Originally Posted by
Kaben
Are you going to get a cage or thinking more of just a squat rack on your platform?
With regards to bars, the Rigue Ohio is very nice well regarded bar. It is a decent “do it all” item. It comes in many different finishes as well to suit your taste.
My two cents:
The Rogue Ohio Bar is great, but Rogue makes a cheaper bar, the
Echo Bar, which is way more than adequate for home lifters. It's a great value, about $100 cheaper than the Ohio Bar. But I wouldn't go any cheaper. Cheap bars are a false economy. They will eventually bend, corrode, and the collars will stop rotating freely. I would avoid generic bars from chain sporting good stores and the discount sellers like Fitness Factory Outlet or Body Solid. Zinc finish on a bar will be highly rust resistant.
I personally would use the money I save by buying an Echo Bar toward a better quality bench or a better quality rack.
Equipment used in commercial gyms gets used and abused way harder than in most home gyms. So, it is usually overbuilt and more expensive. Rogue gear is excellent, but Rep Fitness (a little less expensive) is more than good enough for home gyms. Titan Fitness is another low cost outlet. I've never used their equipment, but there are mixed reviews about Titan quality.