Overall
Summary
The EliteFTS Varikas Bar is a content for the Cerakote-coated all-purpose barbell market. It feels great in the hands, looks great, and provides excellent “Made In The USA” craftsmanship.
Pros
- Aggressive knurling for bigger lifts.
- Beautiful Cerakote coating on the bar and sleeves.
- Bronze Bushings provide a great spin.
Cons
- Cerakote can easily scratch off sleeves. This is a problem among all Cerakote featured sleeves regardless of the manufacturer.
The EliteFTS Varikas Bar is one of the newer contenders in the cerakote coated space and it’s a beautiful looking addition to the EliteFTS team.
The bar clocks in at 44 pounds and are offered in Cerakote Red and Blue color options on the shaft with black cerakote sleeve.
The knurling on this bar in moderately aggressive, allowing for easier grip during powerlifting moves while still not cutting into your hands when engaged in repetitive CrossFit movements.
Following suit with superb Rogue Ohio Bar and the also impressive American Barbell California Bar, the Varikas Bar features 190,000 PSI tensile strength along with bronze bushings that provide for excellent spin.
At 28.5mm the shaft on the EliteFTS Varikas Bar is a bit thicker than some other all-purpose bar options, we don’t mind the wider grip but it may not feel right if you’re moving from a bar with a smaller diameter on the shaft.
Side note: We love that fact that EliteFTS fully admits that this bar is just like it’s other bars but with some Cerakote coloring that’s great for marketing purposes. Well played, EliteFTS marketing team.
