Barbells

It depends on budget and what you want specifically.

Many of the really cheap bars have low limits on weight (and some of those low limits are optimistic and I think the bar would bend if you attempted to load to capacity).

That said, you certainly don’t need an Ohio bar (although that is the bar I also have). Just be mindful of the weight capacity of the bar you purchase and don’t get an Olympic bar that comes apart in the middle lol. Yes, I actually have seen some like that and they seem like they are made way worse than even the cheapest single piece oly bar I’ve seen.

If you decide to get the Ohio bar but want to save some money, rogue has a section called the boneyard for bars that have cosmetic defects. You can get a deal on your bar if you aren’t too picky about looks. These bars still function exactly the same as the new pretty bars with less of the pretty. You can get them used also, sometimes, on Craigslist or marketplace, but I don’t see them used in my area very often.