REP fitness Black Sabre barbell vs trap bar

This is a comparison between the REP fitness black sabre bar and the REP fitness trap bar. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the REP fitness Trap bar

This is an overview of the REP fitness Trap 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 Trap Bar $125

The REP fitness trap bar goes along with the designs of trap bars that you would find in most gyms. Trap bar deadlifts are a good alternative to regular deadlifts. They are less taxing on the lower back and easier to learn as the barpath is more restricted and standing inside the frame provides more stability. A trap bar is also a good alternative to farmer's carry handles, as it gives you more uses while also being good for carrying exercises. The full specifications of this trap bar are:

Raised handles with knurled grip
Solid steel construction
500lb Weight Capacity
16” loadable sleeve space
Length: 71”, Width: 25.5”, Height: 6”
Product Weight: 55 lbs (unloaded)
Handle Diameter - 25mm
Medium depth knurling

A solid addition to an existing gym that wants to switch things up or for someone that has enough space on their first purchase to throw some specialty bars in. A duffalo bar or Safety squat bar would still be my preferred option as I use heavy kettlebells for deadlift variations and farmer's walks.

Pros of the Rep Trap Bar

The pros of the REP fitness trap bar are:

Price compared to the competition
Lower injury risk compared to straight bar deadlifts
Can also be used as a carrying frame

Compared to the Rogue fitness trap bars REP fitness offers almost the same thing at a lower price. They achieve this by importing the barbell from China rather than producing it themselves in the US.

If you just want to do deadlifts and not compete in powerlifting, then a trap bar is a good option to protect your back as long as you have the space to store it. A straight bar deadlift can put a big strain on your back, especially if you are doing the movement incorrectly. Trap bars bear a lower risk to do so.

Another nice bonus is that a trap bar can also be used as a carrying frame. If you are looking to incorporate carry exercises into your regime and go really heavy, then a trap bar is in my opinion the more versatile option than farmer's handles.

Cons of the Rep Trap Bar

The cons of the REP fitness trap bar are:

Bulky
Limited use cases

A trap bar is usually better suited for a commercial gym than a home gym as they are pretty hard to store. While they are more versatile than farmer walk handles they are still less useful than an actual barbell. Keep these things in mind when making your decision as I personally think that a duffalo bar, safety squat bar, or heavy kettlebells are a better investment in your home gym than a trap bar.

Alternatives to the Rep Trap Bar

Rogue Trap bar
TITAN Trap bar
Dinnie rings and kettlebells

The Rogue trap bar is produced in the US and comes in two variations. Especially version 2 is great as Rogue really thought about the shortcomings of the traditional Trap bar design which are the weight of the bar itself and the handles and optimized on those.

The TITAN trap bar is another low-cost option that imports from China. Overall your bill will be lower with TITAN fitness when outfitting a home gym at the cost of laxer quality controls compared to REP fitness based on what I am reading and seeing. This is more of a choice between the two for the overall cost of your gym when you throw in a trap bar to the line of items rather than a question of which one has the better or cheaper trap bar per se.

I personally use heavy kettlebells combined with the Rogue Dinnie rings for heavy carries and all kinds of variations of deadlifts. This takes up less space in my gym and is very versatile. The only downside of this approach is that you can not scale in increments as you can with a trap bar with the weight plates you already have in-house.

Conclusion for the Rep Trap Bar

This is a solid trap bar if you want one and have the space to store it. I personally prefer kettlebells with different handles for carrying work, but I also do not do 200kg carries which would only be possible with a proper frame, trap bar or farmer's walk handles as the kettlebells would get too big and expensive.

Overview and review of the REP fitness Black Sabre barbell

This is an overview of the REP fitness Black Sabre 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 Black Sabre Barbell $209

The black sabre barbell is the bread and butter barbell from REP fitness with the added pixie dust of being black. The sabre line manifests a considerable drop in barbell quality and warranty length in exchange for being about $100 apiece cheaper than the higher Gladiator and Excalibur line. The full specifications of this barbell are:

20 kg (45 lbs)
150k tensile strength
1000 lb rating
28.5mm diameter
87.4" length
Black Zinc coating
Bushing design with snap rings
Dual knurl markings for Olympic and Power lifting
1-year warranty

This is a solid barbell for anyone who really wants to optimize their budget for a home gym but still wants to get something else than steel color. A commercial buyer might get these as a "use and abuse" barbell to graduate from the technique bar for beginners or to have some visual distinction between different user groups.

Pros of the Rep Black Sabre Barbell

The pros of the Black sabre REP fitness barbell are:

Color option
Cheap and cheerful

This is the right barbell for someone on a budget or with a lot of money to spend but wants to get the most out of every dime invested. With the black color, it is a little more interesting than just a regular steel-colored barbell, if you are into that kind of stuff. Not a lot that can go wrong with $200 against a barbell.

Cons of the Rep Black Sabre Barbell

The cons of the Rep black Sabre barbell are:

No bearing
No aggressive knurl
1-year warranty
Imported
150k tensile strength
Doesn't go all the way

For $100 less REP fitness makes a considerable drop in what you are getting for your money. This barbell has no bearing, no aggressive knurling and the metal being used also takes lesser tensile strength. Top this of a 1-year warranty compared to a 5 year or lifetime warranty you are able to get around $300 and you are leaving a lot of value on the table just to save $100. If the bottom line is all you care about, e my guest, but then buy the Sabre or even the basic barbell from REP fitness instead.

This barbell is also imported, so if you want to source all your gear from the US from a vendor that maximizes job creation locally, then Sorinex or Rogue fitness are the better options.

Alternatives to the Rep Black Sabre Barbell

Alternatives to the REP fitness black Sabre bar are:

The rep sabre bar is the more logical alternative in my opinion if all you care about is to get a fairly decent barbell at the lowest possible price. If you are already taking a big hit on features, you might as well strip the color of the barbell and maximize your savings.

The Rogue Ohio bar with Cerakote coating is an option if you have the money, but want more color options than just black. Rogue provides quite a few combinations of colors and material in their portfolio. So if it is the creative freedom you are after for your barbell, then Rogue has a lot more to offer.

The TITAN Atlas bar is the bread and butter barbell on the low end from TITAN fitness. If you want the cheapest possible home gym, while still getting commercial-grade equipment, then TITAN is your best bet. The only downside is that as a company they seem to cut more corners for low prices than other vendors. This might have an impact on your individual experience when buying from them.

Conclusion for the Rep Black Sabre Barbell

The black sabre barbell is a good option if you want to buy from REP fitness and to make a statement, but not for more than $200. It is so far also the only barbell with color in the REP fitness lineup. If you want to maximize savings the Basic barbell or steel-colored Sabre barbell are also options.