Everymate 10kg Junior Bar Review: The 22 lb Barbell I Bought for My Daughters
My daughters are getting to the age where they follow me out to the gym and they do not want to just watch anymore. They want to lift. And for a while the honest answer was that there was nothing out there they could actually use.
That is a specific problem, not a vague one. A men's Olympic bar weighs 45 lb before you put a single plate on it, and the shaft is 28.5 mm, which is too thick for a kid's hand to close around properly. So a kid who wants to train stands next to a rack full of equipment built for a grown man, and the moment passes.
I have been a home gym owner for over a decade, an independent professional wrestler for more than twenty years, and I have three daughters. My oldest plays hockey and she is going to need to get stronger to keep getting up and down the ice. Getting a bar my girls could actually train with went to the top of my list. This is the Everymate 10kg junior bar, and this is my honest first look.
Watch the full unboxing and first impressions here:Everymate 10kg Junior Bar Review on YouTube
Why I Tested This
This is the second bar in a pair, and the pairing is the whole point.
A few weeks ago I reviewed the Everymate 5kg technique bar, an 11 lb aluminum bar built for grooving movement patterns at almost no load. It does its job. But a technique bar is deliberately not something you load and train on, and a kid who is actually getting stronger outgrows it fast.
That is where the junior bar comes in. Same 25 mm shaft, so the grip still fits a smaller hand, but double the weight and steel instead of aluminum. The technique bar teaches the pattern. The junior bar adds the load. If you buy one of the two, buy the one that matches where your kid actually is.
What You Actually Get
Weight: 10 kg, or 22 lb. That is half a men's bar and double the technique bar. On camera my read was that it "feels substantial in your hand at 22 lb," and that it does not feel like a flimsy bar. That is the number doing its job: heavy enough that a kid feels like she is lifting something real, light enough that the bar itself is not the workout.
Shaft diameter: 25 mm. This is the single most important spec on the bar and almost nobody talks about it. A men's Olympic bar runs 28.5 mm. A kid physically cannot hook grip that. At 25 mm she can. That is the mechanical reason junior bars exist, and it is why a lighter version of an adult bar would not solve the problem.
Material: alloy steel, 190,000 PSI tensile strength. Steel, not aluminum, which is the real separator between this bar and the technique bar. On camera I said it "feels like a just a smaller legit Olympic bar," and the construction is why.
Length: 1670 mm. Everymate's own listing gives three different numbers for this, which I will get to below. The title spec is 1670 mm, right around 65.75 inches. On camera I guessed it was "a little bit shorter than 6 foot," and at 65.75 inches that guess was right.
Collar-to-collar: 52 and 3/16 inches. This is the number that decides whether a bar sits correctly in a power rack, and it is the one I did not expect to see published. Rogue's 10KG junior bar is 52.18 inches. Everymate's spec is 52.1875 inches. That is competition standard, and it means the bar racks in a normal power rack and the plate geometry is right.
Sleeves: hardened chrome, needle bearings with a thickened brass liner. On camera I called the sleeves "probably less than 10 in," so they are not wide, which is expected on a junior bar. The bearing claim is a big one at this price and I will come back to it.
Knurling: dual knurl marks, no center knurl, IPF and IWF aligned. Correct for this bar. A center knurl on a junior bar would shred a kid's neck on a clean.
Finish: cerakote on the shaft, hardened chrome on the sleeves.
Rated capacity: 1200 lb. Everymate's number, not mine.
What It Was Like Out of the Box
It shipped clean. Good box, no damage, no assembly, no ninety minutes with an Allen key. First thing I said opening it was that it was a nice looking box, and that sounds like nothing until you remember that this bar is aimed at a kid. Presentation matters when the buyer is a ten year old deciding whether this is exciting.
The first thing I noticed on the bar itself was the knurling, and it was the opposite of what I expected. I said it out loud while the plastic was still coming off: soft knurling, "so it won't be too hard on my daughter's hands as she learns to lift weights." That was the right instinct and it held up once the bar was fully out.
Here is why that matters more than it sounds. I do not call myself a bar aficionado. I do not want a knurl that beats up my hands, and I definitely do not want one that beats up a kid's. Aggressive knurl is the fastest way to discourage a beginner: her hands hurt, she quits, the bar goes in the corner. Some bars I have handled are genuinely crazy in this department. This one is not. It is almost smooth, with enough grip that you know where you are on the bar.
The dual knurl marks are the other detail worth calling out. When you are teaching a kid how to lift, you have a reference point for hand placement that you can actually point at. That turns "put your hands about here" into a repeatable cue.
The 1200 lb Number, and What Everymate Actually Got Right
This is where I have to split the claim in two, because one half holds up and the other does not.
The half that holds up: the tensile strength. Everymate publishes 190,000 PSI. Rogue publishes 190,000 PSI on its 10KG junior bar. That is not a small thing. Tensile strength is an engineering figure with a standard behind it, and matching the category leader on a bar that costs about half is a real claim, not a marketing one. Same story on collar spacing: 52.1875 inches against Rogue's 52.18 inches.
The half that does not: the 1200 lb capacity. PR Lifting rates its junior bar at 800 lb static. Rogue does not publish a pound number at all, because a pound rating on a barbell has no agreed test standard behind it. Everymate publishes the biggest round number in the category, on the smallest bar in the category. That is a marketing number.
Here is the part that matters more than whether it is true. Why would you want 1200 lb on a 22 lb junior bar? A 25 mm shaft has enormous whip. If you are loading a junior bar anywhere near a number like that, you have outgrown the junior bar and you need a 20 kg power bar. The rating is not a feature you will ever use, and treating it as one is how somebody gets hurt.
Which brings up the other thing in the listing I would change. The product title says "for Weightlifting and Powerlifting." A 10 kg, 25 mm bar is not a powerlifting bar. It is not built for heavy squats, heavy bench, or heavy deadlifts, and a beginner reading that title could reasonably load it for a squat session and find out the hard way. Everymate should drop that word. I would rather say that plainly than pretend the listing is perfect.
On the Rack, and How It Actually Feels
I took it out to the squat rack, because a bar that does not fit your setup is a bar nobody uses.
Loaded or empty, my read was the same as it was in my hands: this feels like a solid bar and it would be a great junior bar. The 52 and 3/16 inch collar spacing is the spec that governs rack fit, and it is competition standard, so the geometry is right on any normal power rack.
I do want to be straight about my own bias here. I am 6'5" and 280 lb. This bar feels small to my hands, and a normal 28 mm bar feels better to me. That is not a knock on the bar, it is a knock on me being the wrong size for it. This is a junior bar and it feels like one in a big man's hands, which is exactly what it is supposed to do.
The comparison I keep coming back to is the technique bar sitting next to it. The 5 kg aluminum bar feels a little less solid than this one. It is also half the weight and a different material, so no wonder. Steel at 22 lb feels like a scaled down Olympic bar. Aluminum at 11 lb feels like a training tool. Both are correct for their jobs.
One more honest note. I bought this for my daughters. I think I am going to end up using it more than they do, at least at first, for accessory work where a 45 lb bar is already too much before the plates go on. My wife will probably use it a little too, though she does not love barbell movements. That is not a knock on the bar. That is a bar earning its space in the gym three different ways.
Pros and Cons, Real Talk
Pros
22 lb of steel is heavy enough to feel like real lifting and light enough for a kid to actually train with
25 mm shaft means small hands can grip and hook grip it, which a 28.5 mm bar makes impossible
Knurl is deliberately soft, which is the right call for a beginner and for kids' hands
Dual knurl marks give you a teaching reference for hand placement
No center knurl, correct for this bar and for cleans
190,000 PSI published tensile strength, matching Rogue's figure on a bar at roughly half the price
52 and 3/16 inch collar-to-collar is competition standard, so it racks properly in a normal power rack
Alloy steel, so unlike a technique bar this one takes real load as a kid gets stronger
Shipped clean, no assembly, no damage
Cons
The 1200 lb capacity claim is the biggest number in the category on the smallest bar in it, with no test standard behind it. I have not tested it and I would not
"and Powerlifting" in the product title is category confusion on a 25 mm bar, and a beginner could take it literally
The listing publishes three different lengths: 1670 mm in the title, 5.6 ft in the bullets, and 68.9 inches in the detail table. Those are three different bars
Sleeves are short, under about 10 inches, so loadable space is limited by design
The needle bearing and brass liner claim is unusual at this price and I have not spin tested it yet
I am 6'5" and 280 lb, and a 25 mm shaft feels small in my hands. That is the point of the bar, but know it before you buy it for yourself
This is a first look. No durability data, no drop testing, no long term wear
The black on black colorway I have is temporarily out of stock on Amazon US as of this writing. You can still order it and Amazon ships when it restocks, or take one of the silver and blue shaft versions at $109.99
→ Grab the Everymate 10kg Junior Bar here
How It Compares
The honest comparison is not Rogue, and I am not going to pretend it is. Nobody cross shops a $120 factory direct bar against a $215 Rogue.
The real comparison set is what this bar actually replaces. On one side, nothing: a kid standing next to a rack she cannot use, or a plastic weighted bar that does not fit a rack and does not take real plates. This bar is not in the same conversation as either one.
On the other side sit the credible junior bars with warranties and long track records. Rogue's 10KG junior is $215 with bronze bushings and 190,000 PSI. PR Lifting's is $169, 800 lb static, 51.75 inch collar spacing. Power Systems and American Barbell run higher still. Those are better supported products from companies that will be there in five years.
Everymate sits at $119.99 and publishes the same tensile figure and effectively the same collar spacing as Rogue. If those numbers are honest, that is a real gap in the market. What you give up is the warranty, the track record, and the ability to call somebody when it goes wrong. For a bar your ten year old is going to learn on, that trade may be exactly right. For a competitive junior lifter training four days a week for years, buy the Rogue.
And the comparison that actually matters most for this audience is the one against its own sibling. The 5 kg technique bar is $95.99 and teaches the movement. The 10 kg junior bar is $119.99 and lets a kid train it. For twenty-four dollars more you get steel instead of aluminum and a bar she will not outgrow in a season. Unless you specifically need near zero load for rehab or Olympic technique work, the junior bar is the better first purchase.
Who This Is For (and Who Should Skip It)
Buy it if you are:
A parent with a kid roughly 8 to 14 who wants to actually train, not just watch
A beginner who is not ready to press or squat an empty 45 lb bar
A smaller adult lifter who finds a 28.5 mm shaft too thick to grip well
Looking for an accessory bar for strict press, front squats, or RDLs where 45 lb is already too much
Coming back from injury and need real steel at a load you can actually manage
Skip it if you are:
Looking for a bar to squat, bench, or deadlift heavy on. The title says powerlifting. The bar is not that
A competitive junior lifter who needs a published warranty and a support line
A big lifter buying it for yourself. At 6'5" and 280 lb, a 25 mm shaft feels small in my hands
Someone who needs verified durability data before you buy. This is a first look
FAQ
How much does the Everymate 10kg junior bar weigh?
10 kg, which is 22 lb. That is half of a standard men's Olympic bar and double the weight of a 5 kg technique bar.
What is the shaft diameter, and why does it matter?
25 mm, compared to about 28.5 mm on a men's Olympic bar. It is the single reason a junior bar exists: a kid's hand physically cannot hook grip a 28.5 mm shaft, and it can grip 25 mm.
Will it fit a standard power rack?
Everymate publishes collar-to-collar spacing of 52 and 3/16 inches, which is competition standard and effectively identical to Rogue's 52.18 inches. That spacing is what makes a bar rackable on a normal power rack.
Can you really load it to 1200 lb?
I have not tested it and I would not recommend anybody try. Rogue does not publish a pound rating on its junior bar at all, and PR Lifting publishes 800 lb. The more useful question is why you would want to: a 25 mm shaft has heavy whip, and if you are loading a junior bar that far you need a 20 kg power bar instead.
Is this better than the Everymate 5kg technique bar?
They do different jobs. The 5 kg is aluminum and built for practicing movement patterns at near zero load. The 10 kg is alloy steel and built to be loaded and trained on as a kid gets stronger. For most parents buying one bar for a kid, the junior bar is the better buy.
Do the sleeves actually spin?
The listing claims needle bearings with a thickened brass liner, which is an unusual spec at this price. I did not spin test it in this video. That goes in the 30 day update.
What age is a junior bar for?
Everymate positions it for youth and beginner lifters, roughly the 8 to 14 range in this category, plus smaller adults and anyone starting under 15 kg. Coaching supervision is the real variable, not the age number.
The Verdict
I think this bar is a great addition to my home gym and a great addition for my kids.
Part of leading a home is putting the good thing within reach and then getting out of the way. You do not lecture a kid into caring about discipline. You leave a bar in the gym she can actually pick up, and one day she picks it up. Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Sometimes that verse is about what is on the kitchen table. Sometimes it is about what is in the rack.
So far, so good. It shipped clean, the knurl is friendlier than the price suggests, the collar spacing is competition standard, and the published tensile strength matches a bar that costs twice as much. What I do not know yet is how it holds up: whether those sleeves really spin the way the listing says, whether the finish wears, whether any of it is still true in six months.
That is what the 30 day update is for. I am going to put my daughters on it, run it myself for accessory work, and come back with what actually happened. Stay tuned to the channel for updated reviews, more gear, and tips and insights for men leading with purpose.
→ Grab the Everymate 10kg Junior Bar here
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Big Mike Behrens personally tests every product before recommending it. No paid promotions, no sponsored opinions.
