Summary and barbell specs

The Thor Fitness Weightliftning Barbell leaves nothing to be desired in terms of functionality, finish and durability. It provides the opportunity to buy a true 28mm barbell for olympic weightlifting at <400€, when many other quality barbells in this category cost 500-600€. However, it does face fierce competition in its price range.

• Price: 387 euro
• Shaft diameter: 28 mm
• Bushings: Bronze
• Tensile Strength: 216.200 PSI
• IPF or IWF+IPF knurl markers
• Limited Life-time Warranty (one retailer lists that you have to use their bumpers, their rubber mats and their collars)

Design and features

The shaft comes in two finishes. Either a chrome or a black hybrid oxide. Additionally, you can choose between dual knurl marks or single weightlifting knurl marks. This results in 4 different variations of the barbell, that you can choose between. Note that the sleeves are ribbed. Something to be aware of if you hate the sound of plates moving along a ribbed sleeve.

The sleeves are engraved with the Thor fitness logo, which looks really good in my opinion (see picture below). Finally, the finish is great and extremely resilient. After almost 4 years of being used several times a week with some pretty rough cast iron plates, my barbell still shows very little signs of use.

The barbell is imported. I have been in touch with Thor Fitness, and they could not tell me the exact location of its production, since they import equipment from a large collection of countries. For an additional visual breakdown of the barbell check out their website where they have a video highlighting the specs and design features.

Functionality

In my opinion the medium aggresive volcano knurl on this barbell is a great match for a 28mm weightlifting barbell. On heavier pulls, my own grip is the limiting factor, and it allows me to loose my grip before the skin is pulled from my hands. That is exactly what I want from a barbell that I use for cleans and snatches.

I also use mine for deadlifts and squats regularly. It works just fine, but remember that a 28mm barbell will have lots of bounce and bend on lifts. If you want a stiff barbell with center knurling mainly for SBD (squat, bench, deadlift), you should probably consider buying a powerlifting barbell. This is a great hybrid barbell for people who want that 28mm shaft.

It comes with bronze bushings that are very durable. Of course they doent spin as well as needle bearings. But the bronze bushings help keep the price of the barbell down. I have a 110-120kg clean and a 85-90kg snatch, and I have never felt any lack of rotation on any omlypic lifts. Furthermore, I have never oiled mine, yet it still rotates as well as the day I bought it.

No regrets, but check out the competitors

The longer I have owned my Thor fitness weightlifting barbell, the less I have regretted this purchase. My barbell has been incredibily resilent through 4 years of regular use. Even after more than 6 months where it was stored in a damp cellar followed by an additional 2 months in a non-isolated shed.

Nevertheless, a few other imported 28mm weightliftning barbell are available at an significantly lower price point (see table below). Especially, the Riot Weightlifting Bar by Strengthshop has received great reviews on their website and costs almost 100€ less than the Thor fitness barbell. And a reader reached out to me and told me about his great experience with this barbell that also often pops up on forums.

However, if you can settle for a 28,5mm shaft for your hybrid/weightlifting barbell needs, Rogue suddenly enter the competition at a slightly lower price (see table below). Rogue is probably the most tried-&-tested brand when it comes to their made-in-America barbells. Rogue barbells also come with a life-time warranty that you probably will never need to use.

Barbell	Shaft Diameter	Imported	Price
Sqmize Competition Barbell	28 mm	Yes	335€ (often on sale for 270€)
Kingsbox C Bar	28 mm	Yes	320€
Strengthshop Riot Weightlifting Bar	28	Yes	290€
The Rogue Bar 2.0	28,5 mm	No	375€
The Rogue Echo Bar	28,5 mm	No	368€

Conclusion and final score

In conclusion, you will not regret buying this barbell if you are looking for one of the cheaper true 28mm weightlifting barbells., but you should check out the competiton. The durability and performance are highlights, while the limited life time warranty deducts a star from the score. But if a 28,5mm shaft can suffice you, then you should check out the Rogue hybrid bars as a alternative.

I hope this was helpfull! Check out more articles below.