Amazon
KeppiFitness Barbell Clips OPENCOLLAR
2" Olympic Speedlock Vintage Collars
The York 2” Olympic Speedlock Collars are a discontinued cast-iron spin-lock design that York Barbell produced through the 1980s and ’90s, advertised in Strength & Health magazine during that era and often paired with York power bars of the same vintage. Each collar weighs roughly 5 lb for 10-11 lb per pair, secured to a 2” Olympic barbell sleeve with a wing-nut screw and locked in place with a spin-lock top mechanism. The standout detail is an oversized bolt roughly 3/4” across – far larger than the bolts on typical generic collars – which owners report grips firmly without marking up the barbell sleeve over years of use. York no longer manufactures this exact design; it now circulates only as a collector’s item on the secondhand market, though a similarly specced cast-iron “Spin-Lock” collar remains in York’s current lineup under a different name.
| Era | Manufactured 1980s-90s |
|---|---|
| Weight | ~5 lb per collar (~10-11 lb per pair) |
| Material | Heavy-duty cast iron |
| Bolt size | ~3/4" diameter |
| Availability | Discontinued -- collector's item, secondhand market only |
| Manufacturer | York Barbell |
| Sleeve diameter | 2" (50 mm) Olympic |
| Locking mechanism | Wing-nut screw with spin-lock top mechanism |
What is a Collar?
What barbell collars are
Collars (clips) lock the plates onto a barbell’s sleeves so they can’t slide or rattle off — a safety essential, especially for pressing and Olympic lifts. The common types: cheap spring clips, quick lock-jaw / quick-release collars (the everyday favorite — fast and secure), and competition collars (precision-weighted, 2.5 kg each, for calibrated meets).
What to look for
A secure clamp that won’t creep under drops or high reps, quick on-and-off operation, and a fit for your bar’s sleeve diameter (standard Olympic is 50 mm). For most home gyms, a pair of lock-jaw-style collars is the right balance of speed, grip, and price.
How it compares
| 2" Olympic Speedlock Vintage Collars | Proloc™ 2 Chain Collars | Major Fitness Barbell Collars | Olympic Barbell Clamps | TwistLock® Pro Barbell Collars - Black | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GymRadar rating | 3.56/5 | 3.47/5 | 3.44/5 | 3.7/5 |
| Price | $75.00 | $31.99 | $69.97 | |
| Era | Manufactured 1980s-90s | |||
| Weight | ~5 lb per collar (~10-11 lb per pair) | 1.42 lb (pair) | ||
| Material | Heavy-duty cast iron | 1.5" thick nylon | High-quality nylon (cast construction) | aluminum with polymer and neoprene laminate; medium volcano knurling |
| Bolt size | ~3/4" diameter | |||
| Availability | Discontinued -- collector's item, secondhand market only | |||
| Manufacturer | York Barbell | Major Fitness | ||
| Sleeve diameter | 2" (50 mm) Olympic | 2" Olympic | ||
| Locking mechanism | Wing-nut screw with spin-lock top mechanism | hand-adjustable compression | Plastic locking tab (no spring coils) | twist-lock (patented) |
Reviews by source
| Expert | 3.56/5 | 3 reviews | |
| Youtube | 4.8/5 | 1 reviews |
These discontinued York collars date to the 1980s-90s and are now collector’s items — “all but impossible to find” per one vintage-equipment blog — but the design still holds up decades later. Build quality is the standout: each collar is heavy-duty cast iron weighing roughly 5 lb, and one longtime reviewer who also owns Rogue’s aluminum magnetic collars says these get more actual use, crediting an oversized ~3/4” wingnut bolt that hasn’t marked up a barbell sleeve in years of use. Value is the weakest dimension by nature of scarcity — the design is now sold only secondhand or as a modern “Spin-Lock” reissue that is itself frequently sold out, so pricing is unpredictable and coverage is thin (three total independent ratings plus one enthusiast video, no editorial roundup).
- +Build quality: heavy-duty cast iron construction at roughly 5 lb per collar, described by an owner as "beefy" and "huge" compared to typical collars (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
- +Functionality: oversized ~3/4" wingnut bolt combined with a spin-lock adjuster secures plates firmly without marking up the barbell sleeve, unlike smaller-bolt generic collars (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
- +Durability: still functioning as a daily-use collar decades after 1980s-90s manufacture, per a reviewer who's used them longer than his modern alternatives (YouTube: VintageWeightsPGH)
- +Functionality: fits standard 2" Olympic sleeves, so it works on any bar built to that spec (manufacturer product line)
- −Value: discontinued and now a collector's item that's "all but impossible to find" — pricing depends entirely on secondhand availability (Oldtime Strongman Blog)
- −Value: the closest modern equivalent, York's cast-iron spin-lock reissue, lists at $72/pair and is currently sold out (Recovery For Athletes retailer listing)
- −Versatility: single-purpose 2" Olympic collar with no lighter or travel-friendly variant, unlike modern aluminum or magnetic designs (knowledge base research)
- −Durability: only one enthusiast video and a small independent rating pool back the long-term durability claim — no stress testing or large sample exists (knowledge base research)
Similar Equipment
ATX
ATX Pro Barbell Collars
Bells of Steel
Barbell Zip Clips
Berg