Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar vs Texas Deadlift Bar

Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar vs Texas Deadlift Bar The Best Deadlift Bar, January 2022

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Nowadays, it seems like there is a different kind of bar for almost every exercise or style of lifting. The training benefits behind using different barbells are often debated and this is very much the case with the deadlift bar, which can make it difficult to know if you should even use a deadlift bar before you even get to trying to find the best deadlift bar for your training.

I'll explain exactly what a deadlift bar is, why or why it shouldn’t be used, and help you to choose the right deadlift bar by comparing two of the best and most popular deadlift barbells available: The Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar and the Texas Deadlift Bar.

What is a Deadlift Bar and How is it Different from a Standard Barbell?

A man wearing a black top and grey sweat shorts lifting barbells while a woman wearing black set of workout clothes  is beside him lifting barbells too

As you may have guessed, or at least I would hope you have, a deadlift bar is a barbell that has the sole purpose of being used for deadlifts.

There are even specialty barbells designed for more intricate or specific purposes as well. 

For today, the real question is what makes it for a better deadlift: a standard Olympic barbell or a deadlift-specific barbell?

The main performance difference is the amount of “whip” you get when deadlifting with a deadlift bar. By “whip”, I’m referring to how much the barbell bends as you lift it off the ground. By having a barbell that bends more as you pull up on it, you essentially decrease the distance that you must lift the weight from the ground.

Often, with a deadlift bar, the bar will bend enough to allow your hands to be a good couple of inches higher before the weights break the ground. This reduction in range of motion is likely to lead to slightly heavier weights being lifted by most people.

The video below shows this difference:

Physical Differences Between Deadlift Bars and Standard Bars

The last section explained the main performance difference between a deadlift bar and regular barbell, but what physical changes cause the deadlift bars to bend more?

There are a few key differences you will usually see between the two types of bar.

Firstly, a deadlift bar is going to be thinner than regular bars. The majority of deadlift bars are 27mm thick, which is 1-2mm thicker than powerlifting bars.

Deadlift bars also rely on shifting the weight plates further away from the middle of the bar to further increase “whip”. This is done by increasing both the distance between the sleeves as well as increasing the length of the bar as a whole.

As you can see, all the changes made to a deadlift bar are done so in an effort to make the bar bend more at the start of a deadlift.

Factors to Consider When Buying a Deadlifting Barbell

Getting a deadlifting barbell like the Rogue Ohio deadlift bar or the Texas deadlift bar means you need to do some research, which is why you're reading this.

There are plenty of factors that go into picking the right one for your powerlifting needs.

Here are the 4 that I consider to be the most nagging questions to ask when you're making your choice:

  1. Tensile Strength and Capacity - The number one concern is how strong and durable this bar is going to be. A deadlifting bar is intended to lift some heavy ass weight, so you need to know the PSI rating. 
  2. Stiffness/Whip - Tensile strength isn't stiffness, contrary to what many believe. It's good to remember that a stiffer bar = harder pull, making your PR attempts much more difficult.
  3. Knurling - Not all barbells have knurling, but that's not something you'll see with deadlifting or powerlifting bars. Feeling the bar in your hands is the most surefire way to tell if it feels comfortable, but this one is definitely a preference and not a deciding factor for many.
  4. Bar Finish/Feel - Continuing with another subjective preference, the finish of the bar (see the pic below this list) and the feel don't impact your performance all that much, but if you're spending a couple hundred on a barbell, you won't to like how it looks.

Rogue Ohio Power Bar vs. Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar

Just to give you a rough guide to the differences between standard power bars and deadlift bars, I have taken our favourite powerlifting bar, the Rogue Ohio Bar and compared the specifications to the deadlift version of the same bar.

Finally, Rogue mentions the knurling on their Ohio deadlift bar is slightly more aggressive than their power bars. This makes sense as having a better grip on the bar is going to improve deadlift performance, which is the main aim of the bar.
Rogue Ohio Power Bar Vs Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar length comparison

As you can see from the image above, the main differences between the two bars is in the various lengths. The deadlift bar also doesn’t feature a centre knurling as it has no need for one due to the fact it shouldn’t be used for squats.

What is the Best Deadlift Bar?

There are a few popular choices on the market for deadlift bars. For this article, I have taken what I believe to be the two best deadlift bar choices when considering build quality, value and bar performance.

They also happen to be the bars I have most experience with so the comparison between the two is much fairer.

As an aside, something that all lifters should look into are barbell collars. This accessory helps secure the plates so that there is no shifting of load or accidents.

Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar

Before offering a comparison and suggestion on the best bar, I have included a short individual review and some specifications on each bar individually:

Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar

Much like their Ohio Power Bar, the Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar is in a class of its own when it comes to design, build-quality, and performance.

Pros

  • 90.5" Bar Length
  • Lifetime Warranty
  • Great Whip/Flex
  • 190K PSI Tensile Strength

Cons

  • Not For Budget Lifters
  • No Center Knurl

Rogue has become a firm favorite of mine for lifting equipment and they should certainly have the knowledge available to build a superb deadlift bar.

After all, they put a lot of effort into researching and creating their showpiece competition bar, the elephant bar, which has become a big part of the Arnold Classic Strongman event every year.

Using what they learned from building the elephant bar, which can’t be purchased, Rogue has come up with a strong competitor in the deadlift bar market with their Rogue Ohio deadlift bar. The bar has been modeled after their popular, and Barbell pursuit’s best barbell winner, the Ohio power bar.

As with most Rogue barbells, there is a choice of finishes for their deadlift bar: raw steel, zinc plated and now colored cerakote finishes.

The zinc plated and cerakote are slightly more expensive, but it does offer protection from oxidation and the cerakote can be ordered in four colors. However, raw steel feels much better in the hands, but it requires more bar maintenance.

Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar

The materials used in the deadlift bar are very similar to those used in the power bar. The shaft is built to a tensile strength of 190k psi and the same bronze bushings are used inside the sleeves.

The bar does feature an aggressive knurling, which I definitely prefer for deadlifts, but it isn’t too sharp since the points of the knurls are concaved like a volcano. This pattern allows the knurling to be aggressive and grippy without tearing into your hands.

Finally, the deadlift bar comes without a center knurling, as I mentioned earlier. There is simply no need for a center knurled section on a deadlift bar because a center knurl is there to provide grip on your back during squats. You should not be squatting with a deadlift bar.

Bar Weight

44.1 Lbs. (20 Kg)

Shaft Diameter

27mm

Knurling

Aggressive

Center Knurl

no

Sleeve Finish

Chrome

Bare steel

Bright Zinc

Cerakote

Shaft Coating

Bare Steel

Black Zinc

Cerakote

E-Coat

Tensile Strength

190 000K PSI

Bar Length

90.5"

Loadable Sleeve Length

15.5"

Bushing/Bearing

Bushing

Made In USA

Yes

Warranty

Lifetime

Texas Deadlift Bar

A timeless classic, it's hard to compete with the "don't mess with Texas" attitude that the Texas Deadlift Bar has.

Texas Deadlift Bar

Slightly cheaper but just as good, the Texas Deadlift Bar is the culmination of the Made in America quality that has propelled this bar to decades of recognition in IPF competitions.

Pros

  • Cheaper than the Ohio Bar
  • Longer Bar
  • Aggressive Knurling

Cons

  • More Exposed to Oxidation
  • Not as Many Finish Options
  • Shorter Loadable Sleeves

Manufactured by Buddy Capps, the maker of the ever-popular Texas power bar, the Texas deadlift bar is another excellent option for this specialty bar.

As was the case with the original power bar, the build-quality on the Texas deadlift bar is great: the finish on the steel bar is zinc oxide as standard and the knurling is very deep cut.

The bar also features bronze bushes inside of the collars, which are constructed from one piece of material.

Unlike the Texas power bar, there is no center knurling on the bar, which is pretty much standard practice with deadlift barbells.

I am disappointed with the fact that at 92.5" long, the loadable sleeves are only 14.75". Similarly, the Texas Deadlift Bar doesn't have as many sleeve and shaft coating/finish options.

Bar Weight

44.1 Lbs. (20 Kg)

Shaft Diameter

27mm

Knurling

Aggressive

Center Knurl

no

Sleeve Finish

Chrome

Bare Steel

Shaft Coating

Bare Steel

Black Zinc

Chrome

Tensile Strength

190 000K PSI

Bar Length

92.5"

Loadable Sleeve Length

18"

Bushing/Bearing

Bushing

Made In USA

Yes

Warranty

Lifetime

Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar vs. Texas Deadlift Bar Comparison – Which is Best?

We have discussed each bar individually and can say with certainty that both would be an excellent choice for your deadlift bar. However, there has to be a winner here, so we have taken the main features of each bar and presented them in the table below:


Ohio Deadlift

Texas Deadlift

Diameter

27mm

27mm

Length

90.5"

90.5"

Weight

20 KG

20 KG

Dist. between sleeves

56"

56"

Loadable length

15.5"

14.75"

Tensile strength

                190,000

186,000

Material

Steel

Steel

Finish

Bare or Zinc coated

Zinc coated

Where to Buy

As you can see from the table, in terms of specs, the bars are quite similar on paper. However, I lean towards the Ohio Bar as my favorite for a couple of reasons:

  • It can usually be had for a cheaper price than the Texas bar.
  • Concave style knurling is aggressive but doesn't rip your hands up
  • More rust-protection coating options

I prefer the concave style knurling, which is aggressive and grips very well without ripping into the hand’s skin.

Who Should Use A Deadlift Bar?

This is a big question that is quite often the topic of many forum and video comment section debates. To me, the initial answer doesn’t need to be complicated:

If your sole aim is to lift more weight from the ground, then you will likely benefit from using a deadlift bar.

The complexity and nuances come into play when you examine a lifter’s reasons behind wanting to deadlift more.

For example, a lifter who wants to lift more weight in order to increase lower body strength and muscular development could be inhibited by using a deadlift bar. Sure, the weight will be heavier, but the reduced range of motion could detract from the recruitment of lower body muscles.

On the other hand, somebody that would like to get used to locking out heavier weights without adding bands, chains or changing the mechanics of the deadlift movement too much could benefit from the use of a deadlift bar.

Like a lot of other tools, I think the deadlift bar can have its’ place in a lifter’s program as another variation that can be used alongside your other lifts to build a more well-rounded athlete.

The one group of people that most certainly should make regular use of a deadlift bar are powerlifters or strongman competitors where a deadlift bar is use during their competition days. If your federation uses a deadlift bar on meet day, you must get used to using one in the gym.

On the other side of that coin, lifters in federations like the IPF, where very stiff bars are used, will want to limit their use of deadlift bars. This is especially true as you get closer to competition.

Remember, specificity is key.

Final Thoughts

With that in mind, the Barbell Pursuit’s recommendation for the best deadlift bar currently available is the Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar.

You can click the link below to view and purchase the bar directly on Rogue’s website.

So without further ado, grab your bar and smash that deadlift PR!

Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar vs. Texas Deadlift Bar FAQs

Is the Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar Worth it?

If you're looking for a high-quality and durable deadlift bar, the Rogue Ohio Deadlift Bar is your best option when it comes to value and performance.

is the Texas Deadlift Bar Worth It?

One of the best deadlift bars available today is the Texas Deadlift Bar. It is affordable and will last a very long time given the quality manufacturing it is made with.

What's the Difference Between a Power Bar and a Deadlift Bar?

A power bar, or powerlifting barbell, is an all-around barbell that can be used for deadlifts, squats, and bench press. It has less whip, often features center knurling, and often has a higher tensile strength rating.

A deadlift bar is primarily used for deadlifting because of the higher whip.

What Do I Use a Deadlift Bar For?

A deadlift bar is primarily used for deadlifting, but it can be used for other lifts. It may be harder to bench press and squat with because the bar has more flex, meaning the weights will bench more.

Denver Matheson
 

I spend a lot of time at the gym and even more time in the kitchen giving my body what it needs to repair itself and grow stronger. The third most important place for any athlete is their research zone. That's exactly why this site exists, to help me share all of the information I've learned throughout the years just like people did for me in the first place!

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 6 comments
Rauta - March 20, 2020

Thanks for an insightful review. I have used Texas DL bar with good results and I like it a lot. Now, thanks to this coronavirus, I’m going to get a DL bar for my home gym and pondering whether to go for Texas one or Rogue one. Both seem very good to me. This article helped. Cheers! Stay strong, stay healthy. Greetings from Finland.

Reply
    Barbell Pursuits - March 29, 2020

    Hi Rauta, Glad we could help you. Thanks for the comment, and greetings from the USA.

    Reply
Joseph - February 28, 2020

Have you looked at the Valor Fitness deadlift bar? Seems to have the same features at a cheaper price.

Reply
    Barbell Pursuits - March 13, 2020

    Doing deadlifts with a cheap bar will eventually cause it to warp or bend, assuming you DL in the 300-400 lb+ range. This will make the bar fairly useless. Would you rather pay more and buy the bar once? If you’re lifting only light weights this may not be an issue.

    Reply
Dennis Board - May 23, 2019

I’ve been using a Texas deadlift bar for at least a decade now and am a believer, but I had the opportunity to use a Rogue deadlift bar yesterday for the first time to see what all the fuss was and was pretty excited when we started warming up, but lost that feeling pretty quickly.
Right off the bat using the Rogue deadlift bar, neither myself or the guy I was lifting with could line up on the bar properly, something was definitely off, but we couldn’t figure it out. Lift after lift was just slightly off, but we couldn’t put our fingers on it.

Today I got the Texas bar out and the Rogue bar and compared them and the specs for one of the bars above is off.

The Texas bar is a good half inch to an inch longer with thicker collars and though I didn’t measure it, the diameter is ever so slightly smaller. All of these things changed the lift quite dramatically after using the Texas bar for so many years. Also the whip isn’t as pronounced on the Rogue bar, unless it needs to be broken in, which doesn’t sound right to me.

Either way, I think I’ll stick with what I know and have used for many years using the equipment that is used in my federation. Should they ever change over to Rogue, I guess I will too, because using a texas bar to train with would and then using a rogue bar at a meet would be like pulling at the meet with a stiff power bar, in my opinion.

Reply
    barbell - May 29, 2019

    Good to know, thanks!

    Reply

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