REP fitness Excalibur stainless steel bar vs stainless gladiator bar

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

Overview and review of the REP stainless steel Gladiator bar

This is an overview of the REP fitness stainless steel gladiator 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 Stainless Steel Gladiator bar $399

The REP Stainless steel gladiator bar is REP fitness's top-tier Olympic weightlifting barbell. The knurl is medium while the focus is on high tensile strength and bearing to make the ride as smooth as possible for Olympic weightlifters. The full list of specifications runs as follows:

205k tensile strength, 1500 lb rated
Medium depth knurl
5 needle bearings per sleeve for a smooth spin
Ribbed sleeves to keep weights from sliding while training.
Weightlifting knurl markings
28mm diameter
87.4" length
Lifetime warranty*

If you can afford it, then there is not a lot you can do wrong with the REP fitness stainless steel Gladiator bar. This is a great purchase for anyone who is aiming to build an Olympic weightlifting gym at home. Commercial buyers might opt for the normal steel version. Especially if they are buying in multiples to save on cost per item.

Pros of the Rep Stainless Steel Gladiator bar

The pros of the stainless steel Gladiator bar:

Stainless steel
Good whip
Good spin

This is a great option for anyone who wants to spend no more than $500 on a good quality Olympic weightlifting barbell. The stainless steel makes it durable while it spins smoothly and has a great whip. REP fitness has improved on its successful Gladiator design by delivering it in stainless steel. Not a lot to do wring here.

Cons of the Rep Stainless Steel Gladiator bar

The cons of the Stainless steel Gladiator bar are:

Price
Imported
Lack of color options

If you are into the REP fitness portfolio you are already more price-sensitive than someone who buys their equipment from Rogue fitness. In that case, this is still a pricey barbell as you can get a piece of steel that does the job for between $200 and $300. You do not necessarily not bearing and stainless steel to get your home gym going, especially if you have not been training professionally in a team already.

REP fitness achieves its prices by importing from overseas. If you have an issue with that business practice and would rather buy from someone who produces and sources locally in the US then Rogue fitness and Sorinex are your alternatives.

Currently, the REP fitness production lines are not laid for the use of Cerakote for their barbell production to add color. I am sure it is only a matter of time until they switch suppliers and find a way of getting their hands on the necessary machines to upgrade their overseas supplier. For now, the only colored barbell in the REP fitness lineup is the Black Sabre bar.

Alternatives to the Rep Stainless Steel Gladiator bar

The Rogue Pyrros bar forms the pinnacle of weightlifting bars from Rogie Fitness. Co-designed with one of the biggest legends of Olympic weightlifting this barbell does not just provide the best in class when it comes to whip and spin but also a mind connection to a great weightlifter. If you want the best apart from Eleiko barbells then this is the one to get.

The REP deep Knurl bar is the top of the food chain in the REP portfolio when it comes to powerlifting bars. If you won’t do overhead lifts with your barbell but have $400 to spend the deep Knurl is the better choice than the gladiator bar.

The REP gladiator bar has all the good DNA from its stainless big brother, except the stainless steel bones. If you want a very close feel to the Stainless gladiator bar in terms of spin and whip, but do not want to shell out the extra dollars for the stainless steel, then the Gladiator bar is your friend.

The Rep Sabre bar is the right choice for anyone who is looking for an all-around barbell for all the needs of a Crossfitter at a decent price. If you are only going to buy one barbell to do all the lifts with then this is the value-for-money workhorse you want from REP.

The TITAN blues city Olympic barbell is TITAN’s touch on Olympic weightlifting. TITAN is the price leader in the market which comes at the cost of looser quality controls. If you want a smooth precision barbell this might work against you in the long run. Still, money saved and spent on plates is also not to be scoffed at.

Conclusion for the Rep Stainless Steel Gladiator bar

If you want the Apex predator in weightlifting barbells from REP fitness then the Stainless steel gladiator bar is your weapon of choice. There are higher quality Oly barbells out there like the Eleiko range or the Pyrros bar, but not at the same price point.

Overview and review of the REP fitness Excalibur stainless steel bar

This is an overview of the REP fitness stainless steel Excalibur 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 Excalibur Stainless steel $349

The Excalibur stainless steel barbell from REP takes one of their simpler designs and beefs it up with the stainless steel treatment. It is a solid barbell, but not my favorite option in the line up as I think it takes too many compromises at too high a price tag. The full specifications of this barbell are:

28.5mm diameter
Length: 87.4"
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
Stainless Steel
Medium/Deep Knurl
Dual Knurl Markings - Powerlifting and Weightlifting
5 year warranty

This bar neither has an aggressive knurl or bearing sleeve construction for a better spin. More than $300 in the REP barbell portfolio is a good bit of money for a bar that does not really know what it wants to be. To top it off there is also no center knurl. You pay a premium for the stainless steel without actually addressing any specific Oly lift or powerlifting needs.

Pros of the Rep Excalibur Stainless steel

The pros of the Excalibur Stainless steel barbell are:

Stainless steel
Price
Will not offend anyone

The main thing this barbell has going for itself is that it is stainless steel and therefore will not rust as quickly as other barbells which are not. Especially if you are training in a hot and humid climate you should look for stainless steel to get the most out of barbell's life span.

The price for this barbell is good considering that it is stainless steel. But this can also be said for the other stainless steel barbells out of the REP fitness portfolio which in my opinion provide a clearer profile of what needs they want to cover rather than not making a decision of whether they are going to be an all-round barbell, powerlifting, or weightlifting barbell.

A good thing about this barbell is that it will not offend anyone if you buy it in bulk for your gym. The knurling is mild, no center knurling means less rubbing off the back or shins and no bearing means that it won't spin too much for people who only use it for the squat, bench press, and deadlift.

Cons of the Rep Excalibur Stainless steel

The cons of the Excalibur stainless steel are:

No aggressive knurling
No bearing
Imported
No color options

For a barbell from a low price vendor for $300 i personally think you should not spend the money without deciding for a clear use profile of your bar. If you want an all-around barbell you can save yourself $100 to $150 by going for the sabre bar or the REP basic bar. In the $300+ range I would make a clear decision for whether you will be using the barbell mainly for powerlifting or oly lifting and then get either an aggressive knurl bar or one that goes all out on bearing and whip. Why compromise at the upper end of the price spectrum of a vendor?

One big con for patriots will be that this barbell is not being sourced and produced in the United States. If you have problems with that and want to keep the money and the jobs as local as possible then Sorinex and Rogue fitness are better options to do so. These brands also have overseas products in their portfolio but take pains to keep as much of their production and supply chain local to the United States.

Another thing that REP fitness has not figured out yet are color options. While Rogue fitness and TITAN fitness have applied Cerakote coatings to their Ohio bar and Blues city barbell lineup, REP fitness is lagging behind and only offers the Sabre bar in color for now. I am sure they will catch up, but if you want the most flexibility in terms of the material of the sleeves and which colors to go with then Rogue fitness is the better option. What REP fitness lacks in the color department for barbells they make up for in the rack department as here you have more options to choose and customize the color of each single upright.

Alternatives to the Rep Excalibur Stainless steel

If you like the middle of the road approach in the design of the Excalibur bar I would also make the price middle of the road and opt for the Excalibur bar as a non-stainless steel option. If you are outfitting a Crossfit gym in bulk, this is probably a good barbell to choose from as the design is reliable and works in many directions. For a home gym I would possibly not recommend it as ou can treat yourself for the only purchase you are possibly going to make for the next couple of years in the barbell department.

REP Gladiator MX barbell comes in at a similar price to the Excalibur stainless steel but makes a decision to be a better all-around barbell by providing bearing instead of bushing sleeves. If you will be mainly lifting overhead in your home gym or you are trying to build an oly lifting section in your commercial gym, then this is the better option than the Excalibur stainless steel.

The Rogue Chan bar is in my opinion the best hybrid bar between powerlifting and weightlifting that Rogue has to offer. It beaks this up with high tensile strength and an interesting design to keep you motivated. The only downside is that it is rarely in stock and hard to grab. That is why I have a Rogue Ohio power bar at home instead.

The TITAN Atlas bar is the bread and butter barbell model from TITAN without any color options. If you are looking to optimize for the budget this is it. As it is a fairly simple bar you are less exposed to the risk of the looser quality controls which TITAN applies to their products to offer them at the lowest possible cost to you.

Conclusion for the Rep Excalibur Stainless steel

The Excalibur stainless steel bar is a good idea, but too Vanilla for my personal tastes for a bar in this price range. Get something specific to your needs when you shell out more than $300 on a barbell or try to drive down cost as much as possible for an all-around compromise in my opinion. Spending a lot of money on a compromise is usually not a good road to take for being happy with your equipment.