Texas Power Bar

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I need to get a new bar, and I figure I might as well spring for a
decent one this time. (Until now, I've been using the cheap chrome one
that came with my weight set.) People in this group seem to like the
texas power bar, and it's more reasonably priced than some of the
alternatives, so that's what I'm thinking of getting. I have a couple
of questions about it, though, that I was hoping someone could
answer...

Is it better to get polished steel or black oxide? Or does it not
matter?

All of the web sites that I found only sell one or the other (and some
sites don't say which one they sell). I was starting to think that
some of the sites were just describing it wrong, but I talked to a
sales guy at Troy, and he said that it actually does come in two
different finishes. Any idea why no one carries both?

I have worked with folks who have built bars of various kinds. They were
little guys, none of the big boys. What they said is to always go with the
black oxide finish. The reason being is the universal lament of these
knowledgable folks who will never compete with the big boys. That every
crummy gym equipment product they have come across was covered with cheap
chrome. In fact, the universal warning is that if it is cheap and chrome,
it is a peice of [censored].

It is expensive and time intensive to create a good chrome finish. There is
a lot of preparation involved. Particularly if knurling is involved. To
create a good chrome finish on a bar requires compete control of the entire
manufacturing from start to finish. And a total commitment to quality from
start to finsih. More and more, this just ain't happening.

Not only does cheap chrome not hold up well, but it will begin to rust after
awhile in any kind of damp environment (garage gyms).

Black oxide is my finish of choice. I also recommend it to anybody that I
advise concering gym equipment purchases. It lasts longer, works better in
damp environments and does not have the high prep requirements of a good
chrome finish.

As for folks who just carry just one kind over the other, I think it just
has to do with their respective markets. If they are selling to yuppie,
cardio bunny, blowflex, appearance obsessed type of customer, they go with
the chrome finish. If they are selling to intelligent, knowledgable,
strong, pragmatic, good lookin' folks, they go with the black oxide finish.
🙂

Not that I am biased or anything.

Lee Michaels

Lee Michaels said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I need to get a new bar, and I figure I might as well spring for a
decent one this time. (Until now, I've been using the cheap chrome

one

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

that came with my weight set.) People in this group seem to like

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

texas power bar, and it's more reasonably priced than some of the
alternatives, so that's what I'm thinking of getting. I have a

couple

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

of questions about it, though, that I was hoping someone could
answer...

Is it better to get polished steel or black oxide? Or does it not
matter?

All of the web sites that I found only sell one or the other (and

some

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

sites don't say which one they sell). I was starting to think that
some of the sites were just describing it wrong, but I talked to a
sales guy at Troy, and he said that it actually does come in two
different finishes. Any idea why no one carries both?

I have worked with folks who have built bars of various kinds. They

were

Quoted message said:

little guys, none of the big boys. What they said is to always go

with the

Quoted message said:

black oxide finish. The reason being is the universal lament of these

Quoted message said:

knowledgable folks who will never compete with the big boys. That

every

Quoted message said:

crummy gym equipment product they have come across was covered with

cheap

Quoted message said:

chrome. In fact, the universal warning is that if it is cheap and

chrome,

Quoted message said:

it is a peice of [censored].

It is expensive and time intensive to create a good chrome finish.

There is

Quoted message said:

a lot of preparation involved. Particularly if knurling is involved.

To

Quoted message said:

create a good chrome finish on a bar requires compete control of the

entire

Quoted message said:

manufacturing from start to finish. And a total commitment to quality

from

Quoted message said:

start to finsih. More and more, this just ain't happening.

Not only does cheap chrome not hold up well, but it will begin to

rust after

Quoted message said:

awhile in any kind of damp environment (garage gyms).

Black oxide is my finish of choice. I also recommend it to anybody

that I

Quoted message said:

advise concering gym equipment purchases. It lasts longer, works

better in

Quoted message said:

damp environments and does not have the high prep requirements of a

good

Quoted message said:

chrome finish.

As for folks who just carry just one kind over the other, I think it

just

Quoted message said:

has to do with their respective markets. If they are selling to

yuppie,

Quoted message said:

cardio bunny, blowflex, appearance obsessed type of customer, they go

with

Quoted message said:

the chrome finish. If they are selling to intelligent, knowledgable,

Quoted message said:

strong, pragmatic, good lookin' folks, they go with the black oxide

finish.

Quoted message said:

🙂

Not that I am biased or anything.

Lee Michaels

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I didn't know that they used
"polished steel" as a euphemism for chrome. I figured they either just
polished the bar without adding a finish to it, or maybe they had some
other finish that I hadn't heard of because I'm not familiar with the
arcana of weightlifting. I'd be pretty upset if I paid that much for a
bar and it showed up with a cheap chrome finish.

When I was looking on the web for a texas power bar, I noticed that
some places call it the Mac Texas Power Bar, some call it the Troy
Texas Power Bar, and some call it the Original Texas Power Bar. Are
there different manufacters that are making different bars and calling
them the same thing? I looked around the web and contacted two sellers
of the bar, and couldn't seem to get a good answer. In the end, I
decided to buy the bar from elitefts. According to them, they sell
"the original Texas Power Bar made by Buddy Capps." A couple of people
on this group have bought it from them and seem to be happy with it.

--Dave

<[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Lee Michaels said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I need to get a new bar, and I figure I might as well spring for a
decent one this time. (Until now, I've been using the cheap chrome

one

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

that came with my weight set.) People in this group seem to like

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

texas power bar, and it's more reasonably priced than some of the
alternatives, so that's what I'm thinking of getting. I have a

couple

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

of questions about it, though, that I was hoping someone could
answer...

Is it better to get polished steel or black oxide? Or does it not
matter?

All of the web sites that I found only sell one or the other (and

some

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

sites don't say which one they sell). I was starting to think that
some of the sites were just describing it wrong, but I talked to a
sales guy at Troy, and he said that it actually does come in two
different finishes. Any idea why no one carries both?

I have worked with folks who have built bars of various kinds. They

were

Quoted message said:

little guys, none of the big boys. What they said is to always go

with the

Quoted message said:

black oxide finish. The reason being is the universal lament of these

Quoted message said:

knowledgable folks who will never compete with the big boys. That

every

Quoted message said:

crummy gym equipment product they have come across was covered with

cheap

Quoted message said:

chrome. In fact, the universal warning is that if it is cheap and

chrome,

Quoted message said:

it is a peice of [censored].

It is expensive and time intensive to create a good chrome finish.

There is

Quoted message said:

a lot of preparation involved. Particularly if knurling is involved.

To

Quoted message said:

create a good chrome finish on a bar requires compete control of the

entire

Quoted message said:

manufacturing from start to finish. And a total commitment to quality

from

Quoted message said:

start to finsih. More and more, this just ain't happening.

Not only does cheap chrome not hold up well, but it will begin to

rust after

Quoted message said:

awhile in any kind of damp environment (garage gyms).

Black oxide is my finish of choice. I also recommend it to anybody

that I

Quoted message said:

advise concering gym equipment purchases. It lasts longer, works

better in

Quoted message said:

damp environments and does not have the high prep requirements of a

good

Quoted message said:

chrome finish.

As for folks who just carry just one kind over the other, I think it

just

Quoted message said:

has to do with their respective markets. If they are selling to

yuppie,

Quoted message said:

cardio bunny, blowflex, appearance obsessed type of customer, they go

with

Quoted message said:

the chrome finish. If they are selling to intelligent, knowledgable,

Quoted message said:

strong, pragmatic, good lookin' folks, they go with the black oxide

finish.

Quoted message said:

🙂

Not that I am biased or anything.

Lee Michaels

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I didn't know that they used
"polished steel" as a euphemism for chrome. I figured they either just
polished the bar without adding a finish to it, or maybe they had some
other finish that I hadn't heard of because I'm not familiar with the
arcana of weightlifting. I'd be pretty upset if I paid that much for a
bar and it showed up with a cheap chrome finish.

When I was looking on the web for a texas power bar, I noticed that
some places call it the Mac Texas Power Bar, some call it the Troy
Texas Power Bar, and some call it the Original Texas Power Bar. Are
there different manufacters that are making different bars and calling
them the same thing? I looked around the web and contacted two sellers
of the bar, and couldn't seem to get a good answer. In the end, I
decided to buy the bar from elitefts. According to them, they sell
"the original Texas Power Bar made by Buddy Capps." A couple of people
on this group have bought it from them and seem to be happy with it.

There ya go Dave. You got a recomendation and went with it.

A lot of stuff in this feild is invented by somebody and is then co-opted or
bought out by somebody. And some folks just out and out steal it. The
original safety squat bar was made by Jess Hoguland. Along with a deadlift
bar and pressing bar that both had parallel grips . And like the safety
squat bar allowed a movement with the weights at the centerline of the body.

One thing you have to look out for is quality. Many times when a design is
ripped off, quality goes out the window. But I don't think they could get
away with a crappy powerlifting bar. Besides, elite fitness has a good
reputation.

Troy is a manufacturer.

Just curious. How much did the bar cost? And how much was shipping? And
what were you looking for when you bought this bar?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

In the end, I
decided to buy the bar from elitefts. According to them, they sell
"the original Texas Power Bar made by Buddy Capps."

Quoted message said:

Just curious. How much did the bar cost? And how much was shipping?

And

Quoted message said:

what were you looking for when you bought this bar?

The bar is $199 and shipping is $25. And their site says that it
usually ships within 24 hours, which is good since my old bar is no
longer functional. :-)

I started working out again last spring/summer, and I've been using the
bar that came with my weight set. I've always hated it because it's
slippery and hardly has any knurling. The sleeves don't spin too well,
either, and they make a horrible grinding noise. I'm not as serious of
a weightlifter as many of the people on here, though, and I'm just
starting up again, so it worked well enough for me to use. I couldn't
really justify spending the money on a new bar when I had one that
worked.

When I bent my bar a few days ago, there was no way I was going to
replace it with another cheap chrome bar. I found some black oxide
bars on the web that looked pretty good for about $150. I'm sure that
they would be good enough for me, but I figured that if I could get a
really good bar for only $50 more, it would probably be worth it.

--Dave

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

In the end, I
decided to buy the bar from elitefts. According to them, they sell
"the original Texas Power Bar made by Buddy Capps."

Quoted message said:

Just curious. How much did the bar cost? And how much was shipping?

And

Quoted message said:

what were you looking for when you bought this bar?

The bar is $199 and shipping is $25. And their site says that it
usually ships within 24 hours, which is good since my old bar is no
longer functional. :-)

I started working out again last spring/summer, and I've been using the
bar that came with my weight set. I've always hated it because it's
slippery and hardly has any knurling. The sleeves don't spin too well,
either, and they make a horrible grinding noise. I'm not as serious of
a weightlifter as many of the people on here, though, and I'm just
starting up again, so it worked well enough for me to use. I couldn't
really justify spending the money on a new bar when I had one that
worked.

When I bent my bar a few days ago, there was no way I was going to
replace it with another cheap chrome bar. I found some black oxide
bars on the web that looked pretty good for about $150. I'm sure that
they would be good enough for me, but I figured that if I could get a
really good bar for only $50 more, it would probably be worth it.

Good move Dave.

What kind of move did you put on your old bar to make it die??

Lee Michaels said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> In the end, I
> decided to buy the bar from elitefts. According to them, they

sell

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> "the original Texas Power Bar made by Buddy Capps."

Quoted message said:

Just curious. How much did the bar cost? And how much was

shipping?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

And

Quoted message said:

what were you looking for when you bought this bar?

The bar is $199 and shipping is $25. And their site says that it
usually ships within 24 hours, which is good since my old bar is no
longer functional. :-)

I started working out again last spring/summer, and I've been using

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bar that came with my weight set. I've always hated it because

it's

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

slippery and hardly has any knurling. The sleeves don't spin too

well,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

either, and they make a horrible grinding noise. I'm not as

serious of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

a weightlifter as many of the people on here, though, and I'm just
starting up again, so it worked well enough for me to use. I

couldn't

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

really justify spending the money on a new bar when I had one that
worked.

When I bent my bar a few days ago, there was no way I was going to
replace it with another cheap chrome bar. I found some black oxide
bars on the web that looked pretty good for about $150. I'm sure

that

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

they would be good enough for me, but I figured that if I could get

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

really good bar for only $50 more, it would probably be worth it.

Good move Dave.

What kind of move did you put on your old bar to make it die??

I was squatting 900 pounds and the cheap chrome bar just couldn't
handle it. Well... either that or I did something stupid. In my
defense, I work out in the morning, and I sometimes get a little absent
minded by the end of the work out.

I was doing standing calf raises in my cage when I started to lose my
balance and stepped off of the block. I didn't want to try stepping
back up with that much weight on my shoulders, so I set the bar down on
the safties. I had a real shock when the bar didn't stop where it
should have, and I realized that I had forgotten to move the safties up
from where I had set them for squats. The bar fell off my back, and I
fell over backwards. Luckily, I didn't get hurt, but the bar is
nowhere near usable anymore. I've since taped a note behind the power
rack reminding myself to double check the safties, even if I know
they're set correctly.

--Dave

<[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Lee Michaels said:

What kind of move did you put on your old bar to make it die??

I was squatting 900 pounds and the cheap chrome bar just couldn't
handle it. Well... either that or I did something stupid. In my
defense, I work out in the morning, and I sometimes get a little absent
minded by the end of the work out.

I was doing standing calf raises in my cage when I started to lose my
balance and stepped off of the block. I didn't want to try stepping
back up with that much weight on my shoulders, so I set the bar down on
the safties. I had a real shock when the bar didn't stop where it
should have, and I realized that I had forgotten to move the safties up
from where I had set them for squats. The bar fell off my back, and I
fell over backwards. Luckily, I didn't get hurt, but the bar is
nowhere near usable anymore. I've since taped a note behind the power
rack reminding myself to double check the safties, even if I know
they're set correctly.

900 lbs Dave?!?! With a cheapie bar??

Talk about living dangerously!!

You were lucky you walked away from that. I would never put that kind of
weight on a cheapie bar. How did the power rack hold up? Were the safeties
made of solid stock or was it tubing? And are the safeties damaged at all?
Many of the cheapie power racks would have been destroyed by an incident
like this.