Everymate 10kg Junior Bar Review
Updated August 2026 First look · Tested August 2026 · 1 video
My score: 4 out of 5
This is the bar for a kid who has the movement down and is ready to put real plates on. It's steel, it's 22 lbs, and the 25 mm shaft fits a smaller hand. The catch is the listing. Ignore the 1,200 lb rating and the word powerlifting, this is a junior bar. First impressions only. I'll tell you how it holds up once I've used it longer.
Buy it if
- Buy it if your kid has outgrown a technique bar and is ready to add plates.
- Buy it if small hands can't wrap around a 28.5 mm men's bar.
- Buy it if you want a light steel bar for your own accessory work.
- Buy it if you want soft knurling that won't chew up a beginner's hands.
Skip it if
- Skip it if you need a bar to squat, bench or deadlift heavy.
- Skip it if your kid is training to compete and you want a long warranty and a long track record behind the bar.
- Skip it if your kid is brand new and still needs to learn the movement at almost no weight.
Before you buy
What I don't love
The 1,200 lb rating
That's a marketing number on a 22 lb bar. If you're loading a junior bar anywhere near that, you've outgrown it and need a real 20 kg bar.
"Powerlifting" in the title
A 10 kg, 25 mm bar is not a powerlifting bar. A beginner could read that and load it for a heavy squat day. Don't.
Three different lengths
The listing gives 1670 mm, 5.6 ft and 68.9 inches in three different spots. Those aren't the same bar.
Short sleeves
The sleeves are under about 10 inches, so you can't fit a lot of plates. That's by design on a junior bar.
Watch the videos
Every video I've made on it
Newest on top.
A real bar a kid can actually grip
I unbox it, check the knurling and take it out to the squat rack. It feels like a smaller, legit Olympic bar.
Questions I get
How much does the Everymate junior bar weigh?
10 kg, which is 22 lbs. That's half a men's bar and double the 5 kg technique bar.
Will it fit my power rack?
Collar to collar is listed at 52 and 3/16 inches, which is standard spacing, so it sits in a normal power rack.
Should I get the 5 kg technique bar or this one?
The technique bar teaches the movement. This one adds the load. Buy the one that matches where your kid actually is.
Can I really put 1,200 lbs on it?
I haven't tested it and I wouldn't. If you're anywhere near that, you need a different bar.
Specs
| Weight | 10 kg (22 lbs) |
|---|---|
| Shaft diameter | 25 mm |
| Material | Alloy steel, 190,000 PSI listed tensile strength |
| Length | 1670 mm (listing also shows 5.6 ft and 68.9 in) |
| Collar to collar | 52 3/16 in |
| Sleeves | Hardened chrome, needle bearings with brass liner (listed) |
| Knurling | Dual knurl marks, no center knurl |
| Finish | Cerakote shaft, hardened chrome sleeves |
| Listed capacity | 1,200 lbs (Everymate's number, not tested) |
From the blog
Related articles
More I've written that goes with this one.
The long version
My full Everymate 10kg junior bar review
Who this bar is for
The Everymate 10kg junior bar is for a kid who has the movement down and is ready to put real plates on. It's also a good bar for a beginner, or for a smaller guy who wants a bar that fits his hands better.
It's steel, it weighs 22 pounds, and the grip is thinner than a standard bar. That's really the whole reason to buy it.
Why it's in my gym
I've got three daughters, and they're getting a little bit older now. They want to start using dad's gym. So I wanted to make sure I had some equipment they could actually use, and a bar was at the top of my list.
My oldest plays hockey, so she's going to need to be a little bit stronger getting up and down the ice. A 10 kg bar is a good way for her to start to feel like she's lifting a little bit of weight.
Everymate sent me this bar for free to review. They didn't get a say in what I think about it.
The grip is the reason to buy it
The shaft is 25 mm. A standard bar is 28 or 28.5 or 29, depending on the bar you get. That doesn't sound like much, but you feel it right away. It's a smaller grip, and that's what makes it a junior bar.
The knurling is soft. It was the first thing I noticed when I pulled the plastic off. It's almost smooth, but there's enough grip that it's there.
I don't call myself a bar aficionado, but I don't want a knurling that's going to beat up my hands. And a good way to discourage a kid is to beat up their hands so they hurt every time they pick up the bar. Some bars I've seen are just crazy. This one isn't.
It feels like a real bar
It's alloy steel with chrome sleeves, and it feels substantial in your hand at 22 pounds. It doesn't feel like a flimsy bar. It feels like a smaller, legit Olympic bar.
I also have Everymate's 5 kg technique bar, and that one feels a little less solid than this. It's also half the weight and it's aluminum, so no wonder. This is the one that feels like the real thing.
It has dual knurl marks too. When you're teaching a kid how to lift, you can use those for hand placement, and that's really nice.
Length and sleeves
It's a little bit shorter than 6 feet. I'm 6'5", so it's not super long next to me. Everymate's listing isn't much help here. It gives the length as 1670 mm in one spot, 5.6 feet in another and 68.9 inches in a third, and those aren't the same bar.
The sleeves are probably less than 10 inches, so they're not super wide. You're not going to fit a lot of plates on it, and on a junior bar that's by design.
Collar to collar is listed at 52 and 3/16 inches, which is standard spacing. I took it over to my squat rack to see how it fit, and it sat in there like a bar should.
How it feels at my size
I'm 6'5" and 280 pounds, so this bar feels small in my hands. A normal 28 mm bar feels better to me. That's not a knock on the bar. It's a junior bar and I'm the wrong size for it.
Even so, I think I'm going to end up using it quite a bit. My wife will probably get to use it a little too, although she doesn't really like a lot of barbell movements. The kids will use it for sure, and I can teach them how to lift with it.
Two things in the listing I'd ignore
Everymate lists this bar at 1,200 pounds. I haven't tested that and I wouldn't. That's a marketing number on a 22 pound bar. If you're loading a junior bar anywhere near that, you've outgrown it and you need a real 20 kg bar.
The listing also uses the word powerlifting. A 10 kg bar with a 25 mm shaft is not a powerlifting bar. A beginner could read that and load it up for a heavy squat day. Don't.
What I don't know yet
This is a first look. It's the first time I've used it, and I haven't really tested it yet.
I can tell you how it feels in the hand and how it fits the rack. I can't tell you how the finish, the sleeves or the knurling hold up, because that takes time. I'll do an updated review after I've used it more.
Who should buy it
If you've got kids who want to start lifting, this is a great bar to get them started with. Same goes if you're just starting out yourself, or you're a smaller guy and a standard bar feels too thick. It feels legit, and I can recommend it.
Skip it if you need a bar to squat, bench or deadlift heavy. And if your kid is brand new and still learning the movement at almost no weight, the 5 kg technique bar is the better place to start. Buy the one that matches where your kid actually is.
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