No sparring partner? The spinning bar has your back! This new type of boxing equipment helps alleviate the age-old problem of not having a partner, whether at the gym or at home.
Thanks to their unique design, spinning bars have become a popular way to practice many boxing skills and fitness workouts.
Whether you’re a beginner or someone more experienced in boxing, a spinning bar would be a great addition to offer some diversity in your boxing routine.
If you’ve started researching, you know there are two leading models, the original Sparbar and the Boxing Bar from TITLE.
They look and act very similarly, but with key differences. We’ll dissect each one and see which version is the better option for you.
The Sparbar Pro 4.0
The Sparbar is the invention of Jazz Gill, the UK boxer and entrepreneur. Seeing a need for a training device that could be a legitimate training alternative to sparring, he set out to develop the Sparbar.
After years of R&D and painstaking development, the Sparbar was born. It wasn’t long before serious boxers took notice of its unique features, and its popularity took off.
The Sparbar has the heavy base of a standup punching bag, the springy shaft of a reflex bag, and a small speed bag-shaped target on the top.
Adding the spinning bar results in an addictive interactive sparring tool.
The Sparbar unleashes the ability to practice the technical details of boxing, like coordination, footwork, accuracy, blocking, dodging, and speed, all on one device.
For boxers and mixed martial artists, being able to train this way without a partner expands the possibilities of how they can train.
- ✔ NEW SPARBAR PRO 6.0: Now featuring the new PRO 6.0 version. Our freestanding punching bag is super easy to set up...
- ✔ TELESCOPIC HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT: Our punching bag set with a stand allows you to adjust the height according to your...
- ✔ LARGE & STABLE SAND BASE: The base of this freestanding punching bag stand can be filled with 50L water and sand to...
Some Reasons You’ll Like It
Easy to Assemble – The device ships with all the necessary parts and tools in one box. You fill the base, attach the pole adapter, screw in the telescoping pole, and attach the spinning bar and the reflex ball on top.
Quality Components, Smoother Action – The key to the Sparbar is the incredibly smooth rotation of the spinning bar.
Any hesitation or slowdown in the rotation can muck up the rhythm and speed of the workout.
So they use high-quality bearings and precise machining to get fast and smooth rotation but are rigid enough to withstand rapid punching and changes in direction.
The base, speed bag, and bars are covered in real leather, hand-stitched to fit, lasting for years.
Telescoping Height – The height of the bar and bag is adjustable to your height. At its lowest, the Sparbar stands at 51 inches (4.2 ft) and 69 inches (5.7 ft) at its highest.
Looks Amazing – There are several beautiful color schemes, including white, yellow, gold, and pink. Choose your favorite color or the colorway that matches your gym the best.
Among my favorites are the Black & Yellow, Midnight, and Vintage Brown.
A nice touch is the color contrasted end of the bar to serve as a visual target.
Below is a video tutorial of the Sparbar by Martial Artist Scott Adkins.
Some Reasons to Pass
Limited Height Adjustment – Some people have said they don’t think the Sparbar adjusts high enough for taller people. The fact that Tyson Fury, a VERY large man, uses the Sparbar should tell you otherwise.
Premium Cost – The Sparbar is a premium training station, and the price reflects this. The Sparbar Pro 4.0 retails for 699 GBP (or $750-800 USD, depending on the conversion rate).
The 4X versions in Midnight Black and Vintage Brown bump the price up another $100-150.
So yes, this is not a cheap item, but this is not extreme for what you are getting. You are getting a very well-made device that has proven durable and provides a unique workout.
The TITLE Reflex Boxing Bar
Title’s Boxing Bar has a rapid-reflex bar made of padded stainless steel. Like the Sparbar, this equipment aims to develop hand and head speed, coordination, and strong reflexes for boxing.
The base of the Boxing Bar can hold up to 250 pounds of water or sand, which helps with its stabilization. It also comes with an additional stability tool — rubber suction cups.
The Boxing Bar’s height can vary from 60 to 78 inches (5 – 6.5 ft), which is perfect for taller boxers. Also, its bar extends to 34 inches (2.8 ft) while the base is 20 inches (1.6 ft) wide.
- The spinning rapid-reflex bar is constructed of padded stainless steel with sealed encased precision bearings
- The paddle target is padded steel and the spring mounted striking ball is a dense molded foam that makes them ideal for...
- With the Tri-Bag you can perfect your punching speed, precision, slipping, blocking, bob and weave, defense, jabs, power...
Reasons to Like It
Paddle Target – For punch targets, the Boxing Bar offers both the bar and a padded paddle target on the opposite end of the bar. This additional feature can help you practice different punches and combos while working on speed and precision.
The paddle target also acts as a counterweight to balance the bar. It ensures the bar spins smoothly and doesn’t wobble too much or topple over.
Stands High – The Boxing Bar’s tallest height reaches 78 inches. This height is perfect for anyone above 6 feet. If you think the Sparbar will be too short, this is a great reason to go with a Boxing Bar.
More Affordable – The Boxing Bar is ideal for beginner boxers because of its cost. It retails at less than half the price of an equivalent Sparbar. If you are the occasional boxer or don’t need such a high-end piece of gear, then a Boxing Bar is a better choice.
It should be noted that both Sparbar and TITLE offer a cheaper wall-mounted spinning bar that saves both money and space.
Both versions bolt onto the wall and have an arm sticking out to mount the spinning bar.
The TITLE Reflex Bar retails for $199, while the Sparbar Compact 180 will run at least $300-400, depending on the conversion rate.
In the video below, Pride Martial Arts demonstrates the action of the Reflex Bar. You will notice this model has more sway and a bit more wobble compared to the Sparbar.
Reasons to Stick with the Sparbar
Relatively Wobbly – Despite its effectiveness in training, the Boxing Bar is relatively wobbly compared to the Sparbar. This downside may be because of cheaper components, leading to a more affordable price. There is a clear tradeoff here.
Lack of Design Variations – TITLE only offers the Boxing Bar in one color scheme, black with some TITLE logos slapped on. There is nothing fancy or special about the design.
If you search Amazon, you will notice some knockoff brands offering spinning bars that look suspiciously close to the TITLE version.
These companies either knocked off the TITLE design and are selling it as their own, or a company overseas is white labeling the unit to several companies, including TITLE.
Head-to-Head Comparison
For a quick visual, let’s compare these two pieces of boxing equipment in the key areas.
The Verdict
When comparing the Sparbar vs. Boxing Bar, the differences are clear.
The higher quality, better performing option, the Sparbar is the clear winner. If the price tag doesn’t deter you, there is simply no better product like it.
If you can’t stomach the price or want a functional spinning bar training station, you won’t be disappointed with a TITLE Boxing Bar.
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