After just one drop I noticed small specs of metal on my lifting platform. I dabbed them with tape and continued lifting. More metal came off. I notified Vulcan and they said some metal must have gotten on to the sleeves from another machining process in the building. I rubbed the sleeves with a damp cloth thinking it was remnants from manufacturing that were just on the surface. A large amount of chrome ranging is size from a spec to an inch-long curl came off on the rag. I sent those scraps to Vulcan. I brushed the sleeves with a brass brush and it did help but… chrome came off every time I used the bar and Vulcan refused to believe a word I said. The Vulcan Customer Service department is actually a Deny-and-Deflect Department. Their comments ranged from some metal got on the sleeves at the factory to it was my fault for removing chrome by brushing to it must be my bumper plates to no one has ever said anything like this before and our bars are used in competitions…Then after several weeks since Vulcan refused to act, I brushed both sleeves for 45 minutes each in an effort to make the bar useable. I didn’t need another metal sliver in my hand (that happened when I unpacked the bar) and I don’t want metal particles embedded in my platform, collars and bumpers. Finally after numerous exchanges I was sent an empty tube and return label. Vulcan agreed to check this one bar for flaws. All Vulcan would say when they looked at the bar was how they could definitely see where I brushed off chrome. They still didn’t get it. They would still not admit that the bar had a bad chrome job. Good chrome applied properly is a very durable metal. Vulcan talked about it like it was cheap paint. They still denied it was defective and said with metal on metal that will happen and they were afraid if they sent another bar I would have the same complaint. I asked: Metal on metal? Didn’t they use competition plates at contests? No one else used bumpers with steel sleeves? Friction created by sliding bumpers off and on removed chrome from the grooves and not the high points? At that point it became far beyond ridiculous. Very little they said made any sense. Finally I just told them that if this had never been an issue with any other bar they ever made just send me one of those and the issue will be resolved. I finally did receive a replacement bar after more than a month. The bar is nice, very smooth and whippy. The knurling is definitely not aggressive but is just about right. I really like the bar but the company is not good. I have never dealt with a company that continually tried to deny my complaints and then attempt to blame me for the problem. They have never taken responsibility for the problem and they never will. Beware!