Again Faster Evolution Barbell Review

When adding a new barbell to your home gym, you’ll likely want one that can handle all of your lifting needs. From powerlifting to cross-training to Olympic lifts, the Again Faster Evolution Barbell is able to handle it all, and won’t break the bank. Even though it’s available for a very reasonable price, it still has a respectable tensile strength rating of 190,000 PSI.

Since the Evolution has a mild knurling, it’s ideal for anyone wanting to focus on high rep lifts — plus, it does not feature a center knurling, which means it’s also great for power cleans (as there’s no center knurl to cause skin irritation on the chest). We think this is a great option for athletes who need a durable barbell that’s highly versatile — the Again Faster Evolution Barbell can accommodate a wide variety of exercises, and is easy on the finances.

Main Takeaways

• The Again Faster Evolution Barbell is available at a low price tag compared to other barbells of similar construction.
• A tensile strength rating of 190,000 PSI puts this barbell in the company of many other highly sought after barbells.
• The bronze bushings located in the loading sleeves provide a smooth spin, but since they don’t spin at a super fast rate, this bar is still a good choice for bench presses.

Again Faster Evolution Barbell

Again Faster Evolution Barbell

The Again Faster Evolution Barbell is a multi-purpose barbell that is available in two sizes. It$0027s forged from alloy steel and features a chrome finish. The moderate knurling, lack of a center knurling, and bronze bushings are what make this a versatile bar that is able to handle powerlifting and Olympic style lifts.

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Again Faster Evolution Barbell Highlights

The reason a multi-purpose barbell is a good choice to add to a home gym is because it can handle a wide variety of lifts, like a heavy bench press and a power clean. If you are new to weightlifting, you will enjoy the low price tag, and the non-abrasive knurling on this barbell — if you’re a beginner, you likely won’t have any calluses, and this bar is not going to tear up your hands. 

That being said, veteran lifters might find they don’t get enough grip from this barbell, and may need some lifting gloves or chalk. But since it does have a tensile strength rating of 190,000 PSI, the majority of lifters can find usage from this bar. The tensile strength of a barbell will tell you how strong a bar truly is — the higher the rating, the stronger the bar. This rating will typically range from 120,000 PSI to 230,000 PSI, with some outliers reaching up to 235,000 PSI. 190,000 is a pretty respectable rating. Many popular barbells out there have a similar rating, but typically cost more than this bar. 

The Evolution Barbell is crafted from alloy steel and is coated in chrome, giving it a nice shine, and offering some protection from corrosion. However, chrome is not the optimal choice when it comes to that (stainless steel does offer more protection), and you will most likely need to provide some extra care for your barbell. The lack of a center knurling may attract some CrossFitters and Olympic lifting athletes, since without that knurl, you don’t run a high risk of skin irritation from those styles lifts. But if you are a powerlifter, this may not be ideal since you’ll lose a little bit of grip for your back squats.

The bronze bushings in the loading sleeves of this barbell are another reason it can accommodate a variety of lifts. These are helpful during any lift that requires the bar to spin, and will decrease the amount of torque your elbows and wrists have to endure. However, they don’t spin as freely as some other bars do — this may be less than ideal for the snatch, but that slower spin does make this a solid barbell for powerlifting. 

If you look closely at the loading sleeves, you will notice a bit of a grooved pattern — but if you run your hand over the sleeves, it feels pretty smooth. This is important because during any lift where the bar is dropped, it’s likely your bumper plates will slide down the sleeve. You will probably need to invest in a pair of weight collars with this barbell, but we recommend you use some anyway for your own safety. 

Who Should Buy the Again Faster Evolution Barbell

• Anyone looking for a barbell that can handle a variety of workouts will appreciate that you can seamlessly switch from powerlifting to power cleaning using this bar.
• Customers on a tight budget will be happy to find that this barbell is listed at $200, which is really affordable considering the overall high-quality build.
• The tensile strength rating of 190,000 PSI means this barbell is able to accommodate both beginners and more veteran lifters alike. 

Who Shouldn’t Buy the Again Faster Evolution Barbell

• Since this is a multi-purpose bar and is not tailored for one specific style of lift, you may want to find a specialty bar if you are someone who is specifically focused on powerlifting or Olympic lifting. 
• If you live in a humid environment, or are going to be storing your bar in a garage, you may want to consider another barbell. The chrome coating on this bar is not the optimal choice for that type of environment.
• If you need a barbell with a deep cut knurling, you’ll want to look elsewhere — the knurling on this bar is pretty passive. 

Price

A big problem people tend to run into when filling out their home gym is the price of equipment. With a price tag that hovers right around $200, you’re getting a great deal considering the build and versatility of this barbell. There are barbells out there with an identical tensile strength that are going to cost you nearly $200 more. (Though some of those are stainless steel, which means they could last you a bit longer than the Evolution barbell.)

This low price tag is also great for anyone who wants to add additional equipment to their home gym, such as a power rack. You can also snag yourself some weight plates, a weight bench, dumbbells, or even a kettlebell or two since you’re saving on your bar. If you want a barbell that’s even cheaper than this, you could find one, but it will likely be significantly weaker than this barbell.

Overall Build and Quality

The Again Faster Evolution Barbell is a multi-purpose bar that was forged with alloy steel, has a chrome coating, features a tensile strength rating of 190,000 PSI, and utilizes bronze bushings to provide a smooth spin. Bronze bushings are in fact cheaper than bearings, but they degrade at a slower rate. The knurling of this bar is more on the passive side of things, which may be great for high rep exercises and for beginners — but powerlifters, and anyone who has sweaty hands while working out may find that the knurling is not ideal for them. 

Since this barbell is available in both 20 and 15 kilograms, nearly everyone can find usage with the Evolution. The 20 kilogram bar is 86 inches in length, has 16.5 inch loading sleeves, and a diameter of 28 millimeters, while the 15 kilogram bar is 79 inches long, has 12.5 inch loading sleeves, and a diameter of 25 millimeters. Some companies do offer a "junior" bar that weighs 10 kilograms, but that is not available with this specific barbell.

Features

The chrome coating on this barbell may offer some resistance to corrosion, but you are going to find yourself needing to clean it more so than some other coatings, like stainless steel. The knurling is pretty passive overall, so your hands won’t get torn up — but it also may not provide optimal grip on its own for some people. 

The double knurl markings on this barbell are designed to allow you to get identical hand placement for your wide grip lifts, and are regulation markings for both the International Powerlifting Federation and the International Weightlifting Federation. The "grooved" sleeves in this barbell do not offer much assistance in keeping your plates in place, so we recommend purchasing a pair of weight collars in order to keep them from sliding around while lifting. 

Knurling

Again Faster designed the knurling on this barbell to be less abrasive in order to accommodate high rep exercises, but we felt that the knurling didn’t provide the grippy feel we desired. Since the knurling is not cut very deep on this bar, you will most likely need to invest in some lifting gloves or chalk to attain a really solid grip.

The double knurl markings on this barbell meet the International Weightlifting and the International Powerlifting Federation standards. This is for you to accurately set your hands up for wide grip lifts. Since you won’t find a center knurling on this barbell, it might not be the ideal choice to perform any back squats, and some people may find the bar doesn’t stick to their chest well enough during power cleans.

Sleeve Design

A feature that may fly under the radar for a lot of customers is the loading sleeve design of a barbell — the more you look, the more you’ll notice that they tend to vary from bar to bar. With versatile barbells like this one, the sleeves often feature a grooved pattern to keep the plates in place while lifting. While these sleeves technically have a slight pattern, if you run your hands across them, they actually feel pretty smooth. This is important because you aren’t going to have the same success in preventing your plates from sliding as you would with some other barbells — in which case you will need weight collars to assist you.

Bronze Bushings

Since there are in fact bronze bushings in the loading sleeves of the Evolution, you are going to find there is a solid spin to allow you to incorporate Olympic style lifts in your workout routine. We did notice that they do not spin as freely as some other barbells, which is actually a good thing for powerlifting.

Finish

The chrome finish on this bar might make it look nice in your home gym and may provide some corrosion resistance, but it will not provide the most resistance from rust and corrosion you’ll find from other finishes (stainless steel is the optimal choice). However, since this barbell is available at such a low price tag, you are going to be able to purchase yourself some supplies to provide your bar with the care that it needs to stay in good shape. 

In just a few short weeks, our barbell already began to show signs of corrosion building up in the knurling (without any care). With that being said, if you don’t store yours in a hot garage like we do — you may not have the same issue.

Product Specs

Since the Evolution Barbell does have a respectable tensile strength, we believe that it’s going to be a solid choice for the majority of recreational weightlifters that are looking to purchase a new barbell. With a rating of 190,000 PSI, beginners can grow with this bar, and more advanced lifters can find solid usage out of it, as well. Plus the dimensions of both versions of this barbell are nearly identical to men’s and women’s Olympic barbells.

Tensile Strength 

When searching for a barbell, tensile strength is one of the best ways to determine the overall quality of the bar. Since this barbell is relatively close to the higher end of the spectrum with a rating of 190,000 PSI (some barbells can actually reach 235,000 PSI), it’s in the same ballpark as many popular barbells that are actually nearly double the price.

Materials

The overall quality of a barbell is not only determined by the tensile strength, but also the materials that were used to craft the bar. Since the Again Faster Evolution Barbell features a chrome coating, it may not be ideal for those who have their home gym in a garage, or those who live in a humid environment. In these cases, you may have to clean your barbell more often than you would with some other coatings, like cerakote and especially stainless steel.

The bronze bushings in the loading sleeves are what is going to give you the spin you need for Olympic lifts. They may not spin as much as bearings that are found in Olympic barbells, but they’re cheaper, and they may last longer.

Weight Capacity

The actual weight capacity for the Evolution Barbell is not listed on the Again Faster website, but with a barbell of this tensile strength, you can expect to load up at least 1,000 pounds (maybe more).

Dimensions and Weight

The dimensions for the two weight options are going to be different. The 15 kilogram bar is 79 inches long with 12.5-inch loading sleeves, and a diameter of 25 millimeters. The 20 kilogram bar is 86 inches in length, with 16.5-inch loading sleeves, and has a diameter of 28 millimeters. No matter which one you choose, they’re both around the size of Olympic barbells.

Warranties

Again Faster throws in a lifetime warranty for the Evolution Barbell. With that being said, it does not cover normal wear and tear, or any negligent usage — such as improper storage, or using damaged bumper plates. It does cover any manufacturing defects though.

Places to Buy

You can purchase this barbell directly through the Again Faster website.

Company Information

Located in Jacksonville, Florida, Again Faster has been manufacturing gym equipment since 2006. They specialize in offering quality products at lower prices than some competitors. To find out more about their operation, you can call them at 877-736-8775, or reach them via email service@againfaster.com.

Final Word

The Again Faster Evolution Barbell is a multi-purpose bar that is available at a budget price, without sacrificing utility. The tensile strength rating of 190,000 PSI is very respectable, and is equal to some other barbells that are nearly double the price. We believe that this bar can offer a decent amount of usage for the majority of weightlifters because of that tensile strength, as well as its overall versatility.

We did find the knurling on this barbell to be pretty passive, which may create some grip issues for users with rough, or sweaty hands. During our time with this barbell, we did have a bit of trouble finding a consistent grip, but you could always utilize some lifting gloves or chalk to help. The non-abrasive nature of the knurling could be great for beginners though who don’t have any calluses built up. The mild knurling paired with the missing center knurling may also make this a great bar for athletes to use for any high rep exercise (or anything where the bar is going to rub against your upper chest). 

The Again Faster Evolution Barbell can perform at the same rate as a lot of popular barbells out there. It’s not stainless steel, so you may run into some corrosion issues. But since it comes at a fairly discounted price, you may be willing to clean it a little more often to save a few bucks. Because of the respectable tensile strength rating, and the high utility of this bar, we believe this could be a solid option for any recreational athlete looking to fill out their home gym.

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