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After two years of heavy use, the Rogue OSO Barbell Collars are still a rock-solid choice for those looking for a set of barbell collars that will keep even the heaviest load of plates securely fastened.
What are they: Rogue OSO Barbell Collars
Rogue Fitness is perhaps the world’s preeminent supplier of workout/gym equipment for not only CrossFit gyms but for garage gym junkies such as myself. Known for their over-the-top quality and attention to detail, the OSO Barbell Collars are some of the best you will find. Why? Because after using them almost every day for the past couple of years, they work just as well as they did on day one.
Made of aircraft-grade aluminum, not only are these collars ultra lightweight, but insanely durable too.
The interior collar is lined with a rubber sleeve that will not only protect your bar from marking but provide exceptional clamping power too. For the heavy gainers out there who love to load up the barbell, the last thing you want to worry about is plates falling off the ends.
I’ve done it all, squats, cleans, deadlifts, etc. and not once have I seen the plates wiggle. Considering many, many failed attempts at PRs and dropping the bar from shoulder height. After all this time of owning the Rogue OSO barbell collars, they have yet to fail me. That’s impressive.
What I love:
- All aluminum construction
- Extremely durable and resilient
- Unparraled clamping capacity
- Made in the USA
What Could Be Better:
- Premium product but with semi-premium price tag
- Lever requires a decent amount of force to close
Rogue OSO Barbell Collar Specs
Rogue Fitness designs and manufactures their barbell clamps right here in the good ol’ US of A. Columbus, Ohio to be exact.
If you’re wondering, yes, Rogue does sell their barbell collars in pairs. Each 1.5″ wide collar, as I mentioned, is made of 6061 billet aircraft grade aluminum.
Fitment shouldn’t be an issue since the standard industry-wide standard of the sleeve is 50mm or 2 inches. By all means, confirm fitment before buying, but you probably have nothing to worry about.
The durability of the Rogue collar is unquestionable, but if for some reason it breaks, the OSO barbell collars are covered by a factory 2-year warranty. That’s a little peace of mind to justify the premium price.
Rogue OSO Barbell Collars FAQ
Each collar weighs right around 196 grams (+/- a gram). If you're calculating the exact weight of your olympic pair with plates, be sure to figure the weight of the collar in too.
In almost every scenario, using a barbell collar is either strongly recommended or 100% necessary for a number of reasons.
If you're asking whether or not barbell collars are necessary, your thought process probably goes like this: I don't need them because the weight of the bar with plates is very light for me or I only have one plate on the bar and it's unlikely to fall off.
Something along those lines, right? That may be true, but here are a few reasons you should always take the extra 10 seconds to always use barbell collars:
- They're not only for your safety, but for those around you too. There are countless variables and incidences that can and will arise while in the gym. Say you drop the bar, or someone bumps into it accidentally, or your muscles simply give out. Whatever the scenario, a loose plate falling off a bar is a hazard no matter how you look at it.
- Barbell collars protect your plates. This is especially true with smaller, thinner plates that are much more prone to flexing or bending if dropped. If the plates aren't snug against the bar, the extra play can cause the center metal ring to separate from the rest of the plate with even a 2 foot drop.
- Barbell rings keep the plates in place with repeated motions. If you're squatting, for instance, the last thing you want is for the plate to slowly creep outwards on the bar. Not only will that throw off the balance of the bar, but might result in serious injury to yourself too.
Unless specified or part of a package deal, no, Rogue barbells do not come with a set of barbell collars. Make sure you factor in the extra cost of a quality set of collars before checking out.
While the Rogue OSO Barbell Collars, in my opinion, are one of the best sets you can buy, they aren't the only ones. Rogue Fitness continues to innovate and release different collars that are very much worth buying. While not necessary, I prefer a barbell collar that is made of metal rather than plastic. Lifting weights is serious business and I'm not willing to compromise on a cheap plastic clip that will break under load.
Check out our other reviews: Massage Guns, Vibration Plates, Foam Rollers
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Editor-In-Chief at Recovatech. Dr. Ben is a board-certified Doctor of Chiropractic with over 10 years of clinical experience. He specializes in structural and neurological imbalances with an emphasis on functional movement patterns, exercise performance, and muscle recovery. He has been the team chiropractor for professional baseball and soccer organizations, as well as collegiate athletes. In his personal life, he’s always been driven when it comes to athletics and personal performance.