Like two of the other posters, I used Masonite applied with short flat head woodscrews in countersunk holes for a number of years. A friend who was a carpenter advised doing this because benchtops get things dropped on them, scratches and scrapes appear, staining occurs, and the Masonite can be replaced easily to make the bench look new again. The last bench I built, though, I used the white-finished Masonite called whiteboard. This allows me to set my components out on the bench and use a dry-erase marker to write down the load I am working on and to label areas of the surface for set-asides or sorted loads or components and to make quick calculations. I also put whiteboard on the wall behind this bench for keeping records of loads and dates or other information. I actually wind up writing more on that back wall than on the bench, but both are available to me. And again, replacement is easy. The only downside I've found is the white finish is vulnerable to some solvents. Gunzilla, for example, will soften and eventually make it peel if you don't get it off fast. But otherwise, it's a good thing.
If I wanted a rugged solvent-resistant finish, I would use concrete garage floor two-part epoxy finish or marine two-part epoxy finish (to have a wider range of color choices).
