weight benches

This is a completely re-written review as of August 2009.

Here is the history: after the December 2007 review saying that the weight was incorrect, we double-checked Cap Barbell's website. It said that the Olympic 6' bar weighed 40 LBS. We also contacted our rep at Cap. She confirmed that the bar does indeed weigh 40 LBS. We found one and weighed it ourselves. It came to a little under 40 LBS.
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Fast forward to July 2009, and the most recent negative review. Cap Barbell's website still says the same thing it did last time we looked. We contact our rep at Cap once again. They weigh the bar again, and find out that the most recent reviewer was right.

What happened in the last year, we're not sure; perhaps Cap Barbell sourced the bar from a different factory. In any event, this bar now weighs 32 LBS. Cap Barbell will be updating its website shortly, and we will correct our description here on Amazon.com.

This bar definitely exceeded my expectations and then some. This bar is only 3X lbs but it's a foot shorter than an official bar and it's only roughly $60 so you get what you pay for.

Good: What's great about this bar is the price most obviously and collars do swivel easily which your wrists will thank you for. The middle part of the bar is grooved like any bar so ease of use. The bar was very well packaged so no defects were observed.

Bad: The bad really for me is just there aren't any finger placement lines which most 7' bars I've used have but not a game breaker. Using Amazon Prime overnight it still took a week to receive so that was kind of frustrating but not a knock on the product itself.

Bottom Line: All the "bros" writing bad reviews are just aggravated because they want 1,500lbs Olympic bar quality for 1/10th the price. 300lbs is a very agreeable weight limit for a bar in this price range and for home use. If you're that devastated that the... Read more

As my first bar, I elected to purchase the second cheapest one I could find. I ended up with the 72" CAP Olympic bar. I bought it from another site, where it was $40. I considered going for the 7' one, but with my home gym (read: free space on the floor in my bedroom) space is at a premiuim. It arrived intact, packaged in a cardboard tube that had been torn and taped up in the middle (not sure if this happened in shipping or not). When I unpackaged it, the sleeves spin easily, though one more easily than the other. I had contacted CAP before I ordered it, and was quoted a weight of 35 lbs. I haven't bothered to check the actual weight (I haven't actually acquired weight plates for it, let alone a bench or stand), but as I chose this one for being cheap and entry-level, as long as it's between 30 and 40, I'm fine, as if I get serious about lifting, I'll upgrade.