I'm just starting into weight training, no aspirations to be an Olympic athlete or anything but I do want to stretch my dollars, have good equipment, and if/when I ever sell the equipment have good resale value. Vulcan equipment has hit on at least 2 of the 3, the jury is out on the resale. I do see that they are highly regarded, especially the v-lock plates and bars so I suspect there will be a good secondary market. For the price I've been able to get 2 extra bars and a set of bumper plates by mostly staying away from companies that have high overhead due to advertising (brand power). Not a lot to compare against, but everything has met or exceeded my expectations from the transaction to shipping and the quality of the products. I can't say the same about my Ohio bar or my X-3 cage. I'll definitely be back for more equipment from Vulcan.