ToolGuyd

Tool Reviews, New Tool Previews, Best Tool Guides, Tool Deals, and More!

  • New Tools
  • Reviews
  • Guides
    • Best Cordless Power Tool Brand
    • Tool Brands: Who Owns What?
    • Best Cordless Drills (New for 2019!)
    • Dewalt UWO Explained
    • Best Multi-Bit Screwdrivers
    • Best Cordless Impact Drivers (2015)
    • Best Cordless Circular Saws
    • Best Tape Measure
    • Best Cordless Oscillating Tools
    • Best EDC Gear
    • Best Multimeter
    • Best Precision Screwdrivers
    • Best Modular Tool Boxes
    • Ultimate Tool Gift Guide
  • Hand Tools
    • Bit Holders & Drivers
    • EDC, Pocket, & Multitools
    • Electrical Tools
    • Flashlights & Worklights
    • Knives
    • Mechanics’ Tools
    • Pliers
    • Screwdrivers
    • Sockets & Drive Tools
    • Wrenches
    • All Hand Tools
  • Power Tools
    • Accessories
    • Cordless
    • Drills & Drivers
    • Oscillating Tools
    • Saws
    • Woodworking Tools
    • All Power Tools
  • Brands
    • Bosch
    • Craftsman
    • Dewalt
    • Makita
    • Milwaukee
    • Milwaukee NPS19 Tools
    • Ryobi
    • All Brands
  • USA-Made
  • Deals
ToolGuyd > Made in USA > New Craftsman Premium Workbenches – Early Review
DEWALT 20V MAX Green Laser GIVEAWAY! - Learn More!

New Craftsman Premium Workbenches – Early Review

Oct 27, 2014 Stuart 8 Comments

If you buy something through our links, ToolGuyd might earn an affiliate commission.

Craftsman Premium Wood Workbench
Craftsman has come out with a new premium workbench that is available in four sizes and styles.

It’s available in 6-foot and 8-foot lengths with your choice of butcher block-style wood or stainless steel-wrapped worksurface.

Craftsman Premium Stainless Workbench

Advertisement

The new benches look good, and I just had to check it out in person. Craftsman actually just came out with a whole line of premium garage storage products, and I figured the workbench would give me an indication of the new product line’s quality level.

I accepted delivery of the test unit last week, and was pretty quickly impressed.

The workbenches feature adjustable height legs, welded beam construction, and 1-3/4-inch-thick worktops. The 6-foot model is said to have a 3000 pound weight limit.

I can’t quite tell what type of material the wood butcher block top is made from, but it’s spectacularly well finished with a smooth and semi-glossy surface.

Assembly was relatively quick and easy. The hardest part was standing it up after assembling it upside down on the floor. This is usually supposed to be a 2-person job, but I took it slow and easy.

The worksurface measures 6 feet long x 2 feet wide, which is a good size for a general purpose bench. To be honest, I think that Craftsman could have added an extra one or two inches to the width, but in the past there were times I strongly preferred 24″ exactly.

In order to accommodate the workbench in my cramped indoors workspace, I had to move another workbench and get rid of a wire shelving system. I’m nearly done sorting through the pile of tools and supplies that accumulated on and around the workbench, but luckily I snapped a pic within 5 minutes of setting the table upright.

Craftsman Workbench Assembled

Side-to-side stability is excellent, and front-to-back stability is very good. Once I pushed the bench right up to the wall, it became absolutely rock-solid.

It’s not quite as perfectly stable as Gladiator’s height-adjustable workbench, but comes very, very close. The Gladiator benefits from having slightly greater width, but the Craftsman has a beefier leg support structure. If you don’t like the idea of a back plate, leave it aside during assembly.

One minor niggle is that the height adjustment is locked in place using carriage bolts that are inserted right-to-left. This means bolt ends stick out a little inwards, preventing cabinets or toolboxes from sitting flush against the workbench legs. And you cannot really insert them the reverse way so that the bolt ends face outwards instead of inwards. This is a very minor niggle, but with a cramped indoor workspace, a 1/4″ or two here and there adds up.

Craftsman Workbench Box

One thing I was surprised to see was that the workbench was made in the USA of US and Global Components. To me, that simple means the wood or maybe the steel were sourced from international sources.

The leg welds are well done, and the butcherblock top is as finely built and finished as I’ve ever seen, at least on a non-custom commercial product.

Seriously, this is one sweet workbench.

In my mind there’s a perfect workbench that would have a thick and solid wood top, sturdy and motionless legs, and ideal proportions. Gladiator’s height-adjustable workbenches come close to achieving that level of perfection, but Craftsman’s new premium workbench somehow manages to inch even closer.

I hope to have the surrounding chaos put to order by the middle of this week, but have already used the workbench for a quick assembly project. I have another workbench that is being used as a “beater,” and so hopefully the smoothness and nice sheen of the butcherblock worksurface will last for a while. It’s almost too pretty too mess up.

Buy Now: 6-foot wood, 6-foot stainless, 8-foot wood, 8-foot stainless, via Sears

Price: $480 (on sale) for each of the 6-foot benches, $520 (on sale) for each of the 8-foot benches.

Thank you to Craftsman for providing the review sample unconditionally. Review samples are typically given away, donated, or retained for editorial and comparison purposes.

Related posts:

Woodpeckers Dovetail Marking Gauge at an AngleWoodpeckers Dovetail Marking Gauges Hands-on Review Kershaw Link and Dividend Knives Made in USAKershaw Dividend EDC Knife Review (USA-Made, ~$42) – Still Awesome

Sections: Made in USA, New Tools, Shop Essentials, Tool Reviews Tags: workbenchesMore from: Craftsman

« New Makita Brushless Angle Grinders
Why Do Precision Screwdrivers Have Spinning Caps? »

8 Comments

  1. Tom

    Oct 27, 2014

    Nice review. I wonder what the annual sale price is going to be on these things.

    Reply
  2. Chad

    Oct 27, 2014

    mmmm 480 to 520 bucks can fetch me quite a bit of lumber to make my own benches — but for the person that can make one or just wanted to mach the cabinets they bought i guess it would be good !!

    Reply
  3. Matt Ryan

    Oct 27, 2014

    The bench looks like a decent bench,but that is a lot of money.

    Just a question do you prefer store bought workbenches?

    Reply
    • Stuart

      Oct 27, 2014

      Sometimes. I’ve build a couple of workbenches and find that I prefer the simplicity of steel bench legs and commercial butcher block tops. Even with my DIY benches, I bought ready-made worksurfaces.

      Reply
  4. Mike

    Oct 27, 2014

    I’m in the market for a nice workbench. The one in our basement was made by hand many years ago and works ok, but I’d like to replace it. Just yesterday I saw Sparkfun post about how they planned out a new rapid prototyping work area, and for their setup they ended up going with some workbenches from Global Industrial. They also talked about other suppliers like MSC and Northern Tool. Anybody have experience with any of these workbench kits? The legs of the bench don’t appear to be as thick or as solid, but one feature that seems nice is the knockouts for the electrical boxes. 60 x 30 Maple Square Edge Mobile Bench-Fixed Height

    Reply
  5. Stuart

    Oct 27, 2014

    I looked into a bunch of brands for steel bench legs a while back, but couldn’t find a pair that I really liked. So I ended up making an 80/20 frame, and have an updated design I hope to try out as soon as I have the chance.

    Compared to that Global Supply bench, this Craftsman one has a thicker and wider top, a cleaner look, and height-adjustable legs,

    That Global Supply bench looks to be made using Edsal’s workbench legs. Edsal also makes other decent-looking bench legs, but nothing that really floats my boat.

    I’m a fan of full customization (which most often means DIY), or clean simplicity.

    If you can wait a few weeks, a sample of these benches might be on display at your local Sears store. Sears also carries a couple of other Craftsman workbench styles, and last year they discounted Gladiator’s adjustable height workbench for Black Friday. You *might* have the opportunity to kick the tires on the various workbench styles in person.

    I tried to focus on as many of the pros and cons as I could, because I know how frustrating it can be to have to shop for something like this without first seeing it in person.

    Reply
  6. Michael Lewis

    Apr 22, 2016

    ULine sells packaging tables much cheaper than that.

    Reply
  7. RC WARD

    Apr 22, 2016

    Yeah that is way too much for a 6 foot work bench that you can make yourself for a fraction of the price. I have a 6 foot version made by a company that I can’t remember the name nowz, sold at Sam’s club that is very similar to the Gladiator and it’s only 200 bucks.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Newsletter

Sign up to receive the latest tool news.

ToolGuyd Forum

Recent Comments

  • Skyy on Giveaway: DEWALT 20V MAX* Green Laser Level and 12V MAX* XTREME Combo Kit: “I’d like to use this laser to align various equipment on boats. I can’t use a level, but I CAN…”
  • Rob on Lowe’s Introduces an Upgraded PRO Shopping Experience: “Ha.”
  • Rob on Lowe’s Introduces an Upgraded PRO Shopping Experience: “Windshield cleaning and charging stations aren’t “services” per say, and only need signs by them. I think most people would…”
  • Jason S on Giveaway: DEWALT 20V MAX* Green Laser Level and 12V MAX* XTREME Combo Kit: “Able to use either the 20v or 12v batteries is Great”
  • Rob on Giveaway: DEWALT 20V MAX* Green Laser Level and 12V MAX* XTREME Combo Kit: “The ability to fine adjust AND use my regular 20v packs makes this perfect for me. A laser doesn’t replace…”
  • HiggiML on Giveaway: DEWALT 20V MAX* Green Laser Level and 12V MAX* XTREME Combo Kit: “Awesome Give-Away! #1 feature for me is the 3 plane green laser. Not a few level dots or lines but…”

Recent Posts

  • Metric Combination Tap Drills
  • New Kobalt Workbench and Garage Storage Products
  • New Olight April 2021 LED Flashlight Sale
  • Combination Tap Drills - Pros and Cons?
  • Giveaway: DEWALT 20V MAX* Green Laser Level and 12V MAX* XTREME Combo Kit
  • Don't Buy Cheap Self-Centering Drill Bits at Inflated Pricing
  • Bora Portamate Wall-Mounted Lumber Rack (New Lower Sale Pricing)
  • Exploring the New DEWALT 20V MAX 3x360 Green Line Laser
ToolGuyd New Tool Reviews Image

New Tool Reviews

Buying Guides

  • Best Cordless Drills
  • Best Cordless Impact Drivers
  • Best Cordless Multi-Tools
  • Cordless Power Tool Brands
  • Modular Tool Storage Systems
  • Ultimate Tool Gift & Upgrade Guide
ToolGuyd Knife Reviews Image

Knife Reviews

ToolGuyd Multi-Tool Reviews Image

Multi-Tool Reviews

ToolGuyd LED Flashlight and Worklight Reviews Image

LED Light Reviews

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Stores
  • Videos
  • Gear
  • AMZN Deal Finder
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Disclosure