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Quick Review Video:
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This is the Titan Fitness Economy Bar and to some, this reviewed up quite quickly. This may be the best entry level bar for the money that you can get. And one thing I should definitely say is that I am not a bar junkie. I do not believe, like some people do, that the barbell is where you should spend the most money for your home gym equipment. I bought this in the fall of 2020 for around $120 and I’ve seen it range from anywhere for $100 to all the way up to I think $130. And at that price point, it’s one of the more affordable barbells you can get.
Shipping
Shipping took about 2 weeks and some of that may have been due to the amount of pandemic volume that they’re getting for these bars so they’re a bit behind. And if I have one complain about the shipping, it’s the way they ship it. The barbell came out of the cardboard tube so it did get dinged up a bit. It’s not a super big issue but it’s something to keep in mind if you’d like to keep your barbell in mint condition, for whatever reason. My philosophy is, these are barbells, they’re going to get dinged up anyway.
Center Knurl
Now this bar has a center knurl and I bought it specifically for back squats so I think the center knurl helps quite a bit in keeping it in place. The knurl depth feels good for me, not too deep and not too shallow. Now the finish of this bar is not perfect. If you run your fingers or kind of glove over it, you’re going to feel some minor imperfections in the finish of the bar but nothing like with Chinese barbell that I ordered during the summer which was almost giving me many metal splinters.
Weight
Also this bar is graded up to 700 lbs which, let’s be honest, that is going to be enough for 90% of us. Most of us are not going to be squatting over 700 lbs.
Wrap Up
Now finally, how would I rate this bar? I would honestly give it a 4.5/5. It would be 5/5 except for the shipping issues. And what sets this entry level bar apart in my eyes is the amount of value you get for your money. And that’s one thing I’ve always liked about Titan is they give you a great value. So a lot of bar manufacturers have actually been raising their price during the pandemic. It’s hard to find a barbell for less than $200 but Titan has seemed to keep most of their pricing relatively the same. And so this is a great option if you can get it while it’s in stock. I highly recommend you do what I did, which is go to their website, click on the Notify me when it’s in stock and you’ll get an email to quickly go on and buy it. But yeah, I love this bar. It’s a great option and you can’t beat the price.
Lastly, it's going to get interesting because in our next review, I actually have the entry level Rogue Fitness Barbell and I’m going to compare the 2. It’s going to be interesting to see for your money do you get more with the Rogue Fitness Bar? So stay tuned for that.
Quick Summary for People in a Hurry
Rating: 4.5/5
Name: Titan Fitness Economy Barbell
Recommendation: One of the top-rated barbells for beginners and intermediates. Highly recommended for people who want well-built, medium-quality products at a reasonable price.
Pros: Budget-friendly, designed as per Olympic standard, 700lbs weight-bearing capacity, 45lbs weight, compatible with 2” Olympic plates, near-perfect chrome finish with no issues of splinters.
Cons: Poor shipping and handling.
Scroll below to read our full written review or click the buttons below to check pricing now:
Full Written Review:
If you have been looking for budget home gym equipment, you would have come across many products from Titan Fitness. This company is well-known for manufacturing medium-quality equipment at a lower price compared to its competitors. Many buyers have stated that Titan’s product can be compared to Rogue’s equipment (which typically costs twice or sometimes thrice the price of Titan’s). We disagree with them. While Titan’s products are much better than other competitively-priced Chinese products, they are definitely not comparable to Rogue’s machines.
And yet, we highly recommend Titan Fitness home gym equipment for budget-minded home gym owners (which includes most of us). Over the past few years, we have tried many of its products and all of them have met our expectations. We specifically like Titan’s T3 series half rack and the T2 series full rack. Both of them offer much more than what you can expect from such budget products. Recently, we ordered Titan’s economy barbell and, after using it for about three months, we have concluded that it is one of the best entry-level barbells that you can get below $150.
In this blog, we will provide you with a detailed description of Titan Fitness Economy Barbell. We will share our first-hand experience of this product and explain to you why we bet on it as the best value-for-money addition for strength training exercises.
Let's look at its key features and specifications first:
Key features and specifications of Titan Fitness Economy Barbell
- Total length: 84”
- Length between the sleeves: 52”
- Weight: 45lbs
- Bar diameter: 30mm
- Sleeve diameter: 2”
- Loadable sleeves: 16”
- Knurling: 8” at the center and 16” on both the ends
- Knurling styles: Diamond
- Weight-bearing capacity: 700lbs
- Material: cold-rolled steel
- Finish: Chrome
- 1-year warranty
Detailed review of Titan Fitness Economy Barbell
Built quality
As mentioned above, Titan Fitness Economy bar is made of cold-rolled steel instead of hot-rolled steel, which is used in most inexpensive home gym equipment. Cold-rolled steel is harder and stronger than hot-rolled steel. So, you can trust this Titan Fitness barbell to handle 700lbs of weight and a decent amount of rough use. Numerous buyers have confirmed that this bar meets all the claims made by its manufacturer.
It weighs 45lbs, which is the Olympic standard for barbells. Other barbells below $120 weigh much less. Some of them weigh as low as 34lbs and have a low weight-bearing capacity. They are shorter in length too. Titan Fitness definitely stands out here by providing a barbell that meets the industry standards and yet doesn’t make you burn a hole in the pocket.
The loading sleeves are 16”. They have a smooth finish and have bushings to give you a decent amount of spin for slow, controlled weight-lifting. The spin is not as good as CAP or Rogue bars but it is decent enough for people who are getting started with medium-level weight-lifting. We strongly recommend you buy barbell collars, so the plates stay tightly secured. Wobbling plates can affect your balance.
Finish
It has a chrome finish, which isn’t absolutely perfect. If you run your hands across the bar, you would feel the imperfections but be assured that you won’t get any splinters. The imperfections are just cosmetic, unlike the cheap Chinese products whose paint chips and leaves sharp splinters on the hands.
Price
Due to increased demand during the pandemic, the prices of home gym equipment have soared many times. Thankfully, Titan Fitness hasn’t doubled or tripled the prices of its products. The prices of its products increased by just a few dollars, which most of us wouldn’t mind paying. We had bought The Titan Fitness Economy barbell at around $120 during the pandemic and the current price on their website is $110.
Its competitive product is the CAP Barbell ‘The Beast’. It can bear 1000lbs of weight and costs around $170. The RitFit 7-foot Olympic Barbell Bar also costs around $160 and can bear 7000 lbs weight. Most barbells below $120 have a very low weight-bearing capacity (around 200lbs). Usually, they are smaller in length and have poor knurling. They may be suitable for beginners but not for people who seriously want to get into weight training.
So, as obvious from the above comparison, the Titan Fitness Economy Barbell is one of the most affordable and top-rated entry-level weight-lifting bars.
Knurling
As mentioned above, Titan Fitness Economy bar has 8” center and 16” side knurling. The diamond patterns of the knurls offer a good grip even on sweaty hands. Although we (and most buyers) found the knurling appropriate, a few buyers have stated that it is a bit aggressive. Well, it's a $100 bar, so we must not expect it to be absolutely great.
Shipping, and delivery
Packaging is well done. Titan Fitness economy barbell comes well-packed in a cardboard tube but the ends are sealed with only plastic plugs and tape. They do hold the barbell inside but sometimes the plastic could break open, exposing the ends of the bar.
Delivery is fast. Even when the pandemic was at its peak, buyers did get their orders within the mentioned time frame.
Shipping and handling have been an issue with most products of Titan Fitness. Beaten up packages are quite normal. Usually, the content of the package doesn’t get damaged but in some cases, it does get dents and scratches. Titan Fitness needs to seriously think about changing its shipping partner.
Pros:
- Its affordability is its biggest positive point. It is very difficult to find such a well-built barbell below $120.
- Titan Fitness economy barbell is the only product below $150 that can handle 700 lbs of weight. Cheaper ones can hardly handle 200lbs.
- It is built as per Olympic standards with 45lbs weight and 2” sleeve thickness, so it can snugly hold the Olympic weight plates. It is easier to find parts that fit well in Olympic-grade products, so accessorizing your home gym will be much easier for you.
Cons:
- The diameter of the bar is 30mm whereas the standard diameter of Olympic bars is 28mm. Well, the 2mm difference isn’t a deal-breaker but if you have fairly small hands, you might not feel comfortable.
- The shipping and handling need to be improved. We also recommend Titan Fitness to ship the barbells in properly closed cardboard boxes instead of just relying on plastic tapes.
Our Rating: 4.5/5
Our Verdict:
Titan Fitness Economy Barbell deserves a higher rating than what we have given. It is a great value-for-money product. Some buyers have even said that it is the only barbell you would ever need! On Amazon, 98% of buyers have rated it 4-stars and above!But, the only reason why we rated it 4.5 star instead of 4.8 or maybe 4.9 star is because of the shipping issues. We understand that barbells do get dinged-up within a few weeks of use but no one wants to receive an already beaten, scratched product. Otherwise, this is a perfect alternative to the super-expensive Rogue barbells.
