Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar Review

The Duffalo Performance Squat and Bench Bar is the ultimate barbell for benching and squatting safely, correctly, and for performance. 

Combining Scientific training methods with a clinically-based movement system, Kabuki Strength’s mission is to make the world a better place through strength.

Their proprietary bend allows for scapular retraction, reducing stress on the bicep tendon in the shoulder. By reducing direct strain on the bicep tendon, it allows you to increase your back rigidity and proper joint centration throughout your scapular retraction.

This improves your overall core stability and lumbar stability allowing you to focus more on proper form and heavier weight. The Kabuki Strength Duffalo bars are used in thousands of gyms and dozens of professional teams in the NFL, NBA, and MLB in their strength training facilities. 

As a collegiate athlete who has trained in several small to world-class gyms, I’ve been able to test out The Kabuki Strength Bar and will be revealing my findings, pros and cons, and thoughts throughout this article.

Things to consider before buying a Barbell

The Duffalo Bar weighs 55 pounds and is 95 inches long. The plate area is 17.25 inches making it perfect for any type of bumper plates or Olympic plates.

The steel used for the bar is made out of Kabuki’s chrome alloy proprietary material. It has a zinc and black oxide finish with nickel plating, making it very resistant against rust, corrosion, and moisture. 

The Bushings are oil-filled for smooth rotation movement, reducing the load on your shoulders, ensuring when you are lifting that you get a full range of motion without hyperextending.

Its max capacity is 1500 lbs meaning it can hold every lift. As the world record for an unassisted squat is 1036 lbs set by Andrew Malanichev.

Duffalo Bar Tensile Strength and Capacity

Tensile Strength is measured in PSI, which shows the amount of force that it will take for your bar to break. When you’re looking for a power bar, keep an eye out for the PSI rating. 

However, a higher PSI rating is not an indicator that it is a better barbell. You must also look at yield strength, the point at which your bar will bend and not return back to its original state. However, most manufacturers and suppliers do not disclose these ratings.

As a regular lifter, you will not have to worry about Tensile Strength as they are very strong and will unlikely break on you.

Duffalo Bar Dimension

Barbells are not the same for women, men, and youth lifters. The bar varies in shift diameter, weight, and overall bar length.

• Men’s Barbell weighs 20 kg (45 lbs), has a length of 2.2 meters (86.4 inches), and has a bar shaft of 28 – 29 mm.
• Women’s Barbell weighs 15 kg (33 lbs), has a length of 2.01 meters (79 inches), and has a bar shaft of 25 mm.
• Youth Barbell weighs 10 kg (22 lbs), has a length of 1.7 meters (67 inches), and a bar shaft of 25 mm.
• The Duffalo Bar weighs 25 kg (55 lbs), has a length of 2.41 meters (95 inches).

Duffalo Bar Knurling

Duffalo Bars usually have very aggressive knurling. This makes it a lot easier for your hands to get a hold of and prevent them from sliding down when you’re lifting heavy weights. However, it can tear up calluses and your skin if it isn’t tough. 

This is great for regular lifters as a rough and aggressive knurling feels like the bars are glued onto your hands. If you’re locking the bar on your back or your hands tightly, it should not tear your skin as much if you’re not lifting near your max.

Duffalo Bar Stiffness

The stiffness of a Duffalo Bar is not the tensile strength. It also does not mean it has a higher tensile strength if it is a stiffer barbell.

Bar length, Material Density, and Thickness all play a part in the stiffness of the barbell. It reduces the whip, making pull lifts such as deadlifts harder to pull up.

Duffalo Bar Finish and Feel

There are a variety of finishes giving you a numerous number of choices that suit your needs. These bars that are coated helps prevent rusting and keeps the quality of the bar healthy for several years.

Bare Steel – When you’re using bare steel, the knurling feels like glue as there is no coating interference. However, they are more prone to rust. If you train or live in a humid environment, you’ll need to oil it regularly to limit the oxidation from the bar.

Black Zinc / Bright Zinc – The black zinc shaft and right zinc sleeves offer better corrosion resistance. You won’t get the natural feel of bare steel because of the zinc coating, but you’ll still get a similar grip feeling.

You won’t need to do as much maintenance as the bare steel, however we recommend brushing your bars with oil monthly.

Cerakote – Cerakote can be customized with patterns, colors, and logos making it ideal for schools, sports teams, businesses, and gyms. It’s gained in popularity because of its aesthetic qualities and resistance to oxidation.

Stainless Steel / Chrome – Stainless Steel provides a maximum amount of rust resistance however you do feel less of the knurl. It feels more slipperier however you won’t have to worry about oiling and maintaining it as often.

Why You Should Consider The Kabuki Strength Bar

Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar Finish

The Kabuki Bar looks as if it has a chrome plated finish but it is raw or bare steel. This means it is more prone to rust. If you train or live in a humid environment, you’ll need to oil it regularly to limit the oxidation from the bar.

However, Kabuki offers an Electroless Nickel Plating for $39.00. This will reduce rust accumulating and lower the maintenance needed for the bar.

Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar Knurling

The Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar’s knurling is aggressive but it does not shred your hands when you’re holding onto it. The aggressiveness allows the bar to stick on your back without slipping or feeling grippy on your hands.

This is perfect if you’re working out in a humid environment or if you get sweaty hands. Both sides of the center knurling are diamond style while the inside portion of the outer knurling is a single line that has a slight cris-cross to provide that tight grip.

Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar Cambar

The camber is curved allowing athletes to squat and bench in a better position. This is due to the anatomy of the back and the multi-radial properties of the bar, allowing it to sit along the contours of the back for the squat and the chest for the bench press.

Due to the positioning of the bar, you’re able to retract your scapulae easier allowing you to better brace and have a stronger call.

Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar Sleeves

Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar comes with longer sleeves. The longer sleeves allow you to stack more weight allowing you to lift more weight. Although it is slightly angled upwards, allowing you to load the weight easier but also holding it on the bar.

The bend of the bar allows the wrist to maintain a healthy angle and increase in lat engagement.

Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar For The Squat

The Duffalo Bar is slightly angled instead of parallel. This minor variation allows the sleeve angle to have a similar feel and center of gravity to a straight bar. 

With the bar configuration, you can use the bar for both high, low bar position, and front squats without causing the strain and pressure on the collarbone and back like a straight bar.

This also assists in helping you brace. Utilizing your body’s stability mechanism to create a rigid torso where force can be transferred efficiently to athletic and strength based movements.

Kabuki Strength Duffalo Bar For The Bench Press

The Duffalo Bar’s bend optimizes the wrist angle when held in the pressing position. The position cues proper join centration in your shoulder while improving both scapular and lat engagement. 

You will gain more range of motion of your press and reduce most shoulder pain. These improvements help groove correct pressing patterns and helping you increase in strength quicker.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Final Thoughts on The Kabuki Strength Bar

Kabuki Strength is known for its innovative equipment, world-class coaching services, and providing researched education. All of their equipment is revolutionary and focuses on helping you train safer and more efficiently.

Combining Scientific training methods with a clinically-based movement system, Kabuki Strength’s mission is to make the world a better place through strength.

The Duffalo Performance Squat and Bench Bar is the ultimate barbell for benching and squatting safely, correctly, and for performance. 

Their proprietary bend allows for scapular retraction, reducing stress on the bicep tendon in the shoulder. By reducing direct strain on the bicep tendon, it allows you to increase your back rigidity and proper joint centration throughout your scapular retraction.

This improves your overall core stability and lumbar stability allowing you to focus more on proper form and heavier weight. The Kabuki Strength Duffalo bars are used in thousands of gyms and dozens of professional teams in the NFL, NBA, and MLB in their strength training facilities. 

If you’re looking for a niched barbell that can increase your strength while reducing injuries, then we recommend you checking out The Kabuki Strength Bar.