Comparison: Ohio Power Bar vs Texas Power Bar

[jtaliani]

Inspired by the excellent Rogue Ohio Power Bar review: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=164254191

It's time for a showdown of the states! As the other review thoroughly covered the Ohio Power Bar (OPB) and the Texas Power Bar (TPB) has already been covered many times, I'll keep this brief and let the pictures do most of the talking.

As a summary, both seem to be excellent bars and I would recommend either (though in full disclosure, the true OPB test will be over time). For as many ways as these bars are similar, they are also very different. The main point I want to address is the knurling. I bought the OPB thinking it would be an easy comparison, either more or less aggressive than the TPB. In reality, I'd say it's both and neither. When I initially unboxed the OPB, my immediate reaction was "this is WAY less aggressive than the TPB". It actually reminded me of a more aggressive CAP OB-86PBSZ (the higher tensile zinc version of the OB86B). However, that quickly changed. While the knurling feels very "soft" compared to the TPB, it actually seems to provide a TON of grip. I noticed it was sticking to my smooth Under Armour shirt while I was pulling it out of the tube (I've never noticed that with the TPB) I decided to do a few rudimentary comparisons. I lightly dragged my shirt across both bars, squeezed my hands in reverse grip and tried to wring like a towel, and rubbed the palms of my hands with firm pressure. In all of the tests, the OPB actually seemed to provide more grip, despite the TPB feeling like it was more aggressive on the tests with my hands. To me, it seems that while the TPB is deeper and more pointed, the OPB has more of an aggressive sandpaper effect (great traction without feeling like it is digging in)

Testing the above with a couple sets of light bench (yesterday was bench day), the above seemed to hold true, but I did notice a couple other things about the OPB. The extremely smooth gloss finish is very slick on the non-knurled portions. This came into play with my normal index of middle fingers on the ring. The OPB has wider index rings and the smooth finish actually makes it a bit slick in the middle with this grip.This was easily adjusted by moving my finger just a hair in or out placing the gap between my fingers. In reality, it's a non-issue, but still something new by comparison to the TPB with it's more narrow index ring and considerably more grippy finish.

I'm sure many more comparisons and observations will come with use, but that's all the more depth I'll go into from initially playing with the OPB. If anyone has any specific questions, I'll be happy to help if I can. Admittedly, whip is an area that will be lost on me as these bars will rarely see above 400lbs and I am still a novice lifter compared to many of you. I do however like my equipment

Please enjoy the pics and I hope they help a bit. Will be multiple posts.

Shipping tube crescent rolled a bit during shipping across the state, but the bar was completely intact. The tube is MUCH heavier duty than others I've received and packing job was excellent with solid end caps, tons of staples, and padding. Shipped virtually immediately and made it next day, though I'm basically local.







OPB is about 1/2" tighter between the collars

[jtaliani]

OPB is about 1 1/4" longer in the sleeves






And getting into some nitty gritty with measurements of sleeves and magnified view of the knurling

[jtaliani]

Sleeves

[weisgarb]

Excellent review. It's nice to see side-by-side comparison pics by someone who owns both bars.

[morebarbell]

Very nice review! I still would like to see Rogue offer an "Ohio" series bar with knurl that has intact peaks. Either this bar or maybe a SUPER power bar.

I'll reserve judgement on the grippiness until (or if) I get a chance to try one of the bars for myself. But your comments are in line with what I would expect... though I think I would react more negatively. The bar looks good in photos and on paper otherwise.

It would be interesting to hear an experienced machinist's perspective about the knurl.

[jtaliani]

Thanks for the kind words gents!

Very nice review! I still would like to see Rogue offer an "Ohio" series bar with knurl that has intact peaks. Either this bar or maybe a SUPER power bar.

I'll reserve judgement on the grippiness until (or if) I get a chance to try one of the bars for myself. But your comments are in line with what I would expect... though I think I would react more negatively.

It would be interesting to hear an experienced machinist's perspective about the knurl.

Yeah, I'll be curious to see if my opinion changes with more time under the bars. One thing I wonder is if the (what feels like) more shallow knurling of the OPB will be more sensitive to chalk build up than the deep TPB knurling. I know when my blobs and powder coated grip gear get too caked with chalk, they turn slick as snot. Granted, nothing a cleaning can't resolve, but still one of the unknown variables with a new approach to the knurl. If it does maintain it's grip, there are definitely going to be movements that I want a lot of hold but will welcome less peaks. I HOPE the OPB will prove to truly be more practically aggressive than the TPB, but if not, it will still probably fill a nice gap between the OB86 and my other lightly knurled bars and the gold standard TPB.

[oldschoolifter]

That has got to be the best bar review ever. Thank you for posting.
I was a few weeks out from buying a TPB. Great info.
If you could buy only one bar, which would you buy?

[keyboardworkout]

How about sleeve slop? I hate that annoying thunk-thunk from the loose sleeves on my TPB as I walk a squat out.

[jtaliani]

That has got to be the best bar review ever. Thank you for posting.
I was a few weeks out from buying a TPB. Great info.
If you could buy only one bar, which would you buy?

LOL. You're too kind! Between these two, I honestly can't say yet. At a minimum, I'll need a week or two with the OPB to give a fair assessment to either bar. I've had my TPB for a bit over a year and have loved it. That being said, I'm really pleased with my initial (albeit limited) experience with the OPB. Time will tell. Right now, one thing I can pretty confidentially say is that I don't think you can go wrong with either and will be quite happy with your choice to get one (if you don't already have an aggressive bar). While they are close in price, I did get my TPB for $245 shipped compared to $290 for the OPB. Not going to swayme way or the other as it is a relatively token difference in the scenscheme of things, but all else being equal, I do like saving money I suppose

[jtaliani]

How about sleeve slop? I hate that annoying thunk-thunk from the loose sleeves on my TPB as I walk a squat out.

I've heard that one a lot, but can't give a fair comparison as my TPB is pretty tight. Neither bar is like a bearing bar, or Ivanko for that matter, in terms of spin or sleeve fitment, but I can't complain about either.

If that is a concern, I can try taking a video jiggling and spinning each.

Just double checked each bar. The OPB has extremely little side to side play, but slightly more up and down play than the TPB. The TPB has more side to side play, but still plenty acceptable in my opinion and less than some of my other bars.

[YourGunShowTix]

Very nice review! I still would like to see Rogue offer an "Ohio" series bar with knurl that has intact peaks. Either this bar or maybe a SUPER power bar.

I'll reserve judgement on the grippiness until (or if) I get a chance to try one of the bars for myself. But your comments are in line with what I would expect... though I think I would react more negatively. The bar looks good in photos and on paper otherwise.

It would be interesting to hear an experienced machinist's perspective about the knurl.

I'm not a card-carrying millwright, but i've done a bit of metal whittling.
The peaks aren't knocked down on the rogue, the knurling just isn't as deep as on the TPB. I took some close-ups of my TPB and found there is just a bit of flatness on the tips of the knurling.
If OP would be so kind to bust out the verniers again, i'd be willing to bet the overall percentage of increased diameter at the knurling on the OPB is lower than that on the TPB. (knurling OD/ smooth OD)* 100
When a bar is knurled, the metal is deformed and the OD increases. The deeper the knurling, the more the deformation.

in for further developments with heavy squats and deads.

[smokinHawk]

OP, what is your take or comparison on the finish of the two bars?

[jtaliani]

OP, what is your take or comparison on the finish of the two bars?

This is one area where they are night and day. The OPB finish is very glossy and extremely smooth. The TPB is a satin black that provides a fair amount of grip in its on right. Even though I'm not normally a gloss guy, I must say the OPB is sharp and provides a nice contrast from my other bars and gear. I do also like he way the smooth surface feels (not talking about from a practical standpoint). It reminds me of the feel on the "new" EFTS Safety Squat with it's gloss clear powder coat. However, the TPB is a classic appearance and I would definitely say the nod goes to it from a functional standpoint. The only time this comes into play for me though is with the wider index ring that I mentioned above. I don't use a straight bar for any close grip work and all of my other moves are on the knurl.

One more comment on a somewhat related note, my OPB arrived in 100% condition whereas my TPB did have some battle scars. I'm assuming most, if not all, of them were in transport and it did have a farther way to travel. That being said, results will I'm sure vary (as the OPB tube was damaged too), but Rogue questionably did a better packing job.

[Vancemac]

Great review. As you say, can't go wrong with either one. The knurling analysis is interesting, but in the end, it's a little like trying to buy an album based on the sheet music... it's so dependent on subtle subjective preferences, that it won't matter until you pick it up. I happen to love the OPB knurling, but I'm doing little baby weights.

I've read about basic bar maintenance, but real world use, how often would you expect to take the sleeves off and re-lube? My wife lifts as well, so the bar gets used 5-6 times per week, no Olympic lifts. Once/year at most?

[morebarbell]

I'm not a card-carrying millwright, but i've done a bit of metal whittling.
The peaks aren't knocked down on the rogue, the knurling just isn't as deep as on the TPB. I took some close-ups of my TPB and found there is just a bit of flatness on the tips of the knurling.
If OP would be so kind to bust out the verniers again, i'd be willing to bet the overall percentage of increased diameter at the knurling on the OPB is lower than that on the TPB. (knurling OD/ smooth OD)* 100
When a bar is knurled, the metal is deformed and the OD increases. The deeper the knurling, the more the deformation.

in for further developments with heavy squats and deads.

Thanks!

In addition to an interesting comparison between the two bars, I think it's interesting to note that the knurl on the Texas power bar has also changed some over the years. This comparison has the first closeup photos that I've seen of the knurl on a recent Texas power bar.

If you look back at the closeup photos that I posted in the other thread, you'll notice a difference between the knurl on the newer TPB (in this thread) and older Texas power bar (in the link).
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...post1297370891

Some of these changes may be due to differences in manufacturing over the years.... in particular I think it may be related to cost and the difficulty of working with newer steels. Rogue has been upping the tensile strength on their bars and a lot of other companies have as well. Although it's an important quality of the steel, I think it's become a bit of a numbers game.

I don't have experience putting a knurl on steel but I would think a shallow knurl would be easier, quicker and possibly less passes (depending on the technique used), and cause less wear on tooling. And it seems like this would decrease the cost of manufacturing. It's just a guess though.

[Skidmarx]

I wish they didn't put the ribbing on the sleeves. For some reason bars with that bug me.

[jtaliani]

I wish they didn't put the ribbing on the sleeves. For some reason bars with that bug me.

I completely agree. Looking at the pics, I thought that was going to be one advantage over the TPB, but in reality they have almost identical ribbing. It's mild and not a big deal, but I'd personally prefer smooth. Of course I use collars and don't use bumpers, so having the grip isn't as vital as it is for some.

[jtaliani]

I'm not a card-carrying millwright, but i've done a bit of metal whittling.
The peaks aren't knocked down on the rogue, the knurling just isn't as deep as on the TPB. I took some close-ups of my TPB and found there is just a bit of flatness on the tips of the knurling.
If OP would be so kind to bust out the verniers again, i'd be willing to bet the overall percentage of increased diameter at the knurling on the OPB is lower than that on the TPB. (knurling OD/ smooth OD)* 100
When a bar is knurled, the metal is deformed and the OD increases. The deeper the knurling, the more the deformation.

in for further developments with heavy squats and deads.

I took a better close-up pic of the OPB knurling. It may just be the metal deformation, but the center definitely appears to create a "cup". I also obtained the requested knurling measurements.







Using the provided formula, I'm getting the following:

OPB = (29.49 / 29.00) * 100 = 101.69
TPB = (29.05 / 28.61) * 100 = 101.54

Surprising results to be sure! I'm guessing this difference is due to "cup" formations on the OPB.

[jtaliani]

Thanks!

This comparison has the first closeup photos that I've seen of the knurl on a recent Texas power bar.

If you look back at the closeup photos that I posted in the other thread, you'll notice a difference between the knurl on the newer TPB (in this thread) and older Texas power bar (in the link).
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...post1297370891

That definitely is interesting. I'd really like to feel an older bar for comparison as well. To help with archived pics, I tried to get a little closer on the TPB knurling.



I'm unfortunately not a master photographer and just using my phone and a magnifying glass.

While taking these pics, I played with the knurling on each bar again and really can't get over how different they feel. Irrespective of aggressiveness, the difference is quite dramatic. Despite the numbers, the TPB still feels deeper to me, but the OPB still seems to provide more traction.

[keyboardworkout]

I wish they didn't put the ribbing on the sleeves. For some reason bars with that bug me.

I agree!

Pulling 2.5s off my TPB is like fingernails on a chalkboard. The larger plates aren't as bad but the 2.5s really screech.

[cmarti063]

My knurl looks exactly like jtaliani's on my TPB. Looks very similar to the OPB from the pics, in my opinion.

[jtaliani]

My knurl looks exactly like jtaliani's on my TPB. Looks very similar to the OPB from the pics, in my opinion.

I agree these look pretty similar in the pics. In person, the difference between the two is more pronounced in both appearance and feel. I can't see any concavity on the TPB with my naked eye, but it is obvious on the OPB.

[morebarbell]

I took a better close-up pic of the OPB knurling. It may just be the metal deformation, but the center definitely appears to create a "cup". I also obtained the requested knurling measurements.

I think you're correct about the metal deformation. Gunshow, please correct me if I'm wrong... There are different techniques but it's my (non expert) understanding that the peaks are formed with depth. Multiple passes with the tooling are required for depth with some techniques. I think Ivan mentioned a technique for doing the knurl in one shot.

I think the sharp edges on the OPB knurl are barbs created as they cut.... basically metal is pushed away from the cut. They didn't cut deep enough to form a peak. I don't know the reason but I can think of many possibilities.... like cost and difficulty machining the steel.

I think the idea of peaks being "knocked down" might be an internet myth.

[jtaliani]

Didn't think to mention it, but if any regulars are passing through the eastern Ohio area, you're more than welcome to check them out first hand.

[YourGunShowTix]

The results are surprising.

I think you're correct about the metal deformation. Gunshow, please correct me if I'm wrong... There are different techniques but it's my (non expert) understanding that the peaks are formed with depth. Multiple passes with the tooling are required for depth with some techniques. I think Ivan mentioned a technique for doing the knurl in one shot.

I think the sharp edges on the OPB knurl are barbs created as they cut.... basically metal is pushed away from the cut. They didn't cut deep enough to form a peak. I don't know the reason but I can think of many possibilities.... like cost and difficulty machining the steel.

I think the idea of peaks being "knocked down" might be an internet myth.

You are correct about being a myth. There are three techniques of knurling. I think it's a matter of tooling, Capp may use a more aggressive tool or multiple passes (which take more time and cost more money). Given Rongue's customer base and the bar's price point, perhaps they see it as an economical contender for use by home enthusiasts who buy only one bar for all lifts and also local meets.

[Terpgym]

TPB knurling looks nicer. Depending on your power rack, the 1/2 inch extra distance between the sleeves on the TPB might be an advantage.

OPB looks like a good alternative to the B&R bar, i.e. 29mm diameter, but without the dual knurling marks.

[morebarbell]

TPB knurling looks nicer. Depending on your power rack, the 1/2 inch extra distance between the sleeves on the TPB might be an advantage.

OPB looks like a good alternative to the B&R bar, i.e. 29mm diameter, but without the dual knurling marks.

I've only seen photos of the B&R bar, but it looks like it has two different knurl patterns. The aggressive knurl between the dual marks looks really nice... at least in photos. The B&R bar is intended to be an all around bar but I'd like to see a York power bar completely knurled like that.... it would probably be expensive though. ...actually, I kind of want a B&R bar too but I have a long wanted list.

Hats off to Rogue for taking such nice photos of the bars. Hopefully more dealers and manufacturers will follow that example.

B&R


Here's a zoomed in view...

[bigcanadian1971]

I bought a B&R bar last Friday. A bit of CLR, a bit of scrubbing, a little bit of 3in1 oil and its almost new! I'm going downstairs right now to see and feel the difference in knurling between the rings. That's neat!

[jtaliani]

Depending on your power rack, the 1/2 inch extra distance between the sleeves on the TPB might be an advantage.

I too would prefer the extra half inch (or more) between the sleeves and also prefer the wider collars of the TPB to provide a bit more buffer for the plates. I'll mainly be using the OPB in my 48" wide rack, so it's not too big of a deal, but it will be a bit tight if a use the standard hooks on my 49" rack.

[GarageIron]

I've only seen photos of the B&R bar, but it looks like it has two different knurl patterns. The aggressive knurl between the dual marks looks really nice... at least in photos. The B&R bar is intended to be an all around bar but I'd like to see a York power bar completely knurled like that.... it would probably be expensive though. ...actually, I kind of want a B&R bar too but I have a long wanted list.

Hats off to Rogue for taking such nice photos of the bars. Hopefully more dealers and manufacturers will follow that example.

B&R


Here's a zoomed in view...

The B&R knurl between the rings is very aggressive. It would make for a treacherous bar if knurled throughout. It doesn't look like much but it's sharp.