A revolutionary platform for hardware testing

**A Comprehensive Review of the Open Bench Table Test Bench**

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### Introduction: A Rocky Relationship with Test Benches

I've always had a love-hate relationship with test benches. The idea of having a dedicated workspace for building and testing PCs is fantastic, but in reality, most options I’ve encountered have been lackluster at best. I’ve tried several setups over the years, including one from Spotswood Tech Stations—a brand so obscure that you've probably never heard of it. Despite my best efforts, even their product didn’t live up to expectations when I tried using it for my personal computer. It wasn't great, and we all knew it, but I didn’t fully give up until much later.

That’s when I decided to create a video on how to make your own test bench in under two hours for almost nothing. To my surprise, the result was nearly as good as what was available on the market—a somewhat depressing realization that even a DIY effort couldn’t beat commercial options.

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### Enter the Open Bench Table: A New Opportunity

When hw bot reached out about checking out their Open Bench Table, I was apprehensive. It wasn’t cheap, and I worried its features might be nothing but gimmicks. But if anyone could pull off a test bench right, it would be competitive overclockers. So, I decided to give it a shot.

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### Build Quality: Premium Materials Meet High Expectations

The first thing that stands out about the Open Bench Table is its build quality. From the heavy-duty AL 5052 aluminum body to the SS 304 steel screws, no punches were pulled in terms of materials or construction. It’s impressive—and expensive. The $150 price tag rivals some high-end mid-tower cases with features like side panels and front/rear designs.

If you’re not willing or able to spend that kind of money but have access to a CNC machine (perhaps at your school or workplace), there’s an alternative: the Open Bench Table itself. It’s not just open-air; it’s also **open-source**, meaning enthusiasts are welcome to modify and build their own versions of the design.

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### Features: Functionality Meets Aesthetics

The Open Bench Table boasts several standout features:

1. **Portability**: The legs and mounts fold within the main body, allowing for flat packing. A handle on one end makes it easy to move around.

2. **Tool-Less Design**: All screws are stored in metal components or on the bench itself, and they’re all thumb screws that can be removed without tools. While I recommend using a screwdriver for security during builds, this feature alone is a game-changer.

3. **Everything Included**: The bench comes with everything you need, including expansion card standoffs that work surprisingly well (unlike similar designs that tend to wobble or fail). Just be cautious when plugging in display cables like HDMI or DisplayPort; they might not lay flat due to the design.

4. **Mounting Options**: You can choose between pin-based screwless standoffs and traditional mounting systems. I opted for a mix, mostly screwless standoffs with a few screws to lock things down when needed.

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### Design and Aesthetics: Function Meets Form

For me, drive mounting isn’t a major concern on a test bench since SSDs aren’t much of a risk during accidental bumps or falls. However, I decided to install both an SSD and an extra hard drive directly onto the Open Bench Table this time—just because it looked so damn cool.

When it comes to cable management, which is often the bane of PC building, the Open Bench Table shines. The holes left behind by removing components like radiator arms can be repurposed as cable management loops using Velcro straps. This keeps everything tidy and reveals the work you put into your build while still looking beautiful.

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### Final Thoughts: Worth the Investment?

Despite all its impressive features, not everyone will want or be able to spend $150 on a test bench—especially with the current state of the Canadian dollar. While I absolutely love the Open Bench Table and plan to replace my old workbench (which I’ve been using since 2011), I’m not sure if I could justify the cost for a personal purchase.

What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments below.

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### Promotions: Explore More Options

Before wrapping up, here are some additional promotions and resources:

- **TunnelBear VPN**: A simple VPN app that makes browsing private and enjoyable. Check out their link in the video description for more details.

- **Ting Mobile**: Focused on customer service, Ting offers pay-as-you-go plans with an average bill of only $23 per month per device. They even cover up to $75 of your cancellation fee if you’re switching from a contract.

For more information on the Open Bench Table or other test benches, check out the links in the video description. You can also visit our merch store for cool shirts and join our community forum to discuss all things PC building.

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### Final Call to Action

If you enjoyed this video, don’t forget to subscribe, hit like, and explore the links below. If you’re curious about my DIY test bench (which isn’t as good as this one but still pretty cool), check out the linked video as well.

Thanks for watching!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: eni've had a rocky relationship with test benches i have always loved the idea of them but usually to put it bluntly they're just kind of sh i've tried to overcome this fact i even found one that i didn't hate as much as the others you've probably never heard of it they're called spotswood tech stations they're uh they're pretty obscure and even resolved to use it for my personal computer but that was a bad idea the bench wasn't that great and in the end we all knew it but i don't think i fully gave up until a while later when i made a video on how to make your own test bench in under two hours for almost nothing that ended up being nearly as good as what was on the market kind of depressing so when hw bot approached me about checking out the open bench table i was a little apprehensive it wasn't cheap and i was worried its features would turn out to be gimmicks but i gave it a shot anyways because if anyone is going to have a chance at getting a test bench right it was going to be competitive overclockers let's see how they did tunnelbear is the simple vpn app that makes it easy to browse privately and enjoy a more open internet to try tunnelbear for free check out the link in the video description the first thing that jumps out at you when you start working with the bench is the build quality of everything from the heavy duty al 5052 aluminum body to the ss 304 steel screws no punches were pulled when it came to build quality which is great as long as you can stomach the 150 us dollar price tag which rivals some pretty wicked mid-tower cases that have like side panels and front panels and rear you get the point but this is cool if you don't want to shell out that kind of dough and have access to a cnc machine say at your school or workplace or something like that then there is an alternative it's called the open bench table for more than just the fact that it's open to the air it's open source as well meaning that they welcome pc enthusiasts modifying building and making their own versions of their published design okay great but should you care let's talk features first off it's portable the legs or the stands along with all the other mounts they fold within the main body allowing it to be flat packed and then it features a handle on one end making it a breeze to move around second when you get to where you're going you'll immediately notice the completely tool-less design of everything all of the screws that you'll need are cleverly stored in metal components or on the side of the bench and they're all thumb screws that even straight from the factory are loose enough that you can legitimately remove them without fetching any tools at all although i would recommend whipping out a screwdriver just to make sure that certain things are absolutely secure while actually building your computer and there's more than just screws built in literally everything you need is here like your expansion card standoffs which works surprisingly well considering the issues that i've had with very similar designs in the past where they would like wobble and fail though you may have some issues trying to plug in display cables like hdmi or displayport or whatever else this is due to the need for them to be non-flat it's not that hard to avoid however if you're comfortable with just one standoff per card just remove the top one speaking of standoffs you have your choice when mounting your motherboard of pin based screwless standoffs and a more standard system i opted to go for a mix mostly made up of screwless standoffs with a couple more traditional ones just in case i want to lock things down with screws and whatnot i love this because ease of use is very important when it comes to a test bench and not needing to screw things in in this case is paramount on to drive mounting for me at least this isn't all that important on a test bench i tend to just let them free ball since ssds aren't much of a risk from an accidental bump or even a fall to be completely honest but this time i installed both the ssd and an extra hard drive directly onto the bench almost entirely because it just looked so damn cool like seemingly everything else on this bench when you're done installing all your hardware it's time to do the often dreaded task of cable management you'll be happy to know however that there are holes left behind when you remove the various components like the little arms for the radiator that attach it to the side of your bench in a surprisingly sturdy and attractive way but why are these holes a good thing well if you just grab some velcro straps you can use them as cable management loops to keep everything absolutely tidy so you end up with what is in my opinion a very attractive mix of revealing the work that you put into it while still looking beautiful so it's portable it assembles and disassembles elegantly it looks freaking amazing and it's sturdy all around what's not to love well despite how awesome it is not everyone is going to want to or be able to fork over a hundred and fifty dollars for a test bench regardless i absolutely love it and it will be replacing my old work test bench that i've been using since 2011 but with that said even i don't know if i could justify the cost for a personal purchase especially with the current state of the canadian dollar what do you guys think let me know down below ting is the mobile carrier that is focused on customer service and customer satisfaction first you don't have to speak to a robot if you call in you get put directly to a person and you pay for only what you use the average ting bill is only 23 dollars a month per device if you're stuck in a contract and switch over to ting they will cover 25 of your cancellation fee up to 75 bucks they are now lowering mobile data rates across the board and data is now just 10 per gigabyte beyond the first gigabyte every tin customer will be able to reap the benefits of this new change which is awesome so head over to linuxdoctain.com and try out their savings calculator when you sign up at our link you'll also get 25 dollars in service credit or 25 towards a new device thanks for watching guys if this video sucked you know what to do but if it was awesome get subscribed hit the like button or check out the link to where to buy it or other test benches on amazon because i don't know if this one's on amazon and all the other ones suck also link in the description is the merch store we can buy cool shirts like this and our community forum where you can like discuss things and stuff now that you're done doing all that watch this video which is where i diy a test bench that isn't as good as this one but it's still pretty cooli've had a rocky relationship with test benches i have always loved the idea of them but usually to put it bluntly they're just kind of sh i've tried to overcome this fact i even found one that i didn't hate as much as the others you've probably never heard of it they're called spotswood tech stations they're uh they're pretty obscure and even resolved to use it for my personal computer but that was a bad idea the bench wasn't that great and in the end we all knew it but i don't think i fully gave up until a while later when i made a video on how to make your own test bench in under two hours for almost nothing that ended up being nearly as good as what was on the market kind of depressing so when hw bot approached me about checking out the open bench table i was a little apprehensive it wasn't cheap and i was worried its features would turn out to be gimmicks but i gave it a shot anyways because if anyone is going to have a chance at getting a test bench right it was going to be competitive overclockers let's see how they did tunnelbear is the simple vpn app that makes it easy to browse privately and enjoy a more open internet to try tunnelbear for free check out the link in the video description the first thing that jumps out at you when you start working with the bench is the build quality of everything from the heavy duty al 5052 aluminum body to the ss 304 steel screws no punches were pulled when it came to build quality which is great as long as you can stomach the 150 us dollar price tag which rivals some pretty wicked mid-tower cases that have like side panels and front panels and rear you get the point but this is cool if you don't want to shell out that kind of dough and have access to a cnc machine say at your school or workplace or something like that then there is an alternative it's called the open bench table for more than just the fact that it's open to the air it's open source as well meaning that they welcome pc enthusiasts modifying building and making their own versions of their published design okay great but should you care let's talk features first off it's portable the legs or the stands along with all the other mounts they fold within the main body allowing it to be flat packed and then it features a handle on one end making it a breeze to move around second when you get to where you're going you'll immediately notice the completely tool-less design of everything all of the screws that you'll need are cleverly stored in metal components or on the side of the bench and they're all thumb screws that even straight from the factory are loose enough that you can legitimately remove them without fetching any tools at all although i would recommend whipping out a screwdriver just to make sure that certain things are absolutely secure while actually building your computer and there's more than just screws built in literally everything you need is here like your expansion card standoffs which works surprisingly well considering the issues that i've had with very similar designs in the past where they would like wobble and fail though you may have some issues trying to plug in display cables like hdmi or displayport or whatever else this is due to the need for them to be non-flat it's not that hard to avoid however if you're comfortable with just one standoff per card just remove the top one speaking of standoffs you have your choice when mounting your motherboard of pin based screwless standoffs and a more standard system i opted to go for a mix mostly made up of screwless standoffs with a couple more traditional ones just in case i want to lock things down with screws and whatnot i love this because ease of use is very important when it comes to a test bench and not needing to screw things in in this case is paramount on to drive mounting for me at least this isn't all that important on a test bench i tend to just let them free ball since ssds aren't much of a risk from an accidental bump or even a fall to be completely honest but this time i installed both the ssd and an extra hard drive directly onto the bench almost entirely because it just looked so damn cool like seemingly everything else on this bench when you're done installing all your hardware it's time to do the often dreaded task of cable management you'll be happy to know however that there are holes left behind when you remove the various components like the little arms for the radiator that attach it to the side of your bench in a surprisingly sturdy and attractive way but why are these holes a good thing well if you just grab some velcro straps you can use them as cable management loops to keep everything absolutely tidy so you end up with what is in my opinion a very attractive mix of revealing the work that you put into it while still looking beautiful so it's portable it assembles and disassembles elegantly it looks freaking amazing and it's sturdy all around what's not to love well despite how awesome it is not everyone is going to want to or be able to fork over a hundred and fifty dollars for a test bench regardless i absolutely love it and it will be replacing my old work test bench that i've been using since 2011 but with that said even i don't know if i could justify the cost for a personal purchase especially with the current state of the canadian dollar what do you guys think let me know down below ting is the mobile carrier that is focused on customer service and customer satisfaction first you don't have to speak to a robot if you call in you get put directly to a person and you pay for only what you use the average ting bill is only 23 dollars a month per device if you're stuck in a contract and switch over to ting they will cover 25 of your cancellation fee up to 75 bucks they are now lowering mobile data rates across the board and data is now just 10 per gigabyte beyond the first gigabyte every tin customer will be able to reap the benefits of this new change which is awesome so head over to linuxdoctain.com and try out their savings calculator when you sign up at our link you'll also get 25 dollars in service credit or 25 towards a new device thanks for watching guys if this video sucked you know what to do but if it was awesome get subscribed hit the like button or check out the link to where to buy it or other test benches on amazon because i don't know if this one's on amazon and all the other ones suck also link in the description is the merch store we can buy cool shirts like this and our community forum where you can like discuss things and stuff now that you're done doing all that watch this video which is where i diy a test bench that isn't as good as this one but it's still pretty cool\n"