T-Grip Barbell

Name: T-Grip Barbell
Brand: American Barbell
Rating: 5.0 (4 reviews)

American Barbell’s T-Grip Double Angle Handle Bar is a specialty multi-grip barbell built around angled center handles and a cutout in the middle of the bar that lets it clear the head during overhead pressing – a design aimed at lifters who get shoulder pain from straight-bar pressing. The straight section between the angled handles doubles as a neutral-grip curl and row bar, so the same bar covers bench press, overhead press, curls, skull crushers, and rows. It ships with a choice of fixed (30 lb) or rotating (55 lb) Olympic sleeves – one-piece, drop-forged, boltless, with a hard chrome finish and a bushing-bearing rotation system shared with American Barbell’s Mammoth Bar – rated to a 500+ lb safe load capacity. The shaft is black powder-coated with knurled grips throughout. Note: this bar is discontinued at the manufacturer (delisted from their current site, marked “Discontinued” on GymRadar), so it’s most likely to turn up used or through remaining retailer stock rather than as a fresh manufacturer order.

Buying guide

Best Barbell for Your Home Gym — July 2026

Model	T-Grip Double Angle Handle Bar with Olympic Sleeve (OBTG-DA)
Length	84-90" (84" per Garage Gym Reviews/Active.com; 90" on the manufacturer's own spec sheet -- sources disagree)
Made in	USA
Availability	Discontinued at the manufacturer
Manufacturer	American Barbell
Shaft finish	Black powder coat
Sleeve finish	Hard chrome, one-piece drop-forged boltless construction
Handle spacing	16" inside handles, 24" outside handles
Sleeve diameter	1.9-2"
Safe load capacity	500+ lb
Collar compatibility	Standard spring collars do not stay secure; specialty collars required
Weight fixed sleeves	30 lb
Handle shaft diameter	1-1/4" (31.75mm)
Weight rotating sleeves	55 lb

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

	T-Grip Barbell	Seal Row Bar	Black Diamond™ Power Bar	Northern Lights Black Oxide Olympic Bar
GymRadar rating	5.0/5	5.0/5	5.0/5	5.0/5
Price
Model	T-Grip Double Angle Handle Bar with Olympic Sleeve (OBTG-DA)			Black Oxide Olympic Bar
Length	84-90" (84" per Garage Gym Reviews/Active.com; 90" on the manufacturer's own spec sheet -- sources disagree)		86.6 in	86.5 in
Made in	USA	USA
Availability	Discontinued at the manufacturer
Manufacturer	American Barbell	Rogue Fitness		Northern Lights
Shaft finish	Black powder coat	Black E-Coat		Black oxide
Sleeve finish	Hard chrome, one-piece drop-forged boltless construction	Bright Zinc		Hardened, tempered chrome plate
Handle spacing	16" inside handles, 24" outside handles
Sleeve diameter	1.9-2"		50 mm	2 in (standard Olympic)
Safe load capacity	500+ lb
Collar compatibility	Standard spring collars do not stay secure; specialty collars required
Weight fixed sleeves	30 lb
Handle shaft diameter	1-1/4" (31.75mm)
Weight rotating sleeves	55 lb

5.0/5 · 4 GymRadar reviews

Reviews by source

Expert

5.0/5

4 reviews

American Barbell’s T-Grip is a specialty multi-grip bar built around a head-clearance cutout that lets the angled center handles pass comfortably overhead, plus a straight middle section for bench, rows, curls, and skull crushers. Garage Gym Reviews and Active.com both rate it highly after extended testing, calling out USA-made welds and a bushing-bearing sleeve shared with American Barbell’s Mammoth Bar. Its standout dimension is versatility – reviewers and owners alike single out the shoulder- friendly neutral-grip pressing as the reason to buy it. Its weakest dimension is value: at roughly $360 it’s expensive for a specialty bar, requires non-standard collars since ordinary spring collars won’t stay secure on its sleeves, and the bar is now discontinued at the manufacturer, which caps how much fresh independent coverage or community discussion exists to lean on.

+Versatility: head-clearance cutout plus angled handles support pressing, curling, rowing, and skull crushers with one bar (Garage Gym Reviews, Active.com)
+Functionality: neutral/angled grip options reported to eliminate shoulder pain from straight-bar overhead pressing (American Barbell customer review)
+Build quality: USA-made with precise welds, knurled grips, bronze bushing sleeve rotation shared with the Mammoth Bar (Garage Gym Reviews)
+Build quality: one-piece drop-forged boltless sleeves with hard chrome finish, 500+ lb safe load capacity (American Barbell manufacturer page)

−Value: roughly $360, high for a specialty bar -- "definitely a bar in which you get what you pay for" (Garage Gym Reviews)
−Functionality: sleeves need specialty collars since standard spring collars won't stay secure (Garage Gym Reviews, Active.com)
−Durability: black zinc/powder-coat finish reported prone to oxidation and scratching over time (Garage Gym Reviews, Active.com)
−Durability: discontinued at the manufacturer, so independent long-term ownership data beyond the sources here is limited (GymRadar, American Barbell)