Texas Power Bar (Original)
The bar most power bars are copying — 28.5 mm, aggressive knurl, 4-inch centre knurl, made in Texas since 1980.
Specs
| Diameter | 28.5 mm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 45 lb |
| Tensile strength | 190K |
| Knurling | Aggressive |
| Center knurl | 4 in |
| Collar size | Classic thicker profile |
| Overall length | 86 in |
| Inside collar to inside collar | 52 in |
| Loadable sleeve length | 15 in |
| Knurl markings | Single powerlifting knurl mark |
| Bushings | Maintenance-free bronze |
| Meets all major competition specs | False |
| Origin | Made in Texas since 1980 with American steel |
These figures are copied from Texas Power Bars’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 Texas Power Bars before you buy.
Choose this one if
- You want the bar that defined the category rather than an interpretation of it
- You squat, bench and deadlift and want knurl that does not let go
- You are not competing, or you compete where equipment is not specified
The detail
This is the bar the phrase "power bar" describes. Buddy Capps has been making it in Texas since 1980, and its knurl and stiffness are the reference every other power bar gets measured against — including the ones covered here from Rogue and PRX.
The specification most worth reading is the honest one: "Meets all major competition specs: No." The Original is 86 inches long with a 15-inch loadable sleeve and a classic thicker collar profile — dimensions that predate current federation rules. If you compete under IPF or USAPL rules, the Elite or Pro is the bar; both are listed as meeting them. Very few manufacturers state this plainly rather than letting you find out.
Aggressive knurl with a 4-inch centre knurl is the whole character. It grips under sweat and chalk and it will take skin on high-rep work. The centre knurl holds the bar on your back in a low-bar squat and will shred a t-shirt on bench. This is a bar for heavy work.
At 28.5 mm the shaft is narrower than the 29 mm on the Elite and Pro, which makes the same knurl feel sharper — more knurl contacting each square inch of hand.
The 15-inch loadable sleeve is short by modern standards (16 to 16.5 is typical) and the 52-inch inside-collar span is standard, so it racks normally.
190K tensile with maintenance-free bronze bushings — stiff, and it needs nothing done to it.