Cheap EZ curl bars: the second bar most home gyms should own
A cambered bar takes the strain off your wrists on curls and skull crushers, and costs less than a pair of dumbbells. The only real decision is which sleeve size.
Updated August 2026 · By Stephen V.
The EZ curl bar is a 47-inch bar with a zig-zag camber in the middle. That camber rotates your forearms into a semi-supinated position, which takes a lot of the strain off the wrists and elbows on curls, skull crushers and close-grip work. If straight-bar curls make your wrists ache, this is the fix, and it costs about the same as one adjustable dumbbell.
It is also the bar most likely to be bought wrong, because the listings look identical and the sleeve diameter is buried in the specification. A 1-inch standard bar and a 2-inch Olympic bar are the same length, the same shape and often within a few dollars of each other — and they take completely different plates. Get that decision right and the rest is easy.
The short answer
In a hurry? These are the picks we'd buy. Prices are live; tap a card below for the full reasoning.
A conventional 47-inch Olympic EZ bar — the same shape and the same job, worth knowing about as a fallback.
Sleeves
2-inch Olympic
Length
47"
Camber
Conventional EZ
Best for
Curls and tricep work
Pros
Same plate compatibility as the main Olympic pick
Useful backup when the better-known bars go out of stock
Conventional camber, so grip positions match every tutorial
Cons
Unbranded, so finish and knurl consistency vary more between units
Usually a little more expensive than the CAP equivalent
Capacity figures on unbranded bars are worth treating conservatively
Best for: when the CAP bar is out of stock.
Skip this
The budget traps that look cheap and cost you twice. We'd skip these.
A 1-inch EZ bar bought for a gym that runs on Olympic plates
This is the single most common mistake in the category, and it happens because the two bars look identical in a photo and cost about the same. A standard bar in an Olympic gym means a second set of plates, or a set of adapter sleeves that add slop. Check the sleeve diameter before you order, every time.
Spring collars as your only collar on a cambered bar
An EZ bar tilts more than a straight bar during curls and skull crushers, so plates work outwards faster. Spring collars are fine for light arm work, but if you load the bar properly, a pair of screw or lock-jaw collars is a few dollars well spent — a plate sliding off one end mid-rep is an unpleasant way to learn this.
How to choose (and what to skip)
Sleeve diameter is the whole decision
Two-inch Olympic sleeves fit the plates your barbell uses and hold their value. One-inch standard sleeves are cheaper and only make sense if your existing plates are 1-inch. Everything else about these bars is close to identical, so decide the sleeve first and the shortlist writes itself.
Length: 47 inches is the standard
Most EZ bars are 47 inches, which fits in a rack, stores easily and gives enough sleeve for a sensible arm load. Shorter 34-inch versions exist for very tight spaces but hold much less. Unless your room genuinely cannot take 47 inches, take the standard length.
Camber angle changes wrist comfort
Deeper cambers rotate the wrist further toward neutral, which is more comfortable for people with cranky wrists but shortens the biceps' range slightly. Shallower cambers feel closer to a straight bar. Budget bars are all in a similar conventional range, so this only matters if you already know you need a deep camber.
Check the capacity honestly
EZ bars carry lower capacity ratings than straight bars because they are shorter and cambered. A 200 lb rating is more than enough for curls, skull crushers and close-grip work, which is what the bar is for. It is not a bar to bent-over row 250 lb with, and treating it like one is how cambered bars get bent.
Bar weight varies, so weigh it
Budget EZ bars typically land somewhere in the 15-25 lb range depending on length and steel, and the listing does not always state it. If you track your numbers, put the bare bar on a bathroom scale once and write the number down.
EZ bar or dumbbells?
If you already own adjustable dumbbells, an EZ bar is a comfort and convenience purchase rather than a necessity: dumbbell curls, hammer curls and dumbbell skull crushers cover most of the same ground. The EZ bar wins on wrist comfort for people who find straight-bar and even dumbbell work uncomfortable, and it wins on loading speed — one bar, two plates, done, instead of adjusting two dumbbells.
If you own plates but no dumbbells, the EZ bar is a very cheap way to add arm and tricep training, and it costs a fraction of a dumbbell set. Our cheap adjustable dumbbells roundup covers the other side of that decision, and adjustable versus fixed dumbbells covers which dumbbell format makes sense once you get there.
What to actually do with it
The EZ bar is not just a curl bar. The same camber that helps biceps curls also helps lying tricep extensions, close-grip presses, upright rows, reverse curls, and pullovers. For a home gym with a bench, that is a genuinely broad arm and upper-body accessory list from one $40 bar. Our budget weight bench roundup covers the bench half of that pairing, and cheap preacher curl benches covers the dedicated arm station if curls are the priority.
One practical note: because the bar is short and cambered, it wants shorter, lighter plates rather than a pair of thick bumpers. Cast iron plates in 10 and 25 lb sizes are the natural companions here — see our cheap weight plates roundup.
Storage
A 47-inch bar is short enough to stand in a corner, hang from two wall hooks, or slot into the side of a plate tree. That last option is the tidiest: most budget plate trees include barbell holders, which keeps the bar off the floor and out of the way. Our weight plate storage roundup covers those.
Frequently asked questions
Is an EZ curl bar worth it?+
If straight-bar curls or skull crushers bother your wrists or elbows, yes — the camber fixes exactly that, and the bar costs less than most single pieces of gym equipment. If you already own adjustable dumbbells and have no wrist complaints, it is a convenience buy rather than a necessity.
Olympic or standard EZ curl bar?+
Olympic, unless your gym already runs on 1-inch standard plates. The 2-inch sleeve shares plates with your barbell, has far better plate availability, and holds resale value. The only good reason to buy standard is that you already own standard plates and are not planning to switch.
How much does an EZ curl bar weigh?+
Budget EZ bars are usually somewhere between about 15 and 25 lb depending on length and construction, and many listings do not state it clearly. Weigh yours once on a bathroom scale if you log your training numbers, because assuming 45 lb like a full-size barbell will be badly wrong.
Can I bench press or row with an EZ bar?+
Close-grip pressing is fine at moderate loads and is one of the bar's better uses. Heavy bent-over rows are not — EZ bars are short, cambered and carry lower capacity ratings than a full barbell, so they are the wrong tool for your heaviest pulling. Keep the heavy rows on the straight bar.
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