Admiral Ackbar Thread [trap bar]

[mgil]

A place to compile available trap bars and the good/bad.



I see this Bells of Steel open trap bar and it looks promising. I’m way too cheap to buy the Eleiko bar. The Kabuki version is tempting also.

Anyhow, post what you’ve got/used and let’s discuss them.

[murphyreedus]

I have the Titan v1 hex trap bar. I bought it after seeing it getting the ever-living crap beaten out of it on the regular at a strongman gym. As far as I know they haven't broken it yet. The v1 does not have knurl on the low handles, but that's never bothered me as none of my strongman carry stuff is knurled anyway. The v1 is not rackable on my j-hooks, but it sits well on my rack safeties if I want to use it for pressing. The v2 looks like it has most of the bugs worked out, but unless I find one for peanuts used I have no plans to upgrade.

I've also owned:

Hulkfit open trapbar: handles too small, whole bar would feel flexy/bouncy even with low weights on it, sleeves ridiculously long
CAP Mega Hex bar: Very good, cheap, basic trap bar. Not rackable, weights will hit the wood if you have a standard platform. Knurl is a cheesegrater. Handles are a good size. Sleeves are long enough to get decent weight on it.
CAP combo hex bar: cheap, small handles, short sleeves. The upgrade to the Mega is worth it for most people, especially since they've historically been close in price.

[gtl]

I got a trap bar from FitnessFactory.com for $170 shipped with taxes.

I'm not sure of the brand, but might have been a Troy or Body Solid. Black finish.


Not open-ended
No kickstand
Not a ton of sleeve length (can only use so many bumpers)

But, it was cheap, knurling is good, has high and low handles, and works just fine for what it is.

[TimK]

Only thing I don't like about the Eleiko (other than price) is that there's no option of using high handles.

Kabuki's looks good but it comes default with two different grip sizes on the high and low handles and I *think* you have to pay extra if you want the same on both handles... at least that's how it sounded when I checked their website last. Also they show a bunch of ridiculous ways of using it including as a camber bar but it seems like the square tubing would really suck for that. With the Eleiko it would probably be fine.

Prime Fitness has an open trap bar where you can adjust the handle height with a pop-pin. More than two options and you don't need to flip the bar over to use the other handles. Pretty cool but of course very expensive. Also it looks like if you don't want their goofy paddle handles or the huge cone-shaped fat grip ones then you're limited to 1" diameter. I don't get why they wouldn't just go 28 or 29mm like a normal barbell. https://primefitnessusa.com/product/prime-trap-bar/

I don't think the Prime or Kabuki are rackable either whereas the Eleiko is.

[TimK]

I have a Rogue TB-1 that I picked up used about a year ago. Haven't used it much, it was the one thing I kept from a whole garage full of equipment that I bought and flipped. It weighs 75lbs and it's a PITA to maneuver around in my fairly tight space. Since I'm lazy, loading is annoying and I would love to have something with a built in jack. High handles would be nice to have as an option. I have done rows with it, and while it works I have to tailor my positioning to avoid the back of the bar hitting me in the ass, and I think an open bar would be better.

[vanimal]

I have a CAP Barbell trap bar. 63" OAL. 13" solid sleeves machined down out of 2.25" dia. round stock for 2" dia. olympic plates. Sleeves have nice grooving full length and regular 2" collars fit nicely. Both high handles and low handles. All other steel than sleeves is 1.25" dia. round. Like Murphy said, the knurling is bad enough to make you want to put on a pair of work gloves. Not rackable, but fits in a tight space which works well in my case.
It's quite robust and I think I paid about a buck fifty for it a couple of years ago. I leave a cheap pair of bumpers on it all the time and load metal plates on it to add weight to get around the PITA factor of loading plates. Too short to use on the platform but the room has concrete floor so not a problem for me.

I have used the Rogue Trap Bar version 2.0 at the YMCA prior to them closing down. The thing is just enormous, way too big for my space, but it's rackable, plenty of sleeve length, beefy as hell.

[lheugh]

I have a Rogue TB-1 that I picked up used about a year ago. Haven't used it much, it was the one thing I kept from a whole garage full of equipment that I bought and flipped. It weighs 75lbs and it's a PITA to maneuver around in my fairly tight space. Since I'm lazy, loading is annoying and I would love to have something with a built in jack. High handles would be nice to have as an option. I have done rows with it, and while it works I have to tailor my positioning to avoid the back of the bar hitting me in the ass, and I think an open bar would be better.

I have the same model as Tim. Picked it up many years ago and deadlift with it twice a week at the moment. At 6'7, the absence of high handles means I get a fairly large ROM out of it but being in a hypertrophy phase of my training that's okay. It is indeed a PITA to move around and load without a jack of some sort.

[vanimal]

Only thing I don't like about the Eleiko (other than price) is that there's no option of using high handles.

Kabuki's looks good but it comes default with two different grip sizes on the high and low handles and I *think* you have to pay extra if you want the same on both handles... at least that's how it sounded when I checked their website last. Also they show a bunch of ridiculous ways of using it including as a camber bar but it seems like the square tubing would really suck for that. With the Eleiko it would probably be fine.

Prime Fitness has an open trap bar where you can adjust the handle height with a pop-pin. More than two options and you don't need to flip the bar over to use the other handles. Pretty cool but of course very expensive. Also it looks like if you don't want their goofy paddle handles or the huge cone-shaped fat grip ones then you're limited to 1" diameter. I don't get why they wouldn't just go 28 or 29mm like a normal barbell. https://primefitnessusa.com/product/prime-trap-bar/

I don't think the Prime or Kabuki are rackable either whereas the Eleiko is.

You could modify the Eleiko pretty easily with a couple of brackets to give you high handles as well as the stock handles without butchering the thing because the handles are bolt on. That way if you ever decided to unload it you wouldn't have chopped it. I like the high handles too. Then you just shim your feet up to whatever position you want and the bar feels much more stable in your hands. Love the design of that bar otherwise.

[iamsmu]

I have 3 trap bars: The 50# small CAP, the 70# CAP Mega, and the 60# Titan hex trap bar (the Rogue clone) v1.

The knurling on the CAP bars is unusable it's so sharp. I wrapped the handles in racket tape. It holds up well. (I have the SS Rogue Ohio power bar. The knurling on that is sharper than everything else I have, except the CAP trap bars. They are much sharper than the OPB.)

The CAP mega has really thick handles, >32mm. I use straps. At 70+ pounds, it's a little unwieldy if you are trying to get it in a tight spot.

Both CAP bars have rust on some of the welds where the handles are attached. I painted over the rust.

The V1 of the Titan hex bar has the same handle spacing as the CAP bars. But the V2 looks to be narrower. This would make it irritating.

The Titan is by far my favorite, though it is huge. It's only flaw is that the high handles are a little too tall. I don't ever use the high handles. The problem is when it's flipped over, if you put it down crooked you can smash your feet if you take a wide stance. I've considered cutting the high handled off the bar.

If you only have bumpers, like me, you can't get more than about 380 on the small CAP hex bar. (I have mostly Rogue color echo bumpers. They aren't that bulky.) The Mega has longer sleeves. The Titan has even longer sleeves.

[mbasic]

I have 3 trap bars

just ....

whatever

[mbasic]

I have the Rogue TB-1 (or 2?)
I don't use it much at all.

If you use a rubberized platform, with wood down the middle, its nice because its wide like an Olympic Barbell the plates actual land on your platform correctly like a regular bar. It can also be racked normally in a cage/rack as well (rack pulls, shrugs, neutral grip OHP? ....ok that's a stretch).

IIRC the sleeve are fairly long ...they hold a decent amount of weight.

Cons: it is a little clunky to store if your garage is smol.

[mbasic]

Only thing I don't like about the Eleiko (other than price) is that there's no option of using high handles.

you could just throw a 45 under each side or something.

[murphyreedus]

The Titan is by far my favorite, though it is huge. It's only flaw is that the high handles are a little too tall. I don't ever use the high handles. The problem is when it's flipped over, if you put it down crooked you can smash your feet if you take a wide stance. I've considered cutting the high handled off the bar.

I've never had this problem when using the low handles, but my typical stance just barely puts my toes under the high handles. Next time I use it I'm going to see how wide my stance can be before it gets smooshy.

[augeleven]

I have the CAP mega that I picked up when it was super cheap (thanks for the heads-up iamsmu!).
Can confirm kneeling is a bit much, mine is wrapped with masking tape, as that was on hand. I’ve never thought to use straps with it, interesting.

After using it exclusively since March (gotta get muh money worth) and finishing my first block of conventional, my shins miss the trap bar. Trap bar is currently in the landmine as an experiment with lunges and rows. Meh.
Next experiment will be setting it up for Reeves deadlift.

[iamsmu]

The Titan is by far my favorite, though it is huge. It's only flaw is that the high handles are a little too tall. I don't ever use the high handles. The problem is when it's flipped over, if you put it down crooked you can smash your feet if you take a wide stance. I've considered cutting the high handled off the bar.

I've never had this problem when using the low handles, but my typical stance just barely puts my toes under the high handles. Next time I use it I'm going to see how wide my stance can be before it gets smooshy.

I've only hit my foot once and not too hard. But if I were to get really front back crooked with too wide of a stance, I could see breaking a metatarsal. I just try to stand a little narrower and it's fine. . . . The handles on the CAP bars are at least 1.5" shorter. I'll measure later.

[bobmen10000]

I currently use the Eleiko Öppen Deadlift Bar - please don't use such vulgar descriptives like trap or hex for such a fine piece of Swiss barbell engineering. It is fine. The actual quality of the welds, based on mine and another one featured on reddit/home gym post a bit back, is a little bit suspect and I had an issue with an endcap, which I guess is common based on asking Hanley about his own Eleiko trap bar. I asked Eleiko about the end cap issue and they immediately issued me a partial refund of 15% (also offered a return or exchange), which was nice and unnecessary. Still likely paid way too much for the bar and should have used the money to get real gainz via signing up for mail order TRT.

***edit***One more plus I failed to mention for the Eleiko trap bar: I don't have an Eleiko power bar to compare to but the knurling on the trap bar handles are supposed to be comparable, and I can say they are just about right in terms of being grippy but not painful or even rough. Somewhere between an Ohio Bar & Ohio Power Bar.

I used the Edge Fitness Rickshaw for nearly 3 years, which Titan makes a near identical clone of for about half the price when shipping is figured. I liked the rickshaw bar, it is an open trap design, handles are elevated but it can be used for a variety of exercises and the plate sleeves are angled to keep the weights on between reps - still need to use clips if you plan on doing farmer's walks. I do not like the lack of knurling as I have baby hands and need a little bite to keep my hands firmly attached/I-have-the-grip-strength-of-a-small-child. Dollar for dollar, I think the Edge/Titan Rickshaw is a great value provided you are cool with smooth handles. Titan routinely restocks it and you can order it anytime from Edge Fitness.

I used the 50ish lbs Cap trap bar for a bit. Knurling was super aggressive, to the point of holy fuck it is like Pinhead is tearing the skin off my hands each rep. And as mentioned earlier, the sleeves are short so bumpers are out if you pull more than 400 lbs.

I tried the Rogue TB-1 & TB-2 at local gyms. Pretty much the same, I think, save one has two sets of handles. Neither feel as balanced as the Eleiko. Based on my limited exposure to both, I think the Rogue bar are overpriced and you are better of spending some more to upgrade to a Kabuki or Eleiko; similarly priced bars to the Rogues now include jacks as well, not sure of the quality from BOS, Vulcan and others though.

[bobmen10000]

Only thing I don't like about the Eleiko (other than price) is that there's no option of using high handles.

You are the deadlift king but after using a trap style bar with high handles for a few years, I kind of think low handles are closer approximation to actual deadlift and really not that bad overall. Prefer the low handles, I think, though having the option of both would be nice and the Eleiko bar is way too expensive. It might hold better resale value, I guess, so that might justify the extra money. The built-in jack is fantastic as well, though that design is being aped by everyone now (but Rogue) so it is not really anything special.

[TimK]

Only thing I don't like about the Eleiko (other than price) is that there's no option of using high handles.

You are the deadlift king but after using a trap style bar with high handles for a few years, I kind of think low handles are closer approximation to actual deadlift and really not that bad overall. Prefer the low handles, I think, though having the option of both would be nice and the Eleiko bar is way too expensive. It might hold better resale value, I guess, so that might justify the extra money. The built-in jack is fantastic as well, though that design is being aped by everyone now (but Rogue) so it is not really anything special.

Yeah I just scratch my head that for $800 they didn't put high handles on it as well. Probably wouldn't even use them for deadlifts but it would be nice even if just for ease of use when doing other movements like shrugs, lunges, weighted carries, etc. Don't have to bend down as far to pick it up and it would theoretically balance easier with the center of gravity shifted down away from the handles.

[Skander]

Random note- there's a guy on the GG Facebook group that was working on an inexpensive open trap bar that he was going to call the Admiral Ak-bar. Not sure what's going on with that:
https://m.facebook.com/groups/210022370 ... 1341937960

[mgil]

Wright Equipment has overstock on their trap bar on sale:

https://wright-equipment.com/collection ... c-trap-bar

It’s pipe construction, American made, looks robust. A pretty solid deal for $185.