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TITAN Blues city barbell vs Rogue Squat bar [Article, Video]

Written by Pascal Landshoeft | Jun 13, 2020 7:00:00 PM

TITAN Blues city barbell vs Rogue Squat bar [Article, Video]

This is a comparison of the Rogue Squat bar and the TITAN Blues city barbell. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review of the squat bar

The Rogue squat bar is a 32mm long sleeved version of Rogue bars to maximize what you can squat. Here are the pros and cons.

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The Rogue squat bar is a special design that focuses on squatting at $445. The main differences to regular bars are
 
  • Bigger circumference 32mm
  • Longer shaft 
  • Fully knurled 
  • Longer sleeves 
 
This makes it a bar that is aimed at big, heavy squatters. It could also be interesting for some deadlift experiments as the elephant bar from the Arnold has not gone into mass production yet. The specifications of the bar are: 
 
  • Made in the USA
  • Weight: 25 KG
  • Diameter: 32mm
  • Stainless Steel Shaft - 200,000 PSI
  • Aggressive Knurl Pattern along full length of shaft + powerlifting and center knurl marks
  • Bar Length: 94.488
  • Distance Between Sleeves: 56"
  • Loadable Sleeve Length: 16.795"
  • Chrome Sleeves
  • Bronze Bushings
 

Pros of the squat bar 

 
The pros of the squat bar compared to other bars are in the name. The design features are inbuilt to maximize big squats. 
 
  • Longer sleeves 
  • Longer shaft
  • Full knurling 
  • 32mm 
 
Longer sleeves will enable you to put more weight on the bar with rubber or steel plates.  If you see Ray Williams squatting you can get an idea of why he might run out of space on the sleeves. 
 
32mm stainless steel will keep the whip at bay. While you want whip in an Olympic barbell to make use of momentum to get the bar overhead, it is not a desirable feature in a squat bar. You want to minimize 1000 pounds taking a life on their own on your back. 
 
The full knurling will provide more grip to your back. There are other bars out there with center knurls which does almost the same thing for you. 
 
The longer shaft will make it less like for you to bump into the rack when oh are walking out very heavy weights. Depending on your setup this can be annoying. I injured myself twice because of twisting my upper body when walking out of a setup and touching off the j cups. 
 

Cons of the squat bar 

 
The cons of the squat bar are
 
  • No IPF / IWF approval 
  • Space requirements 
  • Limited use 
  • Price 
 
If you are considering the squat bar because you want to break records, keep in mind that it is not approved for the IPF or IWF. You will still earn respect for posting the first 500kg raw squat, which this bar is basically built for, but it won’t count in these federations. 
 
If you are setting up your home gym in a very crammed place, keep in mind that this bar will protrude even further to the sides. If you have already cut it very thing with the distance of your bar to the wall or another rack, the squat bar might just push it over the edge. 
 
The squat bar is mainly limited to squats. As it has bushing and knurling all across the bar it might not be the best option for Olympic lifts, the bench press, and deadlifts. 
 
For the price you are looking at you can get more versatile barbells for your home gym with a cooler design. If you are setting up your home gym the squat bar might not be the go-to option. 
 

Alternatives to the squat bar 

 
Alternatives to the squat bar are 
 
 
The Rogue Chan bar is a good alternative for mere mortals who don’t squat 400kg. It is cheaper than the squat bar, has a poppier design and can also be used for Oly lifts. If I was to spend $400 on a starter barbell for my home gym it would be this one. 
 
The duffalo bar is an interesting bar for people who squat 800 pounds plus on a regular basis. This bar has been invented at Kabuki strength which is headed by Chris Duffin. The design is aimed at relieving stress on the shoulder while bench pressing and squatting. This is a very interesting second bar to buy instead of the squat bar, even though it costs $200 more. 
 

Summary for the squat bar 

 
The squat bar is a great bar for someone who actually needs it. This would be people who squat more than 300kg on a regular basis. There are not that many of them around. I personally think for a second barbell in your home gym you are better off going with safety or duffalo bar.

Overview and review of the Blues City Cerakote

The Blues City Cerakote barbell will put you back about $300. TITAN is well known for their very good prices compared to their competition and will get you started on your home gym. This review was originally posted in “which barbell to get from TITAN”.

 

Overview of the Blues city Olympic barbell

 
This is the top of the line barbell from TITAN you will get a great barbell with all of the necessary knurlings to do powerlifting or weightlifting. You can decide between colors and the cerakote finish give this bar a good look, while still being up for high standards. Here the specifications and features of the Blues City: 
 
Available colors: 
 
  • Black
  • Blue
  • Bronze 
  • Red
 
Bar details 
  • Made In The USA.
  • No center knurling.
  •  Cerakote shaft to prevent corrosion and abrasions.
  • Dual knurl marks with standard knurling.
  • Zinc sleeves with Bronze Bushings for consistent spins.
  • High tensile strength.
  • Provides a good whip.
  • Weight: 20kg
  • Overall Length: 86.75”
  • Shaft Grip Diameter: 28.5mm
  • Overall Knurling Width: 16”
  • Tensile Strength: 190,000 PSI
  • Loadable Sleeve Length: 16.25 per sleeve
  • Knurl Type: Standard Knurling
  

Pros of the Blues City barbell 

 
For a cerakote bar, this is a very good price. Compared to other TITAN barbells the price might be a little high for you, especially if you don’t care that much about the color of your barbell. 
 

Cons of the Blues City barbell

 
If you are buying in bulk this might not be the option for you as the costs will multiply out. If you want to simulate closer what happens in competition this bar is neither IPF nor IWF approved. For this, you would have to go with Eleiko or Rogue bars. 
 

Alternatives to the Blues CIty 

 
Alternatives to the TITAN Blues City are 
 
 
The Titan Atlas bar is a great option from TITAN to save money when you buy in bulk while still providing great service to your clients. The Atlas bar is the all-around workhorse out of the TITAN portfolio. 
 
The Rogue Pyrros bar has been co-designed by Rogue and three-time Olympic weightlifting champion Pyrros Dimas. It has recently been approved by the IWF to be used at official competitions. 
 
The Rogue Ohio power bar is the powerlifting adaptation of the Rogue Ohio bar. This barbell has recently been approved by the IPF to be officially used in their competitions. 
 

Summary for the Blues City bar 

 
If you want a stylish cerakote bar on a budget this is the one to get. If you are buying in multiples or you are preparing for a professional competition you might want to go with different options.
 
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