Force USA Pro Series Barbell
A 28.5 mm bronze-bushing all-rounder with published weight and straightness tolerances — the bar to buy if you never plan to snatch.
Specs
| Best use | Multipurpose / all-rounder |
|---|---|
| Overall length | 86.6 in (2,200 mm) |
| Overall weight | 45 lb / 20 kg |
| Grip diameter | 28.5 mm |
| Loadable sleeve length | 16 in (410 mm) |
| Whip | Good |
| Knurling style | Standard |
| Knurling spec | Dual IPF / IWF |
| Shaft coating | Black zinc |
| Sleeve coating | Bright zinc |
| Bushings | Bronze |
| Tensile strength | 190,000 PSI |
| Weight tolerance | ±1% |
| Straightness accuracy | ±0.25 mm |
These figures are copied from Force USA’s own published specs and were last checked on 2026-08-31. Manufacturers revise products without notice, and variants differ. Confirm anything your decision depends on with Force USA before you buy.
Choose this one if
- You squat, bench, press and pull and do not do the Olympic lifts
- You want bushings that will outlive bearings in a dusty garage
- You want published tolerances rather than marketing adjectives
The detail
This is the bushing half of Force USA's pair, and the decision against the Gunner comes down to one question: do you clean and snatch? If no, take this one. Bronze bushings tolerate chalk, grit, dust and years of nothing being done to them, where needle bearings spin faster and degrade when neglected. In a garage that is not swept, bushings win on a five-year view.
The 28.5 mm shaft is the general-purpose diameter — thicker than the Gunner's 28 mm, so slightly stiffer under a squat and slightly harder to grip on a heavy pull. Combined with "good" rather than "great" whip, this is a bar tuned to sit still, which is what you want under everything except a clean.
The published tolerances are the real differentiator in this price bracket: ±1% on weight and ±0.25 mm on straightness. Straightness is what determines whether the bar rolls true and sits flat in the J-cups, and it is the first thing a cheap bar gets wrong. Force USA publishes a figure; most brands say nothing at all.
Dual IPF and IWF marks mean the bar is not committed to a discipline, which matches the "all-rounder" brief.
190,000 PSI is respectable and considerably below the Gunner's 235,000. Force USA does not publish a static load rating for this bar — the Gunner is listed at 1,500 lb and this one is not. If you plan to load past 500, ask them.
Black zinc shaft with bright zinc sleeves is the same finish compromise as the Gunner: cheap, effective, and the least durable of the common coatings. Expect patina.