“My first and hopefully only bar.. I think I made a respectable choice.. Gonna add a weight set and squat rack next”

Posted 9 years ago

“I got the Vulcan Elite 3.0 about a month ago. I've been using it for olympic lifts and assistance work (squats, pulls, etc.). Here's my review: Pros: 1. Whip: The whip is really nice. Catching heavy cleans is relatively soft on the the shoulders. 2. Strength: For a 28mm bar, this bar feels STRONG. Some of the lower end Pendlay bars feel like they do not return to straight after repeated use. This bar starts to bend with about 140kg on it but returns to straight afterwards. I am confident it will hold up for a long time. Neutral: 1. Spin: The spin is fine. It spins relatively well, especially for a bearing bar, but nothing to write home about. Cons: 1. Knurling: To me, the knurling does not feel sharp enough for olympic lifts. It's not as soft as a worn down globo gym bar, but I've used Rogue weightlifting bars, DHS training bars, and pendlay bearing bars and I prefer the knurling on all of those compared to the Vulcan Elite 3.0. Also, the center knurling is almost comically soft. I specifically wanted a bar with center knurling for use during squats but the center knurling on this bar serves almost no purpose. 2. Finish: This is one the biggest cons of all in my opinion. I was quite stunned when I opened the package and immediately saw that the bar has a sort of matte finish to it, rather than that shiny finish I am accustomed to seeing on high quality bars. While I don't think it really affects the quality of the bar, I just really don't like it and I don't think the photos of the bar's finish on Vulcan's website show the finish clearly. 3. Packaging: The package that the bar came in was standard cardboard which is fine but there was no notice on the packaging that the bar should not be stored vertically. It seemed clear the bar had been stored vertically since the bar arrived quite greasy from lubricant that leaked out of the sleeves during transit. 4. Sleeves: Another huge drawback in my opinion. As a weightlifter, I'm accustomed to not using collars during most lifts. I've performed olympic lifts and assistance work in this fashion using many bars and have never really had an issue with plates sliding. This is NOT the case with the Vulcan 3.0 Elite. Especially during squats, it feels like if the bar does not remain perfectly straight, the plates will start to slide. I WOULD NOT LIFT ON THIS BAR WITHOUT USING COLLARS. 5. Price: Taking into account the numerous cons versus few pros, I think the bar is overpriced. Overall: I'd rate this bar 3 out of 5 stars. It's hard to find a reliable 28mm bar with decent spin for under $400 so I'll give Vulcan credit for that. I really wanted to love this bar but I cannot rate this bar more 3 stars due to the soft knurling, slippery sleeves, cheap looking finish, and inflated price for a bar with these flaws.”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 years ago

Hi Daniel, Thanks for leaving a review. We just wanted to address what you stated as the cons of the bar out of the many points you mentioned. Knurling: as you stated, it's really a matter of preference and some people will like knurling that they have been training with or grown accustomed to initially. The finish is listed as dense chrome and listed as matte in the description. It is definitely not cheap. The two images that show the center knurling (listed as passive) and outer knurling should show the matte finish, but our apologies if you did not see any of this information. Sleeves. The bar does flex more than any of the other bars you mentioned. It flexes with less than 140kg from our testing, which is not done with human methods but by applying pressure to the bar in the way we show for the 1500lb deflection test (using less pressure). All this being said, chrome sleeves plus "flexy" bar means plates can slide. We recommend using collars during lifting with any bar. Just to be safe. Packaging. The bar can be stored upright or horizontally. The oil you see in the bag is oil applied to the bar itself to dissipate any humidity during ocean transit and storage within our warehouse. It's just to prevent the corrosive effects of the environment. Price. We know of no one currently offering a bar with tensile strength, equivalent rotation, tight tolerances, as well as highly durable chrome finish and true 28mm shaft at the knurling within IWF specs, at our price.

Posted 8 years ago

“I've been able to use the bar now for a few weeks. Bushings in bar are fantastic. Very smooth. Knurling is as close to perfect as I can ask for. The smoother knurl in the center is just right to give enough bite on your shirt for squats. My gripe: The finish of the bar. The collars are finished great. The bar not so much. The coating is not even and came and looks scratched. I know the finishing on all bars will eventually where but I was pretty disappointed in the matte zinc finish to be honest. I expected better uniform unscratched bar after dropping close to $400. But the finish doesn't detract from the finish of the bar.”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 years ago

“I've been able to use the bar now for a few weeks. Bushings in bar are fantastic. Very smooth. Knurling is as close to perfect as I can ask for. The smoother knurl in the center is just right to give enough bite on your shirt for squats. My gripe: The finish of the bar. The collars are finished great. The bar not so much. The coating is not even and came and looks scratched. I know the finishing on all bars will eventually where but I was pretty disappointed in the matte zinc finish to be honest. I expected better uniform unscratched bar after dropping close to $400. But the finish doesn't detract from the finish of the bar.”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 years ago

“I've been weightlifting shy of 2 years and finally decided on investing on a oly barbell. Really liked the stats on this bar vs what I saw on other sites, so I went with V3 Elite Oly bar. The bar looks, performs, and feels great so far. Knurling on it is what I was looking for and the bar is real smooth. Snatches and Cleans feel solid vs what we have at the box. Ordering from the site was simple and delivery was great! I would suggest this bar if it's in your budget it a steal at this price.”

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Posted 9 years ago

“If your are in the market for a bushing bar, stop looking. This is the best bushing bar on the market right now. I love this thing.”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 years ago

Jordan Williamson

Unverified Reviewer

“Bar was shipped quickly. Knurling is nice, more pronounced than the lower level pendlay but but not aggressive. The bar doesn't look to spin as well as it does. It surprises you on its quality. Cheaper gym bumper plates have some issue staying on the bar, but nicer training plates do not. If this bar stays at this level of performance for a long time you have a steal of a bar.”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 years ago

“This is the best bushing bar I've seen since the days of the old York bushing bars. The knurling is PERFECT. Great whip, as good as Vulcan's two higher priced bearing bars. Straight out of the tube is doesn't have the spin of the bearing bars, of course, but perfectly serviceable. The lifters at Rubber City Weightlifting love it already. Dan Bell, USAW National Level Coach Head Coach, RCW”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 years ago

Vulcan 20 kg V4.0 Elite 28 mm Olympic Barbell Reviews