3 Different Power Bars to Pick From

www.jesupgym.com/products.htm?cid=12 Jesup Gym OPB86M 7’ Olympic Power Bar

www.wwfitness.com/olybarscollars.html 7’ Capp “Texas” Power Bar

www.bsolympicgym.com/proddetail.asp?prod=5002 Midwest Squat bar

I’m leaning toward the Texas Power Bar, especially after the guy from that web site said I could try it for a few sessions and send it back for a refund if I didn’t like it.

I don’t do used bars so please don’t tell me to search Craigslist.

I also want something coated. I only do power lifting movements, no Olympic lifts and don’t see myself doing so down the line either.

I don’t think you can go wrong with a Texas Power Bar. I have one and love it for all around lifting. Sure there are bars that are better suited to DL’ing or Squatting, but if you are only going to get one bar, then the Texas Power Bar would be a great choice.

Edit

I believe Troy Barbell makes the Texas Power Bar and not Capp. I’m not sure if the Capp is a knockoff or not, and can’t comment on the quality. Mine is from Troy.

Thanks.

I’ve read that Capp is just another maker and a very good one too.

It’s funny you mention these three bars because I own them all. I got the Jesup bar about 8 years ago. It’s really a cheap bar. It’s extra thick becausue they use low quality steel. That’s the only way it can be rated 1,500 pounds. I got my Texas Power Bar through bsolympic a couple of years ago. It is a great bar.

Because of their poor service on several other items they gave me another bar a year later. At that time they no longer had the Texas Power bar so I got the mid west bar. It’s a good bar but I prefer the texas power bar. The sell is of higher quality and seems to have a slightly better feel to it.

If you were ever interested in olympic lifting then I would also recommend the Eleiko training bar. It’s expensive but you can not beat it.

I wouldn’t use the Eleiko for squating but it’s great for deadlifts and olympic lifts.

[quote]Seattle_Lifter wrote:
It’s funny you mention these three bars because I own them all. I got the Jesup bar about 8 years ago. It’s really a cheap bar. It’s extra thick becausue they use low quality steel. That’s the only way it can be rated 1,500 pounds. I got my Texas Power Bar through bsolympic a couple of years ago. It is a great bar.

Because of their poor service on several other items they gave me another bar a year later. At that time they no longer had the Texas Power bar so I got the mid west bar. It’s a good bar but I prefer the texas power bar. The sell is of higher quality and seems to have a slightly better feel to it.

If you were ever interested in olympic lifting then I would also recommend the Eleiko training bar. It’s expensive but you can not beat it.

I wouldn’t use the Eleiko for squating but it’s great for deadlifts and olympic lifts.[/quote]

I need to get me one of those.

You may also want to check this site for prices…

http://www.dumbbellbuddy.com/index_pages/bars_olympic_regular.html

I bought the 7’ Cap Olympic Power Bar 1500# (OB-86PB) several months ago. Very happy with the product and site. However, it was only $170 shipping included.

[quote]Seattle_Lifter wrote:
It’s funny you mention these three bars because I own them all. I got the Jesup bar about 8 years ago. It’s really a cheap bar. It’s extra thick becausue they use low quality steel. That’s the only way it can be rated 1,500 pounds. I got my Texas Power Bar through bsolympic a couple of years ago. It is a great bar.

Because of their poor service on several other items they gave me another bar a year later. At that time they no longer had the Texas Power bar so I got the mid west bar. It’s a good bar but I prefer the texas power bar. The sell is of higher quality and seems to have a slightly better feel to it.

If you were ever interested in olympic lifting then I would also recommend the Eleiko training bar. It’s expensive but you can not beat it.

I wouldn’t use the Eleiko for squating but it’s great for deadlifts and olympic lifts.[/quote]

The TPB that bsolympic has isn’t the Capp version though, is it? It doesn’t say, but I assume the different variations are all generally the same. Troy makes one that is $100 more and Capp makes one that is cheaper but both seem the same otherwise. I believe the Capp version isn’t IPF approved though.

Good to know about the Jesup bar though, thanks. Guess I’m still for the Texas Power Bar so far. Do you have any pictures of your TPB?

As for dumbbellbuddy.com, I don’t see the bar I’m looking for there. They have Cap barbells but those are the same brand I have now and it sucks. Cap and Capp are totally different.

[quote]Modi wrote:
I believe Troy Barbell makes the Texas Power Bar and not Capp. I’m not sure if the Capp is a knockoff or not, and can’t comment on the quality. Mine is from Troy.[/quote]

There’s been a lot of talk about who’s making what with regards to the Texas Power Bar…

Buddy Capp is the original inventor of the bar. He sold the rights to Troy a few years back. Some said Troy was building them, some said Buddy was building them.

Elite sells the bar, and I talked to Jim a while back and he said their bars were built by Buddy.

I talked to another guy who has talked to Buddy about being a distributor for his bar, and he says that Buddy is building them for everyone even though Troy claims they are building them, Buddy says they just sell them.

At any rate, what I can tell you is that the current TPB is not the same as it was years back. Something is different. They bend much easier. It’s still a decent bar for the money, but if you’re going to really beat on it, it’s not going to last like they once did.

FWIW, I’ve heard a rumor that Pendlay will be making a Powerlifting bar very soon. If it’s anything like his other bars in terms of quality and stability, that’s the route I’d go.

You can also check out quest nutrition and try the Q-Bar. It is a great bar…just check out the training bar.

[quote]Dominator wrote:
Modi wrote:
I believe Troy Barbell makes the Texas Power Bar and not Capp. I’m not sure if the Capp is a knockoff or not, and can’t comment on the quality. Mine is from Troy.

There’s been a lot of talk about who’s making what with regards to the Texas Power Bar…

Buddy Capp is the original inventor of the bar. He sold the rights to Troy a few years back. Some said Troy was building them, some said Buddy was building them.

Elite sells the bar, and I talked to Jim a while back and he said their bars were built by Buddy.

I talked to another guy who has talked to Buddy about being a distributor for his bar, and he says that Buddy is building them for everyone even though Troy claims they are building them, Buddy says they just sell them.

At any rate, what I can tell you is that the current TPB is not the same as it was years back. Something is different. They bend much easier. It’s still a decent bar for the money, but if you’re going to really beat on it, it’s not going to last like they once did.

FWIW, I’ve heard a rumor that Pendlay will be making a Powerlifting bar very soon. If it’s anything like his other bars in terms of quality and stability, that’s the route I’d go.

[/quote]

Well I’m not deadlifting 600lbs or anything like that so I don’t think its durability will be a problem for me. I don’t drop weights either.

I can’t really hold out for a rumored Pendlay power bar, my CAP barbell is starting to act weird.

Thanks for the info though, I remembered reading that Buddy Capp was the “pioneer” of the TPB but I wasn’t sure if I read wrong or not.

[quote]berfles wrote:
Dominator wrote:
Modi wrote:
I believe Troy Barbell makes the Texas Power Bar and not Capp. I’m not sure if the Capp is a knockoff or not, and can’t comment on the quality. Mine is from Troy.

There’s been a lot of talk about who’s making what with regards to the Texas Power Bar…

Buddy Capp is the original inventor of the bar. He sold the rights to Troy a few years back. Some said Troy was building them, some said Buddy was building them.

Elite sells the bar, and I talked to Jim a while back and he said their bars were built by Buddy.

I talked to another guy who has talked to Buddy about being a distributor for his bar, and he says that Buddy is building them for everyone even though Troy claims they are building them, Buddy says they just sell them.

At any rate, what I can tell you is that the current TPB is not the same as it was years back. Something is different. They bend much easier. It’s still a decent bar for the money, but if you’re going to really beat on it, it’s not going to last like they once did.

FWIW, I’ve heard a rumor that Pendlay will be making a Powerlifting bar very soon. If it’s anything like his other bars in terms of quality and stability, that’s the route I’d go.

Well I’m not deadlifting 600lbs or anything like that so I don’t think its durability will be a problem for me. I don’t drop weights either.

I can’t really hold out for a rumored Pendlay power bar, my CAP barbell is starting to act weird.

Thanks for the info though, I remembered reading that Buddy Capp was the “pioneer” of the TPB but I wasn’t sure if I read wrong or not.[/quote]

That’s good information Dominator.

For what it’s worth, I have pulled 585lbs numerous times and a couple of 600’s from the floor with my Texas Power bar with no problems. I have a POS bar that I use for rack pulls, but I’ve used the Texas Power Bar for Elevated Deads and have pulled 615-735 8 or 10 times and no problems. I don’t feel like it has too much give, and the grip is perfect for me. And while I don’t physically let go of the bar after a pull, I certainly don’t have any eccentric phase to the DL, so it’s coming down with a fair amount of force.

I also like it for Squats. Even with over 500lbs it doesn’t have any whip and the bend isn’t too much compared to many other bars I’ve used.

I think it’s a keeper…I really have no complaints. The biggest problem is when I train somewhere else that only has shitty bars.

[quote]Modi wrote:
berfles wrote:
Dominator wrote:
Modi wrote:
I believe Troy Barbell makes the Texas Power Bar and not Capp. I’m not sure if the Capp is a knockoff or not, and can’t comment on the quality. Mine is from Troy.

There’s been a lot of talk about who’s making what with regards to the Texas Power Bar…

Buddy Capp is the original inventor of the bar. He sold the rights to Troy a few years back. Some said Troy was building them, some said Buddy was building them.

Elite sells the bar, and I talked to Jim a while back and he said their bars were built by Buddy.

I talked to another guy who has talked to Buddy about being a distributor for his bar, and he says that Buddy is building them for everyone even though Troy claims they are building them, Buddy says they just sell them.

At any rate, what I can tell you is that the current TPB is not the same as it was years back. Something is different. They bend much easier. It’s still a decent bar for the money, but if you’re going to really beat on it, it’s not going to last like they once did.

FWIW, I’ve heard a rumor that Pendlay will be making a Powerlifting bar very soon. If it’s anything like his other bars in terms of quality and stability, that’s the route I’d go.

Well I’m not deadlifting 600lbs or anything like that so I don’t think its durability will be a problem for me. I don’t drop weights either.

I can’t really hold out for a rumored Pendlay power bar, my CAP barbell is starting to act weird.

Thanks for the info though, I remembered reading that Buddy Capp was the “pioneer” of the TPB but I wasn’t sure if I read wrong or not.

That’s good information Dominator.

For what it’s worth, I have pulled 585lbs numerous times and a couple of 600’s from the floor with my Texas Power bar with no problems. I have a POS bar that I use for rack pulls, but I’ve used the Texas Power Bar for Elevated Deads and have pulled 615-735 8 or 10 times and no problems. I don’t feel like it has too much give, and the grip is perfect for me. And while I don’t physically let go of the bar after a pull, I certainly don’t have any eccentric phase to the DL, so it’s coming down with a fair amount of force.

I also like it for Squats. Even with over 500lbs it doesn’t have any whip and the bend isn’t too much compared to many other bars I’ve used.

I think it’s a keeper…I really have no complaints. The biggest problem is when I train somewhere else that only has shitty bars.[/quote]

I think the TPB is definitely the one I’ll get. Thanks for the help guys, I got a lot of info here.

Better price at Iron Dawg:

http://www.irondawg.com/Store.htm

Thanks. Has anyone ever used that site before? Doesn’t look laid out too well and that usually raises some questions in my mind.

[quote]berfles wrote:
Thanks. Has anyone ever used that site before? Doesn’t look laid out too well and that usually raises some questions in my mind.[/quote]

I have not, but I know plenty of guys who have. They’re very reputable. Seguin Fitness/Flexion used to have an even better price on the TPB (that’s where I got mine), but I’ve heard from a couple people that they are under some sort of investigation lately. Go with Iron Dawg.

[quote]fat wilhelm wrote:
Better price at Iron Dawg:

http://www.irondawg.com/Store.htm[/quote]

That’s where I got mine. However, mine was never polished as is seen in the photos. Mine looks rusty. But they had the best price, and it works great.

How much was shipping when you ordered?

Shipping was $25 or $30 and the bar was $195. I bought it two years ago.

I want a peanut butter power bar LOL!

[quote]Nate Dogg wrote:
Shipping was $25 or $30 and the bar was $195. I bought it two years ago.[/quote]

Thanks. I’ll send them an email just to ask a couple questions and go from there.