Floating shelf brackets from the salvage store, still holding after 4 months

I grabbed a set of heavy duty steel brackets for $12 total at a Habitat ReStore in Portland, skeptical they'd match my oak top since they were meant for a store display. After bolting them into the wall studs and loading my monitor plus a 25 pound printer, they haven't budged a millimeter through all my typing sessions. Has anyone else had luck with oddball hardware finds like this, or should I swap them out for rated brackets when I add a second shelf?

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noranguyen20d ago

...wait, hold on, you got heavy duty steel brackets from a Habitat for $12? That's wild. I've seen those exact brackets new for like $40 each at hardware stores, and they look like something that would hold a whole pallet of stuff. Four months is solid proof they're not messing around, especially with a printer sitting on top like that. I mean, if they're in studs and haven't moved at all, I'd honestly keep them for the second shelf too. Sometimes the stuff meant for store displays is way overbuilt anyway. Just check that the bolts are tight before you load it up, but honestly, that's a steal. I'd trust those over some flimsy rated brackets any day.