Bench Critters - New Tool Released

[Woodenfish]

I came across this product prior to its release and thought that they look fantastic and will do more of what I needed than my Rockler Bench Cookies offered so I ordered my first set the moment they offered them for sale. Well, they arrived today and I am totally blown away with them. The two guys, Todd and Gio who created these are experienced builders of high end guitars and each have their own YouTube channels displaying their work. Todd and Gio say they have more product ideas in line and after receiving these I can’t wait. I’m posting this here because these are superb and I believe everyone will want to own them. I would encourage you to order soon before the word gets out and they outsell their inventory. Enjoy!
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[onocoffee]

$40 seems like a reasonable amount for what looks like it could be pretty versatile.

 

[rst]

I just watched their YouTube  ids and ordered a set.  The two guys are fun to watch and I’m hoping they do very well with their project.

 

[jeffinsgf]

Cool. I've been waffling on ordering some Rockler Bench Cookies or going to Dick's Sporting Goods and getting some hockey pucks. These look better. They're on their way.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Placed an order yesterday. Looking forward to more of their ideas.

 

[ChuckM]

I have many Rockler's, Lee Valley's (Hockey Pucks), Milescraft, and my own shop-made cookies (pucks left behind on the hockey/skating rink near my home plus non-skid material). For one reason or another, I have never become warm to using them. One time, I carelessly used them as spacers for objects which oil finish wasn't cured, leaving disastrous marks on the underside of the objects.

I bought the Milescraft because it was hugely discounted (80% off or the like) at one of the local stores and I planned to gift it to someone. I now use the cookies mostly as spacers for acclimatizing boards after they're thickness-planed.

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[Woodenfish]

Cool. I've been waffling on ordering some Rockler Bench Cookies or going to Dick's Sporting Goods and getting some hockey pucks. These look better. They're on their way.

Have you received your order? What do you think?

 

[rst]

I received mine last week and they are great.  The are actually quite heavy which should help prevent movement.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I got mine, and I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping to use them as a buffer between my workpiece and the workbench when sanding. They just spin and vibrate out from under the piece when you start sanding.

 

[Woodenfish]

Did you wash them thoroughly with hot soapy water first?

 

[smorgasbord]

Did you wash them thoroughly with hot soapy water first?

If that's necessary, why aren't they doing that before shipping?
Why do the wall brackets have 3 mounting holes? Seems like overkill.

I ordered a set, and am wondering if I made a mistake.

 

[rst]

I haven’t used mine yet so can’t comment on grip.  They are heavy and the holder is silicone which is probably why three screws

 

[jeffinsgf]

Did you wash them thoroughly with hot soapy water first?

Yes, I did.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I have cleaned but not yet used mine so can’t yet say they don’t do the job.

But I thought there were more height possibilities than just three, flat, side, point up. Like maybe the prototype in the video was asymmetrical? Probably just bad memory.

 

[Woodenfish]

Did you wash them thoroughly with hot soapy water first?

If that's necessary, why aren't they doing that before shipping?
Why do the wall brackets have 3 mounting holes? Seems like overkill.

I ordered a set, and am wondering if I made a mistake.

Being a molded silicone product there is a mold release agent being used and it needs to be washed away.

 

[Woodenfish]

I have cleaned but not yet used mine so can’t yet say they don’t do the job.

But I thought there were more height possibilities than just three, flat, side, point up. Like maybe the prototype in the video was asymmetrical? Probably just bad memory.

The product advertisement clearly states and displays the 3 different orientations you can choose to use. You must of missed it but you figured it out correctly.

 

[smorgasbord]

Being a molded silicone product there is a mold release agent being used and it needs to be washed away.

Again, then, why don't they do they before shipping?

 

[luvmytoolz]

Being a molded silicone product there is a mold release agent being used and it needs to be washed away.

Again, then, why don't they do they before shipping?

I can't speak for them, but as someone who makes a lot of silicone molds, shipping them with the mold release not cleaned off helps to keep them in good condition while they're stocked, and eventually shipped.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I received a sincere and thoughtful email from Gio in response to my comment up thread regarding my disappointment with Bench Critters. The first sentence in his message was the offer of a full and unquestioned refund, then he asked for details about my project and what happened. Put simply, I was trying to sand pieces far smaller than they had in mind. I was sanding pieces 4" x 8" x 1/2". They were anticipating more weight. I reassured Gio that I do a wide range of projects in all sizes and would give the Critters another chance. Start-up or not...that kind of personal service is rare these days.

 

[Woodenfish]

Well I can understand why now. This company released a new video where Gio tried several different weights of wood to check for slip. He said in the video these weren’t the be all to end all. I use mine on large panel glue ups where I can easily support the wood high enough while I move my bar clamps around to get even pressure across the length. I find these very helpful over my Rockler Bench Cookies for the projects I build. For small pieces such as yours it might just be better to clamp them down to a MFT or get a silicone mat.