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Titan Atlas bar vs Rogue Castro bar [Article, Video]

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Jul 29, 2020 9:00:00 AM

Titan Atlas bar vs Rogue Castro bar [Article, Video]

This is a comparison between the TITAN Atlas bar and the Rogue Castro bar. Follow the links for more details.

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Rogue fitness vs TITAN fitness

Rogue Fitness is the current market leader when it comes to a functional home gym and commercial gym equipment. They have one of the widest portfolios including racks, barbells, benches, dumbbells, and apparel for the weekend warrior and dedicated athlete. The biggest downside of Rogue Fitness is their comparatively high prices to the competition.

 

TITAN Fitness is the clear cost leader when you want to build a home gym on a budget that is still similar to what Rogue offers in function, look, and feel. While you will save about half on the sticker price you will run a higher risk of inconsistencies in quality compared to a purchase from Rogue. The equipment will be safe but is more likely to have blemishes, quality issues with welds, or that pieces will not easily fit into place. That makes TITAN a good option for a DIY enthusiast who does not mind tinkering with their equipment, but not the first choice to get the best equipment and treat yourself.

Overview and review of the Rogue Castro bar [Article, Video]

This is an overview of the Rogue Castro bar which is made of bare steel and therefore very cost efficient. This article was originally oublished under "Which Rogue barbell to buy". Follow the links to learn more.

 

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Price 275$

 

Overview

 

The Castro bar is a bare steel bar which comes closest to what you find in most commercial gyms. This is the lowest price tag you can get from Rogue for a full barbell. This makes it a good fit for anyone on a budget who has to buy a lot of barbells or expects them to be stored outside/transported often. For those scenarios, it is a waste of money to get anything that it pretty or elaborate in function.

 

The Castro bar weighs 20kg and comes in at 28.5mm diameter. It can take up to 190K PSI tensile strength with a good whip. The knurling is standard and the sleeves are attached via bushing. The loadable sleeve length is 16.50. Based on this it is the lowest priced multi-purpose bar available from rogue. Other bars are either special use or designed for children.

 

The Castro bar is the option to go for if you want to go spend as little as possible while still maximising the training options. If your gym/facility can also live with the fact, that these bars might look quite beaten up pretty fast, even better. 

 

Pros of the Castro bar

 

The ultimate reason for the Castro bar are the costs. You still get a Rogue bar which is made in the United States at relatively low prices. The bar still goes through the same basic quality checks and holds a warranty. There are other vendors out there who might send you a bar with a lower price tag. Think twice whether you will get the same customer service, warranty and quality checks which only slightly retails over the cost of the raw materials, never mind the labour. 

 

Cons of the Castro bar

 

A big con of the Castro bar is the bare steel. This finish is likely to show corrosion and use. This means you will need to take more care of it and maintain it more often. If you already have the labour and the necessary equipment to clean bare steel, you might even turn this into a plus. If you want to drill discipline into a bunch of new recruits you might get in a barbell cleaning session once a month on top of the other equipment maintenance you do. 

 

Learn more about the specs of the Rogue Castro bar and purchase on the Rogue website

 

 

Overview and review of the atlas bar

The Titan Atlas will put you back about $200. TITAN is well known for their very good prices compared to their competition and will get you started on your home gym. This review was originally posted in “which barbell to get from TITAN”.

Overview of the Atlas bar 

 
The Atlas bar is the all-purpose, middle of the road bar from TITAN for all your needs. Only available in steel color this is a nice piece of equipment at a very reasonable price for all purposes. If you want to weightlift and powerlift and don’t care about competitions or fancy colors, this is the one for you. The features and specifications of the Atlas bar are: 
 
Atlas bar details: 
  • 20KG 28.5MM Olympic Weightlifting bar.
  • Medium knurl provides a full, not sharp pattern allowing the lifter to decide their ideal grip.
  • 220,000 PSI tensile strength gives the right amount of whip or flex to the bar for Olympic lifts. 
  • Dual knurl marks allow you to use the Atlas Bar for multiple lifts on and off your Rack. 
  • Bar weight: 20KG (44 LB)
  • Bar Diameter: 28.5MM
  • Knurl: medium
  • Center Knurl: No
  • Knurl Marks: Dual
  • Bushing/Bearing: Combination
  • Tensile Strength: 220,000 PSI
  • Warranty: 1 year
 
This is a solid first bar to start your home gym or to buy in bulk for commercial purposes. 
 

Pros of the Atlas bar 

 
As with all TITAN equipment, it has a price advantage when compared to their direct competition. That this bar also has partly bearing is especially attractive at this price point. The 220K tensile strength and whip round off the picture. A solid choice for starters and equipping gyms. 
 

Cons of the Atlas bar 

 
TITAN is known for cutting corners on their finishes. This doesn’t make the equipment less usable but at times optically inferior. As this is a budget bar which does the job very well, I doubt that will be a problem unless you open a gym in LA or NY for the rich and famous. If you want to hold official IPF or IWF lifting competitions the Atlas bar is not approved.
 

Alternatives to the Atlas bar 

 
 
The blues city bar is the alternative from TITAN which will give you the choice of color with the Cerakote coating. This is a type of coating technique which has been adapted from the weapons industry. 
 
The bombshell bar is the female version of the blues city. It also has more whip and would be the choice for Olympic
weightlifters. 
 
The Rogue Ohio bar is the alternative from TITAN’s direct competitor which is built for the same purpose in Columbus, Ohio. 
 

Summary for the Atlas bar 

 
The Atlas bar is a solid choice if you want to buy your first proper barbell to start your gym on a budget. Also, if you want to outfit a gym for the first time, this can be a good bulk buy as these barbells will last you longer than the York ones. 

Topics: TITAN