The 3 Best Earthquake & Bamboo Bars

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Earthquake and bamboo bars are very similar specialty weightlifting bars that can be a nice addition to your collection. The best models will offer the most value for their investment.

Best earthquake & bamboo bars top picks

• Bandbell EarthQuake Bar
• BandBell Bamboo Bar
• Dutch & Co. Bamboo Bar
• Bonus 1: Bandbell RhinoFlex Bar HD
• Bonus 2: Tsunami Bar Force

The difference between earthquake and bamboo bars is their loading mechanism. Earthquake bars have sleeves with ridges, whereas bamboo bars have one groove to put multiple resistance bands through.

Additionally, there are two bonus options known as tsunami bars. This type of bar has a similar focus as the earthquake and bamboo bars.

Tsunami bars are different in that they are more flexible but loaded with weight plates. In turn, tsunami bars tend to engage stabilizing muscles just a bit less than earthquake and bamboo bars.

Because of these different types, training goals, personal preferences, and budgets, it is not possible to create one perfect ranking for every individual. Sometimes picks lower on the list will be better for you.

How we selected our top picks

Our fitness experts spent a lot of time looking at and comparing all the different important factors of earthquake & bamboo bars. Some of the things that were taken into consideration when making our selection include:

• Weight capacity, loading mechanism, handle diameter, etc.
• User reviews
• Anecdotal reviews from fitness experts
• Price
• Brand trustability

If a pick seems interesting click it to see the online prices.

3 Best earthquake & bamboo bars reviewed

The list of top picks can give you a quick idea of all the best earthquake and bamboo bars out there. After that, you can also look at each of the options reviewed in depth to find out which one is the best choice for you.

1. Bandbell EarthQuake Bar

Our top for the best earthquake bar is the Bandbell EarthQuake Bar. The number of earthquake bars on the market is not that big but this model from Bandbell is the best combination of helpful features and a relatively budget-friendly price (for earthquake bars).

First of all, the reasons an earthquake bar and not a bamboo bar takes the top spot are that it allows you to save time and that the loading mechanism just feels less of a hassle.

At the same time, doing earthquake bar exercises in a somewhat controlled motion should be enough to stop your weights from jumping over the ridges and sliding down the bar.

More specific to the Bandbell EarthQuake Bar is the weight capacity of 300 pounds (136 kg). You typically don’t use an earthquake bar to set a new personal record.

Additionally, this bar is a lot more challenging compared to lifting the same weight with a barbell. In short, this weight limit should be enough, even for more experienced lifters.

When it comes to handle diameters of earthquake bars, 1.5″ (3.81 cm) is very standard. The same goes for the sleeve length of 13″ (33 cm) on each side.

The unloaded weight of 6 pounds (2.7 kg) and length of 80″ (203.2 cm) are somewhat on the small side but these small differences compared to other options are not super relevant for your workouts.

All in all, this Bandbell EarthQuake Bar is a somewhat standard yet solid pick.

2. BandBell Bamboo Bar

The BandBell Bamboo Bar is very similar to the previous option but as the name implies, this is a bamboo bar, not an earthquake bar. Bamboo bars have a groove to put the resistance bands through instead of just hanging them over a ridge.

If you plan to do your exercises with these specialty barbells at a fast pace you likely want to get a bamboo bar to stop the resistance bands from jumping around/off the bar.

On the other hand, individuals who will only implement controlled motions likely find the earthquake bar less of a hassle to load.

The specific Bandbell model is our top pick for the best bamboo bars. Besides the sleeves, this bar has the same solid dimensions and price as the previous option.

3. Dutch & Co. Bamboo Bar

The next model from Dutch & Co. has the name bamboo bar but is actually more of an earthquake bar due to the way you load the bar. You simply put resistance bands looped around weights on each end of the bar.

As you may notice, this model does not have any ridges similar to the previous earthquake bar.

You can definitely still use the bar as happy customers note but there is more risk of the resistance bands moving around and even off the bar. This could interrupt your weightlifting sets if the weights really move too much.

One of the main reasons you would choose the Dutch & Co. Bamboo Bar over the previous earthquake bar is its budget-friendly price. Additionally, some people like the thinner handle diameter of 1.25″ (3.2 cm).

The unloaded weight of 7.1 pounds (3.2 kg) of this earthquake bar is about average. Its total length of 86″ (218.4 cm) is above average but not in a way where it influences your workouts a lot.

If you want to get into earthquake and bamboo bar training but don’t want to make any very big investments (yet), you can start with the Dutch & Co. Bamboo Bar.

Some people also really like the thinner handle diameter enough to make up for the lack of ridges to keep the resistance band in place.

Bonus 1: Bandbell RhinoFlex Bar HD

There are these specialty barbells called tsunami bars that have very similar benefits to earthquake/bamboo bars but are not completely the same.

Tsunami bars like the Bandbell RhinoFlex Bar HD are basically flexible barbells that you load with regular weight plates instead of resistance bands looped around weights like with an earthquake bar.

This will offer some of the same earthquake and bamboo bar benefits like engaging your stabilizing muscles. Just to a slightly smaller extent (but still a lot). That is why this tsunami bar model and the next one are bonus picks.

When it comes to these tsunami bars, our top pick is the Bandbell RhinoFlex Bar HD. As you can see from the weight capacity of 600 pounds (272 kg), this is a very sturdy option.

At the same time, this model is still relatively budget-friendly compared to other tsunami bars. If you do want to save more money you can also consider the regular Bandbell RhinoFlex Bar, not the HD model.

Do keep in mind that the regular model has a lower weight limit of 300 pounds (136 kg) and no textured surface in the middle to provide extra grip for exercises like a back squat.

If you don’t like the idea of having to loop resistance bands around weights and then around a bar but still want to get the stabilizing muscle engagement to some extent, you can consider investing more in a tsunami bar like this one from Bandbell.

Bonus 2: Tsunami Bar Force

This Tsunami Bar® Force is another model of the alternative type of flexible bar which you load with weight plates instead of resistance bands looped through weights like earthquake and bamboo bars.

The main reason to invest in this one and not the previous option is if you really like the thicker handle with a diameter of 2″ (5.1 cm) and/or happen to stumble upon any good deals.

In other areas, this bar is generally not worth the extra cost compared to the previous option.

You could make the argument that due to the slightly longer bar of 90″ (228.6 cm) the weights will move around more. However, even then, the price difference is relatively steep.

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