tmp_banjo

Thanks for the leads everyone. I'll check them out. @M.T. - If they're good enough for the Powerhouse, then I doubt I'd break them. I must pop in there some day. @Maccaz - Given the exchange rate, shipping costs and GST, are the Aussie bars any better than what I can get in NZ? @BigKen - I'd seen the SolidStrength barbells online but had no idea about their quality. It's good to get a real world opinion before dropping hard earned cash. Thanks I'm getting a welder friend of mine to build one of these http://startingstrength.com/files/starting_strength_rack.pdf for the backyard in the next week or so need to get a bar and plates so I can try it out. Cheers

Hi All Apologies if this has been asked a million times, I searched the forums, read the first three pages of results and didn't find an answer. As the title says, I'm looking for a barbell for a home gym setup but struggling to find anything to buy in NZ. I've been training at a commercial gym for about 5 years and for the last 2 years I've been focusing on the Powerlifting lifts (plus Military Press). I was going pretty well with Squat (245kg) and Deadlift (270kg) but circumstances have changed and I would like the convenience of training at home. I managed to track down an Ivanko dealer at Blue Fitness and I have seen Eleiko bars in a couple of places but there's not a lot of choice. I got a quote for the Ivanko OBXS-20KG-29MM barbell which I think is IPF approved of around $1250. I'm after a lifetime bar really (spend once, spend right) and I am prepared to pay for it... but, I'm new to NZ and NZ Powerlifting so I'm looking for advice on what to buy and from where to get the best bang for buck. It doesn't have to be perfect (or IPF approved), it just has to be a strong, reliable, stainless steel(?), bushing bar for powerlifting. Is it worth looking at importing bars from Aussie (Awesome As), America (Rogue) or the UK (Watson)? Are Leoko, Pallini, Uesaka or Werksan barbells available from anyone in NZ? What are your experiences? Thanks