Reddit reviews Power Systems Lock-Jaw Olympic Barbell Collar for Olympic Bars, 2-Pack, Black (50475)
We found 3 Reddit comments about Power Systems Lock-Jaw Olympic Barbell Collar for Olympic Bars, 2-Pack, Black (50475). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
2 inch diameter clamps for Olympic barsSingle-action cam lock securely clamps on the barSolid nylon resin frame and injection molded pressure padsSold in a pairWeight training accessory for speed, agility, strength, power, running, football, volleyball, basketball, baseball, soccer and all other athletic, fitness, weight, or cross training
They should be fine, be cautious of course. I enjoy the clamping type myself. Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Lock-Jaw-Collar-7642-Olympic-Barbell/dp/B000XUC11I
I think that Rogue fitness has a lot of good quality stuff. You'll need an standard oly barbell, bench, squat rack/power cage, weights, collars for barbell and possibly a platform to deadlift on if you're wanting to do SL and not destroy your floor (not sure how much deadlifting is in SS since I don't do it). However, I will say this about Rogue: it can be quite expensive for someone on a budget. I would LOVE to have all Rogue equipment, but that's not a possibility for me in the near future and possibly not for you either depending on your finances (if you can afford it, def go with Rogue).
Otherwise, look into Craigslist in your area. Lots of people are trying to get rid of weights/racks all the time and usually at a pretty reasonable price. I think that what you should look for is someone who wants to sell between like $.50 and $.75 per lb of weight, obviously cheaper if you can get it! You should look for someone selling a set of probably around 300 lbs of oly plates (2 inch holes on the plates).
If you have the room, I'd suggest getting a power cage because they make lifting without a spotter (example: if your bf isn't home and you want to lift) a lot safer. You can fail your bench/squat and not have to worry about killing yourself, usually. Here is a decent cage for someone on a budget:
If you don't have room for something that tall, try going with this.
As for a bar on a budget, you can get one on Rogue for pretty cheap. I've heard good things about the men's economy bar.
or for something a bit cheaper.
Here is a good brand of collars.
Depending on your floor type, you may want to get some horse stall mats to put your rack on.
Good luck and happy lifting.
Edit: You will also need a bench...if you want to bench press at home. I personally do DB bench press because I feel like it activates the muscles better so I have kind of a cheapo bench. But here is one apparently rated for 500 lbs at an ok price. There are probably better ones out there but in the short term it could work alright.
Also, even if you don't do SL and do SS instead, SL is good at explaining the equipment and giving links to decent quality stuff.
I have seen 2 good options:
http://amzn.com/B000XUC11I
Clamps are most useful when you have lots of weight on the bar (deadlifts) but could be dangerous in the case of bench press where it is better to be able to lower one side and dump the weight if you get stuck.