Review: X-Training 20kg Olympic Barbell

[BigAlexG]

I'm reviewing the X-Training Weightlifting Bar found here:

https://www.xtrainingequipment.com/XOB-Barbell-20kg

I got this bar for $119, shipped, during a flash sale before Black Friday. I got it to replace my bent generic bar to use in my power rack. I'm writing this review to give people who may need a new bar, but have a low budget, a budget option. This bar normally sells for $149.

My belief is that this bar is the same as every black/chrome, dual knurl mark, 28mm bar that almost every company offers on their website. I don't know this and can't prove it, it's just my belief. But it is even marked as "X-OB-86-PB", further leading me to believe that it is the same bar as every other OB86B/OB86PB bar on the market. Regardless, I'll be reviewing the one offered by X-TRAINING.

I've had this bar for 2 months now and I've used it for every lift. I used it for back squats (high and low bar), front squats, overhead squats, snatches, cleans, jerks, overhead press, bench press, and deadlift so I could evaluate it as well as possible. Even though it will only be used for the bench press and back squat from here on out, barring something happening to my other bar, I wanted to know that I can use it for all my lifts in a pinch.

I took this bar directly out of the shipping tube and started using it, without oiling the sleeves or doing any type of maintenance to it at all. In fact I met the UPS driver in my gym clothes with knee sleeves and lifting shoes because I had been warming up when he arrived. I carried the bar into my gym and used it immediately.

I dropped every single rep of every snatch clean&jerk from overhead, and dropped box jerks and overhead squats onto my jerk blocks.

I have used dozens of bars from $100-$1,000. I have used every IWF weightlifting bars on the market, as well as a couple IPF bars, as well as several non-certified bars from Rogue, Vulcan, Fringe, and a few others to which I can use for comparison.

Unfortunately I could not find my micrometer and haven't bought a new one, so I can't attest to the precise measurements of anything, I'm just going off estimations it and feel.

Fit/Finish/Tolerances: 9/10
This bar is very well put together as far as tolerances go. It had as little end to end and side to side play as almost any bar I've ever used. Most cheaper bushing bars have that slight tap or clank as the sleeve catches on the snaprings and hits the end of the shaft, and they usually have a metal on metal sound as the sleeve hits the shaft when it's dropped, due to ever so slight tolerances in the machining. This bar does too, but it is ever so slight. When I drop the bar, the sound of bumpers hitting the platform drown out any metal on metal sound. I've used $500+ bars that harsh had metal on metal sounds when dropped. This one had no discernable metal sound when dropped, which pleased me. Also, the sleeve appear to be as close to exactly 50mm as possible, based on how my plates fit on it, as well as collars. Without a micrometer, I'm guessing, but I'd be willing to bet they are within IWF/IPF specs. The tolerances and play may loosen with use, and if they do, I'll update this.
The finish is almost perfect. There were no imperfections in the black or silver chrome. We'll see how long the finish holds up, but so far so good. I left some chalk in the knurl for a couple of weeks and was afraid there would be some surface rust due to the humid environment, but there wasn't. I wiped off the chalk and it was spotless underneath. So far I've been able to simply wipe the bar down occasionally and it looks brand new.

Spin/rotation: 8/10
The bar spins about average for a bushing bar. I've used more expensive bushing bars that didn't spin as well as this, and I've used some cheaper bars that did spin better than this. When the bar is loaded and sitting on the ground, you can spin the bar 1.5 - 2 full rotations by hand. There are some bushing bars that come out of the box spinning better than this, but they usually don't have as tight of tolerances as this bar. It's very possible that the tight fit is slowing down the rotation to an extent. But it spins plenty. It didn't cause any problems during the turnover for the snatch or the clean. This bar is perfectly acceptable for training for the sport of weightlifting. I have no intention of removing the sleeve and using any lubricants in the sleeve, so I don't know how much potential it has. If that changes, I'll update this review.
The spin test that so many people like to see, but is irrelevant to a bars ability to turn over for lifting, is where you support the shaft, put a plate on the sleeve, and spin it in midair. I did this also, and it spun and spun and spun some more, far longer than I cared to count or watch. Suffice to say it spun a lot. These tests are irrelevant so I rarely do them, except out of boredom. What I did get from this test is that it spun silently, which I liked. More than likely a product of the tight tolerances.

Straightness: 7/10
This is where I have to ding this bar a little. When I got it, it appeared to be perfectly straight to the naked eye, and it felt fine in my hands. But when I spun the bar while plate loaded, I noticed an ever so slight wobble in one of the sleeves. I pinned the sleeves in place and spun the shaft, and noticed that one side was indeed bent, right out of the box, but it is very slight. When the shaft is placed on the metal safety pins of my rack, the bar doesn't spin or correct itself at all, and it wasn't noticable during any lift. The bend seemed to be in the collar area on one side. Without a micrometer, I don't know how bent it is exactly, but I'd say the one sleeve moves 1-2mm. Some people would find this unacceptable and want to send the bar back. Maybe if it were a $500-1,000 bar, I'd consider it. But for $119, it isn't a big enough problem. If it continues to bend, then I'll make an issue of it. So far there has been no additional bending.

Ruggedness/Toughness: 9/10
I am ashamed to say that I actually dropped my brand new bar across the safety catches on my powerrack. I failed a squat, and when I went to set the weight down on the safety bars, I realized I had forgotten to move them back up into position. To my horror they were several inches below my maximum depth and range of motion. I had no choice. It was amateur hour all around, and I have no one to blame but myself, because I'm the only one who trains here. I was sure I bent the bar badly, but to my surprise, it was fine. It still had the same ever so slight bend it had in the one sleeve from the factory, but the shaft was as straight as ever. I did several roll tests, and it checked out. I only give this a 9/10 because it wasn't that far of a drop, or that heavy of a weight. But I was impressed and happy to see it take the abuse. I've bent generic bars doing less, and we've all read the horror stories of some more expensive bar bending from short drops.
So far the most weight I've had on it is only 405lbs, so who knows, maybe it'll snap in two the first time you drop a 600lbs deadlift, I don't know. I doubt it, but maybe. I'm currently losing a lot of weight, and I'm too weak to find test the upper end of the bar's tolerances.

Knurl: 8/10
I was ready to ding the bar again here for the slick knurl. Apparently at some point something got on the knurl causing it to be slick, either during manufacturing or transit. I never noticed any oils on my hands, but something must have been on the bar and in the knurl. That's my fault for not cleaning it before using it because it seemed dry enough. At first I was unimpressed with the knurl, and then when I was trying to snatch, I had a hand slipping issue and was about to be done with this bar for overhead use. I finally wiped down the bar, chalked it really well, and used it again. That really helped and stopped the problem instantly. Since then, even without chalk, it's very grippy.
The knurl seems even throughout the bar, the same inside and outside the finger marks, and extends all the way to the sleeves, for those of you gifted with long arms. There is no center knurl. I know a lot of powerlifters really like a center knurl. Personally I don't mind it one way or another. I can low-bar squat without center knurl just fine. But if you require center knurl, this bar isn't for you.
The knurl is very even and uniform. A lot of cheaper bars have a lot of blemishes in the texture and pattern of the knurl, but not this one. I didn't find a single place where the knurl seems to be double striped or wavy or in any way imperfect. This surprised me a lot.
The knurl is a very small, shallow, gritty type, like fine sand paper. It has enough grip for snatching, and is comfortable enough for longer high rep sessions.
As much as I like the knurl, it could definitely be better. I don't like cheese grater knurl, but this was a little too shallow. There is a fine line when it comes to comfort versus absolute grip. This bar is comfortable, but it could offer a better grip.

Longevity/durability: unknown
I'll get back to you with this. I'm planning on doing a 6 month update. And I'll update this as things change, if they change.

Overall: 8/10
Overall, when compared to all other available barbells, this bar still holds it's own. Whether you're a bodybuilder, powerlifter, weightlifter, or crossfitter, you can use this bar without issue. For the normal $149, it's definitely a good option for the budget minded. You would need to go to $300+ bars to really see or feel any quality differences, and even in that price range, you won't get a lot more value.

Value for money: 10/10
This is where this bar really shines. It's definitely a good value at the normal $149. It is well worth that price and more. But at $119 it's absolutely unbeatable. 32mm bolt ended beater bars that can't hold 135lbs cost nearly as much. If you see this bar on sale again, you should absolutely get one. I may add a couple more to the gym in the near future, assuming this one holds up well long term. For my purposes in my garage, I haven't had any experience with this bar that would make me feel like I need an upgrade. As a weightlifter, I'm required to be a barbell snob and turn my nose at anything not IWF certified, and as much as I love high dollar IWF bars, I don't have any reason to spend the money to upgrade.

I hope you found this review helpful.

[1651Naismith]

Good write-up, but gotta have some pics!

[BigAlexG]

Good write-up, but gotta have some pics!

I should have taken some pictures, but I didn't. It's just a basic black and chrome, with little that would stand out in photos.

[keyboardworkout]

What is black chrome finish?

[BigAlexG]

What is black chrome finish?

It is exactly what it sounds like. It is just a dark colored chromium plating. What most people think of as being standard chrome, is decorative chrome. But chrome plating could come in any color. In this case, it is a bright glossy black finish. It's pretty nice.

[BigAlexG]

I meant to do a 1 year update, and forgot. Sorry.

I'm happy to say that there isn't anything to really update. It still looks and works the same. The bright chrome sleeves and the black chrome shaft are holding up very well to daily use. It still hasn't been taken apart, and the sleeves still spin amazingly well.

I still highly recommend this bar.

I have begun to use it as my primary bar shortly after my initial review, and it's been perfect.

It's still the best bang for the buck I've ever owned.

I hope this review helped someone.