TITAN Blues city barbell vs Rogue Castro bar [Article, Video]

This is a comparison of the TITAN Blues City barbell and the Rogue Castro bar. Follow the links for more details.

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.

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 Blues City Cerakote

The Blues City Cerakote barbell will put you back about $300. 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 Blues city Olympic barbell

This is the top of the line barbell from TITAN you will get a great barbell with all of the necessary knurlings to do powerlifting or weightlifting. You can decide between colors and the cerakote finish give this bar a good look, while still being up for high standards. Here the specifications and features of the Blues City:

Available colors:

Black
Blue
Bronze
Red

Bar details

Made In The USA.
No center knurling.
Cerakote shaft to prevent corrosion and abrasions.
Dual knurl marks with standard knurling.
Zinc sleeves with Bronze Bushings for consistent spins.
High tensile strength.
Provides a good whip.
Weight: 20kg
Overall Length: 86.75”
Shaft Grip Diameter: 28.5mm
Overall Knurling Width: 16”
Tensile Strength: 190,000 PSI
Loadable Sleeve Length: 16.25 per sleeve
Knurl Type: Standard Knurling

Pros of the Blues City barbell

For a cerakote bar, this is a very good price. Compared to other TITAN barbells the price might be a little high for you, especially if you don’t care that much about the color of your barbell.

Cons of the Blues City barbell

If you are buying in bulk this might not be the option for you as the costs will multiply out. If you want to simulate closer what happens in competition this bar is neither IPF nor IWF approved. For this, you would have to go with Eleiko or Rogue bars.

Alternatives to the Blues CIty

Alternatives to the TITAN Blues City are

The Titan Atlas bar is a great option from TITAN to save money when you buy in bulk while still providing great service to your clients. The Atlas bar is the all-around workhorse out of the TITAN portfolio.

The Rogue Pyrros bar has been co-designed by Rogue and three-time Olympic weightlifting champion Pyrros Dimas. It has recently been approved by the IWF to be used at official competitions.

The Rogue Ohio power bar is the powerlifting adaptation of the Rogue Ohio bar. This barbell has recently been approved by the IPF to be officially used in their competitions.

Summary for the Blues City bar

If you want a stylish cerakote bar on a budget this is the one to get. If you are buying in multiples or you are preparing for a professional competition you might want to go with different options.