What We Look For In A Recommended Barbell

So how do we rate one barbell better than another?

First of all, we train with them. In the end, that’s the best way to know what’s good and what’s not. But we also look closely at several key areas of each barbell. It’s in those areas where our 3 recommended barbells shine brighter than their competition.

Sleeve Tolerances

The sleeves of your barbell (where you load the weight plates) are a barbell’s only moving part. If something is going to fail, this is most likely where it will happen. So, it’s critical that the sleeves are assembled and attached to the barbell in a way that prevents excess wear and tear.

This is where “sleeve play” comes in. If you go up to a cheap barbell and try to wiggle the sleeve, you’ll notice it has a ton of play in it. It will move side to side and sometimes even rattle up and down. The more play there is, the more unwanted movement and wear.

Sleeve play is why some barbells rattle when dropped.

Our #1 rated barbell, the American Barbell Chewy bar, has almost no play in the sleeves. That’s part of why it’s our #1 pick.

Sleeve Spin

Depending on the type of barbell you buy, the sleeves will spin at different rates. The sleeves of an Olympic lifting bar are mounted on bearings and spin freely. Power bars typically use bushings so that the bar spin is smooth, but a lot slower.

When we load a plate on the sleeve and spin it, we are looking for a smooth and consistent spin with an even deceleration as it slows and stops.

If we see it catching, making noises, spinning at uneven rates, or if one sleeve spins differently than the other, those are all hallmarks of poor build quality in a barbell.

Here you can see an example of what we don’t want when you spin the sleeves.

Knurl Terminations

All barbells have knurling to aid in grip. How that knurling is applied can give you some deep insight into the overall approach to quality that a manufacturer has. Knurl terminations are where the knurled portion of the bar meets the smooth area.

Poor-quality bars have sloppy knurl terminations. High-quality bars have precise, crisp terminations.

Knurl Quality

Most companies use the sharpness of their knurling to control grip. Typically, the sharper the knurl, the more grip. That’s one way to do things and it works okay.

Another way is to vary the “TPI” (teeth per inch) of the knurl along with the sharpness. This is a much more difficult, but more effective way to enhance the grip without ending up with sharp knurling that’s uncomfortable to use.

We also look at how evenly the knurling is applied. The knurling should be consistent across the entire bar, but some lower-quality bars have obvious variations in different areas of the barbell.

Finish Quality

Is the finish evenly applied? If it’s a bare steel or stainless steel bar are there any blemishes? How about rust?

A poorly applied Cerakote finish.

I’m a big believer that “how you do one thing is how you do everything”. If a bar manufacturer can’t even apply their bar finish well, what other shortcuts have they taken?

What About Specs?

This might sound weird, but we really don’t look at them much as long as they hit some minimums we like. Here’s why…

First, specs can be and are often inflated. Very few people in the world possess the ability to test a bar’s tensile strength or load capacity. So we have to take the manufacturer’s word for things.

Second, most average garage gym owners will never be able to load 700, 1000, or 1500 pounds on a bar. I always kind of laugh when people turn their noses up at a bar with a 1,000 lb static rating because they are looking for one that supports 1,500 lbs. Coming from people whose max deadlift is less than 350 lbs, this doesn’t make a ton of sense.

Third, more is absolutely NOT better! In fact, more is sometimes worse. Let’s look at a bar’s tensile strength as an example.

You want your bar to be able to flex without bending. That’s important. So some tensile strength is important. But if you make it too high, then the bar stops flexing at all and instead risks breaking.

So just because someone advertises their bars as having “the highest tensile strength on the market”, that doesn’t mean those bars are good.

Fourth, if you stick with a good company, the specs will all be there. without us having to check up on them. Whether it’s Rep, Rogue, Eleiko, American Barbell, or one of the other reputable companies out there, specs won’t be an issue.

Lastly, we’ve all experienced when a product looks amazing on paper but doesn’t deliver in real life. Far too many home gym websites write their barbell reviews and roundups using specs alone. This is a disservice to you, the person looking for real-world advice on what to buy.

That’s why we always test every product ourselves, usually for at least 6 months, in our own home gyms before we ever review or recommend anything. I can’t tell you how many times that real-world use doesn’t agree with the specs!

You can see our complete editorial and review process here.