Specialty bars have been around for a long time and we have seen some great innovations in the offerings as well. Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar is another specialty bar that aims to make your workouts more effective and comfortable by doing something unconventional. The unconventional approach is what makes a specialty bar special, we have seen fat bars that are amazing for strong men training, tsunami bars and their mismatched plate housing and even multi-grip bars for better lifting.
So how epic is the Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar? Well, we ordered one and decided to take it for a spin in the office (so-to-speak). Here’s what we found out about the Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar.
Quick Review Summary for People in a Hurry
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Recommendation: Try it you have shoulder problems or just really love specialty bars.
Pros:
– Great for bench and those with shoulder problems.
– Good knurling.
Cons:
– May not be appropriate for everyone. Some love it and some hate it. Best to try it out somewhere before you buy.
– Crazy Expensive.
– Does not fit in normal j-hooks easily. Update: Kubuki Strength did get back to us on this saying: “Standard J-cups will work with the Duffalo Bar, all you have to do is swap them from one side to the other. Here's a video that shows how:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8H8hrXhEbQ/“
Read on to read our full written review or click the buttons below to check pricing now:
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Intro
What Is a Duffalo Bar?
A Duffalo Bar is essentially a buffalo bar made by Chris Duffins, a professional weight lifter. Yes, the name is a pun and no we don’t hate it at all. A Buffalo bar is a bar that is bent/cambered like a smooth bow. There are many benefits of its unique shape which we will discuss further however the biggest one is comfort and efficiency.
The differences between a standard buffalo bar and the one made by Chris Duffins are quite a bit. One of the biggest ones is that the Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar is cambered a bit more than a standard buffalo bar. The other is quality, Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar is superb in its build quality and design.
Who Created the Duffalo Bar?
Chris Duffins made the company Kabuki Strength and they manufactured the Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar. It is important to note that Duffins is not just a corporate investor, he is an actual weight lifter with records and proven track records of his products performing well. Kabuki Strength aims to make high-quality products in the USA and innovate products that need an overhaul. The company makes several products but the Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar is the most popular one.
How Heavy Is A Duffalo Bar?
The Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar comes at 55 pounds and is made with a special proprietary chrome-alloy steel. The steel is heat-treated and has 210,000 PSI Tensile strength. The shaft comes with a 30 mm diameter.
One of the best things about the Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar is its load capacity of 1500 pounds. However, during our testing, we found that to be a huge understatement. The bar is made out of superb materials and can withstand more weight with ease. However, we don’t recommend that you do that yourself (sly wink). The solidly built bar comes at 96 inches of total length.
What Are The Benefits and Purpose Of a Duffalo Bar?
The Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar is better than standard bars when it comes to lat engagement and scapular retraction. It is also great for stabilization and bracing for the lifts.
All of this translates to longer and more comfortable workout sessions that will encourage you to lift more simply because of how comfortable it is. You will be able to squat more weight without feeling the bar digging into your shoulders. Your hand will also rest in a natural position with all fingers engaged in the bar. That gives you a sense of stability and trust that can be lacking when using a standard Olympic bar. In short, the Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar provides you with a natural range of motion with more stability and flexibility.
Best Features of the Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar
The Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar has a couple of great features that are better than a standard bar or even a buffalo bar.
The Camber
The Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar comes with an exaggerated camber when compared to other buffalo bars in the market. The extra bend allows it to hug your back more naturally and thus provides stable operation. A curved bar is better for squatting and the Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar genuinely wraps itself around your back during them. That’s not all, the bar is also great for bench pressing and over headed presses. This is because your wrists are at a natural angle and that increases lat engagement.
Longer and Better Sleeves
The Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar also comes with long sleeves and they are always a good thing. While it may not be useful for beginners, it is certainly a good feature to have if you are an advanced lifter. Longer sleeves allow you to stack more weight on the Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar and increase productivity. Speaking of more weight, the Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar also has sleeves angled slightly upward. It might be difficult to see in the product pictures but the slight angle is better for not only loading weight but also retaining it on the bar.
Small Touches
One thing that we really loved is the knurling on the bar. It is not sharp enough to dig into your hands but is designed well enough so you know you are gripping it. It won’t allow the bar to slide off your back either, however, you will definitely feel it on the back thanks to the weight. The rotating sleeves are also a good addition, the spin isn’t that robust but is adequate for the most part. We also loved how the company added a screw port in the sleeve where you can attach a hook. The hook makes it super easy to change bands or chains rapidly.
One downside of the Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar is that it doesn’t fit well on J-cups on our standard power rack. The bar will face downwards and generally doesn’t feel that secure on them. Kabuki Strength should definitely look into making custom J-Cups that fit standard power racks so we can at least have some sense of security.
Update: Kubuki Strength did get back to us on this saying this:
Standard J-cups will work with the Duffalo Bar, all you have to do is swap them from one side to the other. Here's a video that shows how:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8H8hrXhEbQ/
Wrap-Up
The Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar is an excellent buffalo bar, especially if you already have a standard bar to pair it with. The quality of the product is superb and you will be hard-pressed to find any faults with it. To be fair, at that price point, there really shouldn’t be any flaws anyways.
If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to comment below. We always love to hear your thoughts and opinions.
Results
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Recommendation: Try it you have shoulder problems or just really love specialty bars.
Pros:
– Great for bench and those with shoulder problems.
– Good knurling.
Cons:
– May not be appropriate for everyone. Some love it and some hate it. Best to try it out somewhere before you buy.
– Crazy Expensive.
– Does not fit in normal j-hooks easily. Update: Kubuki Strength did get back to us on this saying: “Standard J-cups will work with the Duffalo Bar, all you have to do is swap them from one side to the other. Here's a video that shows how:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8H8hrXhEbQ/“
