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REP fitness Deep Knurl power bar vs Sabre barbell

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Jun 5, 2021 9:07:00 AM

REP fitness Deep Knurl power bar vs Sabre barbell

This is a comparison between the REP fitness deep knurl power bar and the REP fitness Sabre barbell. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the REP fitness Sabre barbell

This is an overview of the REP fitness 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.

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Rep Sabre Bar $179

 
The REP sabre bar is what I would recommend to someone who walks up to me and says "I want a decent barbell, but it shouldn't cost much" and does not provide me with any extra information about what they want to use it for. The price point is good and you get a decent barbell that you can use for several lifts. It is not for the professional powerlifter and weightlifter, but this population is smaller than the industry wants you to believe. The full specifications of this barbell are:
 
  • 150k tensile strength
  • 1000 lb rating
  • 28.5mm (25 mm women's) diameter
  • 20kg length 87.4"
  • 15kg length 79.13"
  • Zinc coating
  • High-performance ball-bearing sleeve design.
  • Dual knurl markings.
  • No center knurl on women's barbell. Men's barbell has an option with center knurl or without.
  • 1-year warranty
 
This is a good bar if you want to build your home gym for $500 to $1000 including plates rack and everything else. It still functions as a proper barbell, without being fancy on any of the specific features. Also a good buy in bulk for a commercial gym that does not specialize in powerlifting or weightlifting.
 

Pros of the Rep Sabre Bar

 
The pros of the REP fitness Sabre bar are:
 
  • Price point
  • All-around design
  • No extra features
  • Warranty
 
This barbell is simple and to the point. Noting fancy but still better than an axle bar or the basic barbell model from REP fitness. This barbell has a zinc coating against rust and is 28.5mm in diameter which is right between weightlifting and powerlifting standards. Compared to the basic barbell from REP fitness it also comes with a warranty
 

Cons of the Rep Sabre Bar

 
The cons of the REP Sabre bar are:
 
  • Imported
  • No bearing
  • No aggressive knurl
  • No center knurl
 
As you are getting one of the lower range models of REP fitness with this barbell you will also get nothing fancy on the extras. Each feature has been stripped down to the bare minimum will you still get a warranty. Good for your purse and decent for your experience.
 

Alternatives to the Rep Sabre Bar

 
Alternatives to the REP Sabre bar are:
 
 
The black sabre bar is the same barbell with the exception that a black coat has been applied. If you want to spice things up a little with black color, then this is the bar to get instead of the sabre basic model.
 
The Rogue Ohio bar would be the equivalent in the Rogue portfolio to the REP fitness sabre bar. This is the basic barbell that Rogue started their vast portfolio. This leaves you with more options for individualizing your barbell than with REP fitness, but the base model comes at a higher price than the sabre bar.
 
The Rogue Echo bar is Rogue's approach to making a barbell as cheap as possible. This is the bar they advertise to be taken into the field by the military as it won't hurt that much if it gets abused based on the price per item. If you want to go as low as possible on the sticker price.
 
The TITAN Atlas bar is TITAN fitness's take on a full barbell at the lowest possible price. If you want to build your entire home gym as cheap as possible with new equipment, then they are probably the best address to get in touch with in the US. The only downside is that they need to cut some corners on service to make these low prices possible.
 

Conclusion for the Rep Sabre Bar

 
The REP Sabre bar is a solid barbell for anyone who wants to optimize their budget and still wants a minimal warranty with the barbell. If i owned a gym that had a lot of average strength clients, then this would be the barbell I would buy in bulk.

Overview and review of the REP fitness Deep Knurl power bar

This is an overview of the REP fitness Deep knurl power 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 Deep knurl power bar EX $399

 
The REP deep knurl power bar is the upper end of the spectrum in Olympic barbells which you can get from REP fitness. The main distinguishing features of this bar are its aggressive knurling and the full stainless steel construction covering the sleeves and the bar itself. The full specifications are:
 
  • 29mm diameter.
  • Knurl Markings: Powerlifting - 32" between markings.
  • Knurl Depth: 75% deeper than any standard offering
  • Tensile Strength: 200k
  • Bushing design with snap rings.
  • Shaft: Stainless Steel.
  • Sleeves: Stainless Steel.
  • Bushing design with snap rings for optimal Powerlifting performance.
  • Warranty: Lifetime*
 
This is a great barbell for the serious powerlifter who does not mind getting calluses on their hands. For most commercial gms this barbell might be a bit too much in price per item and the uncompromising design.
 

Pros of the Rep Deep knurl power bar EX

 
The pros of the REP deep knurl power bar are:
 
  • Deep knurling
  • Full stainless steel construction
  • 29mm shaft
 
This bar is great if you mainly train the squat, bench press, and deadlift and you know that you are serious about it. With this bar you go uncompromising for the next record on your total to provide maximum grip to your hands. Even at the cost of tearing the skin.
 

Cons of the Rep Deep knurl power bar EX

 
The cons of the REP deep knurl bar are:
 
  • Imported
  • Pricing
  • Color options
  • Knurling
  • No bearing
  • No Whip
 
This barbell comes imported from overseas to save costs. That being said I am personally surprised at the price point of $400 for this barbell. This is not enough of an advantage to make me want to switch from Rogue Fitness who on top of that produces locally in the US. If you are looking at a rack and plates also you can make some considerable savings, but if it is just between the Rogue Ohio power bar and the Deep Knurl from REP I am not convinced.
 
Stainless steel is not available from most vendors to be powder coated with some other color. Why ruin the high-quality steel with some kind of spray-on tan? Compared to other vendors REP fitness still has a noticeable lack of colored barbells, which they will probably fix once their overseas producer figures at how to get cerakote on the barbells. I think that is only a matter of time, but for now, the only colored option in the REP fitness lineup is the Black sabre bar.
 
The knurling on this bar is aggressive which rules it out for most commercial uses. If you have a cheap rack with cheap J Cups I would also recommend an upgrade as this bar will quickly eat into inferior metal and rubber.
 
If you are looking for a barbell for your home gym/garage gym or commercial establishment this is not the bar to get. It does not provide any whip and also has no bearing. This bar is high priced and only good for powerlifting, so buy it as such. Otherwise, opt for the all-round Sabre bar, or for the Gladiator series if your focus is on Olympic weightlifting.
 
 

Alternatives to the Rep Deep knurl power bar EX

 
Alternatives to the REP Deep knurl bar are:
 
 
The Rogue Ohio power bar in the stainless steel version is currently hailed as the Ferrari amongst the powerlifting barbells. There are some other barbells from Kabuki strength and EliteFTS that specifically pander to the powerlifting community, but these are more niche. As the price gap is not that noticeable I personally would go with the Ohio power bar instead of the deep knurl unless your entire gym is already REP fitness-themed.
 
The Blues city power bar is TITAN fitness's approach to the world of powerlifting bars with heavy knurling. TITAN is known for minor quality issues in return for the lowest prices amongst their competitors. As you are specifically buying this barbell for their knurling I would watch out for TITAN, as this is exactly the kind of detail that lower standard quality procedures would give a pass when they should not.
 
If you are into stainless steel but like Olympic weightlifting a lot better than powerlifting, then you should go for the REP fitness Gladiator stainless steel bar. This bar provides more whip, has a less aggressive knurl, ad the sleeves rotate on bearing. This makes this bar netter suited for Olympic weightlifting than powerlifting.
 

Conclusion for the Rep Deep knurl power bar EX

 
This is the top bar to get from REP fitness when you are into powerlifting. There is not a lot you can do wrong with this so be confident and move ahead if you have the money. The only reconsideration would be if you are planning on having one brand scheme rather than multiple brands in your gym. Then a decision between TITAN, Rep fitness, and Rogue fitness would need to be made before loading up the shopping cart.
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