When looking into my home gym project the number one priority on my list was to get a decent barbell and some bumpers weights. Even without a rack, bench, or rig the number of strength and conditioning workouts you can do with a standard barbell and bumpers is impressive.
I did my research on barbells and Rogue Fitness seemed to be far and away the best built barbells for the money. As this is my first barbell purchase and will be used for a variety of exercises I went with the Echo 2.0 bar. This bar happens to be the cheapest olympic barbell Rogue makes but that doesn’t mean that is cheap.
This is a fantastic barbell with a nice knurling and impeccable finish. The knurling is a nice balance of grip without being too aggressive. For the majority of my lifts the bar is a great balance between grip without tearing up my hands too much.
The spin on this barbell is great and really smooth especially when using heavier weights on compound lifts. You can tell a lot of quality control was put into the barbell, especially when you see how much care Rogue takes in packaging the barbell for shipment.
Overall if you are just starting lifting or looking for a decent barbell to use and abuse the Echo 2.0 is an awesome place to start. I know eventually I’ll want to get another barbell perhaps with a more aggressive knurling or center knurling but for now this barbell has handled everything I can throw at it and then some.
I purchased this barbell during a promotion where Rogue was offering free shipping for a barbell and bumper set purchase. This worked out fantastic for me as I was able to get the barbell and bumper set for under $500 with free shipping.
