Review: Whalen Industrial Rack Shelves ( From Costco )

alecmcmahon · Jan 31, 2011

In my quest for cheap groceries and whole sale products at my local costco I stumbled upon this gem.

Whalen Industrial Rack Shelves
( not currently listed on website )

At about $150 dollars I figure it'd be a nice addition to my garage, and sort out the massive clutter I've collected through out my garage floor through the winter.

It utilizes the ever beefy looking pallet rack system you've probably all seen before. To ends, and horizontal bars. Whalen claims that each shelf will hold 2,000 pounds. While im not sure i'd put that to the test - it sure did look sturdy.

Shelf Dimensions are: 77 in. width x 24 in. depth x 72 in. height

After dragging this into the house by myself we can start the assembly process ( the box weighs about 200 pounds, very hard lift - get a buddy- I didnt have one )

Everything was neatly packed and shipped.

To my unfinished messy garage:

The main hanger clips seemed a little undersized, but very sturdy. The steel is thick enough were it looks to be ok. I was used to seeing much larger ones having had assembled pallet racks in warehouses, etc

The welds are not full, Looks like it was just stich welded in some spots, I would much prefer it to be fully welded.

Welds on the end piece, better:

Another:

Picture of how the clips and the base ends meet together:

The shelf supports:

Fully assembled:

The wire shelves sit in such a way were they do not move around much at all, which is nice.

Loaded up with some of my ****:

Overall I am pretty satisfied with the system, it's sturdy enough to hold anything I can put on it. The wire shelves make it a little difficult to slide some items that have legs on it, they get hung up; A piece of Masonite onto of the wire shelves would probably fix this, but it's not really that big of an issue.

It comes with a nice powder coat black paint on it, held up fairly well while making up my mind where to put the shelves and taking them on and off.

Again, while probably easier as a two man job I was able to put the entire system together in about 30 minutes or so, and I didn't even read in the instructions!
:thumbup:

-alec

Jeff · Jan 31, 2011

Nice review. What are the dimensions?

scott_one · Jan 31, 2011

Sharkin said:
Nice review. What are the dimensions?

From the box in the first picture.... 77 in. width x 24 in. depth x 72 in. height

Jeff · Jan 31, 2011

scott_one said:
From the box in the first picture.... 77 in. width x 24 in. depth x 72 in. height

At least someone here has good eyes. Thanks!

jayoldschool · Jan 31, 2011

I have the same ones. I bought two sets, so it actually makes three sets of shelves. YOu can see this configuration in the first pic. You use two of the sets of bars to connect the two sets. I don't need shelves at the bottom, I store things like compressor, rolling charger, generator, tires, etc, on the floor. Perfect for my space, and enough storage for everything I need.

Using a rubber mallet will help the assembly considerably.

kornjulio · Jan 31, 2011

Am I the only one more intrigued by the background of the garage walls than the shelving unit ?

alecmcmahon · Jan 31, 2011

You mean my hand is not a hammer?!

I will probably be picking up a second one in the near future

Kornjulio,

Your probably referring to my " insulation " ... If that's what they are calling it.

The 50's must have been an interesting period, tin foil ,cardboard and old newspapers sufficed enough for efficient insulation.

larry_g · Jan 31, 2011

I also have this rack and it holds quite a bit more than the OP has on it. I have rolls of wire on one shelf and fittings on another.

lg
no neat sig line

Vinko · Feb 1, 2011

I saw these too. I was thinking if I needed shelving, and hadn't already built it, this wouldn't be too bad an option.

Zick · Feb 1, 2011

I've got one of these but pick it up from Menards. They usually have them on sale for about ~$120.
It was cheaper than their Gorilla racks but you can tell it's not as strong as the gorilla racks.
But for the price it's pretty good and I don't have any complaints about it except that you cant just add on another section without buying another whole kit and then you have left over piece. The Gorilla racks are all sold individual pieces so you can customize it to your liking.
If I were to due it all over again, I'd just pay a little more and get the Gorilla.

Old Moparz · Feb 1, 2011

These kind of shelving units are great, I have a similar set up, too. :thumbup:

Both Lowes & Home Depot carry this type of shelving unit for about the same price. Lowes however, does sell individual pieces, so you can add vertical sections, horizontal supports, & have a choice of depth of 18", 24" or 30" & either wire or particle board shelves. I went with wire shelves so I don't have an accumulation of sawdust or rodent droppings on mine.

Zick · Feb 1, 2011

Old Moparz said:
These kind of shelving units are great, I have a similar set up, too.

Both Lowes & Home Depot carry this type of shelving unit for about the same price. Lowes however, does sell individual pieces, so you can add vertical sections, horizontal supports, & have a choice of depth of 18", 24" or 30" & either wire or particle board shelves. I went with wire shelves so I don't have an accumulation of sawdust or rodent droppings on mine.

Really, didn't know Lowes sells individual pieces. Sweet, I'll have to make a trip down and check it out. Thanks

Wish our Menards carried the pieces.

csp · Feb 1, 2011

I've considered these in the past, but found a couple great deals on real pallet racking for a lot less than I would have spent on one set of these. Granted I didn't get the wire rack, but I have a lot of wood from projects that shelves were made of.

Porcupine · Feb 5, 2011

I have seen these each time I go to Costco - purposely go down to where their garage/tool/storage section is to see what new items they have to sell me. I find the 24inch to deep, and wish they had models that were not so deep. My Dad has shelves on one side of his big garage and they are quite deep. Problem is, try to find a bottle or tube of something without having to spend 15 minutes looking behind other bottles and stuff. Seems more of a pain. Now, his were all made of plywood, whereas you can see through the Whalen shelf a bit. I read on here that you can get some 18 inches deep. I think when I make shelves for my small garage, I will go 16 inches deep at the very most.

banzaitoyota · Feb 5, 2011

I have the Lowes Version, They are great for the price

NismoPlsr · May 18, 2012

Sorry to bump an old thread but does anyone know if Costco still carries these shelves?

I bought some when this thread was created but i am not a regular Costco shopper so i don't know if they are still available.

Thanks.

J Persons · May 18, 2012

Sams Club sells the same thing, but the brand is "Muscle Rack" for the same money. I've got three of them, the only fault is smaller items tend to fall through the grates.

lorne · May 18, 2012

NismoPlsr said:
Sorry to bump an old thread but does anyone know if Costco still carries these shelves?

I bought some when this thread was created but i am not a regular Costco shopper so i don't know if they are still available.

Thanks.

They had them in January, We bought a couple for storing inventory (big desktop systems) on... Hopefully they still have them, because we've been meaning to go back for a couple more.

schwalby · May 18, 2012

jayoldschool said:
I don't need shelves at the bottom, I store things like compressor, rolling charger, generator, tires, etc, on the floor. Perfect for my space, and enough storage for everything I need.

Have you seen any issue with this weakening the shelves? Thought is the legs may want to kick out with nothing holding them together at the bottom.

1941 · Sep 7, 2012

schwalby said:
Have you seen any issue with this weakening the shelves? Thought is the legs may want to kick out with nothing holding them together at the bottom.

I have been using two of these Whalen units for roughly two years. The upper shelves have been used to store a number of things, including several steel automotive wheels (literally dozens), tires, miscellaneous hardware, and bodywork. I left the bottom shelf disassembled so that I could easily roll engines, transmissions, wheels/tires, etc. in and out of the lower space. Because I was concerned with the possibility of splaying, I used one of the horizontal shelving supports to join the two opposite legs closest the wall.

Plywood was employed above a couple of the wire surfaces to help distribute weight and to make it easier to place and remove items from the shelves.

I have had no problems, nor do I currently have any concerns, with the shelving units' integrity under the weight that they bear.

bstegner · Sep 7, 2012

I also have been using these for about 2 years, they are well worth the money. I got 2 of the full sets sold at Menards and added 5ft long pieces from Lowes. They are all connected together, so it goes 7ft-7ft-5ft. The two 7ft sections I use as general storage with one shelf set pretty high so I can slide my engine stand under it. And for the 5ft section, I leave the wire shelfs out and use it as a tire rack. It works very well, I would say even better then the racks that are specifically desinged to hold tires. I have about 10 tires/wheels on it now.

GBodyShop · Nov 1, 2012

I just purchase two of the shelves, they work super great. But I suggest make sure on the wire shelve. Make sure the wires rods that run front to back are on top. And the wires rods from side to side are facing down. This makes is very easy to slide things on and off.

Good Luck

alpinewhite · Nov 10, 2012

banzaitoyota said:
I have the Lowes Version, They are great for the price

The Lowe's and Sam's Club versions have a different hole pattern than the Whalen ones. Hence, the parts are not interchangeable.

tehach · Nov 10, 2012

I have one of these units from Lowes. Ditched the middle height wire shelf in favor of 3/8 plywood fastened with tech screws to allow heavy items to slide easier. Nice unit, very sturdy.

gayler · Nov 10, 2012

kornjulio said:
Am I the only one more intrigued by the background of the garage walls than the shelving unit ?

No, but i laughed when I read you screen name!

this_isnt_my_real_alias · Nov 30, 2012

NismoPlsr I was at COSTCO yesterday 11/28/12 they still have this shelving unit for $155, plus three other types of shelving. They told me it is a standard item they always will have.

And kornjulio I also was mesmerized by the background in the pictures. LOL!

alpinewhite · Dec 2, 2012

Each time I see this at Costco, I always contemplate on buying one, cutting the vertical pieces in half, and making two 36" workbenches out of them. I think they'd be pretty sturdy.

e30bradley · Dec 2, 2012

no way that would hold 8k lbs.. I looked at them the other day but decided I would make my own shelves or keep searching cl.

amolaver · Dec 3, 2012

just fyi, the $60, MDF-shelved versions are pretty damn awesome too if a) you don't need or can't fit the larger space, or b) you'd prefer a solid top w/o adding more cost to the pallet rack type. i've got a BUNCH of them (i think three in the garage, 3 in the basement, and another 3 or 4 in the shop), and they hold a freaking ton. very simple rubber mallet 'assembly', and mine easily hold a couple of hundred pounds per shelf; i've had two transmissions on each of two shelves with a 4 cylinder shortblock on the third shelf. the mdf obviously can get nicked up depending on what you're dragging across it, but IMO, its another great option.

ahm

RichTJ99 · Dec 4, 2012

I keep looking for something thats about 18 inches deep. The ones I got from Uline are 24 inches deep & stuff just gets lost in the back.

alpinewhite · Jan 8, 2013

I saw this for $129 (on sale) at the Fountain Valley (California) Costco today. It is not the crinkle finish, though.

TechnoMayor · Jul 2, 2013

I picked two of these up at Costco Sunday and assembled them into 3 sections totaling almost 19 ft long.

Thanks for the review.

ZRX61 · Jul 2, 2013

amolaver said:
just fyi, the $60, MDF-shelved versions are pretty damn awesome too if a) you don't need or can't fit the larger space, or b) you'd prefer a solid top w/o adding more cost to the pallet rack type. i've got a BUNCH of them (i think three in the garage, 3 in the basement, and another 3 or 4 in the shop), and they hold a freaking ton. very simple rubber mallet 'assembly', and mine easily hold a couple of hundred pounds per shelf; i've had two transmissions on each of two shelves with a 4 cylinder shortblock on the third shelf. the mdf obviously can get nicked up depending on what you're dragging across it, but IMO, its another great option.

ahm

I have 9 or 10 of those (used to have a big garage). I had a couple of C6 trans stored on the bottom of one of them

norcaljr · Jul 3, 2013

amolaver said:
just fyi, the $60, MDF-shelved versions are pretty damn awesome too if a) you don't need or can't fit the larger space, or b) you'd prefer a solid top w/o adding more cost to the pallet rack type. i've got a BUNCH of them (i think three in the garage, 3 in the basement, and another 3 or 4 in the shop), and they hold a freaking ton. very simple rubber mallet 'assembly', and mine easily hold a couple of hundred pounds per shelf; i've had two transmissions on each of two shelves with a 4 cylinder shortblock on the third shelf. the mdf obviously can get nicked up depending on what you're dragging across it, but IMO, its another great option.

ahm

I have these in my shed and garage and love them. The wire shells are a pain for smaller items, otherwise I might have bought the bigger ones.

Nch209 · Nov 8, 2013

TechnoMayor said:
I picked two of these up at Costco Sunday and assembled them into 3 sections totaling almost 19 ft long.

Thanks for the review.

I want to do the same, but it would be nice to be able to buy just one more shelf for that center section...

tehach · Nov 8, 2013

Lowes still has them. Bought another recently.

SwedishPimple · Jul 29, 2014

Old, but great thread. I plan on picking up a couple of the large Whalen racks if still available at Costco, Menards, Lowes, or HD. Does Whalen or anyone else make something similar (same height/depth), but 42-44" wide instead of 77"? I need a few smaller ones to go with a big one in the basement hvac room.

Thanks in advance.

DangerousDan55 · Aug 2, 2014

Got mine off an on line auction. 3 sets for $63.
You can also find the real industrial racks on auctions sometimes.
Just look up actions in your state.

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SwedishPimple · Aug 4, 2014

Ended up buying two industrial racks at Costco. They were on sale for $125 down from $150. Brand is now Edsal instead of Whalen, fwiw.

alpinewhite · Aug 4, 2014

SwedishPimple said:
Ended up buying two industrial racks at Costco. They were on sale for $125 down from $150. Brand is now Edsal instead of Whalen, fwiw.

I bought two sets yesterday, too. $135/set. Sale ended yesterday. I'll set it up 3 long using some stretchers in between the two sets like this one.

Review: Whalen Industrial Rack Shelves ( From Costco )

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