I finally took a close look at my barbell and concur that it is a Rogue Beater Bar. I measured the shaft at 31.8 mm (to the specs below). It has pinned ends. It has no center knurl and powerlifting knurl marks at 810 mm.
For comparison, my technique bar is 27.8 mm and has dual knurl marks at 810 mm and 910 mm.
The description below is from Crossfit Discussion Board thread dated 4-18-2010
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We put a bar comparison on our site so that you can make an educated choice on these bars. Here are some determining factors:
1) Steel Type - Most bars are 125K-205K PSI Tensile strength, we will just use that since it is published more often than Yield
1.1 125K PSI steel bars are the 1500LB static test bars normally, that tests means zero because you are going to put a dynamic load on the bar. I would only buy a bar with that grade steel in the 31MM + diameter if you don't want to deal with a possible bent bar.
1.2 155K PSI steel - This is an excellent steel hence the wide spread use by Rogue, Pendlay etc. We have seen a few bent bars out of many, they were replaced in 24 hours.
1.3 185-205K PSI Steel - This steel is used in many of the Olift and Powerlift bars out there to include Rogue and York. This steel is no joke, very strong but a bit stiff normally. With the 28MM it has some good action but once it is 29MM it tends to be pretty stiff.
2) Diameter - 25-32MM
2.1 25MM - Junior and Female 5-10-15KG Bars - Our 10-15KG bars are made with the 155K PSI steel
2.2 27MM - Deadlift Bars are made at this diameter - This is a single use bar made to bend substantially before the plates leaves the ground - Called Okie Bar many times - 155K PSI Steel
2.3 28MM - Standard Olift Diameter - All of our Olift 28MM bars are 185-205K PSI steel. Per a few other comments on this thread as the bars near 200K PSI steel they tend to be a more stiff. The Eleiko bars have found a very unique mix of toughness and flex while still returning to straight. Many other manufacturers simply have strong olift bars at the 200K mark but they don't have quite as much action.
2.4 28.5MM - Rogue Bar, Burner Bar, Castro Bar, Pendlay HD, Texas Power Bar - All of these bars are using this diameter steel shaft. I have yet to cut and test a Texas Power Bar but I am told it is 185K PSI steel. All the others are 155K PSI steel and are guaranteed for life against bending.
2.5 29MM - The Burg & Rip bar is 29MM and is made with 205K PSI steel, very stiff and we have yet to see one bent. West Side has been using one of these bars for a year now and it is still straight.
2.6 30-32MM - Most of these bars are 125K PSI steel hence the large diameter. Increasing the diameter of the bar is the other way to make the bar strong, simply by adding more of a cross section. The Beater bar is 31MM and some change, we have yet to have one bent. We called it the Beater bar because it is exactly that, like the old truck that always gets it done.
3) Bushing/Bearing/None - This is the medium between the sleeve and the steel shaft
3.1 Bronze & Other Bushing - This is an excellent way to achieve good spin assuming the machining is done properly. Normally two bushings per sleeve
3.2 Needle Bearing - Normally 5 needle bearing per sleeve. We tested Japanese and German types, we are using German in the new Burgener bar
3.3 Sleeve to shaft - Basically the sleeve sits right on the shaft so there is no bushing to act as the wear and tear medium
4) End Cap Design - Snap Ring, Pinned or End Cap - This function keeps the sleeve from coming off the steel shaft
4.1 Snap Ring - Rogue, Pendlay, Eleiko, Ivanko all use snap ring designs with their own signature implementation. These will vary from 1-4 snap rings/sleeve with machined snap ring grooves in the bar and sleeve.
4.2 Pinned End - This is the cheapest way to secure the sleeve, basically drill a hole through the sleeve and pound a cold rolled pin through. This is on the Beater bar and Texas Power Bar. The Texas Power Bar has parallel pins, either option is a strong connection but doesn't make for the best spin of the sleeve. There is a machined groove in the shaft that the pin is driven beside, hence it is a tangent to the diameter of the shaft.
4.3 Pinned Cap - York has gone to this on all the bars we have seen that are made in Canada. A cap that has the same outer diameter as the sleeve is put onto the end of the bar and pinned on center. This is a robust way to secure the sleeve but I prefer the snap ring designs
5) Coating - Raw steel, Zinc, Oxide, Chrome, Powder
5.1 Bare Steel - Old school naked bar that allows oxidization, this an awesome bar to have in your arsenal. There will be maintenance on this bar if you want to keep it pristine.
5.2 Zinc - Bright, Black, Olive Drab or Yellow - Those are the heavy hitters in the zinc plating world. This is a plating process to protect the steel. All bars have bright zinc on them then you dip the steel in one of the other colors. The Black Zinc is preferred for all the Rogue Bars as it wears well and has an excellent feel. Pendlay uses Bright Zinc
We will soon have OD Green Zinc on a few of our bars, that will be pretty cool!
5.3 Oxide - This is a treatment, we don't use it on any of our bars but York uses it on many of their low end bars.
5.4 Chrome - This is used on many Olift bars but there are many grades of chrome and how well the process was done. Some would say it feels slick compared to Zinc but it has been used for some time by Eleiko and on many of the York bars
You could write a hundred page book on the differences between these bars and the features. More subjective attributes are knurl pattern etc. The best way to tell which bar is best is to set all the bars out and see which bars people gravitate towards, we would like to think we have that covered!
I personally like the raw steel bars and black zinc bars but using an Eleiko comp bar will make anyone envious! The next question is which one fits your budget, may be the Beater today then the Eleiko comp in a year.
--------------
Answer to HD question - Pendlay HD bars are made at a different location than the old style. The Rogue Bar has seen about 10 modifications over the past year, all of which were improvements as we are always fine tuning the bar.
Answer to Burner Question - Same steel, no coating, no lifetime warranty, single knurl mark. Awesome bar, great feel but will require some maintenance. We made this bar to bridge the gap between Beater $135 and The Rogue Bar $255. Our price on the Rogue Bar is still about $50 less than others using that same grade steel. They are made in the US and if you only want to spend your money once then I would suggest doing it right the first time!
You guys can always call us and discuss bars 614.358.6190
Thanks,
Bill
For comparison, my technique bar is 27.8 mm and has dual knurl marks at 810 mm and 910 mm.
The description below is from Crossfit Discussion Board thread dated 4-18-2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We put a bar comparison on our site so that you can make an educated choice on these bars. Here are some determining factors:
1) Steel Type - Most bars are 125K-205K PSI Tensile strength, we will just use that since it is published more often than Yield
1.1 125K PSI steel bars are the 1500LB static test bars normally, that tests means zero because you are going to put a dynamic load on the bar. I would only buy a bar with that grade steel in the 31MM + diameter if you don't want to deal with a possible bent bar.
1.2 155K PSI steel - This is an excellent steel hence the wide spread use by Rogue, Pendlay etc. We have seen a few bent bars out of many, they were replaced in 24 hours.
1.3 185-205K PSI Steel - This steel is used in many of the Olift and Powerlift bars out there to include Rogue and York. This steel is no joke, very strong but a bit stiff normally. With the 28MM it has some good action but once it is 29MM it tends to be pretty stiff.
2) Diameter - 25-32MM
2.1 25MM - Junior and Female 5-10-15KG Bars - Our 10-15KG bars are made with the 155K PSI steel
2.2 27MM - Deadlift Bars are made at this diameter - This is a single use bar made to bend substantially before the plates leaves the ground - Called Okie Bar many times - 155K PSI Steel
2.3 28MM - Standard Olift Diameter - All of our Olift 28MM bars are 185-205K PSI steel. Per a few other comments on this thread as the bars near 200K PSI steel they tend to be a more stiff. The Eleiko bars have found a very unique mix of toughness and flex while still returning to straight. Many other manufacturers simply have strong olift bars at the 200K mark but they don't have quite as much action.
2.4 28.5MM - Rogue Bar, Burner Bar, Castro Bar, Pendlay HD, Texas Power Bar - All of these bars are using this diameter steel shaft. I have yet to cut and test a Texas Power Bar but I am told it is 185K PSI steel. All the others are 155K PSI steel and are guaranteed for life against bending.
2.5 29MM - The Burg & Rip bar is 29MM and is made with 205K PSI steel, very stiff and we have yet to see one bent. West Side has been using one of these bars for a year now and it is still straight.
2.6 30-32MM - Most of these bars are 125K PSI steel hence the large diameter. Increasing the diameter of the bar is the other way to make the bar strong, simply by adding more of a cross section. The Beater bar is 31MM and some change, we have yet to have one bent. We called it the Beater bar because it is exactly that, like the old truck that always gets it done.
3) Bushing/Bearing/None - This is the medium between the sleeve and the steel shaft
3.1 Bronze & Other Bushing - This is an excellent way to achieve good spin assuming the machining is done properly. Normally two bushings per sleeve
3.2 Needle Bearing - Normally 5 needle bearing per sleeve. We tested Japanese and German types, we are using German in the new Burgener bar
3.3 Sleeve to shaft - Basically the sleeve sits right on the shaft so there is no bushing to act as the wear and tear medium
4) End Cap Design - Snap Ring, Pinned or End Cap - This function keeps the sleeve from coming off the steel shaft
4.1 Snap Ring - Rogue, Pendlay, Eleiko, Ivanko all use snap ring designs with their own signature implementation. These will vary from 1-4 snap rings/sleeve with machined snap ring grooves in the bar and sleeve.
4.2 Pinned End - This is the cheapest way to secure the sleeve, basically drill a hole through the sleeve and pound a cold rolled pin through. This is on the Beater bar and Texas Power Bar. The Texas Power Bar has parallel pins, either option is a strong connection but doesn't make for the best spin of the sleeve. There is a machined groove in the shaft that the pin is driven beside, hence it is a tangent to the diameter of the shaft.
4.3 Pinned Cap - York has gone to this on all the bars we have seen that are made in Canada. A cap that has the same outer diameter as the sleeve is put onto the end of the bar and pinned on center. This is a robust way to secure the sleeve but I prefer the snap ring designs
5) Coating - Raw steel, Zinc, Oxide, Chrome, Powder
5.1 Bare Steel - Old school naked bar that allows oxidization, this an awesome bar to have in your arsenal. There will be maintenance on this bar if you want to keep it pristine.
5.2 Zinc - Bright, Black, Olive Drab or Yellow - Those are the heavy hitters in the zinc plating world. This is a plating process to protect the steel. All bars have bright zinc on them then you dip the steel in one of the other colors. The Black Zinc is preferred for all the Rogue Bars as it wears well and has an excellent feel. Pendlay uses Bright Zinc
We will soon have OD Green Zinc on a few of our bars, that will be pretty cool!
5.3 Oxide - This is a treatment, we don't use it on any of our bars but York uses it on many of their low end bars.
5.4 Chrome - This is used on many Olift bars but there are many grades of chrome and how well the process was done. Some would say it feels slick compared to Zinc but it has been used for some time by Eleiko and on many of the York bars
You could write a hundred page book on the differences between these bars and the features. More subjective attributes are knurl pattern etc. The best way to tell which bar is best is to set all the bars out and see which bars people gravitate towards, we would like to think we have that covered!
I personally like the raw steel bars and black zinc bars but using an Eleiko comp bar will make anyone envious! The next question is which one fits your budget, may be the Beater today then the Eleiko comp in a year.
--------------
Answer to HD question - Pendlay HD bars are made at a different location than the old style. The Rogue Bar has seen about 10 modifications over the past year, all of which were improvements as we are always fine tuning the bar.
Answer to Burner Question - Same steel, no coating, no lifetime warranty, single knurl mark. Awesome bar, great feel but will require some maintenance. We made this bar to bridge the gap between Beater $135 and The Rogue Bar $255. Our price on the Rogue Bar is still about $50 less than others using that same grade steel. They are made in the US and if you only want to spend your money once then I would suggest doing it right the first time!
You guys can always call us and discuss bars 614.358.6190
Thanks,
Bill
UPDATE 4/25/2023 - I have owned this bar for just over 8 years and it was my primary barbell until December 2021. It has held up well and is easy to maintain. I have added 3 in 1 oil a couple of times and the spin returns instantly. The knurling is passive. There is no center knurl. But it is straight and absolutely does the job. I often prefer the 31 mm for bench press, but have only used it when performing 2 bar lifts for online competitions.
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