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Pros
- Least expensive Olympic barbell available, at $60
Cons
- 35 lb bar (mislabeled weight on Amazon)
- Sloppy sleeves with low spin
- Knurling not as grippy as other bars like CAP’s “The Boss”
- No advertised capacity
The Bottom Line
The CAP Classic is ideal for those building a home gym on a tight budget, but experienced lifters using heavy weight should look elsewhere.
Our Rating:
Buy for $60 from Amazon (affiliate link)
Shipping and Packaging
The CAP Classic had the worst packaging of all the barbells we purchased (along with the CAP “Boss” barbell). The barbell itself was falling out of the cardboard shipping tube upon arrival, as it was only secured with packing tape at the ends.
Measured vs. Stated Specs
The CAP Classic bar’s weight is mislabeled on Amazon. The bar is advertised as a 20 kg bar, but it weighs 16.222 kg (35 lb), which is closer to a women’s Olympic bar rather than the standard men’s 20 kg.
The center portion of the bar measures 30.16 mm in diameter, while the diameter of the sleeve is 49.81 mm.
| CAP Classic Measured Specs | CAP Classic Stated Specs | Standard Olympic Barbell | |
| Length (m) | 2.17 | 2.2 (86 in) | 2.2 |
| Weight (kg) | 16.222 | 20 (44 lbs) | 20 |
| Center portion diameter (mm) | 30.16 | 30 | 28 |
| Center portion length (m) | 1.340 | 1.314 (51.75 in) | 1.31 |
| Sleeve diameter (mm) | 49.81 | 50.8 (2 in) | 50 |
| Loadable sleeve length (mm) | 387 |
Finish
The bar can be finished in black or chrome. We chose the chrome finish, which does not have any deformities as far as we can tell.
Sleeves and Spin
The spin was the worst on the CAP Classic bar. The spin was equal to the Body-Solid bar, which was worse than the other barbells tested. The sleeves spun for a mere 0.5 seconds. This will impact its ability to be used for Olympic lifts like the clean and jerk, and snatch.
The amount of give in the sleeve was also the worst of the barbells tested (equal to the Body-Solid). There was a lot of slop.
Knurling
The knurling on the CAP Classic makes it the least grippy (along with the Body-Solid) of the barbells tested. The knurling was more like rough sandpaper, rather than fine sandpaper, which contributed to its non-grippiness. The center and side knurling are equal in texture.
The CAP Classic has grip marks spaced about 770 mm apart, which is closer to a powerlifting bar (which has grip marks spaced 810 mm apart). These grip marks would normally be used to check for a legal bench press grip. However, the CAP Barbell is far enough off that I’m not sure how useful it will be to practice for competitive bench press.
Load Test
We tested the barbell with a static load of 565 lbs of weights, on a rack with 20″ spacing. The bar did not break and the weights did not slip. However, the smooth sleeves made the weights feel less secure than barbells with ribbed sleeves.
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