BLACK+DECKER Portable Workbench, Workmate Folding Workbench, 550 lb. Capacity with Clamps for Woodworking (WM425-A)

Very good product Sturdy. Works well Good value for money. Took a little bit of sorting out when it arrived but not a big problem. Easy to use. Very well designed

As far as it goes, this workmate is as solid as its predecessors. However I find that having to lay the thing flat on the floor to open it is a bit of a bind (I'm not in the first flush of youth and have an historic back injury to consider). That said, once you have passed the "try to locate the unlocking catches with your fingers" test, it does swing up easily enough and locks into place firmly. The thing that defies my limited intelligence though is the top which, being in three pieces that seem to have very individual minds of their own, appears to require a degree in jiggery-pokery to get everything in the right positions to grip whatever it is you are trying to grip. It frustrates me beyond belief and honestly, at those moments, I wish I had bought one of the simpler versions. Still, I've had it a while now and I do use it for all sorts of jobs, mind-bending worktop arrangements notwithstanding. Compared with my last Workmate, it weighs a ton, but I can still carry it, if a bit awkwardly. The mechanism linking the two winding handles seems a good idea and does help to reduce wonky closing of the jaws. Which is fine until you actually want to clamp something that is an odd shape. Maybe I'm just being fussy. The toothed band which joins the two handles seems fragile and the splines on the handles completely ignore it if you try to clamp something really tightly. It's ok at the moment, but I'm just waiting for it to snap. The fold-down legs do give a useful extra few inches of height and, although I haven't actually used it yet, the ninety-degree upright clamping facility will probably come in very handy one day. Would I buy another one? Mmm maybe, but I have my doubts. I will probably run this one into the ground first and, judging by the length of time I had it's predecessor (which still has a secondary function) I suspect that either I or it (or both) will be too old and crochety before I am ready to part with more money for such a tool.

There are only 3 workmates widely available in the UK, and they are all basic or compact models. So I ordered 2 of these and had them shipped from the US (kinda expensive) Do yourself a favour and throw away the assembly instructions. They are the usual cryptic diagram nonsense with no text. Would it really be so much trouble to provide multi-lingual instructions with actual text, how many of these do B&D sell a year, yet cant be bothered to hire a one-off translator? Anyway, search youtube for "how to assemble your workmate 425" by "workmateguy" and this will help you lots The wooden surfaces are nice, made from compressed bamboo, kinda shiny and rigid like laminate floor boards. No warping for me, although other users have had this problem. The metal frame feels quite cheaply machined with lots of sharp edges, although seems sturdy enough. The rubber caps simply refuse to stay gripped onto the feet, so will either have to be glued on, or drilled and then bolted. The two vice handles are connected in tandem with a cheap plastic belt. It doesn't work very well and also removes the ability to close the vice at an angle. You can fix this by either cutting the belt, or digging around and trying to remove it altogether, but the workmate provides no easy way to just disengage it temporarily. People have been complaining for years about how stupid this design is, but B&D do nothing. Worst of all, the crank shafts and handles are attached by having to hammer a metal pin. For me the metal pin simply would not go into the hole no matter how gentle or hard I hammered. Not sure whether the pins I got were malformed, but I ended up having to use a nut and bolt to secure it. Overall, I'll get some good use of out these workmates, but I can't say I'm that impressed with the build quality, and even the design is not that clever, with obvious improvements even to a non-designer. Ultimately they've cheaped out on a lot of things which they shouldn't have

Way too much money for what you get, and requires too much effort on the part of the purchaser to get it to work anywhere near correctly. Problems: 1. The first board is the only board that moves when you turn the handle. This is to be screwed onto two nylon brackets that are on long screw threads attached to the turning handles. Unfortunately, one of these brackets was out of position on the screw thread and meant the board was not at the correct angle. This meant the board did not sit flush with the other board - and the result was you could not properly clamp anything in the jaws. It took me some time to figure out how to adjust it, and more time to adjust it. Something I should invoice Black and Decker for my labour. 2. The boards are made of bamboo plywood, and one of them is warped and about half a centimetre below the other boards. Therefore, the overall surface is not flat. Others have had this problem. Time to go back to wooden plywood, Black & Decker! 3. The frame is held together by rivets. This makes the frame less rigid than if it was held together by nuts and bolts, and it twists and moves... lot! 4. Some of the holes on one of the boards are too small for the orange pegs. I had to file them to make them usable. Something else I should invoice B&D for my labour. If you already have an old Workmate and want one with a larger surface area like the 450, you are better off getting some plywood and making your own top pieces. It's what I should have done - 10% of the price and about the same time it takes to assemble this overpriced product. Summary: Made of cheap components and poorly manufactured, it is not worth the purchase price.

Overly complicated, one needs an engineering degree to construct . Having said that it gives a good working area and a good working height .

Great

Terrific workbench. Bought it for my son so he has a place to build and create without destroying my wooden floors. It sits in his bedroom and he loves it! Delivery was also super fast which is an added bonus.

Produto muito bonito, prático e versátil. Porem chegou com problemas, travas dos pés de apoio quebradas. Está em processo de devolução.

Whether you are a contractor or a diy, this bench will serve you well. It's rugged and adaptable for all sorts of jobs. You will love the way it can hold all sorts of odd shaped objects. It certainly reduces the number of clamps you need as well as the hours time needed to complete a job. I've had mine for over a year, and I consider it to be one of the most important items in my shop.

Great work bench to do my little dad projects with haha.