ok so my gym isn't the best (as previously voiced) but we have 1 olympic barl, 1 cambered olympic bar (for squats) and this kinda weird like hexagonal thing you stand in the middle of.
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now is the hexagonal thing prefferable to do deadlifts in. i meand you stand in the centre of the line of mass. you don't rip your shins apart on the bar on the way up and down and your hands are very comfortable dumbell style with hand by the sides palms towards legs.

i also find i can lift alot more on this bar without a belt on as being in the middle of the mass doesn't pull on the back like having a bar in front of you does

secondly its a much nicer bar to use for shrugss too

Do you mean a Trap Bar? Yeah, they make the lift easier in a good way. Really flexy bars make deadlifts easier in a bad way, because they lighten the load at the bottom of the lift.

Depends on what kind of deadlifts you are doing and how your like to grip. I use a mixed grip, which is impossible with one of those bars. If you are doing them primarily to target lower back, use a straight olympic bar. If you are doing them primarily as a hamstring exercise, you can use either bar.

Mel

yes it is a trap bar but ours has an extra 2 sides on it so its flat in front and behind not pointed.

i used to do mixed grip but i find with my dodgy shoulder i can't lift as much as i can with a trap bar.

That's interesting, I've never seen one of those trap bars before. I don't do any dead lifting though, I'm still getting used to the dumbbells before I move on to the bar.

i'd never seen one before arriving here. they are great though. and we have a cambered bar for squats which really takes the pressure off my shoulders.

I would recommend a hookgrip or using straps. Less chance of injury, especially biceps tears. I lack the pain tolerance for the hookgrip and my overhand grip (both hands pronated?) gives out at around 330#, so I use straps.

Alternating your mixed grip from set to set helps, but the risk of injury is still there.

I use straps also. Actually, due to pretty severe tendonitis in my forearms, I've been doing fairly light deadlifts for the last few months (for me.) Cortisone has helped with the pain, but I suspect I wouldn't be doing myself any good by going back to lifting close to my max. Since I can hit the same muscles without pulling my arms apart, I'm just deadlifting to keep the form. Same with bench presses, since that's what caused this mess in the first place.

Mel