CAP BarbellClassic 7-Foot Olympic Bar, Chrome

My husband and I have had a wide variety from low to mid-range fitness and strength products over the years, so when he wanted a lower-priced Oly barbell, we thought of Cap as our experiences have overall been good with them for over 25 years. We have found that sometimes their chromed equipment has sharp edges or flakes, so we went with the 60in, Solid Bar, Black. My husband is lifting 300 pounds max - usually less - and I'm lifting 100 or under, so this bar seemed good.And it is just what we wanted. It's lighter than an official bar but heavier than a 1-inch standard bar, the black finish is attractive with no flaking or sharp edges at all. The knurling is comfortable and grippy. The sleeves don't stick, and while I don't think they have bearings or bushings, for this price, we weren't expecting any. The black finish is coming off of the sleeves in a couple small places, but for the price, we expected that. We're using it almost daily, with and without a small rack, and are completely satisfied.This is a budget-priced all-solid bar, so we didn't expect an Ohio Power Bar or something like that. We bought this bar as it will work for our needs and costs around 1/4 of the price of a value bar and about 1/8th of a price or less of a high end bar, but we don't need a high end bar. And to bring a solid bar in at this price range, there are going to be compromises, but we knew that going in.Overall if you don't want to spend too much money but don't want a hollow barbell, this is a solid option. We're getting a lot of use out of it, and plan to keep using it for years to come.

From the moment I unboxed my CAP barbell, I knew I had made the right choice. The build quality is simply unparalleled; it's evident that CAP has put a great deal of thought and expertise into crafting this piece of equipment. The barbell feels sturdy and well-balanced in my hands, providing a solid grip that inspires confidence during my lifts.What truly sets this barbell apart is its remarkable durability. I've been using it extensively for both heavy deadlifts and high-rep training sessions, and it shows no signs of wear and tear. The knurling is perfectly designed, offering just the right amount of grip without being overly abrasive on my hands.Another aspect I greatly appreciate is the barbell's versatility. It fits seamlessly into my workout routine, whether I'm focusing on powerlifting, Olympic lifts, or general conditioning. The smooth rotation of the sleeves has been a game-changer, ensuring efficient and safe execution of my lifts.Customer service from CAP was also top-notch. They were helpful and responsive, ensuring that my barbell arrived promptly and in perfect condition. It's clear that CAP values its customers and stands behind the quality of its products.In conclusion, the CAP barbell has exceeded my expectations in every aspect. It offers professional-grade quality, exceptional durability, and versatility, all at a very reasonable price point. Whether you're a seasoned athlete or just beginning your fitness journey, I highly recommend this barbell. It's an investment in your training that you won't regret.

This is a standard Olympic bar, no frills. The knurling is pretty aggressive, a bit too much for my comfort but gloves or straps fix that. It's very solid quality, I can't imagine the average person needing something heavier duty. If you are lifting a ton of weight you should probably get a heavier bar. For the other 98% of us this bar is perfect and doesn't cost a fortune.

So if you're trying to decide on one of the 86inch chrome barbells this review is for you. The only important difference I can detect among the chrome barbell options is that only one of the chrome bars (classic chrome) correctly weighs 45lbs... the other 2 weigh around 34lbs. I didn't notice this while ordering and it was not until I weighed the bar I received that I realized it only weighed 33lbs. Since the weight was advertised I accept that it was my fault for not noticing it before ordering which is why I am still giving 5 stars.For the 86" barbells the 3 advertised options are Classic chrome 45lbs, Basic chrome 34.55lbs (33lbs when I weighed it) and traditional chrome 35.02 lbs. I cannot see how the Traditional chrome bar differs from Basic chrome other than a negligible difference of 1/2 a lb in the advertised weight of the bars. As I mentioned before, at the time I ordered I didn't even notice the discrepancy in the weight of the 3 bars so I just bought the cheapest one not because I'm cheap but because of a previous experience.This is not my first rodeo purchasing a barbell on amazon. The first CAP barbell I "purchased" was done so inadvertently and it was a huge disappointment because I ordered an expensive hulk fit black bar and the seller shipped an extremely low quality VERY rusty CAP black bar instead. Since I could afford to take the loss I didn't return that bar because I was certain they would just ship it to some other customer and I didn't want to enable the process of the seller trying to rip off anyone else with that terrible rusty black bar. After I got rid of that bar I decided to just cheap out and directly purchase a chrome CAP Barbell to "scratch the training itch" until I could find a more idiot proof way to purchase a black bar. (I did btw it's a company called fringesport and the bar is called fringesport wonder bar- google it). So anyway as I was explaining... during the amazon order process I noticed the options to purchase Basic Chrome or Traditional Chrome and apart from the price and a negligible weight 1/2lb weight difference, I still don't see any difference in the description of both bars. Since I had been ripped off before I assumed that "Basic chrome" really meant "rusty" chrome and "Traditional chrome" meant proper shiny chrome.... SO.... AGAIN.... as I mentioned previously, I had been ripped off before so I decided it wasn't worth risking the purchase of the Traditional Chrome and then getting shipped the Basic "assumed to be rusty" chrome so I decided to throw caution to the wind and order the Basic "maybe rusty" chrome from the outset and save some money.As it turns out the quality of the basic chrome barbell I received is absolutely flawless (almost beautiful) and I can't help but wonder if they shipped me the "traditional chrome" version in error. Either way I am pleasantly surprised at the quality of this bar for the ridiculously low price of only 60 bucks. The way I see it if this is the actual quality of the basic chrome barbell then it's pointless to even see what the "Traditional chrome" version looks like. In my humble opinion your choices are Basic Chrome with the huge savings benefit if you're willing to suffer the consequence of the Basic chrome bar being about 12lbs lighter than it should be or go with option 2 and order the Classic chrome which is advertised to weigh the correct 45lbs (and hope they don't still rip you off and ship the basic chrome one instead lol). If you were my personal friend and you asked me directly which one of these barbells you should really buy, my genuine advice from the heart would be to spend a bit more money and order the Fringesport Wonder Bar. There is nothing on amazon that will even come close to the quality of that bar for its price.