Bare Steel Equipment Iron Skull Power Bar & Blue Collar Barbell Review
These products were in-house tested by Michael at The Jungle Gym Reviews.
If you want one bar that feels like a true power bar—stiff, grippy, center knurl, and built to take abuse—the Iron Skull is the pick. If you want a more comfortable “everyday driver” bar for accessory work with lighter knurling and a slightly smaller diameter, the Blue Collar Barbell is the better daily-use option. This is basically the “power bar + multipurpose bar” two-bar setup, just under $700 shipped for both.
Iron Skull Power Bar (Black Chromium)
Price: $339.95
Type: Power bar (center knurl)
Origin: Imported
Shaft Diameter: 29mm
Shaft Finish: Black Chromium
Tensile Strength: 200,000 PSI
Knurling: Volcano, aggressive
Weight: 45 lbs
Overall Length: 86.75”
Loadable Sleeve Length: 15.5”
Sleeve Finish: Hard chrome
Sleeve Rotation: Bushings
Weight Capacity: 1,500 lbs
Shipping: Free
Blue Collar Barbell
Price: $349.95
Type: Multi-purpose bar (no center knurl)
Origin: Made in USA
Shaft Diameter: 28.5mm
Shaft Finish: Cerakote (Red, Blue, or Black)
Tensile Strength: 190,000 PSI
Knurling: Dual lifting marks, light to moderate
Weight: 20kg / 44 lbs
Sleeve Finish Options: Chrome or Black Cerakote
Sleeve Rotation: Bronze bushings
Warranty: Lifetime manufacturer warranty
Shipping: Free
Where to Buy / Check Price
Both barbells are sold directly through Bare Steel Equipment with free shipping, and you can choose your finish options at checkout.
My Real-World Experience
At the core of every home gym is a good barbell—or two, or seven depending on how big your problem is. I’ve been using the Bare Steel Equipment Iron Skull Power Bar and the Blue Collar Barbell as my go-to training barbells for the last five months, and what I like about this pairing is how clearly each one has a “job.” The Iron Skull is the heavy, grippy power bar that I actually want when the goal is to move weight and feel locked in. The Blue Collar is the bar I naturally reach for when I’m doing higher-rep accessory work and I don’t want aggressive knurling beating up my hands.
A big reason I was interested in these is that Bare Steel’s other products—things like their weight stack adder pins and specialty handles—have always felt premium and well thought out. With barbells, though, the feel matters more than anything: knurling, coating, sleeve feel, and whether the bar just disappears in your hands when you train. Over the last few months, both of these have done exactly what I want them to do, but for very different reasons.
Iron Skull Power Bar
The Iron Skull is a true 29mm power bar with a center knurl, and it immediately feels like it’s meant for squat/bench/deadlift work. The shaft is stiff (rated at 200,000 PSI) and it has that “direct force transfer” feel you expect from a power bar—especially under heavier loads where you don’t want the bar to feel lively. I’m not lifting enough to obsess over tensile strength differences in real life, but side-by-side with a more multipurpose-style bar, you can feel that the Iron Skull is the more planted, no-nonsense option.
The standout here is the feel of the shaft finish and the knurl. The Black Chromium shaft doesn’t feel like a thick painted coating, and I like that because the bar keeps a more “natural metal” feel in the hand. The volcano knurling is legitimately aggressive, but not to the point where it’s a punishment device. On my personal scale, it’s grippier than a bare steel Ohio Power Bar, but not as brutally sharp as the most aggressive budget power bars I’ve used. It’s the type of knurl that makes deadlifts feel secure without requiring chalk for most normal training sessions.
The downside of that same knurl is exactly what you’d expect: when you use it as a true all-day, every-lift bar—especially for overhead pressing, curls, upright rows, or high-rep stuff—your calluses will feel it. Even with years of lifting, there are mornings where I can tell I’d rather grab something a little more forgiving. That’s not a knock on the bar; it’s just the reality of choosing a power bar with aggressive knurling.
Sleeves are hard chrome with bushings and 15.5 inches of loadable length. Translation: durable sleeves, simple rotation, and it’ll handle anything you’ll realistically do in a home gym. This bar is built to take abuse, live in a garage, and still feel the same years from now.
Blue Collar Barbell
The Blue Collar Barbell is basically the opposite personality: 28.5mm diameter, no center knurl, 20kg weight, and a more multipurpose design. If the Iron Skull is the “heavy work” bar, the Blue Collar is the “everything else” bar. That slightly smaller diameter feels great for rows and curling variations because you can wrap the hand a bit more, and the lack of a center knurl makes it a lot more comfortable for movements where the bar drags or contacts the body.
The Cerakote shaft is the main reason the knurl feels more moderate. Coatings like Cerakote tend to make knurling feel a bit more muted compared to bare steel or raw-feeling finishes, and that’s exactly how this bar feels in practice. The listing calls it moderate, but compared to true power bar knurling, it comes across as light-to-moderate, which is why I like it as an accessory bar. It’s grippy enough to train hard, but it doesn’t chew you up when you’re doing volume work.
You also get customization here—shaft color options and sleeve finish options—which is fun if you care about gym aesthetics. The practical note is the same note that applies to any coated sleeve: if you choose coated sleeves instead of chrome, expect more visible wear over time as plates slide on and off.
For how I train, the Blue Collar is the bar I reach for when I want the movement to be repeatable and comfortable rep-to-rep without thinking about how my hands will feel the next day. Rows, curls, upright rows, general bodybuilding work—this is the bar that makes those movements feel easy to set up and consistent.
Which One Should You Buy?
If you want one bar that covers most people’s real training needs, the Blue Collar is the safer single-bar choice because it’s more comfortable across more movements. If you specifically want the power bar feel—center knurl, stiffer shaft, and more aggressive knurling—the Iron Skull is the better tool for that job.
If you’re building a “two bar” setup, this pairing makes a lot of sense: Iron Skull for squat/deadlift/heavy work, Blue Collar for accessories and daily training volume. If I had to choose only one for my gym based on how I train, I personally lean Iron Skull for overall durability and the way it feels under heavier work, but I’m keeping both because they solve two different problems.
Final Verdict
Both bars are solid and they’re clearly designed with different priorities. The Iron Skull Power Bar is the more serious powerlifting tool—stiff, grippy, and durable. The Blue Collar Barbell is the more versatile daily driver—comfortable, usable for everything, and ideal for accessory work. If you know you want aggressive knurling and a center knurl, go Iron Skull. If you want a friendlier bar you’ll happily use for 80% of your training, go Blue Collar.
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