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US Mall 1 - Black and Decker WM425 Workmate 425 550 Pound Capacity Portable Work Bench
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List Price: $163.92
Our Price: $81.99
Your Save: $ 81.93 ( 50% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Black & Decker
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Batteries Included: 0
Binding: Tools & Hardware
Brand: Black & Decker
Color: orange
EAN: 0028873494252
Feature: Workmate portable project center; holds up to 550 pounds; folds for storage
Label: Black & Decker
Manufacturer: Black & Decker
Model: WM425
Publisher: Black & Decker
Studio: Black & Decker
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Features
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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
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: An excellent design
Comment: First, I must mention that the Workmate I'm writing about is not new -- it is the Workmate 400 model. My wife won it in a contest nearly 25 years ago; when we got married, she gave it to me.
I rate it 5 stars because it is an excellent design. I use it mainly for holding boards when cutting with the circular saw and holding my chopsaw. With the legs splayed out, it is very stable.
The top is particle board held to the metal frame with steel bolts. It has stood up well; I've tossed it in the back of vehicles and hauled it around the yard in the Garden Way cart and it's never given me any problems. It just works.
If the current model is built as well as this model is, I wouldn't have a second thought about replacing it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Extras not really worth it
Comment: This workbench allows the small front part to be moved to a vertical position but actually that also makes the standard horizontal position less stable. I am not sure how the plastic guides that maintain the middle and back panes are going to hold over time. This looks a little bit cheap and would probably not sustain any intensive usage.
I am not sure this is worth the extra cost compared to a Workmate 225.
Customer Rating:
Summary: poor quality control and assembly instructions
Comment: The package of parts is missing the 2 vise screws, the 2 pins, the 2 pivot nuts. In addition, the instructions are not clear --- I never did even get through this one, the second step (the first step is to empty the carton ): #2 Assemble two top blocks to the underside of the rear jaw by fitting the raised posts on the top blocks into the smaller holes of the rear jaw. Insert bolts through the rear jaw and into top blocks and tighten with supplied wrench. (fig.2)"
It was not clear until I checked back on the Amazon photo which was the "rear jaw". Guessing that it was the largest of the three wooden pieces, I found that the "raised post", the only one to which the bolt screws in, does not fit in the "smaller"- not the smallest - of the five holes.
So, this "workmate" is useless and disappointing.
Customer Rating:
Summary: B&D Workmate 425
Comment: 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.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not close to the quality of the original
Comment: 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.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: An excellent design
Comment: First, I must mention that the Workmate I'm writing about is not new -- it is the Workmate 400 model. My wife won it in a contest nearly 25 years ago; when we got married, she gave it to me.
I rate it 5 stars because it is an excellent design. I use it mainly for holding boards when cutting with the circular saw and holding my chopsaw. With the legs splayed out, it is very stable.
The top is particle board held to the metal frame with steel bolts. It has stood up well; I've tossed it in the back of vehicles and hauled it around the yard in the Garden Way cart and it's never given me any problems. It just works.
If the current model is built as well as this model is, I wouldn't have a second thought about replacing it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Extras not really worth it
Comment: This workbench allows the small front part to be moved to a vertical position but actually that also makes the standard horizontal position less stable. I am not sure how the plastic guides that maintain the middle and back panes are going to hold over time. This looks a little bit cheap and would probably not sustain any intensive usage.
I am not sure this is worth the extra cost compared to a Workmate 225.
Customer Rating:
Summary: poor quality control and assembly instructions
Comment: The package of parts is missing the 2 vise screws, the 2 pins, the 2 pivot nuts. In addition, the instructions are not clear --- I never did even get through this one, the second step (the first step is to empty the carton ): #2 Assemble two top blocks to the underside of the rear jaw by fitting the raised posts on the top blocks into the smaller holes of the rear jaw. Insert bolts through the rear jaw and into top blocks and tighten with supplied wrench. (fig.2)"
It was not clear until I checked back on the Amazon photo which was the "rear jaw". Guessing that it was the largest of the three wooden pieces, I found that the "raised post", the only one to which the bolt screws in, does not fit in the "smaller"- not the smallest - of the five holes.
So, this "workmate" is useless and disappointing.
Customer Rating:
Summary: B&D Workmate 425
Comment: 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.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not close to the quality of the original
Comment: 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.
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