WEN Workbench Pegboard Accessory Kit, 50-Piece (WB050A)

I had been using the bottom of a shelving unit (see pic) for years as my work/tool bench. It was small and flimsy but did the job, kinda. I finally realized it was time to grow up and get a real bench and I settled on this unit from Amazon. Overall, it is a fantastic bench at a very good price. I wasn't in a hurry to get it when I ordered it so the month long shipping time wasn't a big deal, but to my happy surprise it arrived in less than 2 weeks.It comes flat packed and is fairly heavy so I would recommend having at least 2 people move it. The outside of the box was a bit banged up, but the contents were unharmed and all parts were there. It comes with instructions which are fairly good but pay close attention to the pictures, instructions and the orientation of the parts when you are attaching them. It can make a big difference if it is backwards although it's not always obvious that it is until you go to attach a later part. I found attaching the upper shelf part that hangs out over the bench and the light attaches to, difficult to put together in the right order. Pay close attention during that part of the assembly and recruit a helper if you can.Pros:- Looks really nice- high quality parts- solid construction (no wobble or flexing)- LED light included to light work surface- Outlet with 3 "plug ins" integrated into right side of bench with long cord attached- Upper shelf is recessed so unsightly things can be stored and hidden and the chance of objects falling off is minimal- Work surface is thick, solid and textured for less slip and coated so spills will not soak in. It can also be drilled into to attach a vice for example- there are 2 drawers that are wide and long, although not very deep. They are great for storing boxes of nails and screws, but you could also order some utensil organizers to use for storing various tools.Cons:- I would say I'm pretty versed at putting furniture, shelving units, engines etc together and this took me much longer than I had expected. It was probably between 4 and 5 hours all said and done (not counting breaks). It wasn't complicated, just a lot of small bolts and nuts to put in and tighten, often from weird angles.- I wish the back of the bench was about a foot taller, giving you more space on the peg board but still allowing a person of average height to reach the shelf.- The peg board material isn't as robust as I'd like, however I believe it should be sufficient to hold any regular hand tools hung from it. It might be stretching it to hang a drill with a heavy battery though.- Putting together the upper shelf and making sure it was level was more difficult that it needed to be. If possibly have another person hold the shelf level while you tighten the bolts. I didn't have anyone available at the time unfortunately.In sum, I really like this bench so far. It is solid enough for my needs, it looks great, it created a lot of storage and opportunity for tool organization and the size of the work surface is perfect. I highly recommend this bench for storing tools or craft supplies and it gives you a plenty of area to do projects. It shipped faster than expected and packaging is tough enough to take a beating but protect the contents. Also, it came with all needed hardware and included some extras just in case. You will need a phillips head screwdriver and a small adjustable crescent wrench for assembly.

If you haven't assembled much furniture like this, then you may find this a little bit of a daunting task to put together. Take your time, read through the directions, get your parts all laid out and you'll do fine. There is one issue with the instructions that I think is leading to people thinking that they didn't get the correct number of nuts and bolts though. Most of the metal frame assembly all uses the same type of screws, but when you get to assembly the upper piece that the pegboard goes onto, you don't put anything in the holes that the pegboard is fastened onto. The pegboard has 13 holes and these are connected using a longer bolt than the rest of the upright assembly. Be careful not to over tighten these connectors, or you will rip right through the pegboard.That one issue aside, I was able to assemble the whole thing myself in 2 hours. There was a minor hiccup getting the left hand drawer to slide easily, but that was easy enough to fix by putting 2 small washers on the connectors for the left track of that drawer. After assembly, the unit is sturdy and not wobbly. The included light is bright enough to illuminate the work surface very well, and the 3 outlet power strip is really convenient. For the price, this unit is perfect for hobbyists, crafters and most DIY folks... just realize that this is NOT a heavy duty workbench, which is why it is so affordable. All in all, very happy with the purchase.

Fortunately, the assembly instructions are good. Pay attention to the part that says not to tighten the screws until you finish assembling. Some parts don't go together well if all the screws are tight. Several of the screws are in difficult to reach locations when you need to tighten them. I think it's worth the trouble. This work table is very sturdy. The overhead light is great for illuminating your work. The drawers won't hold anything very heavy, but they're adequate for small hand tools or hardware. I wouldn't want to put it together again, but it seems like it will last.

Sturdy and great for the price, the only real down side I see is the amount of time it takes to put it together, but not really the difficulty. It was easy to figure out. It's very sturdy and once level it's rock solid. Make sure before you torque the bolts down that you have it level. Check it from multiple points to be sure it is level and stays level. I would also recommend getting interlocking drawer organizers for it. It has nice big open drawers, but things will roll around. The bottoms are actually really strong compressed cardboard. It's actually a really strong material that I seen people break saw blades on. So don't let it's name fool you. I added a monitor arm to mine as I do computer work on it or DIY where having an instructional video is helpful. If you do this know that you are not probably going to find one that will fit around the edge as you would on a desk. You will need to mount it right to the top and probably drill an additional hole through the mount of the arm. I used a gold-oxide drill bit and it didn't even get warm and was through it in a minute. Pre-drill the holes where you are going to mount before mounting to the surface. It will prevent it from pulling up the workbench surfacing or cracking the wood of the working surface. Really satisfied with it, functional and it looks nice.