Bells of Steel Trap Bar 3.0

Bells of Steel Trap Bar 3.0

The Bells of Steel Trap Bar 3.0 is a basic open-ended trap bar with dual handles, a built-in deadlift jack, and an affordable price tag.

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Features & Highlights

• Dual Handle Height – The Bells of Steel Trap Bar 3.0 includes dual handles to allow for full and partial range-of-motion lifts.
• Knurled Handles – The handles on the BoS Trap Bar are knurled nearly the entire way across. The pattern is considered medium in texture. The 25mm diameter is thinner than most traditional bars and it’s among the thinnest of trap bars. Some users will find this useful and comfortable while others may find it too thin.
• Not Rackable – This bar is meant to be used off the floor unless you’re using thin/minimal plates and you’re willing to rest the sleeves in the rack. Even still, the width of your rack may not be suitable.
• Open-End Design – This bar offers an open-end design, which is a versatile feature that allows for a variety of movements that aren’t possible with a closed-end design.
• Handle Width – The distance between the handles measures 23.6″, which will accommodate most users comfortably. If you’re a physically big lifter, you may want to opt for a bar with a wider frame.
• Sleeve Length – The Bells of Steel Trap Bar 3.0 offers a sleeve length of less than 10″, which is less than most trap bars. If you’re using thicker plates (bumper plates for example), you may find yourself maxing out the sleeve length quickly.
• Weight limit – This bar offers a weight limit of 700lbs, which is enough for most people, but less than most open-ended trap bars.
• Olympic-Sized Rotating Sleeve – One interesting feature of this bar is that it offers rotating sleeves, much like you would find on a traditional bar. Trap bars typically use fixed sleeves. Another nice feature is that these sleeves aren’t powder coated, which looks better, and they’re also Olympic-sized. This means you can use any standard collar on the bar. Many trap bars require the need for a specialty collar given their thinner sleeves.

From the Manufacturer

The Trap Bar often called a Hex Bar, is one of the best specialty bars for building strength
and developing power in the deadlift.

It has a deadlift Jack

A feature never seen before on a home gym hex bar, and is usually reserved for abhorrently expensive models. The Bells of Steel Open-Ended Trap Bar has a pair of built-in bar jacks. By rotating the bar vertically like a lever until it’s sitting on the feet of the jacks, the weight plates end up mere inches from the floor. This allows you to add and remove plates with total ease. The entire process is effortless; no longer will your trap bar be neglected and left on the sidelines simply because of the time and effort required to load and unload the bar.

An Open-Ended Frame

This ingenious design offers several benefits over the traditional, closed-frame design; the most important of these being, of course, access to far more movements than before. By opening up the front end of the bar, it is now possible to use your trap bar for split squats, Romanian deadlifts, weighted carries, lunges, and more, while still being perfectly balanced for your deadlifts and shrugs.

Rotating Sleeves

We firmly believe that if it’s a barbell, the sleeves should rotate. Unlike almost any other trap bar on the market, our trap bar features rotating sleeves. To keep the bar more compact for both storage and shipping, the sleeves are a little shorter than full-length barbell sleeves; however, the plate block has been made extra thin, allowing for a full 7 B.o.S.45lb  iron plates to be loaded on each side. Fit even more calibrated plates with a maximum weight of 700lbs.

What They’re Saying at Bells of Steel

The Bells of Steel Trap Bar 3.0 receives very good feedback from users. With an average rating of 4.8/5, here are some of the things people have said at bellsofsteel.us.

Positive

• “This bad boy arrived at my apartment yesterday and we took it for a spin for deadlifts, rows, shrugs, and high pulls. It was DELIGHTFUL. The knurling is just right on both high and low handles, the rotating sleeves are a lovely addition, and the built-in deadlift jack makes this for an overall incredible piece of gear. It helps that it’s compact and easy to store and move – downright portable almost. If you’re in the market for a trap bar, look no further.”
• “I am very happy with the product and the build. Its a great product for the average home gym and even commercial gyms for an unbelievable price. I don’t think i will ever overload it to worry. Very versatile and I have no regret getting it. If anyone has a hesitation in buying, all i can tell you is buy it.”
• “Very pleased with the purchase of this trap bar. Good look, easy to load, versatile, and shipped when estimated. Overall, excellent product for a reasonable price.”
• “This trap bar is a great design. I really like the open back that allows more versatility in exercises and the built in jack that makes it very easy to load and unload. I also like the high low grip position.”
• “This bar is an amazing invention, and is well worth the money. Easier to load, and you can train a lot more movements than a traditional trap bar. The knurling is good, but not too aggressive.”
• “This is one of my favorite pieces in my home gym. It is so versatile. I use it mainly for deadlifts, but also it’s great for single leg squats, reverse lunges, loaded carries, and chest supported rows. I get as much use out of it as my barbell. The built in jack is great. Can’t beat the price! I wish it had slightly longer sleeves, but considering other open trap bars are over 2X as much, I can’t complain.”

Critical

• “Only real shortcoming I could see is that the total amount of weight that could be loaded on it is somewhat limited b/c of the shortness of the plate loading area. How much weight you can load obviously depends on the thickness of your plates and collar. I have a combination of Rouge and Titan bumpers and I think I could load about 250 lbs on it for a gross weight of about 300 lbs. Good enough for us but perhaps not everyone–at least for strict deadlifting.”

Garage Gym Lab Review

The Bells of Steel Trap Bar 3.0 was a winner in Garage Gym Lab’s 2022 Best Trap Bar Awards.

Other Options

The below barbells were picked as alternatives to the Bells of Steel Trap Bar 3.0: