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York Vintage leather lined collars for Olympic EZ Curl Bar
York’s leather-lined collars were made to pair with the brand’s Olympic EZ Curl Bar and matching dumbbell handles, clamping around the 2” Olympic sleeve with a spring-loaded mechanism whose bore is lined in leather rather than bare steel or rubber. A vintage-weights collector who owns an original pair describes the leather-lined interior as nearly identical in construction to the base of York’s full-size spinlock collars — the same locking approach scaled down for a curl bar’s slimmer sleeve.
The design has been out of production for years; GymRadar lists it as discontinued, and no current manufacturer, York included, sells a leather-lined equivalent today. The only way to find a pair now is secondhand through vintage-equipment sellers and collectors. Six GymRadar owners rate it 4.28/5 overall, with build quality (4.83/5) well ahead of ease of use (3.67/5) — reviewers who leave plates loaded on the bar get along fine, while those who swap weight often find the leather-and-spring mechanism fussy to put on and take off.
For a currently-produced collar in the same low-cost, squeeze-or-spring family, see York’s 1” Spring Collars w/ Rubber Grips (standard bar) or Rogue Spring Collars (Olympic bar); for a modern, more secure lock-style alternative, see Lock-Jaw Flex Collar.
| Material | Steel body with leather-lined bore |
|---|---|
| Locking mechanism | Spring-loaded clamp, leather-on-sleeve contact |
| Production status | Discontinued — no longer manufactured; secondhand/vintage only |
| Compatible bar diameter | 2" Olympic sleeve (York Olympic EZ Curl Bar and matching dumbbell handles) |
| Owner rating (gymradar) | 4.28/5 across 6 reviews (Build Quality 4.83/5, Value 4.33/5, Performance 3.67/5) |
What is a Collar?
What barbell collars are
Collars (clips) lock the plates onto a barbell’s sleeves so they can’t slide or rattle off — a safety essential, especially for pressing and Olympic lifts. The common types: cheap spring clips, quick lock-jaw / quick-release collars (the everyday favorite — fast and secure), and competition collars (precision-weighted, 2.5 kg each, for calibrated meets).
What to look for
A secure clamp that won’t creep under drops or high reps, quick on-and-off operation, and a fit for your bar’s sleeve diameter (standard Olympic is 50 mm). For most home gyms, a pair of lock-jaw-style collars is the right balance of speed, grip, and price.
How it compares
| York Vintage leather lined collars for Olympic EZ Curl Bar | 1″ Spring Collars w/ Rubber Grips | Rogue Spring Collars | Lock-Jaw Flex Collar | Hex Lock Olympic Collars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GymRadar rating | 4.27/5 | 2.13/5 | 3.28/5 | 4.83/5 | 4.33/5 |
| Price | $3.90 | $12.50 | $59.95 | ||
| Material | Steel body with leather-lined bore | Chrome-plated steel with rubber handles | Aircraft-grade aluminum with rubber sleeve pad | Solid nylon resin | |
| Locking mechanism | Spring-loaded clamp, leather-on-sleeve contact | Spring-loaded squeeze clamp | Quick-release flex lever (mirrored side-plate design) | Snap-in hex latch | |
| Production status | Discontinued — no longer manufactured; secondhand/vintage only | ||||
| Compatible bar diameter | 2" Olympic sleeve (York Olympic EZ Curl Bar and matching dumbbell handles) | 1" standard barbell sleeves | 2" / 50mm Olympic barbell sleeves | 2" Olympic barbell sleeves | |
| Owner rating (gymradar) | 4.28/5 across 6 reviews (Build Quality 4.83/5, Value 4.33/5, Performance 3.67/5) |
Reviews by source
| Expert | 4.27/5 | 5 reviews |
York’s leather-lined collars for the Olympic EZ Curl Bar are a long-discontinued design — GymRadar lists the piece as no longer manufactured, and a vintage-weights collector on Instagram notes the leather-on-sleeve interior is nearly identical to the base of York’s full-size spinlock collars, a construction no current manufacturer appears to replicate. Durability is the standout: six GymRadar owners average 4.83/5 on build quality, several reporting decades of continued use (“they plain and simple work after 30 years… built like tanks and will likely outlive me”). Functionality is the weakest dimension — the leather-and-spring mechanism is fussy to put on and take off, so owners who leave plates loaded on the bar get along fine while owners who swap weight frequently report frustration, and one buyer never got real use out of a garage-sale pair. Value is mixed and secondhand-only: several reviewers call them “affordable” for a cool vintage piece, but they’re prized today mostly for looks and nostalgia rather than functional advantage over a modern spring or lock-jaw collar.
- +Durability: several owners report 30+ years of continued use with no failure ("built like tanks and will likely outlive me")
- +Build quality: GymRadar's build-quality submetric leads all three at 4.83/5, the highest-rated aspect of the piece
- +Value: vintage pairs are described as "fairly affordable" for the design when they turn up secondhand
- +Versatility: leather lining sits directly against the bar sleeve on both the EZ curl bar and matching dumbbell handles, a two-application vintage design
- −Functionality: GymRadar's lowest submetric (3.67/5) — multiple owners call them "a pain" to put on and off, workable only if plates stay loaded rather than swapped often
- −Functionality: one owner never got real use out of a purchased pair, leaving them as a shelf display rather than working equipment
- −Value: discontinued and no longer manufactured — the only way to acquire a pair today is secondhand, with no current-production equivalent (Instagram, vintage-weights collector)
- −Functionality: modern spring and lock-jaw collars are explicitly described by owners as more efficient and easier to use, with this design's appeal being nostalgia rather than performance
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