Questions, answered plainly
Is a 1 inch bar the same as an Olympic bar
No, and this mix-up is a common reason budget iron gets returned. Standard bars have 1 inch sleeves and fit 1 inch plates. Olympic bars have 2 inch sleeves and fit Olympic plates, including bumpers. Some listings elsewhere call 1 inch bars Olympic. Ours never will. Check your plates' center hole: about the size of a quarter means 1 inch, about two quarters wide means 2 inch.
Do my plates fit this bar
Fit checkerPick what you own. If you have a tape or calipers, type the number instead. Whichever you touched last wins.
Measure across the hole at its widest, and across the sleeve where a plate sits, not the shaft. The quarter test: a US quarter is 0.955 inch across, so a 1 inch hole just clears one coin and a 2 inch hole would pass two side by side.
When can I buy the iron
After the measurement session. Each product lists only when its Ledger entry is filled in: the scale reading, the caliper numbers, and the date. Until then nothing is for sale, nothing has a price, and every product page shows a quantity of 0. To hear the day something lists, leave your email on its product page.
Why is there no price yet
Because we set prices from the real numbers, not the label. The price appears on the day the product lists, next to its Ledger entry, and it will include shipping to the lower 48.
What is the 3D model on the bar pages
A 3D render, not a photo. Each bar is modeled at its nominal length, 60, 72, or 84 inches, so you can turn it over and zoom in on the collar, sleeve, and knurl. It is not a measurement, and a real unit's finish will not match it exactly. On measurement day, photos of a real bar and our caliper numbers take over as the main view.
How does View at full size in your room work
On a phone or tablet that supports augmented reality, the button opens your camera and sets the bar on your floor at its nominal full length. Walk around it to see whether it clears the walls, a bench, or the gap between rack uprights. iPhones and iPads use Apple's Quick Look, and supported Android phones open it in the browser or in Google's Scene Viewer. If your device cannot do this, the button does not show, and you can still turn and zoom the model on the page. The room view shows the nominal length, not a measured one, so leave a few inches of margin.
What happens when I give you my email
The link to The First 90 Days appears on screen right away. After that we email when something you asked about lists and when the first Ledger entries post, and not much else. Every email will carry an unsubscribe link that works on the first click. We do not sell your email, and we do not share it with advertisers.
Why not just buy this on a marketplace for less
Sometimes you can find the same class of product for less, and if the sticker is all that matters, do that. What we will sell is the verification and the recourse: sample measurements published before you buy, a 2 percent make-it-right guarantee after, prices that include shipping, and a human who answers email. The iron itself is not rare. Verified iron is.
What happens if my unit weighs off
If it is more than 2 percent off the published Ledger number within 30 days of delivery, you choose replacement or refund. We pay the return shipping. No restocking fee. Under 2 percent is within the honest tolerance of budget iron, and the Ledger told you the real number before you ordered. To check a unit at home, see how to weigh your weights.
Will a budget bar bend
Within its rating, a straight bar should not bend in normal use. We publish each bar's rating as the maker gives it, with the date, on its product page when it lists, not a fantasy number. If your plans pass what a 1 inch standard bar is rated for, your next bar should be a 2 inch Olympic, and the product page will say so rather than sell you the wrong thing twice.
Do the rubber products smell
Budget rubber coatings often smell for a while out of the box. Air them out. When our rubber products list, each page will say whether our sample smelled and for how long, because you should not learn this from a one star review.