Archon Multi Grip Bar

Name: Archon Multi Grip Bar
Brand: Archon
Rating: 4.22 (3 reviews)

The ARCHON Multi-Grip Olympic Bar is a specialty barbell built to add pressing and pulling variety to a home gym without the cost of a full power bar. It offers four grip options – close neutral, wide neutral, and two angled positions reached by flipping the bar – aimed at working the chest, shoulders, triceps, and biceps from different angles, and is frequently recommended as a shoulder-friendly alternative to a straight bar for close-grip pressing. Reviewers consistently call it one of the better values among specialty bars: knurled 28mm grips, clean welds, and chrome-plated sleeves (rather than the powder coat many rivals use on their sleeves) hold up well to repeated plate loading, and it accepts tight-tolerance competition plates that some specialty bars can’t. The main tradeoff reviewers flag is handle width – the close-grip spacing runs narrower than on some competing multi-grip bars – and, like multi-grip bars generally, it’s best treated as an accessory tool rather than a replacement for a standard power bar on heavy compound lifts.

Buying guide

Best Barbell for Your Home Gym — July 2026

Finish	Black powder coat (shaft), chrome-plated sleeves
Length	81.75 in (listed); ~82 in per independent measurement
Weight	30 lb (manufacturer listed)
Knurling	Medium
Manufacturer	ARCHON Fitness
Grip diameter	28 mm
Sleeve length	14 in
Grip positions	4 (close neutral, wide neutral, angled x2 via flip)
Weight capacity	400-500 lb (sources vary -- manufacturer marketing cites 500 lb tested; one independent reviewer lists a 400 lb rated max capacity)
Plate compatibility	Olympic and bumper plates, including tight-tolerance competition plates

What is a Barbell?

What a barbell is

The barbell is the center of a strength gym — the bar you squat, press, deadlift, and clean with. A men’s Olympic bar is 20 kg (44 lb) and 7.2 ft long (15 kg / 6.5 ft for women). The specs that matter: knurl (the grip texture — aggressive for pulls, milder for high-rep work), shaft diameter (28–29 mm for barbell lifts), sleeve rotation (bushings are fine for slow lifts; bearings spin fast for the Olympic lifts), tensile strength (~190k+ PSI resists bending), and coating (bare steel grips best but rusts; stainless and Cerakote trade grip for corrosion resistance).

Which one to buy

For general lifting, a multipurpose bar (28–28.5mm shaft, dual knurl marks, no center knurl) does squats, bench, deadlifts, and the occasional clean off one bar — this is the right first barbell for most home gyms. Choose a dedicated power bar (29mm, stiffer, aggressive center-knurl grip) only once you know you’re training squat/bench/deadlift specifically and want the stiffest, grippiest tool for that job. A dedicated Olympic weightlifting bar (needle bearings, more whip) is worth it only if you clean, snatch, or jerk regularly.

Beyond your main bar, specialty bars solve specific problems rather than replacing it: a safety squat bar shifts load off sore shoulders, a trap/hex bar takes stress off a cranky lower back on pulls, and a curl bar’s camber reduces wrist strain on isolation work. Add them once you know which problem you actually have.

How it compares

	Archon Multi Grip Bar	Angled Multi-Grip Barbell	Mammoth Bar	Iron Wolfe Vintage Bench Bar
GymRadar rating	4.22/5	4.22/5	4.22/5	4.22/5
Price		$204.97
Finish	Black powder coat (shaft), chrome-plated sleeves
Length	81.75 in (listed); ~82 in per independent measurement
Weight	30 lb (manufacturer listed)	38 lb (current V3; earlier units reviewed online list 45-48 lb)		50 lb (manufacturer description); one community estimate cites ~55 lb
Knurling	Medium	Medium, single knurl mark per grip
Manufacturer	ARCHON Fitness		American Barbell
Grip diameter	28 mm	32 mm
Sleeve length	14 in
Grip positions	4 (close neutral, wide neutral, angled x2 via flip)
Weight capacity	400-500 lb (sources vary -- manufacturer marketing cites 500 lb tested; one independent reviewer lists a 400 lb rated max capacity)	1,000 lb (current V3; earlier units reviewed online list up to 1,918 lb)
Plate compatibility	Olympic and bumper plates, including tight-tolerance competition plates	Standard 2" Olympic plates (spring collars not compatible with 48mm sleeves)

4.2/5 · 3 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	4.22/5	3 reviews
Youtube	4.3/5	2 reviews

The ARCHON Multi-Grip Bar earns a reputation as a budget specialty-bar standout – independent YouTube reviewers and forum owners alike credit its knurled grips, chrome-plated sleeves, and clean welds as well above what its roughly $75-$110 price point usually buys. Build quality is the clear standout dimension, with reviewers repeatedly comparing it favorably to pricier bars from Rogue and Titan. Versatility is the weakest spot: the close-grip handle spacing runs narrower than some rival multi-grip bars, and multi-grip bars as a category are better suited to accessory pressing work – close-grip bench, overhead press, rows – than as a heavy-press replacement for a standard power bar. Coverage is thin (two YouTube reviews plus a forum thread, and a 3-review sample on the manufacturer’s own on-site rating), so treat the verdict as directionally solid rather than exhaustively verified.

+Functionality: three grip positions (close neutral, wide neutral, angled) plus a flip-side angle option ease shoulder strain on pressing work (YouTube: Basement Brandon)
+Build quality: clean, well-done welds and knurled 28mm grips at a price point where rival specialty bars often ship plain, unknurled coatings (YouTube: Basement Brandon)
+Durability: chrome/plated sleeves hold up to repeated plate loading noticeably better than the powder-coated sleeves common on competing specialty bars (YouTube: Basement Brandon)
+Value: at roughly $75-$110, it undercuts premium specialty bars like Rogue's MG-3 by a wide margin; forum users call it "likely the best value" (Exodus Strength forum)
+Versatility: fits tight-tolerance competition plates that some specialty bars can't, and is rated to 400-500 lb for close-grip bench, overhead press, rows, and curls (YouTube: Basement Brandon, YouTube: Gains Marathon)

−Versatility: the close-grip handle spacing runs narrower than some rival multi-grip bars, which one forum user called "way too narrow" (Exodus Strength forum)
−Build quality: up close, the transition between the black powder coat and chrome sleeves looks less finished, and welds "could be better" per one reviewer (YouTube: Gains Marathon)
−Durability: at least one buyer reported plate-fitment issues on one sleeve, attributed to inconsistent chrome plating (Exodus Strength forum)
−Value: shipping alone can run from ~$20-40 up to $275+ depending on carrier and location, eating into the bar's low sticker price (YouTube: Basement Brandon, YouTube: Gains Marathon)
−Functionality: multi-grip bars in general -- this one included -- feel awkward for max-effort heavy pressing versus a standard power bar, so it's best treated as an accessory tool (Exodus Strength forum consensus)