Kabuki Strength Transformer Bar Review...not a Coop Review

[MGM711]

This was funny as all hell. Certainly answers the question about what was going on with the padding.

Realizing the limitations stated (not a SSB, upgrading padding, new adjustment design, etc...), I'd be very interested in your longer term impressions. I'm thinking getting a few training cycles in under different positions to see if you find it worthwhile.

There's definitely a lot to like, but there's also plenty to dislike as well. The tough part will be assessing the worth, is this worth owning, my one month take is for me at this time, is probably a yes, however if my 20 year younger self was looking at this bar at the same time, I'm not so sure it would be a yes.

[Heisman2]

We now have a Coop review:

[murphyreedus]

We now have a Coop review:

I wish I could pinpoint exactly what annoys me about Coop's reviews...but I can't count all the drops in the ocean.

"After talking with Kabuki about that...they come up with this"

[radrd]

I have a Marrs Bar coming soon as well that I will likely give my thoughts on once I get some time with it.

I'm not so sure the Transformer Bar or Marrs Bar should be grouped in the same SSB comparison. Really, outside of a padded yolk, that's about the extent of the similarities. The feel of the Transformer yolk feels nothing like a true SSB, and I'm fairly confident I can make that claim even without the new foam padding. Same goes for the Marrs Bar, people that I know that use it have never once said it feels anything like a SSB outside of the padded yolk. I wouldn't get the Transformer Bar if you're looking for a great SSB, I would get the Transformer Bar if you're looking for a bar that can (now) easily change the loading angles and offer the greatest variation that any bar can offer.

I'll be interested to hear your impressions of the Marrs Bar. It and now the new version of this Transformer Bar are on my list of expensive stuff that I want but don't at all need. I wouldn't get both. I'll probably get neither, but you never know.

[MGM711]

We now have a Coop review:

This is what bothers me about Coop...he talks about how much he hates TB V3, yet if you read his initial review of the V3, it was nothing but positives, but oh wait, he decided to take his review of V3 down from his site so you can't call him on it. That's my biggest issue with him. He's a puppet. He generally gives a favorable review for free gear, occasionally he will talk about negatives but more along the lines of possible future improvements. Why he hasn't talked about the poor yolk design or bad padding is something that is perplexing to me and makes me think he's either puppet, just has no clue, or maybe both.

[cwcmac]

This is what bothers me about Coop...he talks about how much he hates TB V3, yet if you read his initial review of the V3, it was nothing but positives, but oh wait, he decided to take his review of V3 down from his site so you can't call him on it. That's my biggest issue with him. He's a puppet. He generally gives a favorable review for free gear, occasionally he will talk about negatives but more along the lines of possible future improvements. Why he hasn't talked about the poor yolk design or bad padding is something that is perplexing to me and makes me think he's either puppet, just has no clue, or maybe both.

I laughed a bit at his constant reference to it as a SSB given that I respect MGM's opinion infinitely more and MGM is pretty clear it is not an SSB.

[Heisman2]

This is what bothers me about Coop...he talks about how much he hates TB V3, yet if you read his initial review of the V3, it was nothing but positives, but oh wait, he decided to take his review of V3 down from his site so you can't call him on it. That's my biggest issue with him. He's a puppet. He generally gives a favorable review for free gear, occasionally he will talk about negatives but more along the lines of possible future improvements. Why he hasn't talked about the poor yolk design or bad padding is something that is perplexing to me and makes me think he's either puppet, just has no clue, or maybe both.

Thank you for your thoughts, quite helpful to consider when looking at other reviews by him.

[MGM711]

I laughed a bit at his constant reference to it as a SSB given that I respect MGM's opinion infinitely more and MGM is pretty clear it is not an SSB.

I think what defines a SSB is somewhat subjective. I personally believe that a SSB is more than just a padded yolk, it means that it takes stress off the shoulders and will sit and balance hands free. It also has some sort of a forward camber that sits below bar midpoint which also aids in being able to be used hands free. But by my definition, that leaves the Marr's Bar, Spider Bar, and Transformer Bars technically SSB although I would personally say that they are more Squat Specialty bars than SSB.

[ncsuLuke]

This is what bothers me about Coop...he talks about how much he hates TB V3, yet if you read his initial review of the V3, it was nothing but positives, but oh wait, he decided to take his review of V3 down from his site so you can't call him on it. That's my biggest issue with him. He's a puppet. He generally gives a favorable review for free gear, occasionally he will talk about negatives but more along the lines of possible future improvements. Why he hasn't talked about the poor yolk design or bad padding is something that is perplexing to me and makes me think he's either puppet, just has no clue, or maybe both.

I'd really like to read his previous review now. Maybe someone smarter than me knows how to find that in the internet archives or whatever.

[MGM711]

I'd really like to read his previous review now. Maybe someone smarter than me knows how to find that in the internet archives or whatever.

I would like to think it's somewhere in the interwebs, but I'm certainly not savvy enough nor have the time to search. I will say, it was a generally positive review, and I particularly looked if he mentioned anything with regard to the yolk design or terrible padding, and nothing. But of course now that V4 has come out, and they apparently listened to him on his input and came up with these changes, he now loves V4 and can't stand V3.

[radrd]

I would like to think it's somewhere in the interwebs, but I'm certainly not savvy enough nor have the time to search. I will say, it was a generally positive review, and I particularly looked if he mentioned anything with regard to the yolk design or terrible padding, and nothing. But of course now that V4 has come out, and they apparently listened to him on his input and came up with these changes, he now loves V4 and can't stand V3.

He also gave the Marrs Bar a glowing review very recently and just said don't bother with it now that the Transformer V4 is out. That was in the comments on his Transformer review. I suspect he had to give the Marrs Bar back so it's dead to him, but maybe the Transformer Bar is just that good.

I question Coop a lot, but I do appreciate his video reviews because you can at least see a product up close. If you treat them more like unboxing and less like credible feedback, they are more tolerable and useful.

[cwcmac]

I question Coop a lot, but I do appreciate his video reviews because you can at least see a product up close. If you treat them more like unboxing and less like credible feedback, they are more tolerable and useful.

I'd prefer to find reviews by others. His face is just way to punchable and his voice is like nails on a chalkboard. Most reviews will have some level of shilling when the equipment is supplied but something about him is just so damn...unlikeable. Seems like the guy that shows up to parties knowing nobody wants him there

[MGM711]

He also gave the Marrs Bar a glowing review very recently and just said don't bother with it now that the Transformer V4 is out. That was in the comments on his Transformer review. I suspect he had to give the Marrs Bar back so it's dead to him, but maybe the Transformer Bar is just that good.

I question Coop a lot, but I do appreciate his video reviews because you can at least see a product up close. If you treat them more like unboxing and less like credible feedback, they are more tolerable and useful.

So, he did the Matt Vincent podcast prior to releasing the Marr's Bar review, not sure if you caught this or not, but during the Vincent podcast, Vincent sort of was making fun of the Marr's Bar and sort of hinted at there's no point in having that bar, and Coop generally went along with that and sort of said that it was really expensive and totally unnecessary. So after hearing that, I was expecting maybe a not so glowing review when he posted his Marr's Bar review, but sure enough, he was back on his knees taking it all in saying how it may be the best specialty squat bar made...that lasted what, a few weeks before this new Transformer review? I really don't get how people aren't calling him out on this crap more, instead, he's viewed like some garage gym deity.

[Stinkape]

I would like to think it's somewhere in the interwebs, but I'm certainly not savvy enough nor have the time to search. I will say, it was a generally positive review, and I particularly looked if he mentioned anything with regard to the yolk design or terrible padding, and nothing. But of course now that V4 has come out, and they apparently listened to him on his input and came up with these changes, he now loves V4 and can't stand V3.

Was thinking of getting the V4 as I'm sure its much improved including the padding you mentioned but I guess the Yolk section that you mentioned you dont like remains the same on the V4? Also I assume the yolk section is the part that is covered by the padding, do you think the new padding will somehow correct the yolk design or no?

[murphyreedus]

I really don't get how people aren't calling him out on this crap more, instead, he's viewed like some garage gym deity.

Coop is the Bowflex of gym equipment reviewers. Anyone who pays attention knows what they're getting into, but the average gym guy is still happy with SelectTechs.

I also think that many people accept the fact that his reviews are shallow and shill-ish, but no other reviewer comes close to matching him for quantity, and "quantity has a quality all its own."

[MGM711]

Was thinking of getting the V4 as I'm sure its much improved including the padding you mentioned but I guess the Yolk section that you mentioned you dont like remains the same on the V4? Also I assume the yolk section is the part that is covered by the padding, do you think the new padding will somehow correct the yolk design or no?

Let me me just say that the padding that KS was using for their yolks was so bad, I have to think that just about anything other than what they had in there would yield some sort of improvement. That said, there's something still not right about their yolk design and I don't think it's something padding related, although I think thicker padding could possibly make a difference. In general, their yolk sits to far back, so when you adjust the sleeves to setting 1 which is virtually straight down, the bar wants to fall off your back, this forces you to have to hold onto the handles, and to me, a great yolk should allow for no hands in any setting or configuration. This bar is the antithesis to what the Crepinsek does in terms of no hands balance, the Crep may not feel good, but it isn't going anywhere, I haven't been more confident with a no hands lift than with that bar. I would never, ever make that claim with the Transformer Bar, there's never a point to which I feel confident with the yolk outside of position 3 or 2.5 which is essentially all the way forward.

[MGM711]

A little update today regarding the yolk...

My padding and vinyl finally arrived. Let me just say that the new padding is not only a touch thicker, it's much improved, and actually Coop nailed the it by saying it has a gel-like quality. Now how it will wear over time will be the next question, but so far, the improvement in yolk performance is about 85% improved, did a a few Hatfields unweighted in the SSB and the yolk didn't move. Couldn't do that before, yolk didn't want to stay put and I didn't feel comfortable unless I grabbed the handles. Also, the new vinyl covering has the updated KS logo that you see on the new bar, a pretty nice touch!

So I now feel much better about this bar. I will say I was on the fence on whether or not to keep it. I definitely feel better about keeping it now. But now it's time to retest the various setting with the new padding and see what I think.

Now all that said, there's still something off with the yolk design because it still wants to move a bit, but I'm actually to think it has to do with it weighing 20lbs less. If you add 20lbs to the shaft of the TB, I have a feeling the yolk sits a lot better. But at least the yolk is much more functional now, and I feel a lot more confident in it's use moving forward, and I actually can't wait to go back to a few of those settings where I thought the yolk was ready to fall off my back and see if there's any difference now.

I must say, I was pretty critical of Kabuki for their yolk, and actually, some of it was well deserved. What they were using for their padding before was borderline criminal for the price they were charging. That said, dealing with their CS was a breeze. I showed them a picture, told them what I thought of it, they apologized and sent me the new padding and vinyl same day I sent the email. They also assured me that the new padding would take care of the issue and I wasn't hopeful of that, but I'm here to say that it has fixed about 85% of the yolk problems. I also want to say that throwing in the new vinyl logo cover was a really nice touch, and I want to give them praise when I think they deserve it.

[radrd]

I'm really glad to see the new padding made such a huge difference. I'm also happy to hear they have great customer service, especially right now during the roller coaster of Covid panic. Thanks for your ongoing impressions!

[GamecockLifter]

I’m excited to see the new Prime ‘SSB’. According to Kassem it’s significantly better than Kabuki’s v4. Happy to hear the new yolk is an improvement on the transformer. Considering picking one up.

[JohnRyann]

When did you receive the bar originally? I received mine in March, but it's not the updated design with the pin adjustment and colors. Wondering what version of the padding I have.

[ncsuLuke]

I’m excited to see the new Prime ‘SSB’. According to Kassem it’s significantly better than Kabuki’s v4. Happy to hear the new yolk is an improvement on the transformer. Considering picking one up.

Prime is coming out with one too? Any details you can share?

[MGM711]

When did you receive the bar originally? I received mine in March, but it's not the updated design with the pin adjustment and colors. Wondering what version of the padding I have.

This bar is over a year old. I purchased it locally from a lifter I know who not only sold me this bar, but also a KS PB for a very low price, and not COVID low price, a low pre-COVID price, so I feel very fortunate to have been able to pick up both these bars for about the price of what a Nickel PB would cost.

You can tell if you have the new foam, it will either look exactly like the foam used for a pool noodle or it will look much better and has a smooth black finish that has a gel-like quality to it. The other foam was dog crap and compressed horribly in spots and must have caused many of the yolk issues I was experiencing.

[MGM711]

I'm really glad to see the new padding made such a huge difference. I'm also happy to hear they have great customer service, especially right now during the roller coaster of Covid panic. Thanks for your ongoing impressions!

This was a bit of a pleasant surprise considering I've heard horror stories about their CS in the past. I wasn't holding my breath they were going to send me the new foam even though it would've been the right thing to do.

[MGM711]

I’m excited to see the new Prime ‘SSB’. According to Kassem it’s significantly better than Kabuki’s v4. Happy to hear the new yolk is an improvement on the transformer. Considering picking one up.

I have only heard talk that there was something in the works. I'm sure they will do a great job with the design and function as all the Prime pieces are very top notch. The downside will obviously be the cost.

[GamecockLifter]

I have only heard talk that there was something in the works. I'm sure they will do a great job with the design and function as all the Prime pieces are very top notch. The downside will obviously be the cost.

They’re close to launching. Kaz already has the bar - just ironing out the patent stuff. It will seemingly function similarly to the transformer in terms of adjustment mechanism, but apparently will convert from traditional SSB to a low bar, perhaps similarly to the Marrs Bar (?). Don’t have much more to go off other than that.

[GamecockLifter]

Prime is coming out with one too? Any details you can share?

Answered one above - I’m definitely intrigued.

[MGM711]

They’re close to launching. Kaz already has the bar - just ironing out the patent stuff. It will seemingly function similarly to the transformer in terms of adjustment mechanism, but apparently will convert from traditional SSB to a low bar, perhaps similarly to the Marrs Bar (?). Don’t have much more to go off other than that.

Looking forward to seeing what they have to offer...there's certainly things that can be improved upon from the Transformer Bar.

I'm a bit surprised that KS didn't do more to the redesign, I mean, they decided to completely change the adjusting mechanism which was a major deal, they should've tweaked a few other details and it could've been a really well thought out redesign. One thing that jumps out to me are the handles...they could've made them in a way that you could add a twist in extender piece where the current handle bends down. I get why they have it, but you don't need to use it all the time and it gets in the way of depth, just seems like it could've a very easy and impactful update that would've made a huge difference. Outside of that, I suppose they addressed the yolk with the improved padding, but I think they could've either tweaked the yolk design a bit more so it was more secure for Hatfield work in all settings or add some more weight to the shaft so it would stay on the upper back better...an extra 10lbs would probably go a long way in staying put IMO.

[ShockDaMuscles]

Prime SSB Demo, adjusts from a traditional back squat to a SSB without removing the weights, looks very interesting. Waiting on the price reveal..

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDE5WYMDnz2/

[Stinkape]

Prime SSB Demo, adjusts from a traditional back squat to a SSB without removing the weights, looks very interesting. Waiting on the price reveal..

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDE5WYMDnz2/

That's going to be expensive!

[ShockDaMuscles]

That's going to be expensive!

Possibly, hopefully it's not much more than the transformer bar. If it can replace the traditional SSB and add the low bar option, that makes it worthwhile IMO. They didn't say anything about a front-squat setting but if there's one, that would make it very tempting.