PRX Mako Olympic Barbell
A 28 mm needle-bearing bar with high whip and passive knurl — built entirely for the snatch and the clean, and unapologetic about it.
Specs
| Barbell type | Olympic lifting |
|---|---|
| Length | 86.5 in |
| Barbell weight | 20 kg (45 lb) |
| Shaft diameter | 28 mm |
| Shaft coating | Hard chrome |
| Sleeve coating | Hard chrome |
| Sleeve texture | Grooved |
| Usable sleeve length | 16-1/8 in |
| Whip level | High |
| Static load capacity | 1,500 lb |
| Tensile strength | ≥190,000 PSI ±5% |
| Knurling type | Volcano and hill (IWF) |
| Knurling aggression | Passive |
| Knurling marks | IWF |
| Bearings | Needle bearings |
These figures are copied from PRX Performance’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 PRX Performance before you buy.
Choose this one if
- You snatch, clean and jerk and want a bar built only for that
- You want high whip to help the bar rebound out of the bottom
- You want passive knurl that will not tear your hands on high-volume pulls
The detail
Three specs make this an Olympic bar rather than a bar that can do Olympic lifts: 28 mm shaft, high whip, needle bearings.
High whip is the one people misunderstand. A whippy bar flexes under load and snaps back, and a weightlifter times that rebound — the bar helps you out of the bottom of a clean. Under a heavy squat the same flex is a liability, which is why the Reef is specified at low whip and 29 mm. You cannot have both in one bar; this one has chosen.
Needle bearings are what let the sleeves spin fast enough that the bar rotates under your hands during a turnover instead of dragging your wrists around with it. They are also the part that suffers from chalk and grit, so this bar wants storing off the floor.
Passive knurl is deliberate and correct. Weightlifting is high-volume pulling with a hook grip, and an aggressive knurl shreds your hands and your hook. Passive volcano-and-hill grips enough without cutting. If you want the opposite, the Reef's aggressive mountain knurl is on the same shelf.
IWF marks only, and no compromise toward powerlifting. That is consistent with everything else here.
Grooved sleeves hold plates a little more firmly than smooth ones, which is what you want on a bar that gets dropped from overhead onto bumpers repeatedly.