Rogue Cerakote vs. Stainless Steel For Athlete S&C

[mormonbro]

Hi All,

I'm taking over the Strength & Conditioning program of my local high school and our first order of business is getting new barbells. Our current bars are in disrepair.

To those who have experience with both the Cerakote and S.S. from Rogue, how do they compare? Is the S.S. worth the additional cost for how it feels in the hand and the level of maintenance? I'd like to get the Cerakote if the quality is close so I can incorporate the school colors and athlete's can easily differentiate easily between the 15kg and 20kg bars. But if the S.S. is noticeably better than that's what I'm after.

I use Rogue at the facility I manage but we don't get near the foot traffic that a high school weight room or a box sees, so I'd like to hear how they hold up on a larger scale. Thank you!

 

[rtrcam]

@mormonbro The cerakote is fine if they will be looked after, but I’d be wary of them being properly maintained and cared for in a high school. They need to be cleaned with nothing more abrasive than nylon brushes. I bought my wife a used cerakote Bella bar that was cleaned using a metal wire brush and there are rust deposits in those areas. I have a SS power bar with cerakote sleeves and the shaft is so nice and low maintenance, whereas the sleeves are fairly banged up from the plates. Given the intended use, I’d recommend SS all the way

 

[mormonbro]

@rtrcam Thanks for the insight!

 

[oxfordmoveman]

@mormonbro Stainless competition ball bearing bar from American barbell.

Out of the hundreds of bars I have used, that is bar far my favorite.

 

[josephcamline]

@mormonbro cerakote sucks, the knurling is less sharpe and the coat will get bursts here and there. however, the knurling is less sharp (soft child hands might appreciate it), and it's colorful what children might like. and if you can get more children into the gym with a full rainbow of barbells, go for it.

i think stainless is overkill. the metal is actual softer, and thus farther away from competition bars. the zinc coating is a good trade-off to the grip of a bare steel bar and rust protection. teach the children to clean the bars after training (any coating will deteriorate with a layer of chalk).

you should look more into getting technique bars and technique plates if you want to teach weightlifting, e.g.

- 20x broomsticks,

- 20x round steel rods with 25mm and 28mm diameter (or buy fancy Rogue sticks),

- 5x aluminum bars (~5-7kg) and technique plates (10x 2.5kg and 10x 5kg),

- 5x Rogue Junior bar (10kg, 25mm),

- 10x woman barbells (15kg, 25mm), e.g. cerakote bars

- 10x men barbells (20kg, 28mm), e.g. cerakote bars

- 5x powerlifting bars (20kg, 29mm), e.g. Ohio Power bar with zinc coating

 

[godisimaginary325]

@mormonbro Sorry not answering your question. Are you planning to use a particular program for the high school lifting?

 

[tammy1ed2]

@mormonbro Love that you’re taking over S and C for the high school! I helped run our local summer program the last couple of years and it was awesome getting to work with those students. I don’t have much in terms of advice for equipment.

 

[lone_disciple]

@mormonbro Both will be fine. SS will require less maintenance, but the cerakote should last just fine. Very few CrossFit gyms will splurge on SS, or even cerakote. Most use the black zinc or e coat and the bars last 10+ years in those environments.