Magnetic Clamp Collars

I was gifted some fancy knurled aluminum collars that cost twice as much (another brand), but the magnets were too weak to stick to my rack and the one-handed operation wasn't so one-handed (just spins the sleeve rather than tightening the collar). I returned those and got these Bells of Steel clamps. I almost went for some knock-offs on Amazon because they offered more colors. I thought they might be the same collars coming from the same factory with different branding. Some of the customer review pictures looked a lot like the knock-offs with beveled edges, but the Bells of Steel "product specs" image has a more squared off look. I chose Bells of Steel for the reputation and I'm glad I did. These are considerably smaller than the knock-offs and I'm sure they grip much tighter... almost too tight. I hope they loosen up a little with use. Unlike those fancy knurled collars, the Bells of Steel magnets stick to my rack's glossy finish. The width is roughly half of a traditional clamp style collar (1" vs 2"). Those traditional clamps look thinner from certain perspectives, but when you factor the twist lever, they're closer to 4" wide and the Bells of Steel collar tops out at 3.75" and it's 3.5" or less from other angles. You probably don't NEED these, but once you have them, you won't use any other collars.

I have used over the years so many different types of collars for barbells (spring, twist on with pliers that chip away the paint, cheaper clip versions) and none have been just right. In fact most have been just ok and others were awful. These however are just what I needed.

They come in a choice of colors to either blend in with your gym or stand out making it easier to find them. They are not super huge, and they are easy to open and close securely. There are two things that really make these the best in my opinion 1) They are magnetic making it easy to attach them to a rack so they are never lost when you need them 2) They fit every barbell I have tried. Most others I have tried fit some barbells but vary in how well they hold on or they simply cannot fit wider bars so they have limited use. These even fit my Bells of Steel 7' axle bar. I highly recommend these magnetic clamp collars since they seem to fit every bar and have a secure grip.