Klokov Equipment Barbell Review: Sport Barbell vs Olympic Barbell

I am possession of two new items in the world of Olympic Weightlifting: two Men's 20 kg Olympic Weightlifting barbells from the new company, Klokov Equipment. I've used both bars for multiple snatch and clean & jerk sessions and am ready to present my findings on the barbells. I hope this review dispels any myths about the two barbells and lets you finally see the differences between the two.

This review is focused mainly on performance and feature comparison between the two barbells. At the end, I will offer my opinion on their performance relative to other market leading barbells that I have tried.

The two barbells of the hour:

Klokov Equipment Men's 20kg Sports Barbell

Klokov Equipment Men's 20kg Olympic Weightlifting Barbell

Specifications:

Taken directly from Klokov Equipment's website:

Olympic Weightlifting Barbell	Sports Barbell
Ultimate Tensile Strength: 235,000 PSI Center Knurling: Yes IWF specified knurl spacing: Yes Knurling: Passive diamond pattern in the center, slightly aggressive towards the collars Shaft Diameter: 28mm Total Length: 2200mm Static Load Limit: 680 kg Maximum Bumper Capacity: 5x30kg + 1x10kg per side Finish: Hard Bright Chrome Collar Band: Blue Endcap Badge: Blue	Ultimate Tensile Strength: Minimum of 215,000 PSI Center Knurling: No IWF specified knurl spacing: Yes IPF specified knurl spacing: Yes Knurling: Mildly aggressive diamond pattern Shaft Diameter: 28mm Total Length: 2200mm Static Load Limit: 650kg Maximum Bumper Capacity: 5x30kg + 1x10kg per side Finish: Hard Bright Chrome Collar Band: Black Endcap Badge: Black

As you can see there are a few differences between the two barbells: the passive center knurl on the Olympic Weightlifting bar, the IPF knurl spacing on the sports barbell, and the tensile strength of the steel. Some more differences listed on the website (but not directly on the specifications list from each barbell's page) are that both barbells' collars contain 10 needle bearings inside a custom bushing. 

Design:

The barbells have a classic chrome plated design, like you would find on most high end barbells. It is not as sheen as an Eleiko barbell, but it is beautiful nonetheless. 

The endcaps of the collars are what you would find on a premium barbell. They are smooth and cannot be removed with pliers, unlike a snapring endcap barbell. It is very similar to the last generation Eleiko barbells (the generation before the new NXG barbells)

The most unique design feature on the barbell are the large, prominent rubber collars on the barbell collars. They provide immediate identification that this barbell is indeed a Klokov Equipment barbell, with the colors identifying the type of the bar. The rubber collars provide protection when the barbell is dropped without any plates on it, thus they provide a function while improving the barbell's aesthetic. 

I find this feature very welcome. As any weightlifter on a maxout day will tell you, dropping an unloaded barbell is part of the routine in order to conserve energy for the heavy attempts. While a lot of purists may frown upon this practice, these rubber collars are sure to put those concerns at ease. I personally find this adds a very unique appearance to the barbell, reminiscent of the Uesaka competition bars. 

The shaft of the barbells have their serial number engraved using a dotted font, reminiscent of the Eleiko barbells. In the interest of protecting my serial number, I have not included a photo of it. You may refer to Garage Gym Reviews' review of the Olympic Weightlifting barbell to see an example of the serial number:

Finally, on the other side of the shaft, you will find Dmitry Klokov's signature engraved into the steel. It is a beautiful enhancement to the empty space on the shaft, and it will remind you that Klokov himself has put his name behind this product. 

Spin:

The spin of both barbells is excellent. You will not have problems pulling under the bar with any of the two barbells. The ten needle bearings provide smooth and effortless spin. The bearings are also relatively quiet when dropped. Compared to my Lynx Hybrid Bearing Bar and my Vaughn Weightlifting Bar, the bar is much quieter when dropped (with and without weights). 

I cannot tell any differences between the two barbells in terms of spin. The videos shown here show that the Sport Barbell has a slightly different sound, which reminds me of my Hybrid Bearing Bar which also has bearings and bushings. 

Here is another video where I perform the shaft spin test with loaded barbells, a far more accurate indication of spin performance compared to the collar spin test. From right to left, the barbells I test are the Lynx Hybrid Bearing Barbell, the Klokov Olympic Barbell, and the Klokov Sports Barbell.

As you can see, no noticeable difference. In real world testing, I have had no problems with getting under the bar and racking it quickly during heavy snatches and cleans. In this respect, it is nice to see that the Sports barbell delivers the same spin performance as the Olympic barbell. 

Here are some videos of me snatching using both barbells, in different environments. I had moved my garage gym to my backyard between these videos. 

Note that in these videos, it is quite easy to tell which barbell is being used to the rubber collar. 

Whip:

The two Klokov barbells both have very good whip. I have done kick tests for each barbell and found their response to be very elastic. 

I cannot tell the difference between the two barbells in the kick test and during my lifts. They are definitely not stiff bars and feel as good as my whippiest barbell (my Vaughn Weightlifting bar), so I'd say they are pretty good.

To be very honest, I do not rely or even feel the presence of whip when I lift. My worst lift is the jerk and it is because my timing in the dip is not there. I also use a slow dip (too slow, in fact) instead of a short dip that tends to generate more whip. I would love to have a stronger jerker try the bar to see how it feels to them. I apologize that in this regard I cannot give a good analysis of the two barbells.

Knurl:

Compared to whip, when it comes to knurl I can give a much better analysis. And it is also here where the two barbells differ tremendously. Knurl is always said to be subjective, and while that is true, one cannot deny that a soft knurl is not favorable for a full-time Olympic weightlifter. That's why the Eleiko Training bar's knurling is so aggressive, because it is meant to be similar to the Competition bar so that you are not surprised when you compete on the platform. 

The truly subjective part (arguably) is the preference for the presence of center knurling. I prefer a bar without center knurling but that is only because I have mostly trained on bars without center knurling. The nice thing about the Olympic barbell's center knurling is that it is a passive knurl, meaning it does not protrude from the shaft like the main knurling. This is very similar to the Rogue Olympic Barbell's design, which I have also used before. While passive, the center knurl has reddened my neck a few times due to my poor rack anatomy and my habit of choking myself when racking the bar (also due to poor rack anatomy). This is no fault of the bar, as the worst time this happened to me was when I first used an Eleiko Training bar and it completely shredded my neck. When I rack the Klokov Olympic bar properly, the bar sticks nicely to my shirt and doesn't dig into my clavicles. Also, center knurl is probably most useful when using the bar to back squat but I never plan to squat with this bar. 

Now, for the main knurling of the barbells.

The Sports barbell knurling is light and a little smooth. If you chalk up enough, you'll get a good grip on the bar. I would liken it to the first/second generation Pendlay barbells. It's very similar to my Lynx Hybrid Bearing Bar, but a tad tackier and the diamond pattern is larger. 

The Olympic barbell is medium aggressive. More aggressive than medium. It is not as aggressive as an Eleiko Training bar. It is more aggressive than a Rogue Weightlifting bar. It is not a sharp knurl though, like a Werksan barbell. It is comfortable to hold for multiple reps and you will not lose your grip.

I find the Sports barbell's knurling to be too light for my taste. In a multiple rep set, the bar starts slipping out of my hand and I have to reset my hook grip. The Olympic bar, however, has a fantastic knurl. It is grippy but not sharp. It won't tear up your hands like an Eleiko Training bar (although as I write this, I wonder if maybe my hands are just too soft). I feel confident going for a heavy single using the Olympic bar and trusting that the bar won't slip out of my hands. Another reason I prefer the Olympic bar's knurling is because my hands are relatively small and my hook grip would normally require some shoving into the bar in order to be set properly. 

Conclusion and personal experience

So there you have it. From my analysis, the two bars share the same spin and whip performance. It is in the knurling that the two bars truly differ and your taste / style of training will dictate which bar you choose. Since I am an Olympic weightlifter, I prefer the knurl of the Olympic bar and thus it has become my everyday training bar. After several weeks, my hands are not torn up and I use straps less and less. I used the Sports bar for a few weeks and it was fine for my training, I just needed longer to set my hookgrip. 

If you have any questions or would like more information about the barbells, please leave a comment and I will respond.