REP Open Trap Bar Review: The Best Trap Bar

Over the past few weeks, our team has had the pleasure of testing the Rep Open Trap Bar and is excited to bring you this review. For us, this bar is the best overall trap bar for most home gym owners.

It is incredibly well-balanced, packed with features, built to last, and does all this while still being competitively priced.

In this review, we will break down the Rep Open Trap Bar and all of its features and uses. We talk about what we liked, what we disliked, and compare it to other popular options.

Quick Overview Of The Rep Open Trap Bar

Rep Fitness has garnered a bit of a reputation for being slow to market with new products. However, I think the approach actually worked with this trap bar as they seemed to take the best of all other trap bars on the market and combine them into one affordable package.

Apart from the open design which makes the bar more comfortable and versatile, the Rep Open Trap bar has removable handles, knurled framing, a 1350lb weight capacity, and a built-in deadlift jack. In the world of home gyms where the goal is often to save space and money, this versatile Rep Open Trap Bar fits in perfectly.

Is The REP Open Trap Bar Worth It?

If you are just building out your home gym, you should certainly prioritize getting things like a squat rack and Olympic barbell ahead of a specialty bar like this. However, if you are sure that you want to level up your training by getting a trap bar then this bar can be a good investment.

They are definitely cheaper trap bars out there that can mostly get the job done. But if you care about quality and versatility, none of those bars will perform like REP’s.

Rep Open Trap Bar Specs

Specs

• Weight: 60lbs
• Length: 84.3″
• Shaft Finish: Black Powder Coat
• Rackable: Yes
• Handles: Dual
• Handle Spread: 27.25″
• Knurling: Moderate
• Handle Finish: Stainless Steel
• Sleeve Finish: Hard Chrome
• Sleeve Length: 16.5″
• Other Features: Center knurl for cambered squats and built-in deadlift jack

Rep Open Trap Bars: Key Features

Going over this trap bar feature by feature:

Handles

This trap bar comes standard with both low and high handles. I found these stainless steel handles to feel great in my hands. They have a passive/moderate knurling, which I thought worked fine with the bar.

One of the biggest selling points of this bar is that you can remove the handles and switch them for other options provided by REP. As of now, REP offers wide, standard, and narrow handles with rotating handles to be released later.

I tried out all of the current handles and personally preferred the narrow option for most of my lifts. But that is the beauty of this bar, you can pick and choose which works best for you.

It should also be noted that REP says you can change the handles with no tools but I found that to be quite challenging. I have larger hands, but I still think most people will just end up using a tool.

Rackabaility

I had no problems racking this trap bar on both 47″ and 49″ squat racks. These small features really add lots of versatility as you can now do overhead presses, bench presses, and squats with your trap bar.

It also makes storage a lot easier if you are tight on space.

Deadlift Jack

Without a doubt, one of the worst things about deadlifting is having to load the bar. If you did not already suffer from lower back pain you will after wrestling put weight on your bar. This is I think the built-in deadlift jack on the REP Open Bar is such a great feature.

Granted, all open trap bars have this feature.

Sleeves

REP uses smooth, hard chrome sleeves on their trap bar. The first thing I noticed about these sleeves is that they are relatively quiet when it comes to loading the bar and deadlifting. In fact, I think these are some of my favorite sleeves on any bar right now.

The other benefit of these sleeves is that they are 16.5″ long. You have plenty of loading capacity and can use bumper plates. Since they are the same as standard barbell sleeves in terms of diameter, you can also you standard collars as well.

Frame

The frame itself is coated in a black powder coat. I am not the biggest fan of this coating as it is not very durable and will eventually get scratched up over time.

Coating aside, I am very happy that REP decided to put knurling in the center of the frame. This makes this bar perfect for squats.

I also found that the bar balanced itself very well. Even when I was not lifting with it, I found that it stays balanced and does not tip over like most trap bars. This could definitely be felt during my lifts as well.

Using The Rep Open Trap Bar

As part of our testing process, we the trap bar through some tough workouts:

Deadlifts

I have talked a lot about the versatility of this bar, but we all know that this bar was primarily designed with deadlifts in mind and it shows. Deadlifts felt very smooth thanks to how well-balanced this bar is.

I preferred the narrow grip option as I found the standard option to be too wide for my liking.

The only that I will add is that once I got higher in weight (500 lbs +), the bar did not feel as rigid as some other bars that I have tried. It did affect my form or workout but I still noticed it.

Squats

I have used other open bars for squats before but the REP bar definitely has the best feel. I suspect it comes down to the knurling and balance of this bar. I still prefer an SSB but you cannot really complain when your trap bar can be used for squats as well.

Presses

Out of all the lifts I tried, benching with this bar felt the most unnatural. You can do it if you want but I found the camber to be too much for the bench press.

On the other hand, I found that the overhead press felt great with this bar. I enjoyed the thick handles and found that the movement seemed to flow naturally despite the large camber drop.

Rows

I did some bent-over rows and was satisfied. The neutral grips are a nice option to have but I think this is one of the areas where rotating handles will really shine when REP introduces them.

Aesthetics

Like most other REP products, I found this bar to be very good-looking. I am a big fan of the round tubing and dark look. I would have preferred a metallic coat but I expect to make some compromises at this price point.

Assembly

The REP Open Trap Bar shipped in a single large box. With just a socket wrench and an Allen key, I was able to get this bar together in 10-20 minutes. No big deal in this regard,

REP Open Trap Bar vs. Bells Of Steel Open Trap Bar 3.0

When looking at other open trap bars at this price point, the main competitor here is the Bells of Steel Open Trap Bar.

I tried Bells of Steel’s bar and found it to work quite. For a while, it was my budget pick for an open trap bar. That all changed when I got my hands on the Rep Fitness Open Trap Bar. The level of versatility the REP bar offers you for just $50-$100 more is too much to pass up. The REP bar can basically do everything Bells Of Steel can while also having removable handles.

Returns and Warranty

You have 30 days to return the bar to get a refund minus shipping and handling. There is also a 15% restocking fee if the bar was used or opened.

Customer Reviews

Overall, REP has gotten great feedback from its customer. Currently, the bar has over 21 reviews with an average rating of 4.8 stars, The biggest complaint has been that the bar feels a bit too wide and has users wishing the grip was narrow.

Final Verdict: The Best Trap Bar On The Market

The REP Open Trap Bar is a great piece of versatile equipment. I would personally recommend this bar to most home gym owners. The combination of value and versatility is just too much to pass up.

How We Review Products

Here at FitDominium, our team has decades of combined experience when it comes to weightlifting. So when it comes to barbells, we know a thing or two. Each barbell we review goes through a similar process:

• Use the bar for an extended period of time to get to know it. Try to use it the same way a regular user would.
• Analyze feedback the brand has gotten from other customers.
• Look for features that the products lacks or has in comparison to other competitors

For a more detailed explanation, check out our product rating criteria.

FAQs