Bells of Steel has been on a roll lately. This Canadian company has made its way into the United States and continues to pump out solid equipment at extremely reasonable prices. The B.o.S. Bar 2.0 is another great example of that. It’s solidly constructed, spins smoothly, the knurling is well done, and is at a price that’s tough to beat.
Okay, let’s dive in.
The Spin
This barbell includes 5 needle bearings and one stainless steel bushing on each sleeve. The spin on this bar is very smooth and fast. It rotates longer than your typical “all-around barbell” that may use bushings.
Since it spins so well, it’s best to use on olympic lifts. When performing other movements like bench press or deadlifts you do feel a slight rotation of the plates.
The Knurling
The knurling on this 28mm barbell is relatively aggressive. It’s easy to grip but is probably not ideal for most doing higher rep/CrossFit syle workouts. With that being said, this is a feature that many may love. It’s easy to have a very
The knurl on this barbell is consistent and you’ll see the dual markings above.
The Price
As previously mentioned, the price is extremely tough to beat. At $249 + free shipping in the U.S., it’s much cheaper than others on the market – about half as much as the Rogue Olympic WL Bar. With the price being so much lower than others on the market, many may just disregard it. That would be a mistake. This is a barbell with amazing value.
At this price point, it’s a bar that you can truly put to work without feeling like you are working out with gold.
The Other Attributes and Things to Know
In general, the specs on this barbell are similar to what you’d find on other high-quality options.
- 240kpsi means that it’s quality steel, but this probably does take away some of the “whip.” Nevertheless, there is still some flex.
- 2,000-pound weight capacity
- The hardened chrome finish means that it will be easier to maintain and should protect from rust for a long time.
- No center knurl, because the primary purpose of this bar is for training. Thus, it would not be IWF approved.
- The grip diameter is 28 mm.
- The machined sleeves help prevent the plates from slipping.
- Bells of Steel offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and 5% discount for police/fire/military/vets
Who is this Barbell for?
Here are four example scenarios where a purchase of this bar makes sense:
- You are looking to start a home gym on a budget and your primary lifts are the clean and jerk, clean, and snatch. You’ll save a few hundred dollars here and can spend on something else like bumper plates.
- You already have an oly bar that you are obsessed with (or paid really good money for) and want another bar that you can use and abuse without feeling bad about the price.
- You own a gym and want to buy a large amount, but can’t swallow the price of oly bars from companies like Rogue or Eleiko.
- You already have a solid “all-around” bar but want something dedicated to heavier oly lifts.
Conclusion
In the end, this is a solidly constructed barbell and one that many would love even if you are not considering the price. It’s smooth, spins well, and the knurling is just right for the lower rep oly lifts. It’s well constructed and could easily become your favorite gym toy.
