Do you have a home gym? Do you own or work at a CrossFit, Olympic Weightlifting or Powerlifting gym?
If so, how do you keep your barbell in great condition? For many, the answer to this question is a generic 3-in-1 oil and old t-shirt. For others, they don’t clean their barbell and it’s full of chalk and sweat.
There has never been a product made specifically for keeping a barbell clean, well-maintained and looking great. That is, until now.
Over the past month, I have used Bar Shield (barshieldusa.com) on my barbell in my home gym. My barbell of choice is the Rogue Froning Olympic Weightlifting Bar so I want to use the right product to keep it in great condition for years.
| Review of: Bar Shield USA | Use: Barbell Cleaning & Maintenance | ||
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| Effectiveness | Price | Ease of Use | Support |
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| Cleans chalk out easily | More expensive than 3-in-1 oil | 4 steps, super easy | Instruction card & YouTube tutorial |
| We Like | We Don’t Like | ||
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Made specifically for barbell maintenance |
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Costs more than general 3-in-1 oil |
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Non-toxic, biodegradable and odorless |
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Unable to buy oil or brush replacement separately |
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Removes chalk effortlessly |
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| Summary: Bar Shield worked extremely well keeping my garage gym barbell in great condition. The oil is non-toxic, biodegradable and odorless, which is great for garages and gyms where children are present.
The brush’s bristles are flexible, yet stiff enough to remove chalk and other debris from the barbell’s knurl. While the brush and oil did remove some of the slight rust on my barbell, it did not remove it completely. A stiffer brush may be needed for barbells that have started to develop rust. Overall, I would recommend Bar Shield in either a garage or gym environment. The cost is higher than a 3-in-1 oil from a hardware store, but knowing the oil is safe and made specifically for a barbell makes Bar Shield worth the investment. |
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| Purchase Bar Shield Kit for $49.95 | |||
Product Testing
I’ve tried to keep my barbell in good shape, but being in a non-conditioned detached garage, it is prone to constant humidity. Also, I don’t always have time to clean the chalk off the barbell after finishing a workout. Prior to receiving Bar Shield to test, I had not cleaned my barbell in over a month. It had plenty of chalk in the knurl as well as it was starting to show some rust.
I immediately put Bar Shield to the test. Here is a look at my bar before cleaning it up with Bar Shield.
Following the instructions provided on the instruction card, it only took about five minutes to clean my barbell and get it looking great again.
Effectiveness
Prior to using Bar Shield, I had purchased a 3-in-1 oil and a generic nylon brush from a big box hardware store. The bristles of the nylon brush ended up being too flexible and it did not do a great job, especially where chalk had settled into the knurl.
The Bar Shield brush had the right amount of flexibility but was also strong enough to clean up the tough spots. The non-toxic oil worked great and it was nice to not worry about getting it on my hands. After cleaning up my barbell, it was ready to be used within minutes and did not feel greasy.
The lint-free towels provided were also a great addition. The towels are machine washable so they will last a long time. I no longer have to use an old t-shirt.
Price
Bar Shield does cost more than going to a hardware store. At $49.99, you will receive an 8-ounce bottle of oil, a brush and three lint-free towels. Having a product made specifically for barbell maintenance, oil that is non-toxic and a brush that works better than generic nylon brushes helps justify the higher cost.
It would be nice to see the ability to purchase the oil, brush and towels separately in the future, which should lower the ongoing cost to use Bar Shield.
Ease of Use
Cleaning a barbell is not very difficult in general. However, if you’ve never had to clean a barbell before or
you just purchased a new barbell, you may be a little hesitant to put something on it and scrub it with a brush on top of just being unsure of the steps to take while cleaning your barbell.
Having the peace of mind that you are using products made specifically for your barbell can put those worries aside. The entire process takes less than five minutes and the results are seen immediately.
Support
Bar Shield comes with a 4-step instruction card as well as a video tutorial (shown below). There is not too much support needed because it would be hard to mess something up, but for those who have never cleaned a barbell before, the instruction card and video are very helpful.
Conclusion
Overall, I would recommend Bar Shield to anyone who has a garage gym or who owns a gym and wants their barbells looking better than the competition. The safe, non-toxic oil provides the peace of mind that children will not harm themselves if they find it. Plus, it works great.
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