Black and Decker WM425 Workmate 425 550 Pound Capacity Portable Work Bench | List Price: $163.92
Discount Price: $104.20
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Brand: Black & Decker
Binding: Tools & Hardware
Features: - Workmate portable project center; holds up to 550 pounds; folds for storage
- Portable workbench and vise with one-handed clamp system
- Steel construction and rubber feet
- Includes insert to convert vise to workbench, extra block, four swivel pegs
- 29.2 by 8.9 by 29.5; 48 pounds; 2-year warranty
very flimsy product [Posted on 2008-04-17]
I just got mine and this product has nothing to do with product descriptions. It is flimsy has alignment problems and crank is a joke really. And instructions are ridiculous. I will send mine back. Do not bother buying this thing unless you will use it once in a year.
Good idea - but flimsy [Posted on 2008-05-09]
Maybe I was expecting a bit much for the price, but this table wasn't sturdy enough to be very useful. It is made of stamped sheet metal and has nylon threads. If you try to clamp anything with much force the threads just strip or jump.
a welcome shop item [Posted on 2008-05-31]
The tape used to interconnect the adjusting handle is pretty flimsey,I think having a spare on hand is required. Over all very good handy item
Not close to the quality of the original [Posted on 2008-06-08]
The WM425 has lots of ingenious features but they are made so cheaply-- with plastic and thin metal-- that those features are more of a marketing ploy than part of a quality Workmate. My original Workmate, which is probably 20 years old, is working like new. My WM425 is already broken-- one of the handles broke off. The WM425 takes me at least twice the effort to perform tasks that the original Workmate can do because the screw length of the WM425 is so short you often have to remove and shift the back two bamboo platforms in order to clamp wood between them-- going from 1 1/2" to 6". Also you often have to find a place to put the center/rear platform that has to be removed at times. The platforms use plastic parts that slide into notches in the top metal rails. The fit of the platforms to the rails are cleaver but I do not believe they will last long-- especially if you need to clamp down hard or move/change them. Which, brings up the point the WM425 Workmate does not clamp down as well as the original Workmate. And, the one handed tightening feature is poorly made and does not work well. The original Workmate sits well on its side when folded up. The WM425 falls over in the slightest breeze.
I called Black and Decker just after my WM425 arrived because one of the plastic pegs arrived broken. The customer service at Black and Decker is excellent and she sent a replacement peg to me on the spot. I told her that the WM425 seemed cheaply manufactured but I would keep it because sometimes things that look cheaply made actually work fine anyway. I also mentioned to her that I would pay much more for an original workmate if they were to manufacture them again-- since I know they last a long time. Also, although the box looked fine, the Workmate arrived twisted so the pull bar did not function. (By the way, I twisted it back-- the metal is so thin it twists easily.)
Well I've had the WM425 for about 6 months and hardly use it. I am using my original Workmate about 100 times a month and I still could use need another quality workmate. But, the WM425 is such a disappointment that I'm using a sawhorse instead. If you own one of the original Workmates you are most likey going to hate these new ones.
I do not often write reviews, but these are so bad in comparison that I hope to prevent others from making my mistake. At the very least, try one before you buy it.
B&D Workmate 425 [Posted on 2008-07-17]
I have used this product for about 15 years. My old one had a small worktop and required the use to two separate latches for setup and takedown. It was so old the rubber feet were gone and the legs didn't work right. My experience with these units has been excellent. It folds up compactly, fits in a small space and doesn't weigh very much. It works well. I like it and have two of the 425s'. In my comparisons with competitive products or other models in the B&D line I would again pick this unit first.
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