Does anyone use an Ivanko OB 28KG bar? How much have you loaded on it? Has anyone ever permanently bent one?
I have been looking to buy a new bar for a LONG time. Someone on T-Nation suggested to read the article “How to Break an Olympic Bar” on Ivanko’s site. It made me wonder about the Butter Bar that came with my 300# set. I’m concerned about safety when lifting heavy loads.
I have looked into some other bars, but Ivanko really seems committed to quality. What do you guys think?
I can’t afford a $400 bar, but I SURE can’t afford to have a bar that isn’t strong enough! I had a rep from Ivanko online, and here is our conversation:
FamilyMan: While I have you online, I have a question about these bars.
ivankoweights: sure
FamilyMan:I have a Olympic bar that came with my 300# set. It has worked for a while, but I have outgrown it. I got up to 500# Squat, and ran out of weight -that is all the weight I had in the house.
ivankoweights: ok
FamilyMan: I read the article Ivanko about bars breaking (How to Break an Olympic Bar), and it made me start to wonder about our bar. My wife has grounded me from lifting over about 300# until I get a better bar.
Ivankoweights: bars w/ stress cracks or hydrogen embrittlement can snap w/o warning
Ivankoweights: haha
FamilyMan: Right that is really funny. I emember that illustration about the Russian dude doing the snatch and having the broken bar cut through his jugular. Yikes!
Ivankoweights: worst case scenario
FamilyMan: What kind of limits do you think an Ivanko OB 28KG or OB-Econo might have?
ivankoweights: the ob econo is a 65,000 psi bar
ivankoweights: the ob -28 is an 85,000 psi bar
ivankoweights: your bar is probably 45,000 psi maybe
FamilyMan: OK, does the psi thing translate into pounds?
ivankoweights: not really
ivankoweights: because is the 500 Ib rating static or dynamic?
ivankoweights: how dynamic?
ivankweights: see what I mean
FamilyMan: Yep. How can I tell what kind of bar to get for my lifting needs?
vankoweights: how much force is subjected to a bar when it is at yield
ivankoweights: how far can it yield before it wont return to perfect straightness
FamilyMan: OK, I guess I’ll just get my handy psi meter out and measure…
Look at some videos of recent 900 plus lb squats and DLs, you’ll see lots of Ivanko equipment. I doubt anyone has to worry about overloading an Ivanko bar.
A cheap generic Oly bar typically has a 700lb static load rating and often starts to develop a permanent bend when regularly loaded with 500. If you’re squatting 500 you definitely need a better bar but limiting yourself to 300lbs is unnecessary. Even a 1" standard bar can handle more than that.
I’ve never heard of a bar breaking unless it was dropped on the pins hard with a ton of weight on it. The story of the Oly lifter killed by snapping the bar during a C&J sounds like just a story; I wouldn’t believe it without some references.