Looking for a second barbell and need recommendations

[SomeDudeAtHome]

I'm tired of moving my barbell in and out of my rack while trying not to break things (like windows) or knock things over. Budget is about $300 and I only do power lifting movements. I don't have the ceiling height or space for Olympic lifts. I'm also looking for a bar with no center knurl. Finish doesn't matter either.

I'm leaning towards the Ohio Deadlift bar but I'm not sure I need a dedicated deadlift bar. Right now my 1 rep max 405 and will hopefully keep getting higher. Not that it would really matter I suppose but the ODB would be used for any other lifts that I do outside the rack like rows, military press, romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts etc. I guess the ODB would be overkill for those and there's other bars more suitable like the Cap OB-86B but I don't think the Cap would be as good for deadlifting. So I'm stuck between these two bars and deciding if I go for more than I need or cheap and hope it holds up to deadlifts.

If anyone has any other recommendations I'd be glad to check them out. I'm not an expert on barbells what so ever these 2 just seem like the best options from the research I've done.

[Domicron]

what sort of lifts do you outside of the rack? if you only do deadlifts then i think the ODB is a good choice, but if you use it for other things, having a smaller diameter and longer bar might be annoying.

what bar is your primary bar now?

of your choices i'd go with the CAP bar just because it's not a specialty bar.

have you checked your local used market?

[SomeDudeAtHome]

I listed the main lifts I do outside the rack in the first post. My current bar is the OPB which I love the feel of and is why I like the idea of the ODB. The used market around here (Buffalo, NY) is pretty terrible. I'm on craigslist everyday and there's never anything worth picking up that I see.

Do you think the Cap bar will hold up to deadlifts? I understand what you're saying about the extra length but don't want to buy the Cap and have it be bent in a year or so.

[chadsalt]

Kind of a strange set of choices. I've laid hands on, but not used the Cap, I have an ODB. Aside from actually being able to hook grip the 27mm, it's a nice bar but only use it for DL. I'd say just by the Cap, if you bend it (which I doubt).....Congratulations buy something better.

[murphyreedus]

I used the OB-86B into the 500s on deadlifts with no issues, and expect it would hold up to much more. Use it properly and with a 405 1RM you aren't going to bend it any time soon.

[Domicron]

I listed the main lifts I do outside the rack in the first post. My current bar is the OPB which I love the feel of and is why I like the idea of the ODB. The used market around here (Buffalo, NY) is pretty terrible. I'm on craigslist everyday and there's never anything worth picking up that I see.

Do you think the Cap bar will hold up to deadlifts? I understand what you're saying about the extra length but don't want to buy the Cap and have it be bent in a year or so.

well one of the regulars here uses his CAP bar to deadlift in the 600 range and doesn't have an issue. a bar like the B&R2.0, the Castro bar, or Ohio bar might be suitable if you want to stick with Rogue, should be better for deadlifting with a slightly smaller diameter.

[SomeDudeAtHome]

Thanks everyone. When I think of Cap I don't really think quality which is why I asked hoping to find people that have experience with it. Sounds like Cap is the one I'll be going with.

[Bench905]

What state/area are you in?

[SomeDudeAtHome]

Buffalo NY

[keyboardworkout]

The Rogue Echo 2.0 would work and it's $195

http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-ec...SABEgJ7CvD_BwE

[SomeDudeAtHome]

The Rogue Echo 2.0 would work and it's $195

http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-ec...SABEgJ7CvD_BwE

I looked at that one but it only has Olympic knurl marks. Which reminds me that I forgot to ask does anyone know what the marks are on the Cap bar?

[bobcat255]

You didn't mention which bar you use inside the rack. It may be worth getting that bar upgraded and using it for your 'outside-the-rack' movements.

I also do powerlifting style movements and the combination of OPB + CAP OB-86B works really well. Squat/bench with OPB and DL with CAP. It provides a little more whip (ODL is practically cheating!), nice grip without tearing up hands/legs, etc. It's a great cheap general purpose bar option.

You can see me deadlifting here and the OPB is hanging (next to left thigh) on the rack:

[Domicron]

he said he has an OPB, which i would leave inside the rack for squat and bench. if you got a deadlift bar you might want to do the overhead press inside the rack as well to do all of your pressing with the thicker diameter bar. some people don't like pressing movements with a smaller diameter bar

i think a 28.5mm all purpose bar like the CAP would be fine for outside. OHP with something like the deadlift bar might not be that comfortable if you did those out of the rack and only had ODB.

[SomeDudeAtHome]

^^^ That's great thanks for the info. OPB is my rack/only bar right now so I'll probably end up going with exactly what you do.

[SomeDudeAtHome]

he said he has an OPB, which i would leave inside the rack for squat and bench. if you got a deadlift bar you might want to do the overhead press inside the rack as well to do all of your pressing with the thicker diameter bar. some people don't like pressing movements with a smaller diameter bar

i think a 28.5mm all purpose bar like the CAP would be fine for outside. OHP with something like the deadlift bar might not be that comfortable if you did those out of the rack and only had ODB.

Looks like we replied at the same time. I have the short Titan T2 rack because of the ceiling height so I can't do any OHPing in it. I agree though that the smaller diameter might be weird. My DB handles are smaller and I don't really like it.

[bobcat255]

he said he has an OPB, which i would leave inside the rack for squat and bench. if you got a deadlift bar you might want to do the overhead press inside the rack as well to do all of your pressing with the thicker diameter bar. some people don't like pressing movements with a smaller diameter bar

i think a 28.5mm all purpose bar like the CAP would be fine for outside. OHP with something like the deadlift bar might not be that comfortable if you did those out of the rack and only had ODB.

Oops I missed that. Totally agree with everything you're saying!

^^^ That's great thanks for the info. OPB is my rack/only bar right now so I'll probably end up going with exactly what you do.

I like the combo. Hard to go wrong. The CAP bar is still on sale at Amazon for $110 shipped.

The only bar I'd consider replacing it with is the Rogue Ohio Bar Stainless version (http://www.roguefitness.com/stainless-steel-ohio-bar). It's outside of your budget, but that's the one I'd want. It's not necessary at all... just nice bling.

EDIT: Ok, maybe that's not the only bar... but you get the point. I haven't had the desire to 'upgrade' the CAP bar at all.

[MGM711]

I'm tired of moving my barbell in and out of my rack while trying not to break things (like windows) or knock things over. Budget is about $300 and I only do power lifting movements. I don't have the ceiling height or space for Olympic lifts. I'm also looking for a bar with no center knurl. Finish doesn't matter either.

I'm leaning towards the Ohio Deadlift bar but I'm not sure I need a dedicated deadlift bar. Right now my 1 rep max 405 and will hopefully keep getting higher. Not that it would really matter I suppose but the ODB would be used for any other lifts that I do outside the rack like rows, military press, romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts etc. I guess the ODB would be overkill for those and there's other bars more suitable like the Cap OB-86B but I don't think the Cap would be as good for deadlifting. So I'm stuck between these two bars and deciding if I go for more than I need or cheap and hope it holds up to deadlifts.

If anyone has any other recommendations I'd be glad to check them out. I'm not an expert on barbells what so ever these 2 just seem like the best options from the research I've done.

The CAP OB-86B is a decent bar, but if you already have a Rogue OPB as your main bar, getting the OB-86B is a downgrade, even if it's a secondary bar.

I would recommed a better secondary bar, and even though I typically would never recommend a DL bar as your second bar since it's so one dimensional, but in this case, if those are the choices, I'd say get the ODL and don't look back.

Another way of looking at this is to actually consider a 28mm WL bar. The 28mm is a good DL training bar, more flex than a 29mm but not near the same flex as the 27mm. I would very rarely train with a DL bar until a few weeks before meets because I found the flex made me a lazy puller in training and I became reliant on the flex, so that's why I switched to the WL bar in training. Plus, you can still squat, row, and press with a WL bar as well which makes it much more useful.

So that's what I'd do...if those two bars are the only options, go ODL, but I'd strongly consider a WL bar as a great secondary bar, just don't go OB-86B if you can afford something better.

[Domicron]

but I'd strongly consider a WL bar as a great secondary bar, just don't go OB-86B if you can afford something better.

this is a good point also.

[SomeDudeAtHome]

Oops I missed that. Totally agree with everything you're saying!



I like the combo. Hard to go wrong. The CAP bar is still on sale at Amazon for $110 shipped.

The only bar I'd consider replacing it with is the Rogue Ohio Bar Stainless version (http://www.roguefitness.com/stainless-steel-ohio-bar). It's outside of your budget, but that's the one I'd want. It's not necessary at all... just nice bling.

EDIT: Ok, maybe that's not the only bar... but you get the point. I haven't had the desire to 'upgrade' the CAP bar at all.

It's not THAT far out of my budget haha.

The CAP OB-86B is a decent bar, but if you already have a Rogue OPB as your main bar, getting the OB-86B is a downgrade, even if it's a secondary bar.

I would recommed a better secondary bar, and even though I typically would never recommend a DL bar as your second bar since it's so one dimensional, but in this case, if those are the choices, I'd say get the ODL and don't look back.

Another way of looking at this is to actually consider a 28mm WL bar. The 28mm is a good DL training bar, more flex than a 29mm but not near the same flex as the 27mm. I would very rarely train with a DL bar until a few weeks before meets because I found the flex made me a lazy puller in training and I became reliant on the flex, so that's why I switched to the WL bar in training. Plus, you can still squat, row, and press with a WL bar as well which makes it much more useful.

So that's what I'd do...if those two bars are the only options, go ODL, but I'd strongly consider a WL bar as a great secondary bar, just don't go OB-86B if you can afford something better.

You just had to go making a lot of valid points. I had my mind made up on the Cap and now I want to get a better bar. The Ohio bar looks nice like bobcat said. Any experience with this bar? Or can you recommend a WL bar in my price range?

[bobcat255]

You just had to go making a lot of valid points. I had my mind made up on the Cap and now I want to get a better bar. The Ohio bar looks nice like bobcat said. Any experience with this bar? Or can you recommend a WL bar in my price range?

To MGM's point, it really depends on how whippy you want the bar to be. I mentioned the Ohio SS bar because it's 28.5mm like the cap. Will give you moderately more whip than the 29mm OPB. Fine for all the exercises you mentioned.

I compete in USAPL, the rules there are the same power bar for all three lifts. So I don't want to get a whippy bar, ego lift at home and fail in competition, because I've never developed strength at the bottom. The 28.5mm diameter is a good 'compromise' for training (for me). If you compete in another organization (or don't compete at all), then there may be value in going with a thinner (CHEATER!! ) bar. ODL or ODB (whatever we're calling it) would be my last choice, however, since you do so much more than DL outside the rack.

The only thing I don't agree with MGM on is that the CAP bar is a 'downgrade.' I don't believe it is. I love the black oxide shaft. Hey now! :P

[SomeDudeAtHome]

Everything you said makes sense. I don't want a bar with a ton a whip since all the lifts I do don't call for it. I don't compete anywhere I just lift at home. The main reason for getting another bar is to avoid moving one in and out of the rack. I guess another OPB would make the most sense for me (except I don't want center knurl) but that's way too boring haha. Who wants 2 of the same bar? Right now I think I like the Ohio bar the best. Seems to be Rogues version on the Cap bar. I don't mind paying more for better quality and made in the USA.

[MGM711]

The only thing I don't agree with MGM on is that the CAP bar is a 'downgrade.' I don't believe it is. I love the black oxide shaft. Hey now! :P

Good is a relative term here...

It's a good bar for the money, maybe the best $110 bar you can find, but it's not as good as a OPB or most of the $300 Rogue offerings, that's a fact, but it's really not fair to compare either to each other since they are at such different price points. I think it's fair to say since the OP said there's a $300 budget that a better bar can be found than the OB-86B. If the price constraints were half that amount, maybe the OB-86B could be argued.

[MGM711]

You just had to go making a lot of valid points. I had my mind made up on the Cap and now I want to get a better bar. The Ohio bar looks nice like bobcat said. Any experience with this bar? Or can you recommend a WL bar in my price range?

I will always recommend stainless steel whenever possible. It's just better, especially if train in a garage and can't totally control rust. I've played around with the SS OHB and if I were in the market for a hybrid bar (meaning 28.5mm) I'd probably go with that bar. I do feel the OHB in SS would be a great all-around bar in this situation.

If that SS OHB is outside the budget, my next personal favorite is the Chan Bar because it has a slightly wider smooth center which may help save your shins for DL. I also think the knurl is a bit more aggressive than the standard knurl as well, and since you say you aren't WL, maybe this would be a nice bar to go along with your OPB. It also has the ghost center knurl which I really like....a little something g to keep the bar there, but not a cheese grater on your back like the OPB either.

Outside of that, if bare steel is ok with you, I'm a major fan of the Castro Bar as much as I can't stand the name of the bar and the person it's named after. Outside of that, it's a really top notch value and great bar.

Lastly, I really like what REP Fitness is offering and I think you could get a very nice barbell through them for less than $250 depending on which model. There's also the infamous Defect Bar they sell in SS which I own and highly recommend for the price.

[Domicron]

The only thing I don't agree with MGM on is that the CAP bar is a 'downgrade.' I don't believe it is. I love the black oxide shaft. Hey now! :P

in previous threads i think many of the regulars agree that the finish is probably black phosphate instead of black oxide. not that it matters all that much, but it is very nice. agree though that it's hard to compare it to bars almost 3 times its cost

Everything you said makes sense. I don't want a bar with a ton a whip since all the lifts I do don't call for it. I don't compete anywhere I just lift at home. The main reason for getting another bar is to avoid moving one in and out of the rack. I guess another OPB would make the most sense for me (except I don't want center knurl) but that's way too boring haha. Who wants 2 of the same bar? Right now I think I like the Ohio bar the best. Seems to be Rogues version on the Cap bar. I don't mind paying more for better quality and made in the USA.

i think you're right that buying a second OPB isn't a great idea.

btw have you checked out your local used market? might be some decent barbells for sale in your area

There's also the infamous Defect Bar they sell in SS which I own and highly recommend for the price.

man this bar is getting almost as much hype as the AB Super Power Bar sale...kind of tempting...except i have too many bars as it is...

[rlundregan]

I like my CAP bar well enough, but I almost never use it.

If it were my money, I would consider either the weightlifting bar like MGM recommends, or an Ohio (NOT Power) bar. I also like stainless. It would be a better bar than the CAP, and is just a great all around bar for pretty much anything you would do outside the rack. It's technically a hybrid bar and has dual markings....you could do some oly moves if you would choose to down the road.

[SomeDudeAtHome]

So after looking at all the bars recommended and reading through this multiple times it's down to the Ohio bar, Castro bar, or the REP Gladiator bar. I hadn't even heard of the REP bar but it's very tempting. I think it's going to come down to which coating I want to go with. I like the feel of bare steel but the low maintenance of chrome and stainless is appealing. Right now everything is indoors but may be in a garage eventually once we buy a house. Anyone know if the REP bar is made in the US?

[gym62richard]

So after looking at all the bars recommended and reading through this multiple times it's down to the Ohio bar, Castro bar, or the REP Gladiator bar. I hadn't even heard of the REP bar but it's very tempting. I think it's going to come down to which coating I want to go with. I like the feel of bare steel but the low maintenance of chrome and stainless is appealing. Right now everything is indoors but may be in a garage eventually once we buy a house. Anyone know if the REP bar is made in the US?

I think REP manufacture their equipment in China.

[SomeDudeAtHome]

Thanks Richard. That's kinda what I figured since it doesn't say made in USA anywhere on the website.

I will always recommend stainless steel whenever possible. It's just better, especially if train in a garage and can't totally control rust. I've played around with the SS OHB and if I were in the market for a hybrid bar (meaning 28.5mm) I'd probably go with that bar. I do feel the OHB in SS would be a great all-around bar in this situation.

If that SS OHB is outside the budget, my next personal favorite is the Chan Bar because it has a slightly wider smooth center which may help save your shins for DL. I also think the knurl is a bit more aggressive than the standard knurl as well, and since you say you aren't WL, maybe this would be a nice bar to go along with your OPB. It also has the ghost center knurl which I really like....a little something g to keep the bar there, but not a cheese grater on your back like the OPB either.

Outside of that, if bare steel is ok with you, I'm a major fan of the Castro Bar as much as I can't stand the name of the bar and the person it's named after. Outside of that, it's a really top notch value and great bar.

Lastly, I really like what REP Fitness is offering and I think you could get a very nice barbell through them for less than $250 depending on which model. There's also the infamous Defect Bar they sell in SS which I own and highly recommend for the price.

Obviously when I saw the bars name that's who I thought of. My question though is why did they name it that? I see proceeds go to two families of Navy Seals but it doesn't explain the name.

[bobcat255]

Good is a relative term here...

It's a good bar for the money, maybe the best $110 bar you can find, but it's not as good as a OPB or most of the $300 Rogue offerings, that's a fact, but it's really not fair to compare either to each other since they are at such different price points. I think it's fair to say since the OP said there's a $300 budget that a better bar can be found than the OB-86B. If the price constraints were half that amount, maybe the OB-86B could be argued.

I meant it's not a downgrade in performance/usability. If your goal is to get from point A to point B, then the CAP will get you there. If you want to get there in your convertible spots car... well, then you have to spend more money for sure.

in previous threads i think many of the regulars agree that the finish is probably black phosphate instead of black oxide. not that it matters all that much, but it is very nice. agree though that it's hard to compare it to bars almost 3 times its cost

Are you sure about that? Black oxide is the cheaper coating and is what CAP advertises on their site.

Hah, I've used bars that cost much more than 3x the cost and although those bars win on durability/longevity, I'd rather lift with the CAP :P

Anyway, I'm being highly nuanced... at the end of the day the CAP is the budget bar, no question.

So after looking at all the bars recommended and reading through this multiple times it's down to the Ohio bar, Castro bar, or the REP Gladiator bar. I hadn't even heard of the REP bar but it's very tempting. I think it's going to come down to which coating I want to go with. I like the feel of bare steel but the low maintenance of chrome and stainless is appealing. Right now everything is indoors but may be in a garage eventually once we buy a house. Anyone know if the REP bar is made in the US?

Stainless, baby! Buy once, you'll have it for life. Pass it down to your children

[MGM711]

Obviously when I saw the bars name that's who I thought of. My question though is why did they name it that? I see proceeds go to two families of Navy Seals but it doesn't explain the name.

I have no idea why they named a barbell after that douche. If it was named anything else, pretty much anything else, I would've likely purchased that bar years ago...such a good bar!