Over the past two or so years, I’ve been using the Rogue Fitness USA Aluminum Collars. Although they work as advertised and offer really good holding power, I’ve always kind of hated these things. First of all, my collars from unit to unit are inconsistent in how much force is actually needed to lock them on a bar—some just need more force to lock into place than others. This leads to my second complaint: some of these collars hold too much spring tension. When you go to unlatch them, the lever tends to snap back pretty hard. I have to actively tell myself not to place my hand on the side that the lever opens toward, or else it’ll slam into my knuckles. It hasn’t broken the skin or caused any serious damage, but in the moment, it definitely catches you off guard and gives you a little sting.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that the inner liner that helps the collars grip a bar tears down pretty quickly and just makes the bar dirtier. This speeds up the time between barbell cleaning, which is not something I want to deal with.
All that being said, I’ve been on the lookout for a different set of collars for a long time. After much research, I decided to give the Titan Fitness TwistLock Barbell Collars a try. If you’re unfamiliar with these, their claim to fame is the patented TwistLock mechanism. With these, you slip the collars over your 50 mm Olympic barbell and just twist.
My particular pair is made from high-impact ABS, polymer, and neoprene laminate—basically a bunch of fancy plastics. There is a Pro version that’s machined from aluminum with volcano knurling on the sides if that’s your preference. I personally went with the regular version because it’s significantly cheaper than the Pro, and I didn’t want to invest too much in the TwistLock mechanism without some real-world testing first.
From what I saw in other reviews, the majority praised the TwistLock mechanism’s holding power. However, the main drawback was that it didn’t offer one-handed use, which I was really hoping for. Reviewers noted that on barbells with rotating sleeves, as you turn the collar to lock, the sleeve turns with it—preventing the collar from fully engaging. So, you’d have to hold the sleeve while you twist. Not a huge deal, but I personally wanted true one-handed operation.
After testing on my own bars—like the REP Fitness Black Diamond Power Bar—I can say these TwistLock collars do work one-handed. Now, full disclosure: I don’t believe it’s fully “locked down” when done one-handed. It ratchets enough to hold itself securely under normal lifting force, but there’s definitely more room to twist and lock. But if you continue to twist with one hand, the force will make your sleeve spin instead. That’s fine for me because I don’t Olympic lift and drop my weights from very high, so this degree of hold is more than sufficient—and I get true one-handed convenience, which makes me very happy.
Overall, I’m pleased with my purchase. The only real negative is fit and finish. If you look at the bottom of these collars, there’s a thin sheet of plastic that’s glued in place and sits against your barbell to protect it from the magnets and underlying components. Mine were assembled a bit sloppily, with the magnet sticking up and pushing the plastic liner up. It’s a minor annoyance, but worth mentioning.
Now, if you’re considering between the standard and Pro version, I think there are 4 things to consider. First, the material that they’re made out of. Do you want a plastic or metal collar? Plastic is lighter, but metal has the potential of being more durable. If you’re someone who constantly drops their stuff on the ground, there’s an argument that the metal Pro version will probably take the damage better, whereas the plastic may crack. The second thing to consider is between having knurling on the Pro version and the indents of the standard version. In terms of ease of use with the TwistLock function, I’m willing to bet that it’s easier to activate the locking mechanism with the standard version because your fingers ergonomically fit between the indents, and it allows you to apply more force when turning. In this case, I’m sure having knurling would help you grip the Pro collar and turn it, but just not as efficiently as the standard version’s indents. A third thing to consider is the color options. The standard version only comes in black, while the Pro version comes in a few different anodized aluminum options. If your gym has a color scheme that you’re trying to match, it’d be easier to do that with the pro version. Lastly, I think the most important thing to consider is the price difference between the standard and Pro TwistLock Collars. As of today, I’ve only ever seen the black Pro version go on sale at about $70, and the other color options are full price because they’ve just recently been released. On a good day, the standard version can go on sale and cost around $30. With that in mind, I think the standard version is a steal. I think if you’re purely looking for a collar with the TwistLock function for use, then the standard version is a better buy. But, if you’re looking for a TwistLock collar that’s a little bit more upscale and nice to look at, then the Pro version is the better choice.
If you're considering buying any of the products mentioned, please support my work by using the links below.
Titan Fitness TwistLock Molded Barbell Collar https://amzn.to/4jUdE4p
Titan Fitness TwistLock Pro Aluminum Barbell Collars https://amzn.to/3SDfQBn
Want to support my work?
Consider visiting the shop and buying "Absolutely Nothing"
https://www.HaiHoangTran.com/shop/absolutely-nothing
or
Become a YouTube member!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLUO-2ltlWfydRZ7pRRnXkw/join
Become a Patron!
https://www.patreon.com/HaiHoangTran
or
Buy some official merch!
https://www.youtube.com/haitran/store
PayPal
https://www.PayPal.me/HaiHoangTran
or
Just shop on Amazon via this link!
https://amzn.to/2FgsDnG