OBXS 20KG Stainless Power Lifting Bar

Name: OBXS 20KG Stainless Power Lifting Bar
Brand: Ivanko
Rating: 3.78 (3 reviews)

Ivanko’s OBXS-20KG-29MM is a USA-made competition powerlifting bar built entirely from 218,000 PSI stainless steel, with bronze bushings at the sleeve rather than a coated or bare-steel shaft, so there’s no finish to chip, peel, or rust over time. It’s 7’2” (2200mm) long, 20kg (44.08 lb), with a 29mm knurled shaft and 50mm sleeves, and every bar is mag-tested, ultrasonic-tested, and straightness-certified to within 0.006” per foot – it carries IPF (International Powerlifting Federation) approval for competition use. The knurl is deliberately passive rather than aggressive: a single center-knurl section with standard 32” powerlifting hand-placement marks (no Olympic-lift marks, no 3-ring pattern), which a long-term owner found gave a wider smooth section for scrape-free deadlifts compared with Ivanko’s own non-standard-knurl Olympic bars. The line has been unavailable to buy new for roughly five years – it still turns up occasionally on retailers’ sites as “in stock,” but that listing doesn’t reflect real availability, and the closest thing to a current sale is a rare secondhand unit changing hands within the home-gym community for around $1,200.

Buying guide

Best Barbell for Your Home Gym — July 2026

Knurl	Center knurl only, standard 32" powerlifting marks (passive, not aggressive)
Length	7'2" (2200mm)
Origin	Made in USA
Weight	20kg (44.08 lb)
Bushings	Bronze sleeve bushings
Material	Stainless steel (no coating)
Certification	IPF approved; mag-tested, ultrasonic-tested, x-ray tested
Shaft diameter	29mm
Sleeve diameter	50mm (1.947in)
Tensile strength	218,000 PSI
Straightness tolerance	< 0.006 in/ft T.I.R.

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

	OBXS 20KG Stainless Power Lifting Bar	Olympic Trap Bar and Shrug Bar	Eleiko Curl Bar	The Curler
GymRadar rating	3.78/5	3.78/5	3.78/5	3.78/5
Price		$35.99
Knurl	Center knurl only, standard 32" powerlifting marks (passive, not aggressive)
Length	7'2" (2200mm)
Origin	Made in USA
Weight	20kg (44.08 lb)
Bushings	Bronze sleeve bushings
Material	Stainless steel (no coating)
Certification	IPF approved; mag-tested, ultrasonic-tested, x-ray tested
Shaft diameter	29mm
Sleeve diameter	50mm (1.947in)
Tensile strength	218,000 PSI
Straightness tolerance	< 0.006 in/ft T.I.R.

3.8/5 · 3 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	3.78/5	3 reviews
Youtube	4.2/5	1 reviews	"Most Expensive Power Bar" review: build quality is "top-notch," consistent with Ivanko's reputation, with no issues across squat/deadlift/bench use; the reviewer's one explicit caveat is that the knurl is deliberately passive/non-aggressive ("if you are a knurl diva... this is probably not the bar for you"), and notes the bar has been unavailable to buy new for roughly five years.

Ivanko’s OBXS-20KG-29MM is a USA-made, all-stainless-steel powerlifting bar, and build quality is its standout dimension: mag-tested, ultrasonic-tested, and straightness-certified to within 0.006”/ft, with bronze sleeve bushings and a 218,000 PSI shaft that a long-term Florida owner called “solid in the hand” with “the knurl [having] a great feel,” even in high-humidity conditions that would corrode a coated bar. Durability follows from the same stainless construction — no coating to chip or peel, and the owner report shows no wear after years of hard use. Its weak spot is value: the bar has been out of production and unavailable new for roughly five years, one recent reviewer only found a used unit through a Discord community for $1,200, and no current retail listing exists, making it a collector’s buy rather than a practical purchase. Versatility is also modest — a single, deliberately passive center knurl and standard powerlifting markings only, so lifters who want an aggressive knurl or Olympic-lift hand marks should look elsewhere.

+Build quality: mag-tested, ultrasonic-tested, and straightness-certified (<0.006"/ft) 218,000 PSI stainless shaft with bronze sleeve bushings (Ivanko, Iron Company)
+Build quality: "the entire bar is stainless steel except for the bronze bushings... it feels solid in the hand and the knurl has a great feel" (2012 long-term owner review, Bodybuilding.com forum)
+Durability: stainless construction shrugged off years of use in high-humidity Florida conditions with no rust or wear reported (Bodybuilding.com forum owner review)
+Functionality: wider unknurled shaft section and standard powerlifting markings (vs. Ivanko's own non-standard-knurl Olympic bars) let the owner deadlift without shin scraping (Bodybuilding.com forum owner review)
+Functionality: shaft runs about an inch wider than a standard bar, giving extra clearance when squatting in narrower power racks (YouTube: grail-bar review)

−Value: unavailable new for roughly five years, with no current manufacturer or retailer listing — a 2025 buyer only found a used unit via a homegym Discord for $1,200 (YouTube: grail-bar review)
−Versatility: knurl is deliberately passive/non-aggressive — "if you are a knurl diva... this is probably not the bar for you" (YouTube: grail-bar review)
−Versatility: center-knurl-only, standard powerlifting markings — no Olympic-lift hand-placement marks, so it's a single-purpose power bar (Ivanko product page)
−Value: GymRadar's own on-site rating is thin (3.78/5, n=3) and, per manufacturer-hosted-rating caveats, not independently verified