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Fat Bastard Barbell Company, commonly abbreviated FBBC, produced a highly configurable line of torsion-spring grippers. Unlike fixed retail ranges, FBBC offered choices of handle material, diameter, finish, geometry, and length.[1]
FBBC 4 with smooth steel handles and dumbbell logo. Photo courtesy of Clint Ziegler (liftyzig), via GripperVault.
Documented history
An archived FBBC home page describes the grippers as a new addition and links to both the FBBC line and special-edition Robert Baraban grippers. That page was captured in April 2010 and displays a last-updated date of May 19, 2009.[2]
A July 2009 GripBoard review documents a customer purchasing six of the new FBBC grippers in different materials and configurations. The timing and listed models provide independent evidence that the line was shipping by mid-2009.[3]
The surviving FBBC gripper page later reported that only a small number of springs remained from the original batch and that the original spring supplier was no longer in business.[4]
Handle options
The archived catalog offered round handles in aluminum, steel, or brass. Buyers could choose smooth or knurled finishes and diameters of 5/8 inch, 3/4 inch, or 1 inch. Brass was offered in the same three diameters, with a higher listed price for the 1-inch version.[1]
FBBC also advertised non-knurled 3/4-inch hex handles in aluminum, steel, or brass. Custom work was explicitly offered, including one or two extended handles, handle lengths from 6 inches up to 12 inches, and combinations such as one smooth handle with one knurled handle.[1]
The catalog described a separate parallel-handle configuration. These handles were actually set five degrees beyond parallel, which FBBC said was intended to allow for spring seasoning.[1]
Documented spring levels
The archived catalog identified the grippers by wire size. These figures describe spring wire diameter and should not be read as closing-force ratings.
| Configuration | Model | Listed wire size |
|---|---|---|
| Standard spread | X | .243 inch |
| Standard spread | 2X | .250 inch |
| Standard spread | 3X | .272 inch |
| Standard spread | 4X | .283 inch |
| Standard spread | 5X | .306 inch |
| Parallel handles | P1 | .343 inch |
| Parallel handles | P2 | .375 inch |
The same basic model could therefore appear with very different handles. Material, diameter, knurling, spread, logo, and custom handle length are all useful identification details.
Identification
Known examples include aluminum, brass, and steel handles, both smooth and knurled. Some later-recorded specimens carry an FBBC dumbbell logo. Because FBBC encouraged custom orders, two grippers with the same spring designation may not have the same handle configuration.
Individual examples can be studied through collection records such as the FBBC 4 and FBBC P1 in liftyzig's GripperVault collection.[5]
Preservation links
- FBBC home page, April 8, 2010
- FBBC gripper catalog, May 27, 2010
- Current surviving FBBC gripper page
- 2009 GripBoard review of the first FBBC grippers
References
- Archived FBBC gripper catalog, May 27, 2010. ↩
- Archived Fat Bastard Barbell Company home page, captured April 8, 2010. ↩
- Review of the First FBBC Grippers, GripBoard, July 8, 2009. ↩
- FBBC grippers, Fat Bastard Barbell Company, accessed September 16, 2026. ↩
- FBBC 4, GripperVault.