diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index a26ad5d7c..fe9d8dee2 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -731,13 +731,9 @@ test-stack%yaml:
 	stack --stack-yaml stack$*yaml clean
 	stack --stack-yaml stack$*yaml --install-ghc build --test --bench --haddock --no-haddock-deps
 
-BENCHEXES=hledger-0.27,hledger
+BENCHEXES=hledger-1.4,hledger
 
-quickbench: samplejournals bench.sh \
-	$(call def-help,quickbench,\
-	run simple performance benchmarks without saving results\
-	Requires some commands defined in bench.sh\
-	)
+bench: samplejournals bench.sh $(call def-help,bench, benchmark commands in bench.sh with quickbench and $(BENCHEXES))
 	quickbench -v -w $(BENCHEXES)
 
 # bench: samplejournals tests/bench.tests tools/simplebench \
diff --git a/bench.sh b/bench.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..2d83469e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bench.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+# Some standard commands to benchmark. "quickbench" runs these by default.
+# There is another set of benchmarks in the hledger package: hledger/bench/bench.hs
+# Here is a quick benchmarking guide. Note these are quick measurements which
+# can be affected by system activity. Usually this isn't a problem. The last
+# (criterion) is more robust.
+# 
+# Generate the test journals: make samplejournals 
+# Get quickbench: stack install quickbench
+# Measure performance:
+# time ./bench.sh      # show if these work, what they do, total time
+# quickbench [OPTS]    # time each command, one or more times
+# make bench           # time each command with several hledger versions (BENCHEXES in Makefile) 
+# stack bench hledger  # time a different set of benchmarks (bench/bench.hs) 
+# stack bench hledger --ba --criterion  # time more carefully, using criterion 
+
+hledger -f examples/100x100x10.journal print
+hledger -f examples/1000x1000x10.journal print
+hledger -f examples/10000x1000x10.journal print
+#hledger -f examples/10000x1000x10.journal print ff
+hledger -f examples/100000x1000x10.journal print
+hledger -f examples/100000x1000x10.journal print ff
+
+hledger -f examples/100x100x10.journal register
+hledger -f examples/1000x1000x10.journal register
+hledger -f examples/10000x1000x10.journal register
+#hledger -f examples/10000x1000x10.journal register ff
+hledger -f examples/100000x1000x10.journal register
+hledger -f examples/100000x1000x10.journal register ff
+
+hledger -f examples/100x100x10.journal balance
+hledger -f examples/1000x1000x10.journal balance
+hledger -f examples/10000x1000x10.journal balance
+#hledger -f examples/10000x1000x10.journal balance ff
+hledger -f examples/100000x1000x10.journal balance
+hledger -f examples/100000x1000x10.journal balance ff
+