Like many people, I looked at the cheaper knock off versions of this bar first. I even owned the Titan Yukon bar for a few years. After using the competition and then using the real thing, I must say that Kabuki is the only one to get that feel and angle right. At least for my body. Generally, I don’t recommend this type of bar at all. Even when done well I don’t see much need for it as compared to other bars. Issues with shoulders for squats? Go SSB, MARRS, Camber, Transformer, or Spider. Want a deeper stretch on bench? Go Kadillac (or other similar design). I own it because I like having the variety and I wanted more of the history of Kabuki in my gym (and I got a used one for a pretty low price). Not a great reason even for me.

Goodness this bar is expensive! If you’re a competitive powerlifter and need some relief on your shoulders for squat then maybe I could see the price behind justified, but even then I think most people are going to have to rationalize this price tag. Price aside, this bar is one of my favorites and may be my favorite way to squat. In my opinion any good barbell strength gym for squats needs… a barbell, SSB, and then a MARRS bar in that order. The transformer bar gets brought up in this debate and in my opinion the transformer bar doesn’t do any of these as good as each of these does their own thing. There is enough difference that I make the room for each bar and I recommend you do the same. The MARRS bar sits right where you want it to on your back for a low bar squat feel. It’s comfortable and sturdy. It’s longer than I thought and that does lead to some awkward maneuvering in the gym. It’s also hard to store and I have to use a vertical plate tree. My version is the original heavy duty. The weight of the bar itself can be challenging to manage at times and near impossible for some. For most I do think their lighter version will be a better fit since it’s got a lower empty weight and is shorter. If you need to upgrade because everyone in your gym is maxing out the weight capacity then I think that deserves the celebration of buying a new bar.

I competed in powerlifting for the first 10is years of strength training and I wish I had this bar near those last 5 years. This thing helps me keep my press strong while also keeping my shoulders happy. I’m sure there are other bars out there cheaper that have a similar angle or will give you similar results, so if you’re having any shoulder issues on press, I highly recommend this style of bar for some of your press days. Since switching to strongman training I rarely flat press, but I like this even more for incline press. That angle was always harder on my shoulders and this leaves me with no issues even with the deeper stretch. I don’t have many reasons for you to pay the premium for this exact bar, especially since you can support other great companies making something that will give you similar benefits that I got from this. The main reason I chose this was I wanted more kabuki and that history in my gym. It’s silly, but so are most of the things in my gym. For most, go with black widow if you want great made in America quality for this type of bar. If you need budget go with BOS.

I have a bear steel TDL and although it has developed a patina where you expect it to, it hasn’t developed any rust I can see after 5 years of use in garage and basement gyms. The knurling is still sharp as day 1 and I see no reason this bar won’t be in my gym longer than me. I can’t recommend enough going with Texas for your deadlift bar. If you’re considering another deadlift bar I’d love to hear what it is. The only other bars I could think of wanting are ones that have a different gimmick. That doesn’t mean those aren’t also great, but they aren’t the gold standard. Have this bar first and then get another DL bar if you want that gimmick or variety. I’m all for having a gym full of barbells that serve the same purpose, but if you want the all around best then this is it.

Texas bars are strong as a house. This bar is that and is LONG as a house. You need some serious space to store and use this bar. That being said, if your gym can wield this shaft then you can finally own the last piece of equipment you need to get strong. In all seriousness, this is an amazing bar that takes all the things someone wants in a squat bar and dials them up to an everything is bigger in Texas level. My go to squat bar is still the rogue squat bar, but this is a fun toy to also have in the gym. If you’re someone who needs a squat bar to be EVEN stiffer then you must be one of the top squatters in the world and you don’t need to be following my review. To everyone else, get this if you have the room and like having unique pieces in the gym to play around with or to have a conversation piece about.

Prior to the preacher pad I would do single arm preacher curls on my adjustable bench. Doing them that way worked great and I found I got a much better stretch with a weight that is more appropriate for the movement. I still primarily do single arm preacher curls on my adjustable bench, but I do like the option to do both arms to save time. I don’t do them as the image indicates. I still put them on my bench and my arm weight keeps it held down. If the pad had some kind of Velcro on the back with a strap that you could secure to another item that would be helpful for initial set up. Overall, the quality is great, it feels good, but it’s fun function/setup/price is lacking.

In my opinion you can’t talk about SSBs without mentioning the elite FTS SS Yoke bar. Everyone else is basically doing their best at a copy. I think rep hit the nail on the head PLUS one addition all home gym owners love. Knurling! It is silly. And it’s the only reason I got this over the Elite FTS. No complaints. I love this bar. Great price, angle, pad, and knurling. The sleeves not being coated means it stays looking good just like a normal barbell. They do claim you can change out the handles… but they have never mentioned that since it’s release. Seems like a dead concept. I know BOS has made a few, but I don’t know if those fit this.

This thing… is not great. I got it as part of a weight pickup. I use it as a beater bar that I can bang up outside and not care what happens to it. I’d almost never recommend anyone buy it. Unless you have a extremely low budget and find it used for almost nothing, I don’t see this being something you will benefit much from long term outside it being something that could essentially be disposable. Knurling is awful, sleeves grind on the shaft and vibrates into your hand, and questionable weight capacity. Any bar where I even have go read or think about weight capacity isn’t worth it.