Lockjaw Olympic Barbell Collar

As a former powerlifter whose beloved gym is slowly transforming into a “softer, more family-oriented” facility; I see the gym’s big money being steered toward cardio-related equipment, yoga, spinning, etc. while the free-weights section gets ignored. Gone are the heavy-duty locking collars that we powerlifters and Olympic lifters needed to safely move heavy weights. Instead, we get the cheap, metal spring clips that seemed to be purchased from a discount store’s impulse-buy bin near the check-out line. If you’ve ever experienced a side of weights sliding off a bar during a heavy squat workout because a cheap collar isn’t doing its job, you’re better off buying your own collars. I’m glad I opted for the LOCKJAW OLYMPIC BARBELL COLLAR.WHAT IT IS:- The LOCKJAW look and feel solidly built. Each collar (you get 2) is made of hard nylon with molded rubber grips in the middle to “grab” the bar. A simple lever serves to open the collar enough to slide onto the bar and clamp it down. The collar fits snuggly on the standard Olympic barbells (50mm).HOW IT PERFORMS:- I generally only use Texas Power Bars for heavy lifting (squats, bench and deadlifts); but I have tested to the collars on York, Rogue and other generic bars in the gym. The LOCKJAW provides the same snug grip on all bars I tested.- Tough. I found the biggest test of these collars to be heavy deadlifts as the weights hit the floor rather hard. Our gym has accumulated numerous sets of plates over the years and while the weights are accurate, they don’t all line up evenly on the bar and tend to bang apart after each successive rep. Spring clips are not sufficient in holding the plates together. Uneven plates tend to jar spring clips loose, causing the plates to slide along the bar and make a lot of noise. On one occasion, a spring clip freakishly flew off the bar. The LOCKJAW works as well as the old spin collars, but they are lightweight and can be kept in my gym bag. The collars stay secure through entire deadlift workouts and keep the plates tight and in place the whole time.- Easy on, easy off. The thick wide lever is easy to hold and operate … good for both large and small hands.- The red LOCKJAWs look cool as well.Such gym gadgetry may seem superfluous, but I tend to enjoy the comfort and safety of using my own gear. I find the LOCKJAW OLYMPIC BARBELL COLLAR a worthy purchase as they are easy to use, perform flawlessly and are quite durable.

When I set up my home gym in the fall of 2005, I got it right the first time for almost every piece of equipment I bought, except for collars. I went through several different kinds of collars. They either did not hold very well, especially on deadlifts, or they would break after a short while. But then I came across these Lock Jaw Collars. They hold great even on deadlifts. And I've had a pair for several years now, and they still hold just as well as the day I bought them. They are very lightweight, so even if you work out at a commercial gym, you could easily carry these back and forth in your gym bag. They are much better than the wire-type collars used at most gyms. Mine are grey, but if I ever need another pair, I will get the red ones available here, as red is my favorite color. For all of these reasons, I am giving these collars five stars.April 2015 Update: My grey lock jaw collars were rather old and were not holding quite as well as they used to, and I really wanted these red ones, as red is my favorite color. The red will also add a little bit of color to my home gym, which otherwise has mostly black equipment. These are the best collars I have found. They are easy to put on and take off, and they hold very well, even on deadlifts.

i wouldn't trust a huge amount of weight on them. I curl over 100lbs and over 200 on the deadlift trap bar with them and they feel pretty solid though.

Didn't even last 2 months. Came flying off during a workout and literally shattered. Trying to get a hold of the company to see if they will replace.

They do not hold the weights tight on the bar. After a few lifts, we have to tighten them. Could just be a deficient product. Some other gym members have the same ones and they work great.

These work fine and appear to be very secure for heavy lifting (e.g. deadlifts). They are however very hard to remove. If you're looking for quick swap on/off weight collars I would not get this version, which has an additional safety tab to keep the collars extra secure. The instructions direct you to push down on the safety tab and then pull up on the larger tab to re-open the collar. I find that applying pressure to the safety tab does nothing to help you open these and when the collar finally jerks open it whacks into your fingers, which of course hurts.

This particular model of Lock-Jaw collars works well for my needs. I use them at home and I don't drop my weights so I cannot say how they would hold up when dropping weights or heavy abuse. However, they are very simple to put on and off the bar. They open more than enough to go on either 50mm or 2" Olympic bars and close down tightly. I was using the spring type collars, but found them too big and long which caused them to get in the way when placing the bar on the ground using smaller weights such as on dumbells. Lock-Jaw collars are much easier to use than the springs, hold better and have a smaller profile than the long spring collars. They do come in a pair. A bit expensive , but worth it that I ordered another pair.

The best bar collar ever! I lift at home most of the time and I used to use spring clips, but I found that they were a pain to take on and off when changing weight, especially with a partner. I was introduced to these collars at a Crossfit gym and now I use them exclusively. No matter if you do Olympic lifts or standard powerlifting routines, these are the best collars on the market. Weights always square up, they are easy to take on and off, and they don't budge, even when dropping heavy weight from overhead. Get these collars and you will thank yourself!

I was disappointed by the color of the product it came in pinkish red instead of strong red.The product works well but i wish i had realized that this wasn't the pro version.

Work great!!