After competing in several competitions in the UK and all were using the Bastard Deadlift bar, i decided to purchase one for myself. We have several speciality bars in the gym i train at; Rogue Ohio DL, Texas DL, Okie DL and now a bastard DL. All the bars have a similar feel until you get to 300+ kg, then they all behave very differently. The Bastard DL feels stiffer than the others, not as much whip before the plates leave the floor, and for me that's not a bad thing. I try and make my training lifts difficult, then anything easier in a comp is a bonus. The knurling on this bar is aggressive and offers and faultless grip. On closer inspection the diamonds on the knurling pattern are symmetrical. This shows the level of engineering and craftsmanship by the bars builder. As a mechanical engineer i appreciate the details. Knurling isn't easy to get right. I've used this bar for over a year and today i completed some maintenance on it (stripped down and cleaned). I estimate, in total, I've lifted over 52,000kg on this bar in the last 12 months. There is virtually no wear on any of the mating faces or working parts of my bar. This proves the quality of the parts used. A bar that will last a lifetime.