Name: Vulcan Strength Training Systems
Address: 655-H Pressley Rd, Charlotte, North Carolina
Rating: 4.77

“Precision made. It's nice to retire my metal change plates in these sizes. These are more accurate weights and will never hurt your bar.”

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Posted 9 years ago

“Decided to get rid of my old steel change plates to help protect my bars. Came across these and couldn't be happier. The quality is amazing. Perfect, tight fit on the bar. They don't move around at all. Look forward to using these for many years to come.”

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Posted 9 years ago

“I bought these bumpers because I wanted to be able to work on power movements at home. Let me preface this review by saying I am the guy that reads reviews and researches for days in order to find the "best value" of the product I have in mind. I look for a product that will prform well, last a very long time, and have a price that I don't regret paying. I have only had these a couple weeks but so far I am extremely pleased with my purchase. The bumpers look really nice (no rough edges from poor molds). The steel inserts seem to be part of the plate itself rather than something added in. I love this because I don't have to worry about them becoming loose or falling out. They do have an odor but it's not unbearable like low quality plates. I have them sitting in my living room right now without a problem. This is the best part though. With the free shipping offered by Vulcan for this product, they are about the lowest price set I could find online. This is truly a great product at a great price. The lady I spoke with for support while ordering was also very helpful and prepared my packages specifically by separating the plates so that I could receive home delivery rather than freight. Again a great product and great company. So if you are like me and want a quality, durable product that performs well, looks nice and doesn't cost an arm and a leg, get these. You won't regret it.”

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Posted 9 years ago

“I've used this rack for a few workouts now, And am happy overall. Movement/stability are probably as good as I'll find with any similarly priced products. Would be 5 stars if it was American-made. Customer service at Vulcan has been outstanding.”

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Posted 9 years ago

Hi Zach, Thanks for your follow up review. Glad the Vulcan H-1 Basic Squat Stand is working out for you. Best of results to you in your strength training endeavors and please do let us know if we can assist you in the future.

Posted 8 years ago

“I've used this rack for a few workouts now, And am happy overall. Movement/stability are probably as good as I'll find with any similarly priced products. Would be 5 stars if it was American-made. Customer service at Vulcan has been outstanding.”

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Posted 9 years ago

Hi Zach, Thanks for your follow up review. Glad the Vulcan H-1 Basic Squat Stand is working out for you. Best of results to you in your strength training endeavors and please do let us know if we can assist you in the future.

Posted 8 years ago

“Excellent service in terms of delivering my order, boxes were all intact and not torn up like from other suppliers, and the bumper plates and Olympic met all my expectations !”

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Posted 9 years ago

“Excellent quality bumpers, free shipping was amazing.”

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Posted 9 years ago

“I got the Vulcan Elite 3.0 about a month ago. I've been using it for olympic lifts and assistance work (squats, pulls, etc.). Here's my review: Pros: 1. Whip: The whip is really nice. Catching heavy cleans is relatively soft on the the shoulders. 2. Strength: For a 28mm bar, this bar feels STRONG. Some of the lower end Pendlay bars feel like they do not return to straight after repeated use. This bar starts to bend with about 140kg on it but returns to straight afterwards. I am confident it will hold up for a long time. Neutral: 1. Spin: The spin is fine. It spins relatively well, especially for a bearing bar, but nothing to write home about. Cons: 1. Knurling: To me, the knurling does not feel sharp enough for olympic lifts. It's not as soft as a worn down globo gym bar, but I've used Rogue weightlifting bars, DHS training bars, and pendlay bearing bars and I prefer the knurling on all of those compared to the Vulcan Elite 3.0. Also, the center knurling is almost comically soft. I specifically wanted a bar with center knurling for use during squats but the center knurling on this bar serves almost no purpose. 2. Finish: This is one the biggest cons of all in my opinion. I was quite stunned when I opened the package and immediately saw that the bar has a sort of matte finish to it, rather than that shiny finish I am accustomed to seeing on high quality bars. While I don't think it really affects the quality of the bar, I just really don't like it and I don't think the photos of the bar's finish on Vulcan's website show the finish clearly. 3. Packaging: The package that the bar came in was standard cardboard which is fine but there was no notice on the packaging that the bar should not be stored vertically. It seemed clear the bar had been stored vertically since the bar arrived quite greasy from lubricant that leaked out of the sleeves during transit. 4. Sleeves: Another huge drawback in my opinion. As a weightlifter, I'm accustomed to not using collars during most lifts. I've performed olympic lifts and assistance work in this fashion using many bars and have never really had an issue with plates sliding. This is NOT the case with the Vulcan 3.0 Elite. Especially during squats, it feels like if the bar does not remain perfectly straight, the plates will start to slide. I WOULD NOT LIFT ON THIS BAR WITHOUT USING COLLARS. 5. Price: Taking into account the numerous cons versus few pros, I think the bar is overpriced. Overall: I'd rate this bar 3 out of 5 stars. It's hard to find a reliable 28mm bar with decent spin for under $400 so I'll give Vulcan credit for that. I really wanted to love this bar but I cannot rate this bar more 3 stars due to the soft knurling, slippery sleeves, cheap looking finish, and inflated price for a bar with these flaws.”

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Posted 9 years ago

Hi Daniel, Thanks for leaving a review. We just wanted to address what you stated as the cons of the bar out of the many points you mentioned. Knurling: as you stated, it's really a matter of preference and some people will like knurling that they have been training with or grown accustomed to initially. The finish is listed as dense chrome and listed as matte in the description. It is definitely not cheap. The two images that show the center knurling (listed as passive) and outer knurling should show the matte finish, but our apologies if you did not see any of this information. Sleeves. The bar does flex more than any of the other bars you mentioned. It flexes with less than 140kg from our testing, which is not done with human methods but by applying pressure to the bar in the way we show for the 1500lb deflection test (using less pressure). All this being said, chrome sleeves plus "flexy" bar means plates can slide. We recommend using collars during lifting with any bar. Just to be safe. Packaging. The bar can be stored upright or horizontally. The oil you see in the bag is oil applied to the bar itself to dissipate any humidity during ocean transit and storage within our warehouse. It's just to prevent the corrosive effects of the environment. Price. We know of no one currently offering a bar with tensile strength, equivalent rotation, tight tolerances, as well as highly durable chrome finish and true 28mm shaft at the knurling within IWF specs, at our price.

Posted 8 years ago

“This is my second pair of Black Bumper Plates from Vulcan. I also own a set of 35's. Again, I am more than pleased with the quality of the plates. Slim profile, low bounce and sturdy construction about sums it all up. I have found the plates for me and I will be adding more to my collection. The fast, free shipping is just another added bonus.”

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Posted 9 years ago

“Great product. Shipped promptly. Excellent customer service. Would absolutely recommend and buy again!”

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Posted 9 years ago

“Great product. Shipped promptly. Excellent customer service. Would absolutely recommend and buy again!”

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Posted 9 years ago

“I recently purchased a very nice bar and wanted to get some rubber-coated or all-rubber change that would not scratch the sleeves. After comparing prices, I decided to go with the Vulcan all-rubber V-Lock change set. The V-Lock set is functional and seems like it will be durable. The only real comment is that I had no idea that the plates themselves would be THAT much larger than standard metal or rubber-coated metal change plates. To give you an idea, the 5 kg plates are almost as large as a standard sized bumper plate. Not a problem or complaint, just an observation, in case smaller-sized change is an important consideration for you. I've trained in a gym that uses the Vulcan bumper plates that have held up really well and I fully expect that I'll get the same kind of reliability out of these rubber change plates. Thx.”

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Posted 9 years ago

Hi Scott, Thanks for your review. Yes, the V-Locks are of a larger diameter than iron plates or rubber coated iron plates. Due to the V-Locks being solid rubber they have to be a bit larger in diameter to attain the listed weight . There is no IWF standard for change plate diameter so it's mainly up to the individual manufacturers and retailers discretion as well as being contingent upon density of materials used in manufacturing. They should give you years of service and we look forward to serving your equipment needs in the future.

Posted 8 years ago

“Great set, would definitely recommend for a home set up.”

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Posted 9 years ago

“Priced right, top quality, these collars are fantastic.”

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Posted 9 years ago

Hi Christopher. Thanks for the review. We are confused by your rating. You seem to state very high satisfaction but your review is 1 star.

Posted 8 years ago

“Priced right, top quality, these collars are fantastic.”

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Posted 9 years ago

Hi Christopher. Thanks for the review. We are confused by your rating. You seem to state very high satisfaction but your review is 1 star.

Posted 8 years ago

“I was essentially "stuck" with purchasing this due to its dimensions fitting inside the space I have, and a set of American-made Rogue stands - which I would have preferred- not quite fitting. Just finished assembling - no real directions were given, but fairly easy to assemble - has a slight wobble to the uprights even though they are tightened as much as they'll go. Don't have a bar or weight on it yet, so I'm not sure at this point if it will turn out to be a good purchase or not. Free shipping was fast.”

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Posted 9 years ago

Hi Zach, thanks for your review. We definitely want you to be fully satisfied with your purchase. There should be a diagram included in each box which shows the assembly, did you not receive this? When you say the uprights wobble. Are you just referring to the normal movement of upright square tubing? We used to make our squat stands in the US right here in NC. Even with the heaviest squat stand we made from 3x3 steel, which was more robust than any squat stand available, there was still the normal quiver from the steel beam. The One Basic Squat stand is made from 2x3 - 11 gauge steel just like the Rogue stand you mentioned. It bolts to the base in the exact same way as any squat stand made in this manner. Regardless of the point of manufacture, our products are not of low quality. Please let us know how the squat stand works out for you

Posted 8 years ago

“I love the 45lb bumper plates, why did I wait so long to get them?!? I utilize them for deadlifts, no oly lifting or dropping from overhead but I can't believe how much smoother my reps are now. It's great to be able to hold my last rep as long as possible with no worries about dropping and damaging my platform or subfloor.”

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Posted 9 years ago

“If there were stars, I would give five out of five! I have a friend with rogue bumper plates that cost more and I think these are even better quality. The inserts definitely live up to the high standard they claim. Second, customer service was fantastic. After I ordered they verified my address within hours (because I share a zip-code with another town and it just always makes things confusing). I didn't receive my two 15lb plates in the shipment but when I called, I think her name was Amanda, and she immediately put in the shipment for me and I received them a couple days later with no hassle. The two different people I spoke to at Vulcan were pretty cool and very helpful and the product is very high quality.”

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Posted 9 years ago

“I've been able to use the bar now for a few weeks. Bushings in bar are fantastic. Very smooth. Knurling is as close to perfect as I can ask for. The smoother knurl in the center is just right to give enough bite on your shirt for squats. My gripe: The finish of the bar. The collars are finished great. The bar not so much. The coating is not even and came and looks scratched. I know the finishing on all bars will eventually where but I was pretty disappointed in the matte zinc finish to be honest. I expected better uniform unscratched bar after dropping close to $400. But the finish doesn't detract from the finish of the bar.”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 years ago

“I've been able to use the bar now for a few weeks. Bushings in bar are fantastic. Very smooth. Knurling is as close to perfect as I can ask for. The smoother knurl in the center is just right to give enough bite on your shirt for squats. My gripe: The finish of the bar. The collars are finished great. The bar not so much. The coating is not even and came and looks scratched. I know the finishing on all bars will eventually where but I was pretty disappointed in the matte zinc finish to be honest. I expected better uniform unscratched bar after dropping close to $400. But the finish doesn't detract from the finish of the bar.”

Helpful Report

Posted 9 years ago

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Courier, Postal Service
Average Delivery Time	Within 5 Days
On-time Delivery	Greater than 89%
Accurate And Undamaged Orders	Greater than 94%
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Under An Hour
Customer Service	4.1 out of 5

Vulcan Strength Training Systems Reviews