Honest Review of Workmate 425 & Assembly of Black & Decker's Workmate 425 Folding Workbench 

Hello, Thanks for the positive comment. "Underwhelming" is a great way to describe my feelings as well with the product. I can only imagine how much feedback Black and Decker receives on this product.

Hello MathGuy, Thanks for the comment. If you go with a different option post another comment letting me know if it is any good. I am still looking for a good alternative.

Hello, Thanks for the comment. It is rare I find a tool so disappointing. I will definitely keep an eye out for the older versions as I have heard great things about them.

Hello Major Thanks for the comment, it is definitely something I can relate to. The one I got sounds very similar to yours.

@@MacLeodGolf Like you I will keep. I might see if I can replace the top. Your video was most professional and helpful. Thx. 👍

Hello Tony, Thanks for letting me know you ran into some similar issues. It is too bad because the problems seem like easy corrections in quality control and materials that would only change the price a little.

@@MacLeodGolf it is. Had another new in 96. Worked right out of the box. Still riveted but not as shaky. And the top was particle board.

Interesting. I think a particle board may work well for this type of item because it may resist warping. Overall the item is just not what I expected (at least the one I bought)

@@MacLeodGolf I bought the second one to replace the first which was a gift from my wife. There’s more to look at on the market but you might say I have a reason to stick with this!

@@amblo51 That is a pretty cool gift. I am keeping mine as well because I can fix the issues I have with it. Did you happen to see my review of the Yost vise I bought? That is an item that I can not get over the quality of. I bought it after watching a video on the fireball tool channel (a pretty cool channel for making).

I wish I would have gone with the cheaper version

@@MacLeodGolf Wew all learn! The two are also great for supporting larger (8 x 4) sheets.

Hello, I am happy to learn you had a positive experience with the item. I think my expectations were high because of the reputation of the original. Very informative comment that I hope will help people.

Thanks for watching. I think the small board is the only permanently fixed board and the others are removable and changeable to meet specific clamping size needs. With that said, it is totally possible I messed something up. I do think my three issues of the belt being split on arrival, the use of somewhat loose rivets, and the warped boards are problems regardless of my inabilities. I did not intend to dislike the product, but it is somewhat expensive and I just felt it was worth noting my experience. Thanks again.

Hello, Thank you for the comment and I get what you are describing. My boards came so warped that I have not used the vertical clamping mechanism much. I am about to do a video on the Ryobi One trim router and I will try the vertical clamp to see if it works for me in that video. I have a feeling it will not hold extremely well, but maybe it will surprise me. Did your boards come warped?

@@MacLeodGolf Not that I have noticed. Another thing I've noticed is the vise cranks seem to be tooled with something chintzy and plastic, not just the confining little strap. I was tightening it yesterday and it felt like it was gonna give when I tightened them tight enough. I'm not really heavy handed either. I was today yrs old when I put my foot on the little step and my back instantly felt much better. I'm a disabled veteran retiree with back pain every day in the shop. I was like, "You mean my back could've feel better this whole time!? Who knew?"

Hello Kevin, Yeah the plastic used for a mechanism under stress when clamping was an interesting choice. I hope your back continues to feel some relief. I herniated a disc in my back in high school, but luckily most of the time I am no longer in pain.

@@MacLeodGolf No warped boards with mine. I'd bet B&D would make it right if you contact them or give a lowered rating on Amazon! (Works like magic sometimes)

Mine came warped but I didn't pay for the damn thing I ordered it for our shop along with some other ones to test and I personally wouldn't pay for this I'm extremely underwhelmed by it

Oh, I have many issues with many assemblies :). But, my main issues were the warped boards, the wobbly legs that could not be tightened because they are riveted instead of constructed with machine screws and lock nuts, and the belt. In reality, it is rare I find a tool I am disappointed in and just wanted to put out my experience with my item (maybe not everyone's experience). Appreciate your input.

Hello, I believe you are just suppose to keep turning the handles and the already tightened side will slip (making a clicking noise) on the belt while the loose side tightens more

Huh, I've run into the same situation. I was thinking that I'd need to pull the belt against the tension spring to get it off the sprocket on one side, and adjust to even, even put the belt back on.

@@sowellfan Hello Richard, I think the rounded nubs on the crank axle are meant to slip under pressure on the belt to even out the boards, but I could be wrong.

@@MacLeodGolf I ended up just backing out the bolt on that side - then I just rotated the follower a couple times so that it was at the proper place on the screw. Then put the bolt back in.

@@sowellfan Hello Richard, I believe that will work just fine, but I would not be surprised if it is off even again very soon.

Were your wooden planks for the top flat?

Hello Mark, Very possible. How do you mean I put it in wrong? I would like to correct my error :) (which is definitely not my first error)

@@MacLeodGolfIt was just funny how you complained about the table while assembling it wrongly. Laughed. But looking at all the photos I see you put the third table second, and the second table in back. Possibly they are the same size and you wanted your bench dog holes in the middle board, however the design is for the smooth non logo board to be middle. I have a 40 y/o one. Very solid and 40+ pound beast with a hardwood original top. Is that really flimzy as you say?

Hello Mark, Yeah, I reversed the tables with the intention of the bench dog holes and I really only need one of the moveable sections at a time (unless I want a table surface with the three boards). It is really wobbly. On one side, the rivets for the folding mechanism are so loose that the side wobbles similar to the feeling of a table with a short leg. If the manufacturer would have used machine screws and lock nuts instead of rivets in their design, it would take seconds to fix by tightening. I think they wanted to save the few cents per screw (which could make sense to fit their price point, but I would pay a couple dollars extra for a solid product). My plan is to use my CNC to mill hardwood boards flat and add the necessary holes for new tops and then to drill out the rivets and add machine screws, washers, and lock nuts. I read about the table and watched videos before buying it and I saw so many positive reviews. Mine may have been a lemon and I tried to make sure I said it was my experience with the one unit, but I wanted to present my honest experience. If you haven't seen my video about the Yost vise I bought you should check out that video. That is a product that I was blown away by the quality (but I got the ductile iron 750 vise, so I can't speak on the quality of their standard 750 vise)

Hello Micke, Yeah, the quality was definitely surprising to me. I wonder if the money saved per unit for some of their choices outweighs the harm to a company's reputation. Financially it may make sense, but I dont know how many more B&D products I will be purchasing after my experience with this one.

Yeah, plus for me it is awkward to carry to where I will be working.

Hello, I wrote an email with pictures and they sent replacements for the warped pieces. That was one problem that was solved, but the wobble and sturdiness I was expecting versus the actual product has still been a let down for me.

@@MacLeodGolf that's a bummer. I really appreciate your video. Been looking for a small workbench and this is the most honest review I've seen for this model

Yeah, it seems like many people share our experience with this product. It is hard for me to find a tool I don't like, but I was definitely not thrilled with mine.

I think the main differences are weight capacity and the vertical clamping mechanism. I could be wrong though.

Yeah, I rarely find a valid use for mine.

Haha, at first I saw the comment and thought it was for one of my other videos where I make something. I realized it was for this video which makes perfect sense.

Hello Thomas, I agree that the product did not meet my expectations, but I don't blame the factory that made it. I think it was more likely the specifications in design provided to the factory by the company that causes my issues. I think there were decisions made to save a few cents that most likely came from the main company and not the factory actually making the product.

Hello OffRoad, Thank you for the comment. I agree the quality is most likely dependent on the branded company in the end because they should be the ones controlling quality. There are plenty of quality products being made in China and I think it probably came down to B&D wanting to save a few dollars on the manufacturing side in the types of fasteners used and the quality of the tops. I don't own any Dewalt tools, but my understanding is that they are high quality and expensive. I would guess Dewalt is highly involved in their manufacturing process and the cost is worth it for the quality. This product was expensive enough where I expected better quality regardless of where it is being manufactured.

@@MacLeodGolf I fully agree!!! In the next week or so I'm going to help my buddy replace the top of his 3yr old B&D workmate 425 because the center board warped. The quality is garbage on these things.

Yeah I plan to eventually replace the boards on mine, but without a bigger CNC than I have, I was somewhat worried about getting everything lined up well. I also plan to drill out the rivets and replace them with machine screws, washers, and lock nuts

Do you mean the removable piece?

Hello Don, It is a shame. I would think they would want to lower the price point or raise the quality on this item.