I have been using a DHS needle bearing Olympic bar (training bar) weekly, for the last year. I will start off with some quick ratings: Spin=great, knurling=good, whip=great, durability=great, price=great. The knurling would have scored an excellent if the center knurl didn’t chew up my neck so much on cleans and front squats. But the bar does have a nice knurling for grip without being to aggressive like some of the newer Eleiko training bars I have tried. No complaints on the spin, just keep it oiled regularly and they will be fine. It does spin better than bushing bars, no question. I also use a Pendlay bushing bar and it is decent but does not spin as nice as this needle bearing bar. The collars are solid and work really well doubling as 2.5kg weights. Pictured below is the 190kg DHS training set with men’s and women’s bar.
We have had a couple issues. Initially one of the DHS bar’s needle bearings were damaged. Then after a year of use, one of the other DHS bars has a slight bend in it.
