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Recommendations/Reviews/FS/WTB York 140kg (302lb) olympic barbell set

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Chrisdavisjr

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I've been seriously considering purchasing an olympic barbell set since re-reading Power to the People and, so far, the 140kg set by York seems to be a good option in terms of price and quality:
http://www.sportswarehouse.co.uk/yo...gclid=CLjp0pKl-tMCFQO17Qod4qsEDA#.WSBtEcbTXcv
York 140kg Olympic Set
http://www.sportswarehouse.co.uk/yo...gclid=CLjp0pKl-tMCFQO17Qod4qsEDA#.WSBtEcbTXcv
Does anyone have experience with this particular set or can anyone recommend any good alternatives available in the UK? I'd love to hear your recommendations.
 
I have been thinking about an olympic barbell lately as well. Only problem is space to put it. I do not have a dedicated fitness room, so all my kettlebell work is done in the living room, and that is where I store them as well. Having a barbell sitting in the living room could appear rather awkward.
 
Barbells last a very long time... so I'd advise trying it if you can, and see if you like the way it feels, and the knurling, etc. If you're not particular, it wouldn't matter. York's a fine old name in weights- Bob Hoffman's brand, originally. Ivanko's higher end and nicer, but weighs the same. Not sure what Evinco is? I'm from US, so may be something I just haven't seen.

It's possible to store the barbells vertically in a small space, like in a closet or corner, but not as convenient as leaving it out. Breaking it down and setting it up is like a warm-up and cool-down.

p.s.- I bought my plates where I could see them and pick them out, too, because most of them have nice finish, but some are a little cracked or poorly finished. There's also lots of good weight sets on Craigslist, etc. if you're patient.
 
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Barbells last a very long time... so I'd advise trying it if you can, and see if you like the way it feels, and the knurling, etc. If you're not particular, it wouldn't matter. York's a fine old name in weights- Bob Hoffman's brand, originally. Ivanko's higher end and nicer, but weighs the same. Not sure what Evinco is? I'm from US, so may be something I just haven't seen.

It's possible to store the barbells vertically in a small space, like in a closet or corner, but not as convenient as leaving it out. Breaking it down and setting it up is like a warm-up and cool-down.

p.s.- I bought my plates where I could see them and pick them out, too, because most of them have nice finish, but some are a little cracked or poorly finished. There's also lots of good weight sets on Craigslist, etc. if you're patient.

Evinco looks like a budget brand of fitness gear, with a name that kind of plays off the Ivanko brand. If it's decent quality, it's very well priced.

I definitely like the look of the York set as they've always been a decent brand and I've had cheap York dumbbells and the like in the past and they've held up really well. This particular set has a beautifully old-school aesthetic too: https://cdn.sweatband.com/york_140k...40kg_olympic_weight_set_image_1_2000x2000.jpg

Ivanko stuff is also really solid as well as visually appealing but I don't know of anyone in the UK who sells them to non-trade customers. I may have to just suck it up and open a gym.
 
Chris, I would go for it, the York option, it sounds like a good deal. Those olympic sets aren't the greatest bars but as long as you are not loading it over a very large weight (like 500 or 600 lbs) I would not worry about it. FYI, a few years back I bought the B&R York barbell for about $250, it is good for up to 1000 lbs. Even with 500 lbs loaded, it barely flexes. Whereas years ago I loaded a cheaper barbell with 555lbs in a squat rack and it flexed so much it looked like an upside down "U".

Also, with a couple pieces of 4'x8' plywood, two 4'x4' horse stall mats (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick), some sandpaper, wood screws, and some varnish you can make a first class deadlift platform. This way you don't have to worry about dropping weights or damaging the floor (accidents happen).
 
Also, with a couple pieces of 4'x8' plywood, two 4'x4' horse stall mats (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick), some sandpaper, wood screws, and some varnish you can make a first class deadlift platform. This way you don't have to worry about dropping weights or damaging the floor (accidents happen).
Is a platform like this enough for dropping a 400-600lbs bar from hip height using iron plates?
I only want to deadlift, no future plans of doing oly lifts and bumper plates are so expensive compared to cast iron.
 
Ivanko stuff is also really solid as well as visually appealing but I don't know of anyone in the UK who sells them to non-trade customers. I may have to just suck it up and open a gym.
The cheapest Ivanko bar (without any plates!) is almost double the price of the York set ;)
 
No don't purposely drop the weights, of course not. But the platform spreads out the force so the pressure on the floor is low (pressure = force /area). If the area is large, the pressure is low. Even just dropping from a few inches could damage the floors of a house/apartment. This is all a preventative measure so that my wife won't kill me when I damage the floors!!!!

All my barbell related equipment is fairly cheap. Plates were donated from someone who gave up on lifting, and I also purchased more cheap weights from Wal-Mart (sigh, yes I did), a budget Power Rack, homemade deadlift platform, inexpensive bench (for bench pressing ) from Rogue Fitness. My B&R York barbell and Safety Squat bar are the only 2 pieces that were higher quality (i.e. expensive).

Yes, Ivanko is expensive. But it is supposedly the best (but I've never used it).
 
Kettlebelelephant, I misunderstood your question, let me try again. The answer is "yes", platform will protect your floor and your equipment from minor drops. I typically do a fast eccentric, controlled drop (I'm holding 90%of the weight). But if you drop the bar from waist high you can still damage your equipment. I did this once by accident, nothing bad happened. If I didn't have the platform I imagine there would be a some damage to the concrete floor below, as well as my barbell.

I was in the same boat, I didn't want to invest in bumper plates.

By the way, years ago when I built the platform I found the idea from someone else on Google (someone else wrote about). I don't remember the site. If you can't find it let me know and Ill email you how I built mine.
 
Is a platform like this enough for dropping a 400-600lbs bar from hip height using iron plates?
I only want to deadlift, no future plans of doing oly lifts and bumper plates are so expensive compared to cast iron.
I have 3/4" deadlift mats over a tile floor - tiles have been fine, no platform, just about one and a half of these 4' x 6' mats. Been deadlifting with the same mats in the same place in my basement for more than 10 years. I can't speak to 400 lbs. and up but my training DL's are regularly in the 300-350 range and no damage whatsoever to the floor underneath.

-S-
 
@Chrisdavisjr I recently bought this set: Body Power 185Kg TRI-GRIP Olympic Weight Set

It's not amazing quality but perfect for my needs. I've been using it for 6 weeks on the daily dose deadlift plan and have no complaints. The bar seems like a decent quality one but then I don't have much to compare with.

I preferred the rubber coated one but they were more expensive and out of stock at the time so didn't go ahead with them: Bodymax 145kg Olympic Rubber Radial Barbell Kit with 7 ft bar and spring collars at Powerhouse Fitness
 
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