Kabuki Strength Kadillac Bar
Overall
Summary
The Kabuki Strength Kadillac Bar provides an excellent alternative grip bench press for anyone rehabbing a shoulder or worried about injury or re-injury. From bench presses to curls, skull crushers, and many other movements, this cambered football bar is worth the investment.
Pros
- Reduces shoulder pain and injury.
- Angled grips feel awesome on the shoulders and wrists.
- Various grip lengths and angles allow for numerous lift exercises.
- Excellent powder coating.
- Large loadable machined sleeves with a bright zinc finish.
Cons
- Knurling to match other bench-press friendly bars.
- The price point is a bit hard to swallow (but worth it?)
- Some users have complained the widest grip length is too wide.
The Kabuki Strength Kadillac Bar is the perfect specialty bar for anyone who needs to increase their range of motion while taking stress off their shoulders. Created by the same company behind the incredibly well-received Duffalo bar, this cambered take on the Swiss Bar is at the top of our list when it comes to purchasing specialty bars.
The Kadillac Bar is fully rackable on standard racks and utilizes machined sleeves that allow for regular barbell collars to be applied. The plated sleeves offer excellent production when adding and removing plates and the powder coat finish lives up to Kabuki Strength’s industry-respected quality control standards.
For this bar, 10°, 12.5°, and 15° grip angles have been applied, allowing for optimal stacked joint positioning that helps work on general mechanics.
The grips on the Kadillac Bar are set apart for various grip lengths including 14″, 21″, and 29″ which allows for different movements to be performed.
If you’re lifting heavy with the Kabuki Strength Kadillac Bar you’ll also appreciate the cambered football bars 16.75” of loadable sleeves that offer plenty of weight options.
Another big positive for the Kadillac Bar is the fact that it offers easy clearance for rows and other bent-over maneuvers. The bar is designed so that when you row, it misses your knees. Other straight multi-grip bars will require you to lean in when performing bent-over exercises, placing unwanted and dangerous strain on muscles you normally wouldn’t engage with during some exercises.
The one drawback with the bar is the lack of knurling that would allow for a better grip. It’s not really a surprise, given the setup on most football bars, but it’s definitely an addition that could improve the bar. I will admit that the texture of the Kabuki Kadillac bar is better than other swiss bars. For example, while Rogue makes several competent but non-cambered options, they offer smooth grips. Because Kabuki chose a textured paint job on the handles of their cambered bar, the grip is greatly improved.
