REP Excalibur barbell vs Technique bar

This is a comparison between the REP fitness Excalibur bar and the REP fitness Technique bar. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the REP fitness Technique bar

This is an overview of the REP fitness Technique bar including the pros, cons, and alternatives. This article was originally posted in which barbell to buy from REP Fitness. Follow the links for more information.

Rep Technique Bar $119

Technique bars are a helpful tool for Olympic weightlifting to get the technique right and progress to a full bar. Especially when you work with children or a lot of lightweight beginners for Olympic weightlifting than this is something you might want to consider. For most home gyms this means that this is an option they will not get a lot of use out of unless your children are training with you. The full specifications of this bar are:

72" long
51.5" between collars (fits on squat racks)
Bushings in sleeves for smooth spin
Bright zinc finish on bar shaft, black zinc on sleeves
Dual knurl markings
200 lb max load
28mm diameter

This bar does what it says on the tin. Nothing too fancy to use and not too pricey to regret not using enough.

Pros of the Rep Technique Bar

The pros of the REP fitness technique bar are:

Full control over the bar path for beginners
Good for speed drills
Good for child athletes

When you are learning the correct technique for the clean and jerk and the snatch it can be beneficial to start with a barbell that is lighter than 20kg or 15kg. A trainer would usually start beginners on a broomstick or PVC pipe and progress from there and a technique bar has some weight to it while it is not the full 20kg of an unloaded barbell which can be a big jump for some. More experienced athletes also might work on speed or a weakness in the different phases on the lifts with a lighter barbell, also it is probably better to stick with the bar you will actually lift on, once you progressed that far. The sea logic applies to children that start oly lifting at a very young age.

Cons of the Rep Technique Bar

The cons of a technique bar are:

Limited use
Limited sleeve space
Limited weight capacity

If you are looking into building your own home gym chances are high that you have already surpassed the beginner stage. Especially if we are talking Olympic lifts, because if you want to do that home without ever having instructions in person before I would highly recommend that you reconsider. This makes technique bars limited in their use for a home gym. In a commercial gym, they can be a good purchase if you have specialized in Olympic lifting. Based on the size of your beginner classes you might want to stock up on half the class for technique bars and half regular bars or broom sticks.

Alternatives to the Rep Technique Bar

Alternatives to the REP fitness technique bar are:

Rogue Technique bar
TITAN Technique bar

These barbells basically do the same, except that they are from other vendors. The Rogue Technique bar comes in more different tastes than the REP fitness bar and is made in the US whereas the TITAN fitness portfolio is more limited and is imported from China.

Conclusion for the Rep Technique Bar

If you own an Oly lift-focused commercial gym it is a good idea to stock some of these depending on the size of your classes. If you want to get a barbell for your little ones I personally think Rogue has better options.

Overview and review of the REP Excalibur barbell

This is an overview of the REP fitness Excalibur barbell including the pros, cons, and alternatives. This article was originally posted in which barbell to buy from REP Fitness. Follow the links for more information.

Rep Excalibur $289

The rep Excalibur barbell is a middle-of-the-road barbell from REP fitness with average knurling, bushing on the sleeves, and 215K tensile strength. The main distinguishing feature of this barbell is its lifetime warranty which makes it a good commercial buy. Home gym warriors might opt for a REP fitness barbell with a 5-year warranty but get some better features like aggressive knurling, a center knurl, or bearing on the sleeves.

28.5mm diameter (25mm for 15 kg bar)
20kg Length: 87.4"
15kg Length: 79.13"
20 kg (45lb) or 15kg (35lb) option
1500 lb static rating
215k tensile, 205k yield
Bushing sleeve construction
Very mild ribbing on sleeves to keep plates in place
No Center Knurl or Center Knurl Option
Medium/Deep Knurl
Dual Knurl Markings - Powerlifting and Weightlifting
Lifetime Warranty

This is a good choice if a lifetime warranty seems like an attractive feature for you. Otherwise, I would steer clear of this barbell and go for the Gladiator WL or MX in the same price range or the sabre barbells if you want to save some money.

Pros of the Rep Excalibur

The pros of the REP Excalibur barbell are:

Warranty
Well balanced design

The lifetime warranty and the well-balanced design make the REP fitness Excalibur barbell a good option for anyone who wants to buy in stockpiles for commercial use. This barbell can be used for anything by anyone and if they break you have a warranty to cover it. If that is what you think makes a great purchase for your use case go ahead and know yourself out. For a home gym warrior, this might not be the best way to spend their money on a barbell.

Cons of the Rep Excalibur

The cons of the REP Excalibur barbell are:

No center knurl
No aggressive knurling
No bearing
Imported
No color options

Sorry for the long list of negatives but while I think that the Gladiator WL and MX are good design ideas for a home gym user, I personally think that the REP Excalibur is a bit of a bad choice. You are mainly paying about $100 more compared to sabre barbell for a lifetime warranty on a piece of equipment that is fairly hard to break. In return you get no cool stuff like a center knurl, bearing sleeves, or extra color options. Unless you work with big beginner classes for CrossFit that are likely to be all over the shop with their barbells, I would not recommend this. Either go for the sabre bar for yourself if cost savings are what you have in mind or look for a more specialized barbell like the Gladiator MX or WL when you have the budget, but want to treat yourself.

Alternatives to the Rep Excalibur

Alternatives to the REP Excalibur barbell are:

The black sabre and REP sabre barbells are in my opinion better all-purpose barbells for someone on a tight budget or who want to buy in bulk. Of course, the quality of the barbell and the warranty significantly drop when you look at the specification side by side, but they still are good barbells for the occasional user or for a gym that doesn't blow them out on a regular basis. If you are mainly using your barbell for powerlifting movements and do not drop it often from overhead go with the sabres. If you intend to drop from overhead and can conveniently assume that a lot of beginners will get their hands on them, go with the Excalibur.

The Rogue Ohio bar is the bread and butter barbell from Rogue. Based on its design there also power bars and deadlift bars available. For a workhorse barbell, go with the basic model that sits around $200. You can spice it up in terms of colors and material for the sleeves if you wish so at a slightly higher price. The biggest pro of this barbell is that it is sourced and manufactured in the US.

The TITAN ATlas bar is the bread and butter model from TITAN fitness and comes in at a lower price than the competition. TITAN fitness also imports its barbells just like REP fitness does. The big difference is that this distributor also has sideshows to the fitness line in agriculture and therefore their resources are spread thinner. With REP fitness you will get a better service due to a higher focus on the fitness community which also comes at a slightly higher price.

Conclusion for the Rep Excalibur

The REP Excalibur only really makes sense if you buy into the lifetime warranty and see an added value to you. If that is not the case go for one of the MIxed or weightlifting specific barbells with a 5-year warranty to get better features for yourself. A commercial buyer might consider the Excalibur, a home gym buyer should maximize their features.