Gladiator and Sears "made by Gladiator" benches

[78Staff]

Noticed my local Sears has Gladiator and their Craftsman line which I think are made by the same company on sale - I've read mixed reviews on these buy you never know what the person is actually using the bench for.  How do these stand up for reloading?  I take it they would need to be anchored to the wall, and they seem to have good tops, ie one is hardwood Butcher Block, and one is Maple Butcher Block (not sure what the difference is there) and they are adjustable.as well.  Seems like these are a step above the typical big box workbenches.

[rustybayonet]

I use a harbor freight wood bench bolted to the wall with minor mods and it works great.

[BlueSpaderInfantryman]

I have this Gladiator workbench: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Gladiator-Ready-to-Assemble-39-in-H-x-67-in-W-x-20-in-D-Bamboo-Top-Workbench-GAWB66BAWG/204246912

They are a whirlpool company. I ordered mine online and picked it up in store. I was pleasantly surprised by how thick and strong the top was (the bamboo butcher block). Overall the construction and materials of this workbench are top notch and solid. I do a lot of gunsmithing and other work on mine and have a couple vices mounted to it. my workbenches usually get pretty beat up looking quickly, but this one is holding up very well and with the hard bamboo top is staying looking almost as new. 

[78Staff]

I wound up buying/ordering the 6ft Maple Top with adjustable height...   

They had a 8ft with bamboo top also, but couldn't find out much about bamboo other than it was hard to drill though?  Dang maybe I should have gotten that one instead... I wanted 8ft to be honest, but wasn't sure about the bamboo.  I'm sure i could cancel and order the 8ft if there are no issues with bamboo tops 

Edited September 10, 2016 by 78Staff

[mjohn]

I got the Gladiator 5-Drawer Modular Gear Drawer cart with the 1 inch bamboo top.  I do not have space in the garage as all my wall space is spoken for.  My cart is now located between the water heater and the ac/furnace air handler.  Not a lot of wiggle room.

I lock the caster wheels in place and start to reload.  My OAL variance is + or - .005 which according to Dillon is acceptable and mostly less than that or even sometimes 0 deviation.  The only SMALL problem I have had, and you need to pay attention and it can be preventable, is the case feeder sometimes gets jammed due to movement.

The unanchored cart takes up a small amount of space which was my main selection criteria and functions perfectly.

 

[BaggerJoe]

On 9/9/2016 at 3:34 PM, rustybayonet said:

I use a harbor freight wood bench bolted to the wall with minor mods and it works great.

Same here. Purchased with coupon for $129. 

[Kletus]

My 650 is mounted to one of the Gladiator adjustable height benches. It's butcher block, but I don't remember which. Expensive, but rock solid and really heavy!  I've never come close to feeling like it needed to be bolted to the wall.  Once I got it adjusted and leveled, it simply doesn't move.

[78Staff]

On 9/20/2016 at 9:32 PM, Kletus said:

My 650 is mounted to one of the Gladiator adjustable height benches. It's butcher block, but I don't remember which. Expensive, but rock solid and really heavy!  I've never come close to feeling like it needed to be bolted to the wall.  Once I got it adjusted and leveled, it simply doesn't move.

 

That is good news, mines still in the box in the garage but the safe is being delivered Friday and then it's time to start setting up the room :).

[78Staff]

Got around to setting it up - pretty straitforward.  The top's edges could use a bit of sanding in a few places, but otherwise no real issues.  I've set it at 39" (actually 39.5" after installing the adjustable leveler feet) based on various threads and suggestions, but it appears that may be a bit too high.  550 shown, and 1050 arriving tomorrow.  I'll wait until I get the 1050 on the bench before changing anything.  I can alway mount the 550 direct as well.  Anyway it will need to settle in a bit as well, so we'll see over the next few days.  

Still need to work on a few odds and ends ie a backsplash and I assume I should seal up the top with some poly or similar?  And of course I need to get some better lighting in place.  And a work/fatigue type mat for the carpet as well.  

Edit - the more I look at this this, I think it's too high.  37" is the number I was looking at, but somehow morphed it into 39" in my head.  Anyway, no point adjusting until the 1050 arrives so I can be sure.

Edited September 23, 2016 by 78Staff

[78Staff]

So started talking about this bench in another thread and realized I never came back to this one - to followup, so far so good, no issues.  I've left it at 39" height after trying a few lower heights - at 39" the 1050 direct mount and 550 on strongmount both line up just about perfect.  I attached to wall studs and also added 2 2x8's for some inexpensive but sturdy shelving for bullets underneath, and the bench is rock solid.