BLACK+DECKER Workmate Portable Workbench, 350-Pound Capacity (WM125)

I'm just an old DIYer who wishes he had invested in this years ago. I was tired of setting up sawhorses, putting a piece of plywood on top and using C clamps to try and hold things together with variable results, some good, some not so much. This makes the process much easier holding things for sawing, sanding, and routing. I know there are other models, more pricey, but this fits my needs, a 5 star product. BUT, 1 complaint for Black & Decker: the instruction book for assembly is worse that Chinese stuff that's been translated badly to English. The diagrams are so small that I needed a magnifying glass to see them and the assembly sequence, which the book stresses MUST BE FOLLOWED SEQUENTIALLY makes little sense. An example of the book's silliness is the listing of tools needed including a flat blade screwdriver. Silly for the fact that THERE ARE NO STRAIGHT BLADE TYPE SCREWS! The screws are Phillips type, not straight bladed. The book quotes assembly time as 45 minutes to an hour but, between trying to decipher the miniature diagrams and interpreting the text - plus using a Vise Grip to adjust the bend on some parts - it took me over 2 1/2 plus a litany of profane words (optional) to assemble, test, and clean up. I suggest that B&D update this ASAP as I rate the product as 5 stars but the documentation as less than 1. Hey, B&D, are you listening?

This Black and Decker Workmate portable workbench replaces a clone model that's sold by a large hardware chain. The real Workmate is far superior, in my opinion. It's sturdier, the table surface is more robust, and it feels less brittle than the clone. Assembly went fairly smooth, although the instruction manual has some steps out of order and the illustrations don't match the text. They could stand to have another round of editing. There were no missing parts, so I didn't need to contact B&D's customer service. This is handy unit to have, as it can be used as a vice or simply as platform for a variety of homeowner projects. The day I assembled it, I needed to cut a 3" PVC rain pipe with a Saws-All, and the Workmate kept the pipe secure, despite the vibration induced by the electric saw's reciprocating blade. When I finished, I dusted it off with a shop brush, then folded it up and stored it away for the next job. This was a father's day gift that I picked out for myself. I'm glad I did.

I like that the product folds up and is very versatile, and can be used like a sawhorse for tasks like cutting up an old fence to repurpose wood. Assembly, however, was a half-day ordeal because the printed instructions were woefully bad and even left out a crucial washer (spacer) in the parts list for the very first assembly step. The Black and Decker and independent videos, recommended by some reviewers, were less bad, and made assembly possible with some improvisation. I will explain in a little more detail, as the videos seemed to cheat (skipping over steps to show things as finished), and it can be tempting to just return the item in frustration, or throw it out the nearest window into a trash bin. The printed instructions and videos say you need the little plastic bolt tightener provided, and it works great. They also tell you to use a hammer and flat-head screw driver, but the product uses phillips screws and a rubber mallet will be a better choice to bang things into place without causing damage. Unless you have very strong hands like the guy in the video, you will need a pliers and mallet to assemble the handle. There is one step at the very end where you need the hammer to bang a pin into the handle, but they do not mention that it helps to have pliers to squeeze the tip of the pin so that it fits. The Black and Decker video claims at the outset to show you every step, but it lies. The video goes too fast and skips steps. I found it best to download a copy of the video, and then refer back to it each step of the assembly, and then disassemble and reassemble each step of the assembly to get things right. Makes things slow. I was tempted to give the product 3 stars or less, on account of the difficult assembly. The printed instructions omit the black washer from the parts list, which guarantees having to disassemble step one and start over after watching the video, where the washer is called a “spacer”. I had to freeze the video and replay it a few times, as the spacer flashes by in a nano-second and it is hard to see where it goes. In fact, every step of the way I had to freeze the video to see how the parts were placed, as nothing is marked and it is easy to get things turned around. When I got to the handles which go onto a metal sliding rod, one of the independent videos recommended disassembly because the Black and Decker video assembly just did not work. Indeed, I found this out for myself. An orange plastic knob just pops into the black handle near the end of the B&D video; but I needed pliers to compress the end of the orange knob and a rubber mallet to hammer it in safely. This after a disassembly to remove the sliding metal rod, to prevent it spinning around (the videos do a cheat on this, or perhaps have a second person out of sight holding it). The video at the very end also shows hammering a pin into the handle, which is just not possible (at least for me) because the rod will spin and you cannot line up the holes if it is assembled first. So, I used a pliers to squeeze the tip of the pin and then held down the handle and attached metal rod on a work table so it would not spin while I hammered in the metal pin. Then I used a rubber mallet to gently hammer the handle and attached metal rod backwards from the front of the assembly to the back. It is not meant to be done that way, but one of the independent videos found that was the only way they could assemble it, too. Improvisation every step of the way. An ordeal, but the competing assembled products were rated as junk by most reviewers. So...

Nice and light. Works the same as the heavier workmate. Instructions are a little vague but the product is great

The workbench arrived missing two bolts. I was unable to assemble it without these two important items. Efforts to obtain them came to zilch in spite of my best efforts. So item was returned.

Collapsable and the vice feature is great. Great value for money too. If your making anything at home that needs a vice and a flat surface you should buy this, very convenient.

Bonne qualité, très pratique pour les petits bricollages

Easy to use, slim when folded - so easy to store, sufficiently robust for home use, light enough to lift and carry.