. Both weigh the same, but this one is 54" vs 48".
OB-EZ (GPI): $345


So I searched for this (could always use another bar) and only found it at Dumbbell Buddy, but you have to place a minimum order of $500!

Yep... same for ironcompany.


I like both of the GPI bars. I don't really know which is better.

[morebarbell]

But in the process, I came across it's big brother. Both weigh the same, but this one is 54" vs 48".
OB-EZ (GPI): $345

It's an Iron Grip. I think a forum member has one... Matrix maybe?

OBZS-30 (Ivanko): $655 (Holy Sh*t!)...I love Ivanko as much as the next guy, but is this bar really worth $655?
What would anyone buy if they had the choice? Can anyone justify spending $300 more for the Ivanko name or is there something I'm missing?

I've used the bar at Gold's Gym and it is pretty nice. If money was no object, I'd buy it. There are a few different versions over the years. A while back they put hard chrome (yuck!) over the stainless steel. The one that I used was bare stainless.

So is fancy home use good or bad?
This look like a nice bar as well.

It's much nicer than a cheapo from a sporting goods store but it's not a commercial bar.... maybe light commercial... or ultra light commercial. It's a grey area. I have the Hampton bar that I compared it to. For me it's good enough. A curl bar is not very important to me. I use them for skull crushers and upright rows but I have a Hampton "hammer curl bar" that I prefer for skull crushers so I mainly use the curl bar for rows.

I didn't even want a curl bar till this thread came up... Now I want at least 3.

This is encouraged!

[Hardgains88]

I personally want knurling in a curl bar and I think the cut and weld instead of bending looks bad. But functionally, it should work. If I was spending that much and wanted rackable, I'd buy the Troy GOZ-74B for $150 or so - knurled, real sleeves with bushings, etc. I think Wayfair used to have the troy cheaper with a 10% off coupon...can't find them on wayfairs site anymore.

I'm kinda off things made with pipe...the fit with oly plates usually sucks...lots of play. The Troy is bent instead of chop/weld, knurled, rotating sleeves, bushings, etc. How can chopped and welded pipe be so close in price?

Yea, that makes sense. The only issue with the Troy is it looks like the angled bends are really close on the inside. I don't find grip a big issue with my football bar's finish, but though I do some curling it is used much more in pressing. Thanks for the input

[Cleveland33]

I own this BWTG fat, rackable curl bar. I've used it more for pressing than anything else.
It's a great forearm workout on it's own. If you have puny upper arms or a crappy girp, this is one solution or at least another tool to add to your arsenal.
I rarely use it for curling. Although it's rackable, the plates will catch the post of the bar once in a while & this is on a rack with 2.25" wide posts. 3" would be a true nightmare. You'll find yourself grabbing spare collars force the plates to stay further out. A little extra pipe would have gone a long way.
<snip>
I didn't even want a curl bar till this thread came up... Now I want at least 3.

Yea you got me really close to ordering the BWTG 2.5" rackable curl bar

[Synthetickiller]

Yea you got me really close to ordering the BWTG 2.5" rackable curl bar

Since I finally have a good camera, maybe I can work some magic & get a pic of the finish (I don't have a macro lens). It's lightly textured , but smooth (I.E. no knurling). It's ok, not great. The sleeves don't rotate either. I know that sounds like a non-issue, but you do feel the plates rotate. I find it to be annoying because I can feel it. It's just not a favorite bar of mine & it sits in the corner a lot of the time.

You may also want to consider something like this.

[Cleveland33]

Since I finally have a good camera, maybe I can work some magic & get a pic of the finish (I don't have a macro lens). It's lightly textured , but smooth (I.E. no knurling). It's ok, not great. The sleeves don't rotate either. I know that sounds like a non-issue, but you do feel the plates rotate. I find it to be annoying because I can feel it. It's just not a favorite bar of mine & it sits in the corner a lot of the time.

You may also want to consider something like this.

Do you have the 2" or 2.5"?

I don't know - right now I do curls with my straight bars and my sleeves don't rotate much if at all or my swiss bar that has fixed sleeves. Not sure it would be much of a difference.

I'd rather have a curl bar than whatever that thing is for tricep extensions too. I can loop something around the center and use my low cable - for the win.

[urbanlifter]

A friend of mine let me borrow his BWTG rackable curl bar (not sure if it was 2 or 2.5in), and I was not overly impressed with it. The straight angles were not wrist friendly at all, if you dropped it during close grip bench the edges would pierce your chest, and I would personally much rather have the Troy bar with rotating sleeves. To be honest it sort of change my whole take on BWTG, had me wondering how many people out there falsely sing their praise for putting out high quality stuff. The only thing it seemed to do really well was Zercher squats.

[Hardgains88]

Since I finally have a good camera, maybe I can work some magic & get a pic of the finish (I don't have a macro lens). It's lightly textured , but smooth (I.E. no knurling). It's ok, not great. The sleeves don't rotate either. I know that sounds like a non-issue, but you do feel the plates rotate. I find it to be annoying because I can feel it. It's just not a favorite bar of mine & it sits in the corner a lot of the time.

You may also want to consider something like this.

Love that Watson stuff, not sure but was under the impression it was difficult to ship from Europe and pricey though? They have sooooo much cool stuff, especially in bars. I am always wondering why no one domestically offers all those options.

[Hardgains88]

A friend of mine let me borrow his BWTG rackable curl bar (not sure if it was 2 or 2.5in), and I was not overly impressed with it. The straight angles were not wrist friendly at all, if you dropped it during close grip bench the edges would pierce your chest, and I would personally much rather have the Troy bar with rotating sleeves. To be honest it sort of change my whole take on BWTG, had me wondering how many people out there falsely sing their praise for putting out high quality stuff. The only thing it seemed to do really well was Zercher squats.

I know some people are not fans of schedule pipe non rotating sleeves and welded construction. Having said that my BWTG football bar gets the most use of any bar but my straight Olympic bar. I don't find too much grip problems either. Just yesterday I hung it on my highest rack holes and did neutral grip pull ups and didn't find grip too big an issue. I have also used it to do hammer type curls and it isn't that bad, though knurling probably would help some here. I agree that it might not be a good enough deal in this case since there are options with rotating sleeves and bent construction close in price. This was not the case with my football bar.

[urbanlifter]

I have an Edge Combo bar that feels immensely better, I do generally leave a millimeter of space between the plates and my collars so that they rotate a little with the movement. However, there was just something about that BWTG bar that felt even more uncomfortable for curls, maybe it was 2.5" and the fat grip was too much for my liking.

[vonschnapps]

Love that Watson stuff, not sure but was under the impression it was difficult to ship from Europe and pricey though? They have sooooo much cool stuff, especially in bars. I am always wondering why no one domestically offers all those options.

you can order directly from their website to ship to the US. They have a shipping calculator so you can get the cost of shipping. For me, in Indiana, the curl bar would be $54 in shipping.