I’m somewhat conflicted on this bar. From a build-quality standpoint, it’s one of the best-made bars I own, with several high-end finishes and a unique integrated collar system. It’s also my wife’s favorite bar out of everything in the gym. That said, my main drawbacks are the nearly nonexistent knurling and the $750 MSRP. While the built-in collars are undeniably well executed, I would personally rather spend a few hundred dollars less on a bar with better knurling and stronger overall training utility.

David over at Gorilla Strength makes some great pieces and this is one of them. Unlike some axels this is not a hollow bar. This means you get a roughly 30lbs bar (it's not full length) with great knurling. The bar also includes axel collars which is a nice touch. The price on this has gone up over the years so it's not as attractive of a buy as it was previously, but still a great option from a small made in USA manufacturer.

This bar is advertised as "wine" colored but I'd say it's more of a copper look. Unique bar in that regard but otherwise similar to the other competition style power bars in Hansu's line up. This bar retails for $330 but can sometimes be found on sale for closer to $200. My copy of this bar was slightly less aggressive than my bright zinc or stainless version, so given the choice I'd rather go with one of the other bars unless you really just like the look.

Most people buy deadlift bars bc of the whip. In that context this is the best deadlift bar available. You get the precision manufacturing of American Barbell, aggressive knurling, a stainless steel shaft (rare for deadlift bars), and the furthest distance between plates on the market. This thing is almost too whippy as even at 315lbs you'll be able to feel it. The downside to this bar has to be the cost and availability. It's extremely expensive before even calculating the higher shipping costs due to its length. It's also rarely in stock, so who knows if you'd even be able to buy one if you wanted it!

Ivanko makes some of the best barbells in the world. Hard to beat their craftsmanship and attention to detail. This bar is slightly longer between the collars than other power bars, which makes it ideal of squatting in wider racks like Rogue. The knurling here is passive, but still has some grip to it and the black oxide finish holds up really well. The biggest downside to this bar is the cost. Paying $550 for a black oxide bar before shipping/tax is a tall ask. However you can find it on sale a few times a year for closer to $400, which is obviously more ideal.

I'm biased here as I helped Buddy and team bring this bar to market, but it does a lot of things right. You get the classic TPB feel and look, but with some key changes of a slightly thicker diameter (29mm) and thinner collars (without being too thin). This makes the bar much more stiff under heavy load. The only downside here is that the roll pin design for adhering the sleeves tends to be a bit more noisy and has more play than a snap ring design.

This is the bar you'll find at most major USAPL competitions (as of Jan 2026). It has aggressive knurl and has some nice tolerances on it. TSS makes made in USA racks and other equipment, but this is one of the few items that they import from overseas. The benefit of doing so is that this keeps cost down, with Stainless coming in at $349 at the time of review. I did knock it down one for build quality as one recently broke at a competition, but it's the first I've seen anyone have an issue.

This is a collaboration between Weight it Out and Joe Gray from Garage Gym Competition/Grey Matter Lifting. It's basically a kids bar but built strong enough to grow with them. Many kids bar are extremely light and have a very low max load. This bar could in theory work for an adult, which is nice b/c you don't have to keep buying bars as your children get older. The knurling itself is pretty passive, but for around $200 it may offer some better options than the other kids bars out there.