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Okie Deadlift Bar


king crusher

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I am expecting mine by next week.

I'm going to make a deadlift platform at home and hope to enjoy this bar. I've heard good stuff about it.

Anyone here own or use one before?

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I was given one as a Christmas present in 1985. I sold it only a few months ago. I never had a problem with it and used it for all my lifts, and even when Paul Knight dropped it off his back with 315 and onto my squat rack safety bars it only sustained a very slight bend. The specs could be totally different by now though. I've always been a slow lifter, so the extra flex didn't really help me that much.

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Thanks for the review Eric. I think the specs remain the same. 27mm and very deep sharp knurling I've heard.

Also heard its a raw steel bar no zinc coating. Ricky dale crane told me that on the phone.

So you used it for other stuff not deadlifting and it was not to flexy?? It says dl only?

Do you think with my style of deadlift, trying to pull fast from the floor, it will give me a little?

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I've got one and think it's a good bar but I think I'm a better puller with a stiff bar based on my style so I don't use it much.

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I've got one and think it's a good bar but I think I'm a better puller with a stiff bar based on my style so I don't use it much.

Looking to sell it by any chance?

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I've got one and think it's a good bar but I think I'm a better puller with a stiff bar based on my style so I don't use it much.

Looking to sell it by any chance?

No, I'll hang onto it as another training variable.

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Thanks for the review Eric. I think the specs remain the same. 27mm and very deep sharp knurling I've heard.

Also heard its a raw steel bar no zinc coating. Ricky dale crane told me that on the phone.

So you used it for other stuff not deadlifting and it was not to flexy?? It says dl only?

Do you think with my style of deadlift, trying to pull fast from the floor, it will give me a little?

It sounds like the knurling may have been changed. Mine had pretty shallow knurling, which is actually what I prefer. If you have a decent grip the really deep knurling can be overkill, tearing up your hands and shins. My power bar has very sharp, deep knurling, but it's a trade-off. It sticks to my back much better than the deadlift bar would. So yeah, I used the Okie bar for everything, as it was the only bar I had. It worked ok for me, personally, on squats. But I never went too much over 500 with it.

I've heard conflicting reports on what specific deadlift technique gets the biggest boost. There is probably a sweet spot in terms of speed and acceleration (I would guess), so that the rebound of the bar synchs with your pull. I've heard guys claim they can 30 pounds from the bar. Maybe these are the guys that are helped the most by the bar flexing a lot before it actually clears the floor. My pull isn't helped nor hindered by an inch or more of bar height in either direction, which is probably a significant reason it didn't help me much. I'll be interested to hear how you fare with it.

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Anyone here own or use one before?

Most of the feds I compete in use an Okie, so a few years ago, I decided to buy one. One of the WORST DECISIONS I have ever made! The bar was delivered damaged. To make a long story short, it was one of the worst customer service experiences I have ever been a part of. Unbelievable. It's almost comical thinking back on it now, but I wasn't laughing at the time. :angry2: I was lucky enough that I got my money back (after several long months).

Now, the bar itself is a really good bar. It has a lot of whip, which I don't really like, even as a primarily sumo-puller now. But, even moreso as a conventional puller. When I was pulling conventional, it seemed to mess me up a lot of times. Sumo, if you become proficient with it, can help a good bit.

In the end, I bought a Texas Deadlift Bar from EliteFTS, which arrived in 3 days, drama-free. It is a solid bar at a good price. After doing the majority of my training on it, I prefer it to the Okie, but again, the Okie is a good bar. Just the experience in trying to get it, and the individual I had to deal with to "get it," … not so much.

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Received the okie bar today and it is very nice. Very sharp knurling I can tell it will provide a big bite. Much more so than my Hampton bar which really doesn't even have a lot of use yet. The 27mm is also very noticeable next to my Hampton which is 30mm.

Can't wait to give it a try. I have to build a platform first.

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Sounds like a good investment. You'll have to let us know if adds any weight to your pull.

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Just hit a PR saturday at a fundraiser lifting comp with 535 sumo pull...definitely more in the tank!

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Just hit a PR saturday at a fundraiser lifting comp with 535 sumo pull...definitely more in the tank!

Congrats on that big pull!

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Just hit a PR saturday at a fundraiser lifting comp with 535 sumo pull...definitely more in the tank!

Nice! How long have you been pulling sumo?

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Just hit a PR saturday at a fundraiser lifting comp with 535 sumo pull...definitely more in the tank!

sweet. Nice work. On an Okie?
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I've been formally training deadlifting (1x/week) for about 5 months and I've been pulling sumo for all of it. I plan on switching to conventional for the next 10 weeks or so to work on some weaknesses (primarily the floor - need more deficit deads) and no that was just a regular york bar.

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I have tried sumo a couple times but much prefer conventional as it just seems to work the body better for me.

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