Are cheap Amazon Olympic barbells good enough for a home gym?

For most beginner-to-intermediate lifters doing squats, bench, deadlifts and rows, yes. Across r/homegym and r/GarageGym, the recurring consensus is that budget bars 'distinguish themselves' mainly above roughly 400 lb of load; below that, a sub-$150 bar does the job. The trade-offs reviewers flag are slower sleeve spin, less aggressive knurling, and occasional weight inaccuracy versus the stated 45 lb.