Open Trap Bar / Hex Bar

Name: Open Trap Bar / Hex Bar
Brand: Bells of Steel
Rating: 4.21 (8 reviews)

Bells of Steel’s open trap bar is the budget play in the open-front category, undercutting boutique bars by hundreds of dollars. It weighs 47 lb, has rotating sleeves on bronze bushings for wrist-friendly pulls, and includes a built-in deadlift jack so you tip the loaded bar to swap plates inches off the floor. The catch is capacity and loadable length: it is rated to 700 lb with short ~9.7-inch sleeves, so extreme loads are out. For a longer-sleeve, higher-capacity bar step up to the REP Open Trap Bar, or consider the closed Trap Bar 2.0.

Buying guide

Best Barbell for Your Home Gym — July 2026

Type	open/hex trap bar
Handles	dual-height
Sleeves	rotating

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

	Open Trap Bar / Hex Bar	REP® Open Trap Bar
GymRadar rating	4.21/5	4.63/5
Price	$323.99	$399.99
Type	open/hex trap bar	open/hex trap bar
Handles	dual-height	dual-height
Sleeves	rotating

4.2/5 · 8 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert	4.21/5	8 reviews
Retailer	4.8/5	393 reviews
Youtube	3.5/5	3 reviews	Garage Gym Life's first-impressions unboxing is positive overall despite a cosmetic transit ding, working deadlifts to ~405 lb with no issues. Garage Gym Reviews (Coop) calls it a good, budget-friendly value but not the best in category, recommending the Giant Northland or REP Open Trap Bar instead, and flags the black-oxide finish as wearing/corroding faster than Bells of Steel's own Industrial version. Curtis's deadlift-day review (575 lb pulls) gives an explicit "Final verdict: 6/10" — good for the money, with minor whip and a first-plate tip-over quirk.
Reddit	3.6/5	4 reviews	Excluding comments about BOS's separate, pricier Industrial Rackable trap bar, four on-topic mentions of the standard Open Trap Bar/Hex Bar remain: a size-comparison thread wanting longer sleeves (echoes the short-sleeve gripe from expert reviews), a kettlebell-community comparison noting the handles sit lower/harder than Rogue's version, a garage-gym build-list post citing it at ~$275, and a recommendation calling it "a bit better" than the Titan Rickshaw at a slightly higher price. Sentiment is mixed-to-neutral.

Bells of Steel’s open trap bar is the budget standout in its category, undercutting the Vulcan Open Hex Bar, Kabuki Trap Bar HD, and Eleiko Öppen by hundreds of dollars while still offering rotating sleeves and a built-in deadlift jack. Value is the clear strength — one reviewer scored it a perfect 10/10 on that dimension — but durability is the weakest spot, with reviewers noting frame flex at heavier loads and inconsistent knurling, plus a short loadable sleeve that caps plate capacity and rules out power-rack storage.

+Value: aggressively priced against the Vulcan Open Hex Bar ($500), Kabuki Trap Bar HD ($650), and Eleiko Öppen ($800), with free shipping (Garage-Gyms.com, manufacturer page)
+Functionality: rotating sleeves on bushings plus a built-in deadlift jack for fast plate changes, uncommon at this price (ShreddedDad)
+Versatility: open-frame design supports lunges, carries, and rows in addition to deadlifts and shrugs (manufacturer page, ShreddedDad)
+Build quality: true 50mm Olympic sleeves need no special collars, with a resilient bright zinc sleeve finish (Garage-Gyms.com)

−Durability: frame flexes noticeably at higher loads and knurling is reported inconsistent across units (Garage Gym Reviews)
−Functionality: short ~9.7" loadable sleeve length caps capacity at 3-4 bumper plates and the bar can't be racked in a power rack (Garage-Gyms.com, Garage Gym Reviews)
−Build quality: black oxide/zinc coating scratches easily, and some buyers report poor packaging on arrival (Garage Gym Reviews)
−Versatility: the open frame can feel tight for larger lifters during lunges or carries (GymRadar user reviews)

$323.99

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