REP fitness Sabre barbell vs technique bar

This is a comparison between the REP fitness sabre 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 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.

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.