Run Faster, Lift stronger, Think deeper

REP stainless steel Power bar vs technique bar

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Jun 6, 2021 4:00:00 PM

REP stainless steel Power bar vs technique bar

This is a comparison between the REP fitness stainless steel power 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.

 

Related articles

 

 

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 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.
View full post