It came early and is a game changer for your growing gym99% perfect. Would be a perfect 5 stars across the board of retaining (spring clips) came with the set.Ditto on all of the positive reviews! Photos do tell the story! One excellent piece of equipment!Personally I never used a EZ CURL BAR before, even though they were available when I was working out back in the 1980's. I now hit the 70 year mark in my life and retired from being a contractor, that was my daily WORKOUT! I started to feel weaker from doing zero! I recalled how great I felt those 30 plus years ago, and recalled, that a muscle can still grow stronger and grow larger with resistance exercises. Plus, bone density is helped tremendously too! Resistance training actually makes bones stronger, and for seniors this can become a real problem if the bones become brittle!So, I set up a bench press, leg curl combo, weight set with Olympic bar & an extra bench in my OLD MAN CAVE and have started working out once again. After 2 weeks I can already FEEL a difference just in my everyday movements and activity!The EZ curl was a must for me as I had Carpal Tunnel Syndrome/plus operation in the 1990's {work related} I wanted to protect against arecurrence of that, if possible. And have read this bar is the way to go!Its a funny thing to think of myself weight training again at my age, and some friends are looking a but puzzled, which i find very humorous! Going against the grain! Don't follow the herd. That has always been my road to walk!PS: A man named Lewis G. Dymeck invented the Dymek Curling bar (better known as the "EZ Curl" bar) and was granted the patent for it on May 23, 1950.While this curl bar is a bit more expensive than some others you might find, it is definitely a matter of "you get what you pay for". This XMark bar is not only form functional, it's not bad to look at, either. The black/onyx finish is very nice, the knurls are just right (not too hard on the hands, but enough to make you feel like you have a good grip), and it feels very well balanced. I've been a competitive powerlifter and olympic weightlifter for over 30 years, so I've seen all makes and models of equipment and bars. Though I bought this for my home gym, it is every bit as good (if not better) as other "gym quality" curl bars I've seen / used. This isn't the kind of equipment that you're looking to replace for years, so the slightly higher expense is far outweighed by the quality of the product. Oh, I did see some reviews on this before I bought it, saying that the finish had become worn on some bars. To each his own I suppose, but if you're more concerned about a cosmetic blemish than how well it performs its intended purpose, then a cheaper chrome bar is probably for you. Else, this is the one you want.Jumped on this since everybody's been out of these for a while, and I see they are out again already.I buy mostly Rogue, but for curl bar I only use for triceps, I didn't want to spend $200. Solid bar with good knurl. Bar ends may seem a little short but they allow 2 plates and full collars, which is enough.I took off one star for nylon bushings-they may not be an issue, but for a bar as nice as this seems, that was a little surprise.Too early to tell whether this may rust as others mention. I'll try to keep it oiled (thanks for the warning).Everything good as far as quality. The box was damaged and half open when delivered. I’m not really mad though…I mean it’s weights lol.The bar was well packaged and delivered on time. However, I gave it only four stars because the description is incorrect. For once, it says it comes with weight plates. It does not! Second, the weight of this bar is only 17 pounds and not 22 as the seller says.The bar looks sturdy but I have not done a test drive, mainly because I don’t have the weight plates or the collars yet. So far, it looks like it will do the job. I will be updating this once I get a feel for it.I bought this specifically for skullcrushers, or lying tricep extensions for the uninitiated, and they do not disappoint. The knurling keeps your hands in place without ever slipping. No need for chalk or any of that nonsense. Sure, this may be a tad higher in cost than other alternatives, but you do get what you pay for and this is top quality for any home gym or even pro gym. After using it, I ended up adding this bar for ez curls, close grip bench presses and anything else I could think of. Definite recommendation