5 Best Multi-Grip Bars [Swiss Bars] For Your Home

As far as pressing goes, there are few tools as valuable as the multi-grip bar. The neutral grips make it a godsend for lifters who struggle with shoulder injuries or who have a brick wall in their pressing strength.

With the popularity of the bar increasing in the home gym community, swiss bars have now gotten more affordable and available with more and more options. With so many factors to consider like the grips, knurling, and coating it can be easy to get lost in the noise.

In this guide, we will go through the best multi-grip bars currently on the market for home gym owners. Whether you are just looking for something new or hoping to be able to press again with no shoulder pain, this guide should have the right swiss bar for you.

Best Overall Multi Grip Barbell – Bells Of Steel Arch Nemesis

Overview

I must say that Bells of Steel really knocked it out of the park with the Arch Nemesis bar. The camber on this bar is arched, with the angle of the grips increasing as you go further out.

In my experience, the camber and grips on this bar felt very natural. I found it to be very comfortable and stable during my pressing with it. This makes sense if you think about this bar from a biomechanical standpoint. The wider you go in grip, the more angled you are going to want your hands to be.

Another major upside to this bar is that it can also be used as a cable attachment thanks to the rung in the middle. This is a great feature that adds even more versatility to an already versatile bar. I honestly don’t understand why more companies don’t do this.

What is also great about this bar is that it does all this for a FRACTION of the cost of similar bars.

However, these price differences have to come from somewhere, so the Arch Nemesis bar does have a few drawbacks. First off, the sleeve is thinner than a regular barbell, so you will have to buy specialty collars. Also, it is a bit on the lighter side (24 lbs) as far as swiss bars go making it feel a bit less rugged than competitors.

Best Premium Muti Grip Barbell – Rogue MG-4

Overview

With the Rogue MG-4, the name of the game is customization. On the MG-4, you do not have set grips but instead, have the option to move the grips anywhere you like in the cage at multiple angles. The customization does not end there, as Rogue also allows you to choose:

• Finish (Stainless Steel or Propiteray Finish)
• Handle Diameter (28.5 mm or 32.5mm)
• Handle Angle (10, 12, 14, 15, 18, 20 degrees)
• Loadable Sleeve Space (9″ or 15.5″)
• Handle Finish (Black or Stainless Steel)

With this level of customization, you can essentially replicate any variation of swiss grips that you see on other bars. Over the course of my testing, I found that the MG-4 and all of its options were very useful. Not only that, the premium Rogue quality could be felt in the build and feel of the bar itself.

For most people, I think this bar will be overkill. But if you really want the best of the best and desire this level of customization, you cannot really beat the MG-4. Just know that Rogue offers the bar for an already premium-level price. On top of that, you will have to purchase additional handle sets for $45 each if you want to truly take advantage of everything this bar has to offer.

Best Budget Multi Grip Barbell – Titan MultiGrip Bar V3

Overview

We have already done a comprehensive review of the Titan Multigrip Bar V3 and called it the best budget Swiss bar out there. Titan did a great job on the third iteration of their multi-grip bar and addressed lots of the complaints they had with their previous version.

With a cage length of just 39.5″, this makes it one of the most rackable bars on the market in this category. In my experience with the bar, I felt that it did everything that I would expect out of a Swiss bar for a home gym. The grips, in terms of their angle and spacing, felt very natural, and I had no problem pressing or curling with this bar.

Honestly, I could not find many places where the Titan Multigrip V3 was worse than the Rogue MG-3 (Rogue’s version of this bar), even though the Titan is a fraction of the price. If you are on a budget but still want a bar that can pretty much do it all, you really cannot go wrong with the Titan Multigrip V3.

Best Beginner Mutigrip Barbell – Valor Fitness OB

Overview

If you are just looking to dip your toes into the world of specialty bars, I would recommend the Valor Fitness bar. The bar is nothing special, but it does the basics well for a very competitive price.

The only that really impressed me about the Valor bar was that the rounded cage and thin shaft made it so that it can fit in virtually any rack. Also, similar to the Titan Mulitgrip v3, it was nice to have both neutral and angled grips.

I think if you’re just looking to try a Swiss bar to see if you like it or if it helps with your shoulder pain, the Valor allows you to do this for pretty cheap. Once you try it out and are more sure, you can step up to some of the more expensive bars on this list.

Best Cambered Swiss Bar- Rep Fitness Cambered Swiss Bar

Overview

If you are not a fan of the arch and are looking for a more classic camber, look no further than the Rep Fitness Cambred Swiss Bar. I found that the angle of the camber was perfect and made my pressing and rowing movements feel that much more balanced.

Given that this bar is not even that expensive, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of features and small details that REP Fitness was able to add. The grips are knurled, the sleeves are chrome plated, and the bar can even function as a cable attachment as well. I would argue that this bar looks and feels like a premium bar even though it is priced in more of the mid-range.

While I was testing this bar, I did a variety of movements and found that each one felt very smooth. The increased range of motion allowed by the camber was a definite plus.

The only real drawbacks I can point to are that the knurling is a bit passive and that the sleeves cannot come off. If you want to use this bar as a cable attachment, you will have to do so with sleeves in the way. only slightly annoying but worth mentioning.

How We Ranked And Compared These Swiss Bars

They are a few main factors that are most important when it comes to picking the swiss bar for your home gym. Once you understand these you will be able to make the best decision:

Grips: How Many And What Kind

The whole point o the multi-grip bar is to have a variety of grip options for exercise variation and injury prevention. For this reason, I think combo bars are the best. These are bars that have both neutral and angled grips available.

Another important factor here that many people overlook is how long and wide the grips are. I personally have found that shorter, thicker grips feel more stable during my presses. The longer the grips are, the more you have to stabilize the bar during your lifts.

The last thing you want to look for is knurling. Most Swiss bars do not have knurling as they are intended to be used for pressing. While this is true, I still like the feeling of knurling and find it useful during my rows and curls with this bar.

Coating

For most specialty bars, the standard coating to be used will be a powder coat on the main frame. From there, most will use chrome on their sleeve. The kind of coating you choose will be important for the durability of your bar. Most powder coats tend to be corrosion-resistant but some more than others.

For the sleeves, the ideal option is some sort of chrome. The powder coat will chip very easily in the process of loading and removing weight plates. Chrome, on the other hand, will stay looking newer for longer.

Loadable Sleeve Length and Weight Capacity

The next thing I would look at is how much weight the bar can actually hold and how long the sleeve is. Most of you should be okay with 500 lbs and up as a general guideline. Just be aware that if you have thicker plates, you may not be able to reach the capacity.

Sleeve Diameter

I have a general preference for swiss bars that have a 2″ sleeve diameter since this is the same as a standard Olympic barbell. This means that all the things you use for your regular barbells like storage racks, plates, and collars will fit on your swiss bar as well.

If your swiss bar does not have a 2″ diameter, this is still okay just be aware you will have to buy special collars.

Rackability

A common complaint with specialty bars is that can be a bit of a tight fit in some power racks. If your power rack is on the narrower side, I would take a look at both the Valor OB and TItan Multi-Grip V3. Both of these choices have rounded edges and cage lengths under 40″ making them very easy to rack.

Price and Warranty

In the world of home gyms, things can get expensive very quickly so it is really up to the owner how they want to balance quality and cost. If you really want the best of the best, you can really go wrong with brands like Rogue. However, I, and many other home gym owners, find it hard to justify spending nearly half a grand on a specialty bar. This is why I think the majority of people would be served just fine with the Arch Nemesis bar.

Another factor is warranty. Bells of Steel, Rogue, and REP all offer lifetime warranties. Meanwhile, Titan and Valor offer 1 year and 3 years respectively. Personally, I have never had to use a warranty on a barbell but it is good to have.

How Can I Use A Swiss Bar?

The swiss bar can be used for a number of exercises. Although it is most often used for pressing movements, the swiss bar can also be used for other exercises such as curls and rows. Here are some of our guides for using the swiss bar:

• Swiss Bar Overhead Press
• Swiss Bar Bench Press
• Swiss Bar Incline Press

Final Verdict

The Bells of Steel Arch Nemesis Bar tops our lists as the best overall bar thanks to its natural arched design and great price.

If you want the best of the best no matter the cost, it is hard to beat the Rogue MG-4 with its excellent customization and quality. In terms of cambered bars, it is hard to go wrong with the REP Swiss Bar.

If you are looking for a great budget bar that can still do it all, go with the Titan Multigrip V3. If even the Titan seems like overkill for you, the Valor OB is a great starter bar for those looking to try out swiss bars for the first time.

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