Best Home Gym Gear
Good Buddy Bar - 20KG Aggressive Power Bar

Heavy Metal LLC

Good Buddy Bar - 20KG Aggressive Power Bar

Buy Now · $120.00

The Good Buddy Bar - 20KG Aggressive Power Bar is Heavy Metal LLC’s factory-second version of its standard 45lb power bar — new steel with minor cosmetic or fit blemishes that don’t affect performance, sold at a steep discount off the brand’s regular retail price. It’s a domestic, USA-made powerlifting bar built from turned, ground, and polished steel with a 28.5mm shaft, 190,000 PSI tensile strength, and an aggressive center-knurl pattern with powerlifting knurl marks, designed to meet IPF competition specifications. The sleeves spin on self-lubricating Oilite bushings and are secured with a dual snap-ring design, tested to a 2,000lb load capacity. Owner reviews on GymRadar consistently describe it as an outstanding value, with several comparing its knurl favorably to a cerakote Rogue Ohio Power Bar.

Buying guide

Best Barbell for Your Home Gym — July 2026
Knurl Aggressive, with center knurl
Finish Black zinc or clear zinc (availability dependent)
Origin Made in the USA
Weight 45 lb (20 kg)
Bushings Self-lubricating Oilite bushings
Compliance IPF specifications
Knurl marks Powerlifting standard
Load capacity 2,000 lb tested
Sleeve design Dual snap ring
Shaft diameter 28.5 mm
Tensile strength 190,000 PSI

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

Good Buddy Bar - 20KG Aggressive Power Bar Iron Cowboy Power Bar SS Yoke Bar - SSB Colorado™ Bar - 20kg
GymRadar rating 4.73/5 4.73/5 4.74/5 4.74/5
Price $120.00 $330.00 $489.25 $320.00
Knurl Aggressive, with center knurl
Finish Black zinc or clear zinc (availability dependent)
Origin Made in the USA
Weight 45 lb (20 kg)
Bushings Self-lubricating Oilite bushings
Compliance IPF specifications
Knurl marks Powerlifting standard
Load capacity 2,000 lb tested
Sleeve design Dual snap ring
Shaft diameter 28.5 mm
Tensile strength 190,000 PSI

4.7/5 · 5 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert 4.73/5 5 reviews

Owners consistently call this a standout-value power bar: a USA-made, IPF-spec 28.5mm bar with an aggressive powerlifting knurl that several reviewers rate more aggressive than their cerakote Rogue Ohio Power Bar, sold as a factory-second “blem” unit at a steep discount off Heavy Metal’s own retail price. Value is the clear standout dimension — every reviewer independently flags the price-to-spec ratio as exceptional, and build quality (smooth-spinning sleeves on Oilite bushings, near-invisible cosmetic flaws) draws no complaints. The weakest dimension is durability, where the only evidence is a handful of recent, glowing GymRadar reviews with no long-term wear reports yet.

  • +Value: sold as a factory-blemish "Good Buddy" bar at roughly 40% off Heavy Metal's standard retail price, with specs matching top-tier power bars (GymRadar reviews)
  • +Functionality: aggressive powerlifting knurl that multiple reviewers rate more aggressive than a cerakote Rogue Ohio Power Bar (GymRadar reviews)
  • +Build quality: sleeves spin smoothly on self-lubricating Oilite bushings with a dual snap-ring design; cosmetic blemishes are minor and don't affect grip or function (GymRadar reviews)
  • +Build quality: 28.5mm shaft, 190,000 PSI tensile strength, and IPF-spec compliance for a bar in this price range (manufacturer)
  • Durability: no long-term wear data yet — all independent reviews are from within the past few months (GymRadar reviews)
  • Versatility: as a "blem" unit, cosmetic condition (finish marks, minor machining flaws) varies bar to bar and isn't guaranteed consistent (GymRadar reviews)
  • Value: coverage is limited to a single small review sample — no editorial, video, or community discussion exists to corroborate GymRadar's numbers

$120.00

Buy Now

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