REP stainless steel Power bar vs stainless Gladiator bar

This is a comparison between the REP fitness stainless steel power bar and the REP fitness stainless 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 stainless steel Power bar

This is an overview of the REP fitness stainless steel 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 Stainless steel power bar $379

The stainless steel power bar comes with 29mm in diameter, a medium Knurl and bushing to attach to the sleeves to the barbell. This is a powerlifting focused barbell which saves you a little money compared to the deep Knurl top dog from REP fitness. The full specifications are:

200k tensile, 1500 lb rated
29mm for extra stiffness
Length: 87.4"
Medium depth knurl
810mm between outside edges of knurling rings
Stainless steel shaft and smooth stainless sleeves
Bushing sleeves for smooth spin
Snap-ring design.

This is a solid choice, although I would pay the $20 extra for the deep Knurl any day if I am already looking into a powerlifting specific bar.

Pros of the REP Stainless steel power bar

The pros of the REP stainless steel power bar:

Stainless steel
200l tensile

The biggest plus is the powerlifting Knurl marks and the stainless steel itself. Stainless steel means that this barbell is a lot less likely to rust than regular steel barbells. It is also the main driver of the price of the bar as REP chooses to cover the sleeves and the barbell itself with stainless steel.

Tensile refers to the strength of the steel and how much pressure it needs to bend. The higher the number the more power is needed to permanently bend the bar. High-quality barbells hover around 200.000 tensile strength so the stainless steel power bar is spot on.

Cons of the REP Stainless steel power bar

The cons of the REP stainless steel power bar:

Medium Knurl
Price
No color options
Imported

To me personally, this bar makes little sense, unless the federation you lift on works with medium Knurl instead of aggressive Knurl bars. If you are already looking into a powerlifting specific bar you might as well pay the little extra and get the deep Knurl instead. For a compromise, this bar would be quite dear.

Compared to other vendors REP fitness has no color options (yet) on their barbell portfolio. Rogue fitness offers a wide array of sleeves made out of different materials and cerakote coatings. TITAN fitness copied this approach with their blues city barbell line. Currently, there is only the black Sabre bar in the REP fitness portfolio that offers a different color from steel.

The biggest con for REP fitness barbells might be for some that they are imported from overseas. If you want your hard-earned money to go into manufacturing jobs in the US you have to purchase from Rogue or Sorinex.

Alternatives to the REP Stainless steel power bar

Alternatives to the REP stainless steel power bar are:

The Rogue Ohio power bar in stainless steel is the current Creme de la Creme in powerlifting bars. There are some other models from kabuki strength and elitefts that are strong contestants for being higher quality, but they are by far not as known as the Rogue Ohio power bar.

The REP fitness deep Knurl bar is in my opinion the right choice from REP for a serious powerlifter to get the deep Knurl. Why stop $20 short on a $400 item that you will probably use for the next 10 years.

The TITAN blues city power bar is the direct competitor of the Ohio power bar and the REP stainless steel power bar. Here some serious savings can be made at the cost of higher risk of a bad user experience through quality issues on the bar or the with the service provided.

Conclusion for the REP Stainless steel power bar

I personally think that the REP stainless steel power bar does not make an awful lot of sense when you know about the deep Knurl bar from REP as they are only $20 apart. But that is just my thinking as I think the more aggressive the knurling the better for my purposes.