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Jun 10th, 2019
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I recently purchased a Fringesport Longhorn Buffalo bar, and so far I am very happy with the purchase. First, I had emailed the folks at Fringesport with some questions, I was very surprised and pleased at how quickly and how well they answered my questions. The bar came in less than a week, and was well packaged and in great shape when I got it in Indiana. So far I have only used it for squats, but I am VERY pleased with how comfortable the bar is on my back and how comfortable it is for elbows and shoulders. It took about 2 training sessions to get used to the slightly different center of gravity, I do more or less high bar squats, and where the bar tends to sit on my back is great. It really does make a difference in how you can retract your scapulae and brace your back. The knurling on the bar is excellent in that the bar does not want to go anywhere during the squat, and the bar is comfortable in my hands. The finish of the steel is very clean, the sleeves rotate well, and my Rogue magnetic collars fit on the sleeves well. As many have noted before, the bar will want to rotate in the squat stand so that you have to position it prior to getting under it before each set, but so far not a problem. I use a Rogue Monster Rack with the biggest J-cups, and I do NOT have any problem with the bar sliding more moving while adding or removing plates. If some enterprising engineer can design a J-cup that is specially made for a Buffalo-type bar I would certainly buy a pair...but again, rotation of the bar isn't a big deal, and the added comfort is more than worth it to me. I did seriously consider the Kabuki Duffalo bar, but since I had never used a cambered bar I was a bit hesitant to invest the funds on my first specialty bar. Maybe someday, but for now the Longhorn bar appears to be very well made and works very well for me.
I have found the Hi-Temp bumper plates to have a number of (at least for me) very useful and utilitarian features. In no particular order, some of these features include the following: 1) They are very close in weight to the claimed weight stamped on each plate, as measured by a calibrated scale. This goes for every plate I have purchased, from 10 pounds, 15, 25, 35, and 45 pounds. 2) There is relatively little to no odor, which I understand is a complaint for a number of rubber and urethane bumper plates. 3) The plates are easy to hold on to even with sweaty hands, which is not the case for some of the more "elegant" bumpers with smoother surface finishes. 4) They are pretty quiet when dropped, particularly if you use a good quality bar and collars to hold the plates on tightly. This is useful since I often train late at night and I don't want to wake people up when I set a deadlift down. Downsides which I have heard or read about are a matter of perspective. It is true that these plates are not particularly attractive, are pretty wide and so can limit the weight you can add to the bar, and are not exactly the same diameter as most iron or bumper plates on the market. However, if you want an inexpensive plate for training that is right on the money with respect to weight, is easy to pick up with one hand, doesn't smell, and is made in the USA, I think these plates are very good value for the money.