Rep Fitness Stainless Steel Gladiator WL Bar

REP Fitness Stainless Steel Gladiator WL Bar

The REP Fitness Stainless Steel Gladiator WL Bar is REP’s top-end Olympic Weightlifting Bar.

There are several nice qualities about this bar, including a fully stainless steel body, 5 needle bearings, and a lifetime warranty. At a price under $400, it’s a very competitive bar, even against some more expensive bars.

Here are some further details about the bar:

Knurling

The knurling on the REP Stainless Steel Gladiator WL Bar is going to lean on the mild-to-moderate side due its hilly pattern. It won’t be an aggressive bar, but you’ll get a distinct grip advantage because of the stainless steel shaft. Not only that, but the stainless will take chalk very well. Overall, this will be a very suitable bar for everyday training at high rep/volume and even on those heavier attempts due to the grip advantage.

The bar includes single Olympic Weightlifting rings, and it does include a center knurl, which is a great feature if you like that additional texture on your back/front rack position.

Shaft

This bar offers a 28mm shaft, which is industry-standard for a true Olympic Weightlifting bar. This will give you a nice whip on the bar for all your Oly movements.

This bar offers a tensile strength of 205,000, which is a bit less than the REP Gladiator WL Bearing Bar and Gladiator MX Bar. This is mainly attributed to stainless generally having a lower PSI rating. Still, 205k is excellent – higher even than many other bars on the market.

The stainless steel shaft, aside from its grip benefits, provides outstanding oxidation resistance. If you’re training in a garage or a humid environment, this is a great option.

Sleeves

The sleeves on the Stainless Steel Gladiator WL Bar are grooved, which is consistent with their other Olympic Bar offerings, but different from the power bars. The main differences between the two are that grooved sleeves are louder and they tend to keep the plates on better when you’re not using a collar.

What sets this sleeve apart from the other REP Oly bars, however, is the fact that it’s stainless steel vs. hard chrome.

The sleeves five needle bearings per sleeve, which offers excellent spin for Olympic movements. This is an enhancement over the hard chrome WL Bearing Bar, which uses three needle bearings and two bushings.

Aesthetics

Aesthetically, the Stainless Steel Gladiator WL Bar is going to be one of the best looking bars REP offers. Stainless Steel in general is one of the nicest-looking bar finishes, and because of its oxidation qualities, it looks great for a long time.

I like the blue band on the collar with the matching blue end cap. The band is also helpful if you’re in a training environment with a lot of people/bars, as it helps easily identify the bar.

Features & Highlights

• Stainless Steel – Stainless steel is excellent at preventing rust and it provides a true raw feel. While it is one of the more expensive options, it is arguably the best one available. Aside from the oxidation resistance and excellent feel, stainless steel also looks fantastic. This bar offers stainless steel on both the shaft and the sleeves.
• 28mm Shaft – The 28mm shaft on the Bar will generate whip on the bar that you would expect with an Oly bar. 
• 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 – Unlike most Oly bars in this price range, the REP Stainless Gladiator WL Bar does offer a center knurl, which will provide that extra grip that some prefer.
• 5 Needle Bearings – The bar uses 5 needle bearings to spin the bar, which is going to offer a fast spin that you would expect with an Oly bar.

What They’re Saying at Repfitness.com

The REP Stainless Gladiator WL Bar receives very positive feedback from users. With an average rating of 5/5 at repfitness.com, here are some of the things they have said:

Positive

• “I use this barbell on a daily basis and have experienced zero issues with its performance! I have used a bunch of different barbells and by far for the price, this barbell is #1 on my list!!”
• “I absolutely love this bar, from the design to the way it feels. I did some research to find a great bar and Rep has nailed it on the head.”
• “Great price, great bar. Very smooth roll. Love the stainless look. Best bar I’ve ever owned.”
• “Great bar, overall. Took a while to get used to the knurling. Has great spin, handles the abuse we put it through like a champ. My oly lifts feel great when using it. I might need to get another one.”
• “As other reviewers have mentioned, the bar is great. The stainless looks great, the spin is fantastic, and the knurl just feels right – I am not sure I will ever need another bar. Amazing product, especially for the price. The bar was shipped as part of a larger order so no issues at all with delivery/condition.”
• “The knurling feels great with the bare stainless steel adding a little extra grip. It is not nearly as sharp and aggressive as a powerlifting bar, but it is definitely stepped up from some of the more passive bars I’ve used, such as the Rogue Ohio bar. Really, I think Rep nailed it just right, not too rough not too passive.”

Critical

• “Reasons for the 4 rather than 5 star review is because my bar had chips out of both collar ends near the endplates due to shipping and I am not a huge fan of the ribbed collars. Other than that, great looking, spin performance is awesome due to the bearings, and a nice order. Thank you rep fitness!”

Garage Gym Lab Review

The REP Stainless Gladiator WL Bar was a winner in the Garage Gym Lab 2022 Best Barbell Awards.

Other Options

The below barbells were picked as alternatives to the REP Stainless Gladiator WL Bar.