Bells of Steel Utility Bar
- Manufacturer: Bells of Steel
- Purpose: Multipurpose
- Bar Weight: 20kg
- Gender: Men
- Tensile Strength: 190,000
- Yield Strength: N/A
- Knurl Type: Medium
- Center Knurl: Yes
- Knurl Marks: Dual
- Shaft Finish: Black Zinc
- Shaft Diameter: 28.5mm
- Sleeve Finish: Bright Zinc
- Sleeve Type: Grooved
- Rotation System: Brass Bushings
- Made In: Import
- Warranty: 5 Years
Read below to get a closer look at the Bells of Steel Utility Bar including product details, features, real user feedback, and more.
$199.99
Bells of Steel Utility Bar
The Bells of Steel Utility Bar is a budget-friendly multi-purpose bar with a 28.5mm shaft, a center knurl, and a solid reputation.
I own this bar in my collection.
Read more below
Features & Highlights
- Black Zinc – Black Zinc is a cost-efficient plating that does an OK job at fighting off rust. You won’t get the same feel as you would with a non-plated finish like bare steel, stainless steel, etc… but you get a good blend of feel and rust resistance without the larger price tag.
- 28.5mm Shaft – The 28.5mm shaft on the Bells of Steel Utility Bar is comfortable in the hands and provides a nice balance between rigid and whippy, making it ideal for a variety of lifts.
- Grooved Sleeves – The grooved sleeves will tend to keep the plates on the bar better than a smooth sleeve when not using collars, but they will also be louder.
- Center Knurl – The bar does offer a center knurl in a lighter pattern than the outer knurl.
From the Manufacturer
A generalist bar, it is designed for people who don’t adhere to a particular strength sport and just love an excellent bar. With a 28.5mm diameter, it’s just a tad thicker than the Olympic lifting standard of 28mm and a smidge thinner than the 29mm powerlifting standards. Brass bushings means the sleeves and no bearings makes for a smooth but not over rotation and an ultra secure snap ring is used to keep it all together. A medium-light knurl won’t chew your hands up when power cleaning, but complimented with knurling in the middle means the bar has a better grip when squatting.
Featuring both Olympic and powerlifting marks, hand positioning is made easy for whatever movement you’re doing that day. Lightly ribbed sleeves help keep your plates from shifting during your workouts.
Built to Last
There’s a lot of claims out there to the weight capacity of a bar, but we back it up with testing. At 1,000lbs capacity and 190psi tensile strength, this bar will stay with you even as you grow and smash through future personal bests.
In addition to excellent quality materials, it’s finished with a distinctive black zinc on the shaft and white zinc on the sleeves.
And to back it all up, it comes with a 5 year warranty against bending/breaking.
What They’re Saying at Bellsofsteel.us
The Bells of Steel Olympic Weightlifting Bar 2.0 receives positive feedback from users. With an average rating of 4.9/5 at bellsofsteel.us, here are some of the things they have said:
Positive
- “The barbell is very comfortable and exactly what I expected. I am getting back into “Functional Training” after 10 years. Teaching the wife and son as well. I will be ordering plates as soon as they become available. Can hardly wait!!”
- “Building out a home gym. I bought this bar after reading the reviews and articles. This is definitely a great bar that does not break the bank. Bar looks great too. I love the black bar and ribs on the sleeves. Great spin too. Arrived earlier than estimated which was a plus. “
- “Great barbell, has everything you need/want (center knurling, double spacing marks). I don’t think the grooved collars do a whole lot more than regular collars in regards to keeping things on the bar, however, I like the look/feel personally and there’s no negative to it being like that so…”
- “I have been using a cheap no name bar I bought used probably 10 years ago. So this was a very nice upgrade, spins nicely, just the right amount of knurl, and the finish is very good.”
- “Exceeded expectations. Build quality is impressive. Better than the Rogue Ohio bar and at a lower price. There is almost no play/ side-to-side movement of the sleeve which means less noise when lifting. An important consideration if you train at home. Very happy with this purchase. Packaging and shipping was excellent too.”
- “All of my previous experience consisted of the barbells at a YMCA gym and/or my dad’s old 1” classic garage bar. So it didn’t have much competition – but still, the BOS Utility Bar was exactly what I was hoping for when I placed my order. I’m using it for core strength lifts (press, bench, squat, deadlift) and it has everything I was looking for. I love the diameter, knurling, and balance. I was looking to invest in something that I wasn’t likely to outgrow any time soon – and this is it, for a great value. I highly recommend the linked review from “Garage Gym Lab” above. From my point of view, they have done a very thorough and accurate job of evaluating this bar.”
Critical
- “Only downside is the knurling is very mild.”
- “Fit and finished 8/10 due to uneven bushing spacing with shaft cause the sleeve to rumble when spun but didn’t seem to effect the performance of the bar much. Still smooth.”
Garage Gym Lab Review
Garage Gym Lab has reviewed this bar. You can read the full review here or view the synopsis below.
[letsreview postid=”5141″]
Other Options
The below barbells were picked as alternatives to the Bells of Steel Utility Bar:
