it may be because of the are are i live in (houston, TX) but my bar within the first week my bar started to rust. Not sure if this is a normal thing but its definitely something to consider. Aside from the rust, i love this bar. one of my favorite features is the 28mm diameter of this bar. the knurling is more aggresive than ive been used to and i really like that. i havent tested the whip on this thing because i havent really loaded it with maximal weights. overall i think i made the right choice. maybe vulcan can address my rust issues and why on the first week it was already rusting. i use this for strictly oly lifts and there is little to no sweat involved.