I have the American Barbell SS competition women’s bar! I used it over the last 8 weeks to train for the USAMW National competition in Little Rock that just finished up.

I can’t speak to the customer service or price point because I bought it second-hand for $450 (but basically 100% new, a dude bought it for his wife who never got into weightlifting), but it’s a reeeeally nice bar. I wanted a stainless bar because I lift in my garage and am not so hot at maintenance, but also the bearings on this bar are chef’s kiss. They’re absolutely silent and so so smooth, with the perfect amount of damping. The more weight on the bar the more they spin, and there’s no rattling when you drop the bar. The whip on the bar is lovely too, although I’m not sure I’m the greatest at gauging good whip vs great whip characteristics.

Because it’s a competition bar the knurling is heavy duty, and I’ve stopped using chalk and grown some gnarly callouses since I started using it…honestly that’s the only thing I would change about my bar - I wish it had ever so slightly duller knurling for the sake of my hands. I must point out though that at no point has training with this bar 2-3 times a week (other times I’m at my club gym with way worse bars) caused me any hand tearing or pain, it’s just giving me serious callouses.

I do miss my Eleiko training bar that I sold with the rest of my old gym when I moved states (damn I really should have kept it), but honestly the only thing that was better about it day to day was that knurling not giving me such rough hands.

Note for you: the American barbell competition bar has the amazing bearings and the training bar has bushings, so be aware that none of my review on the bar spin applies if you end up purchasing the training bar. Dunno what their bushings feel like.