The RitFit Olympic Barbell Bar – Our Review

NOTE: The bar I tested is the bar specifically rated for 500 pounds. RitFit also offers similar bars rated for 900 and 1200 pounds.

RitFit is mainly known for producing larger home gym equipment items. Generally speaking, these include power racks, Smith Machines, and the odd leg press and functional trainer.

Like most larger equipment manufacturers, RitFit also produces a number of accessory items as well as equipment that makes sense to pair with this equipment. If you have a power rack, you need weights to lift with…

…and a barbell to stack your plates on.

Today, we’re going to take a quick look at Ritfit’s Olympic Barbell Bar (I’ll just call it the “RitFit bar” or something like that from here on out).

To be blunt, it’s not the kind of bar I would go out of my way to purchase, but it might make sense to throw it into your basket if you’re able to secure a halfway decent package deal when ordering from the brand.

Sport-specific Functionality

It’s kind of hard to classify the RitFit bar since you could argue that it has “multi-functional capabilities”…

…by that I mean that it isn’t really designed or constructed to provide any discernible advantage to powerlifting or Olympic weightlifting and it doesn’t fit into any type of “speciality bar” category.

For the sake of the review, we’ll lump it in with the powerlifting/”power bars”, mainly due to its single knurl ring and presence of the center knurl.

About that center knurl…this is about the only identifying factor the bar has to make it seem like it was engineered for anything other than general lifting in the garage or basement (not that there is anything wrong with a less structured approach…whatever gets you moving!) The bar doesn’t really feel all that “solid” and actually feels a tad brittle, even when working with not-so-heavy weights.

To this…it does boast a 50,000 tensile strength score so…this is pretty much to be expected.

I will say that the knurling itself is aggressive enough to make gripping the bar easy (I’m not really worried about the bar slipping due to its construction), but it doesn’t fall into the “cheese grater” category where I feel like I’m going to cut my hands up…during a squat.

(…about the knurling…as comfortable as it is, I have no intentions of cycling the RitFit bar so it’s ability to help with the higher-rep sets is pretty much lost on me).

The RitFit website mentions the presence of needle bearings, but I can’t really detect them at all when I’m lifting. The bar has very little spin which, if I’m classifying it as a powerlifting bar, I kinda appreciate. I much prefer a bar that doesn’t budge in my hands, especially when I’m bench pressing.

Maybe it isn’t fair to lump the RitFit bar in with powerlifting barbells designed and manufactured by companies who specialize in this kind of thing, but considering that you can pick up something from the likes of Texas Power Bars for only ~$100 more, I don’t feel so bad.

Ultimately, the RitFit bar will work for entry-level powerlifting work and the medium knurling is appreciated. If you ever plan on benching, deadlifting, squatting or even pressing something moderately heavy, this ain’t the bar to do it with.

Sport-specific Functionality Score: 75

Multi-use Functionality

As always, defining terms like “multi-use”, particularly for barbells that aren’t really the most multi-functional to be fin with, is a little difficult. For many, this can be defined as simply being viable for bench pressing and curling. If this is you…then the bar is…”multifunctional”.

However, if you’re interested in using your bar for exercises like cleans, snatches, and jerks or if you ever envision dropping the bar from overhead, this really isn’t the bar for you.

Despite the claimed needle bearings, the bar provides almost no discernible spin. Trying to perform a clean with the RitFit bar isn’t impossible, but it doesn’t do you any favors.

I actually performed a spin test to see if it was just in my head. As you can see, I’m not actually going (too) crazy!

Also, because the bar is quite weak, I don’t really trust dropping it from any height when it is loaded up. I understand that this activity probably presents lower risk for breaking, bending, etc. than some other lifts, but I don’t really want to take a chance. I don’t do much Olympic lifting, but with this bar, I won’t do any.

The medium knurling would be nice for barbell cycling, being easy enough to grip, but not so aggressive that it would irritate or rip the hands during bigger sets. However, this advantage is effectively lost on me since I will never perform barbell cleans with this bar in a normal workout setting.

Overall, if you have any aspirations of using the RitFit bar for anything other than basic barbell exercises, prepare to be a little disappointed.

Multi-use Functionality Score: 70

Tensile Strength

The RitFit bar has a 50,000 tensile strength score. This is honestly a really low score. There are a number of experts that bemoan the amount of attention and focus is placed on tensile strength, explaining that over a certain threshold, the score is largely irrelevant for most people.

…but 50,000 comes nowhere close to that level.

I know that this bar is labelled as being able to handle 500 pounds, but I would not push your luck on this. I mean, I’d start to get a little nervous loading 3 plates on each side for a deadlift. There is a legit chance the bar could bend, or even break.

If you’ve been lifting for any length of time, your strength probably exceeds the tensile strength of this bar.

Tensile Strength Score: 50

Coating

It’s hard to put my finger on the exact coating of the RitFit bar, but it actually isn’t bad. I mean, you’re not getting (nor should you expect to get) a stainless steel experience (or even an experience from something like cerakote), but for the price paid, I can’t complain.

Described as “rugged alloy steel” it actually feels like some cheaper version of hard chrome. I haven’t had the bar long enough to determine how long it will hold up in the elements (I can’t imagine it would be the most resilient metal), but it does feel nice in the hands and it does have a nice look to it.

I appreciate the medium, diamond knurling and how easy it is to identify and find the knurl rings, as well.

Coating Score: 85

Price

One positive aspect of the RitFit bar is its price tag. While it isn’t the least expensive Olympic bar on the market, you really have to go out of your way to find bars that get much less expensive.

Ordering direct is likely the way to go here and, if you do, you should be able to snag the bar for under $180. This assumes you’re making a stand-alone purchase and that you’re not getting it, possibly at a discount, in one of the company’s package deals (ex. power rack, weight plates, bench, barbell set).

All of this being said, I would definitely consider this to be a “get what you pay for” type of situation.

Price Score: 90

Customer Reviews

Looking at reviews on the RitFit website and on Amazon is…interesting. I’m not one to discount anyone’s personal experiences and opinions, but me and the Almighty Internet seem to have pretty opposing views on this one.

With almost universal 4 and 5-star reviews (like, 40 of the close to 500 total reviews peg the RitFit bar at 3 stars or below) users seem to generally be quite satisfied with their purchase.

However, there seems to be some smoke to the fire regarding my comments on the bearings (or possible lack thereof)

“Edit- I just took the bar apart and there are absolutely NO BEARINGS IN IT! The more i use it the more i dislike it”

Interesting…

Customer Reviews Score: 92

Warranty and Returns

On the surface, Ritfit’s return policy seems rather straightforward. It begins by stating: “If you find our product unsatisfactory, you may return the product within 30 days of receipt for a refund.“

However, it goes on to state that items “must remain unopened and in its original packaging.”

This seems a bit tricky…like if you get something, open it up, it looks nothing like you expect it to look, but then you can’t return it since it was opened/not in original packaging.

Additionally, I can live with a 3-year warranty (which is the warranty that the RitFit bar is covered by), knowing that if it snaps or breaks from expected use, I can get a replacement. However, in the world of “Lifetime warranties”, “Limited lifetime warranties” and “5-year warranties”, it doesn’t quite stack up with the best offerings out there.

Warranty and Returns Score: 75

Customer Service

I have never dealt with RitFit’s customer service personnel, but Tom has interacted with them on a number of occasions. He actually had a couple of questions about the barbell that they promptly answered.

In the past, I received some defective parts for a few of the RitFit racks I put together and when Tom reached out to them, they immediately sent out (perfectly functional) replacement parts.

Customer Service Score: 100

Who is The RitFit Bar really for?

I can’t imagine there are too many people with the RitFit bar high on their barbell wish list. I can imagine it ticks the boxes for the following groups:

Package deal discount

RitFit is more about selling bigger-ticket racks, cages, Smith Machines, and other larger pieces of equipment. Barbells and accessories are more of window dressing items. As such, I don’t think they’re expecting too many people to buy their bar and nothing else.

For those who are intent on picking up a RitFit rack and can snag the bar at a decent discount, it could be worth throwing a few extra dollars at.

Non-heavy or technical lifters

For those who really don’t care for or have the intention of performing any heavy lifts or overly technical lifts, the RitFit bar will probably work. Granted, it won’t be the best bar, even for these types of lifts/tasks, but it can do enough to facilitate these lifts.

Not for those who are more “serious” lifters

If you have any aspirations to perform heavy lifts, Olympic lifts, or to do anything that involves more “serious” lifting, the RitFit bar isn’t going to be able to keep up with your ambitions.

How we tested The RitFit Bar

I mainly perform a mixture of powerlifting movements and accessory lifts, supplementing them with bodyweight work. As I’m not going crazy heavy right now, I found the RitFit bar to be adequate for just about all of my usual work.

I did perform a few Olympic lifts and other, more niche movements (ex. I used the bar for landmine presses), but I didn’t really push the bar into movements and exercises I knew it probably wouldn’t be able to handle all that well.

The RitFit Bar Alternatives

The Camo bar has some good things going for it, but if you’re not (understandably) totally sold on it, check out some of our picks for your best alternative options:

What to do with the RitFit Olympic Barbell Bar…?

I don’t really like to “pick on” equipment and try to see the positives in items I’m lucky enough to review. Unfortunately, I just can’t really get on board with the RitFit bar.

I’m not the most serious lifter in the world and don’t have aspirations to compete or even to hit a 1,000-pound powerlifting total…but I would still opt for a different barbell to train with.

If you can get one for cheap along with your RitFit M1, PSR05, or other home gym rack and you just want to use it to pump out some light-to-moderate sets of basic barbell exercises, I would say to go for it. It will actually feel pretty good in your hands and certainly looks nice.

For any other lifter/lifting preference, I can’t really recommend this barbell.