The Rogue Echo Bar 2.0 is Rogue’s budget entry into the barbell world. Coming in at $265 USD, at the time of writing this (originally it was $245 USD, but has increased recently. Check the current price here), it is about $30 less than Rogue’s next level of barbells. The price point and versatility of the Echo Bar make it attractive to people that train in home gyms. The question is whether the Echo Bar is a solid barbell, or if you should spend the extra cash to take a step up on Rogue’s barbell ladder. I hope that this review of the Echo Bar 2.0 can help you make that decision.
I was lucky to be able to get an Echo Bar during the COVID pandemic/lockdown. Obviously, barbells were a hot commodity as gyms around the world closed down and we were forced to train at home. I have now been using the Echo Bar regularly for about 6 months and I primarily use to for a bit of weightlifting and a lot of strength training. I don’t perform barbell cycling workouts like you would find in CrossFit workouts, so I can’t comment on how the bar performs under those demands.
Technical Specs of the Rogue Echo Bar 2.0
Weight: 20kg
- Weight: 20kg
- Knurl Marks: Olympic only, no centre knurl, medium aggressiveness
- Coating: Zinc
- Sleeves: Bushing
- Tensile Strength: 190,000 PSI
- Warranty: 1 year
My Thoughts on the Rogue Echo Bar 2.0
Overall Impression
I have been pleasantly surprised by the overall performance of the Echo Bar. At no point in my past 6 months of training have I felt like I have been limited by the bar I was using. (To be fair, I’m not overly strong and don’t do anything spectacular in my training – but still.) The bar has held up to everything I’ve thrown at it. As a result, I’ve used the Echo Bar in all of my training sessions for the past 6 months and I’ve consistently seen my Olympic lifting and strength numbers go up.
We scratched up one of the endplates of the bar when taking it out of its packaging. Other than that, the Echo Bar is a good looking bar for being a zinc coating. Some of the other coatings available on other bars look beautiful but the zinc coating is a classic look. Adding the black end plates on the 2.0 version of the Echo bar is a nice touch too.
The bar has a solid feel in my hands and responds well to force being put into it. Though, I would like a more aggressive knurl – which I’ll get into below. The spin is decent (not great), which you would expect for a bushing barbell. I don’t lift heavy enough to really get a feel for the whip of the bar, though I’m sure it is pretty comparable to most Olympic lifting barbells.
Check out the Echo Bar on Rogue’s website.
Shaft Coating
I’m not overly concerned by what coating my barbells have. In my opinion, the coating doesn’t have much of an impact on the performance of the bar. It’s all aesthetics.
The Echo Bar 2.0 only comes in a zinc coating which is a classic look. Alternatively, the majority of Rogue’s barbell line up comes in variety of coatings that look pretty slick. The zinc coating on the Echo Bar is supposed to be pretty resistant to oxidation, so it shouldn’t rust. I’ve used the bar and stored it in a garage in Canada through late summer and into winter (6 months) and there are no indications of any rust forming. So it seems to be holding up quite well to changes in temperature and humidity.
Knurling
In my opinion, the knurling on this bar leaves something to be desired.
I grew up training on Eleiko competition and training weightlifting bars, which are used at the highest level of weightlifting. These bars have a sharp knurl that really keeps the bar in your hands. Additionally, I have small hands so I have a hard time holding onto the bar when doing snatches. As a result, I really prefer a sharp knurl on the bar.
The knurl on the Echo Bar is definitely less aggressive than what I would like. However, I think it’s pretty similar to what you would find on the majority of “do it all” type bars. It might start to slip a bit on high repetition Olympic lifting that you would see in CrossFit or heavy deadlifts. But it also won’t rip up your hands like crazy.
Most do-it-all type barbells will have powerlifting and weightlifting marks in the knurl. However, the Echo Bar only has weightlifting marks. This could be annoying for those of you that do a lot of powerlifting and are used to using the knurling marks to set up your hands in the right spots.
One final point: the bar doesn’t have a center knurl. The center knurl is usually included on dedicated weightlifting bars, potentially to help with grip when catching a clean or doing a front squat. I don’t really find having a center knurling really impacts my lifting, but it is something to keep in mind.
Sleeve Spin
The Echo Bar has bushings providing the ever important spin for Olympic lifts. Top of the line CrossFit and Olympic lifting bars will have bearings rather than bushings. However, I find the bushings in the Echo Bar provides sufficient spin when I’m lifting.
I definitely notice a difference when doing cleans and snatches with the Echo Bar compared to an Eleiko weightlifting bar, but these bars are in two completely different price points and functions (all around vs. pure weightlifting).
Having bushings (vs. bearings) allows the Echo Bar to perform adequately in Olympic lifting – though I don’t do high rep barbell cycling (like Fran) so I can’t comment on how it stands up to those type of workouts. Bushings also help the bar feel centred and balanced in other lifts like overhead presses, deadlifts, squats and bench press where excess spin is a detriment.
For the above reasons, I think the sleeve spin is solid for what the bar is intended for.
Durability and Warranty
The warranty on the Echo Bar is my biggest complaint. It is just a 1-year warranty. Every other Rogue barbell has a lifetime warranty. It just doesn’t make sense to me that they wouldn’t offer the same warranty on this bar as they do for every other one. The warranty might be one reason you would want to spend a few extra bucks to buy a different bar.
The durability of the bar means you probably shouldn’t have to use the warranty but it’s still good to have in your back pocket. So far, my Echo Bar hasn’t shown any signs of breaking down. It still spins well, isn’t bent and looks fresh.
The zinc bar coating is pretty resistant to rust and oxidation and I haven’t seen any effects of Canadian summers or winters. The Echo Bar comes with Rogues “Rogue Work Hardening” stamp of approval which is supposed to mean the bar is made to put up with repeated dropping. This classification plus the bar’s tensile strength of 190k PSI means the bar should stand up to pretty much anything you throw at it.
Should You Buy the Rogue Echo 2.0 Bar?
All in all, the Rogue Echo Bar 2.0 is a solid barbell that should put up with anything you throw at it. It is a great bar for someone with a home gym – particularly if you’re trying to set up a home gym without spending a ton of money. I would definitely buy it again to use in my home gym. It won’t be the last bar you ever buy, but it should last a number of years.
If you’re a competitive CrossFitter or Olympic lifter (or powerlifter) then I’d suggest you spend a few extra bucks on a Rogue Ohio Bar or their Olympic Weightlifting Bar.
Alternatives to the Echo 2.0 Bar
Although the Rogue Echo Bar 2.0 is a solid barbell, there are definitely some alternatives you should check out.
For about $30 more, you could take a step up to the Rogue Ohio Bar, which comes with a lifetime warranty. For an extra $10 or so, you can pick out a different coating too.
Similarly, the Rogue Bar 2.0 is only $25 more than the Echo Bar and comes with a lifetime warranty and a slick black zinc coating.
I would definitely suggest checking out the Synergee Regional Barbell, available on Amazon. Synergee isn’t a well known name but man does this bar look amazing and inexpensive. It’s definitely on my list of next bars to test out.
I also wrote a full summary of 5 affordable barbells you should consider for your home gym. You can check it out here.
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