The 9 Best Curl Bars On The Market (2023)

A curl bar is a special type of equipment designed to train the biceps more effectively and lead the stress away from the wrists.

Most trainees recognize the benefits of using a curl bar in their training but picking a good one can be a challenge because there is no shortage of options.

Read on to learn about the 9 best curl bars on the market today.

The 9 Best Curl Bars For Your Gym

1. Best Curl Bar Overall: Rogue Curl Bar
2. Second Best Curl Bar: Bells Of Steel Industrial EZ Curl Bar
3. Best Budget Curl Bar: XMark EZ Curl Bar
4. Best Fixed Curl Bar Set: Titan EZ Curl Fixed Barbell
5. Best Multi-Grip Curl Bar: Fringe Multi-Grip Bar
6. Best T-Grip Curl Bar: American Barbell T-Grip Shorty Bar
7. Best Rackable Curl Bar: Bells of Steel Industrial Rackable EZ Curl Bar
8. Best Premium Curl Bar: The Gungnir Curler
9. Best Curl Bar On Amazon: Synergee Commercial EZ Curl Olympic Bar

1. Best Curl Bar Overall: Rogue Curl Bar

As with most Rogue products, the cost might not be worth it for everyone. If you’re working with a limited budget and want to fill your garage or basement with enough equipment, you should consider one of the more affordable options below.

But, if you enjoy finer things and the price tag doesn’t worry you, the Rogue Curl Bar is a great option. The attention to detail is impeccable, and you likely won’t need another curl bar.

The bar is made of quality materials and is quite durable, and the knurling is the same as that of the Rogue Ohio Bar. It supports a solid grip but isn’t aggressive to the point where it rips callouses.

The angles of the bar are fantastic and lead stress away from your wrists, leading to comfortable and pleasant bicep curls.

In addition, the Rogue Curl Bar looks great. The shaft is coated in black, and the sleeves are bright zinc. Aside from looking great, the bar is rust-resistant even under less-than-ideal circumstances.

2. Second Best Curl Bar: Bells Of Steel Industrial EZ Curl Bar

With a design similar to that of the Rogue curl bar but a much smaller price tag, the industrial EZ bar by Bells of Steel is a worthy runner-up.

The bar features a black shaft with gold-colored sleeves, making for a beautiful combo. Of course, it might be challenging to match the curl bar to other equipment, but it looks great nonetheless.

In addition, the bar comes with a lifetime warranty and has a durable feel that inspires confidence in the trainee. The medium knurling ensures a solid grip, even for people with sweaty hands, but isn’t aggressive and uncomfortable.

Thanks to its numerous grip options, the Bells of Steel industrial curl bar is ideal for many exercises and promotes a pain-free training experience.

The only real drawback of the bar is the relatively short sleeve length of just 6.7 inches. Still, considering it is a curl bar, most people will never have to load it to a point where the sleeves feel too short.

3. Best Budget Curl Bar: XMark EZ Curl Bar

The XMark EZ curl bar is another excellent option for people with a limited budget. Despite its more affordable price, the XMark bar features a cool design and looks incredibly durable. Its loadable sleeves are 11 inches long, which is more than enough to load it effectively, even if you use thicker plates.

In addition, the bar has a decent starting weight, and loading even the lightest weight plates will be enough for beginners to get a good workout.

The handles are angled well, and using the bar will keep stress away from your wrists. A medium knurling further enhances the training experience by offering a solid grip without digging into your skin.

4. Best Fixed Curl Bar Set: Titan EZ Curl Fixed Barbell

The Titan EZ curl bar set is excellent for people who:

• Can spare the money
• Have more available space
• Don’t wish to mess around with weight plates

These fixed bars are great because you don’t waste time adding and removing weight. Simply pick up the bar that suits your needs and get started. You can use two or more bars for supersets, circuit training, and exhausting drop sets.

The EZ bars by Titan are of excellent quality and quite durable, despite only coming with a one-year warranty.

In addition, the bars look great, and their total length ranges from 38.25” to 45.5”, which means none of them are rackable.

The downside is that you can’t adjust the weight if a bar feels too light or heavy. Your only option is to get several of these to do a wide range of exercises and load your muscles appropriately.

5. Best Multi-Grip Curl Bar: Fringe Multi-Grip Bar

The Fringe multi-grip bar isn’t technically an EZ curl bar, but it still works amazingly well for curls, tricep extensions, and similar, which is why it made the list.

One notable advantage is that the bar is 40 lbs, almost as heavy as a barbell. Many trainees could do isolation movements like bicep curls without adding extra weight.

Another distinctive feature is that the bar comes with several grips, which makes it more versatile and allows each trainee to find their best grip. Plus, given its total length (83.3”), the bar is rackable, and you can use it for various exercises, including the bench press, row, and more.

6. Best T-Grip Curl Bar: American Barbell T-Grip Shorty Bar

The T-grip shorty bar by American Barbell is different from most options on our list, but it offers several unique benefits.

Most notably, the bar has T-grips, which allow you to use a neutral grip (palms facing one another) during training. One benefit is that you can use slightly more weight, overload your triceps, and develop the brachioradialis with curls.

The bar is compact and light at only 10 lbs, making it excellent for newbies. It is also great for more advanced trainees thanks to its 300-lb (136-kg) loading capacity.

One drawback of the bar is that it costs more than other options ($150 at the time of writing).

7. Best Rackable Curl Bar: Bells of Steel Industrial Rackable EZ Curl Bar

The industrial rackable bar is the second one from Bells of Steel on our list today. Similar to the shorter bar, it has a beautiful black and gold design and features impressive craftsmanship.

Thanks to its length (74.6”), the bar is rackable and useful for various isolation and compound exercises. It weighs almost 10 lbs less than a traditional barbell but has a maximum loading capacity of 700 lbs (317 kilograms), which is more than enough to challenge even the strongest lifters.

The handles are also angled well, and using the bar keeps your wrists and elbows comfortable.

To top it all off, the Bells of Steel Industrial Rackable EZ curl bar comes with a limited lifetime warranty, which is much better than what you get with most other bars.

8. Best Premium Curl Bar: The Gungnir Curler

If money is not an issue and you enjoy the finer things in life, you will love the Gungnish Curler bar. It is arguably one of the most impressive premium fitness products today.

First, the curl bar has a fantastic design and features top-of-the-line craftsmanship. Of course, this is more of a subjective metric, but most people praise the product for its aesthetics.

Second, the Curler comes with built-in titanium clips you can use to secure weight plates in place. It might seem like a gimmick, but the materials used are high quality, and the clips work as intended. The folks at Gungnir of Norway have put a lot of thought into it.

Of course, given its price tag, the bar also comes with a lifetime warranty, which you will probably never have to use.

The only real downsides of the bar are the price ($549 reduced to $399 at the time of writing) and the lack of a longer, rackable version.

9. Best Curl Bar On Amazon: Synergee Commercial EZ Curl Olympic Bar

Amazon is not usually the go-to place for people looking to build a solid home gym, but there are some hidden gems on the site.

The Synergee Commercial EZ curl olympic bar is a fantastic piece of equipment with excellent user reviews, and several design options:

• All-black
• Black and chrome
• All-chrome
• Red and black

The bar weighs 19 lbs, which is respectable but not too much that it becomes unusable by complete beginners.

Unfortunately, the bar only comes with a 30-day limited warranty. Still, that shouldn’t be an issue under normal circumstances, as the bar is durable and should last for many years. 

The Benefits of Using a Curl Bar

1. Comfortable Grip

The most notable benefit of EZ curl bars is the comfortable grip they provide. First, these bars are slightly thinner than a traditional barbell, allowing people with smaller hands to wrap their fingers firmly.

Second, most of these bars come with medium knurling that supports your grip without digging into your skin and tearing callouses.

Third, these bars are distinctly curved to support a more natural wrist position, leading to a more comfortable training experience.

2. No Stress on Your Joints

The primary issue with straight bars is they can place stress on your, leading to pain. A straight bar for curls and skullcrushers also requires slightly greater external shoulder rotation.

Gripping an EZ bar allows for a more natural wrist and shoulder position, reducing the risk of aches and injuries.

3. Better Balance

A standard barbell is approximately 7.2 feet long (220 cm), which means the weight plates are farther from your body. As such, any muscle imbalances or training mistakes would make it challenging to maintain your balance.

In contrast, the average EZ curl bar is around 48” long (122 centimeters), the weights are much closer to your body, and you’re better able to maintain your balance and set yourself up for exercises like the triceps skullcrusher.

4. Lighter And More Suitable For Beginners

Due to their compact size and thinner shaft, EZ curl bars are much lighter than traditional barbells, which makes them perfect for isolation exercises.

In addition, beginners can use EZ bars to get started with weight training and learn exercises like:

• Romanian deadlifts
• Back squats
• Bicep curls
• Overhead tricep extensions

A 20-kilogram barbell might be too much for a beginner, but one that weighs half or a third of that could be the perfect fit.

Best Curl Bars Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can’t I just do my curls with a regular barbell?

Yes, you can if you’re strong enough to curl a 45-lb (20-kg) barbell, and it doesn’t cause any wrist pain.

Still, many people find an EZ bar much more comfortable for curls, extensions, and similar.

2. Can I use a curl bar for other exercises?

Absolutely. An EZ curl bar can work great for other movements like the overhead press, Romanian deadlift, back squat, and row.

EZ bars are handy for beginners because they are lighter and allow trainees to master proper technique even if they cannot handle a standard-weight barbell.

The longer EZ bars (e.g., the Bells of Steel Industrial Rackable EZ Curl Bar) are also rackable, so you can use them to do exercises inside a squat rack.

3. What are the best curl bar exercises I can do?

The two primary exercises you can do with an EZ bar are the standing barbell curl and reverse-grip curl.

You can also use a curl bar for overhead tricep extensions, skullcrushers, preacher curls, upright rows, overhead presses, and more. 

4. How much does a curl bar weigh?

Most standard curl bars weigh between 10 and 25 lbs (4.5 to 11.3 kilograms), but the longer, rackable bars can weigh up to 30 or 40 lbs (13.6 to 18.1 kilograms).

5. What size curl bar should I get?

It comes down to preference and your other equipment. I prefer a more compact EZ bar, so I recommend a roughly 48 inches-long bar.

Still, if you don’t have a standard barbell and only have the money for one, I recommend getting a rackable EZ bar, such as the Bells of Steel Industrial Rackable EZ Curl Bar.

You can use it for basic movements like bicep curls, but you can also do compound exercises inside a squat rack.

Best Curl Bars: The Bottom Line

There you have it: the 9 best curl bars on the market today.

As you can see, there are plenty of options and various things to consider when picking a bar, so don’t rush the process and do your research.

The Rogue Curl Bar is the best option, but the Bells Of Steel industrial EZ curl bar and American Barbell T-grip shorty bar are also viable options. For a budget option, look into the XMark EZ Curl Bar.