Draper Portable Folding Work Bench | Dual Clamping Action | 12 Holes for Work Clamping Dogs | Heavy Duty Steel Frame | 68027

You can't really fault this work-bench at the price its sold at. Its cheap and cheerful, but more importantly for me, its light, portable and foldable. I bought it for those reasons. I still have one of the (very) original Black and Decker Workmates (bench) which is as strong as an ox but too heavy to lug around . Worth mentioning also, is Draper's customer service dept - I found some surplus parts in the box which didn't seem to fit anywhere - I sent them an e-mail and a photo - they replied the following day to say they had found their way into the box by mistake. Good service!!

It took me about 10 minutes to read the instructions carefully, identify and check all the parts were present, then I assembled it - total time under an hour as it is very straightforward. A wrench is supplied but you also need a basic Phillips type screwdriver. It is very sturdy and simple to fold away and open. It's a bit lighter than I expected so it's very easy to lift and move about. It is ideal for the few DIY jobs around the house and the bit of woodworking I have planned. If that weren't enough to please - it really is amazing for the price. Very pleased.

I am writing this review after using this bench a lot for a good few weeks. It is a good bench for the price paid, but I have had a few minor issues with it, hence the 4 stars. To start with, it is was pretty straightforward to put together. The clamping force is pretty good, but the mechanism developed an annoying squeak only after a few days of use. Tried WD40, but it only improved the squeak slightly. Had to dismantle it and adjust the runners a bit to reduce the squeak further, but decided to live with it in the end. Still going sturdy though and in regular use. Recommended for the price.

Have just finished assembling the workbench. Process went fairly smoothly although the supplied spanner is pretty useless when tightening nuts at the end. It was a bit disconcerting when a hidden screw and small plate fell out from one of the 'Top frames'. This isn't mentioned anywhere I can see in the user manual but it appears that it might just be a means of restraining the 'Crank handles' when unassembled workbench is in transit. I now have a sturdy workbench, albeit with one 'Top frame' still having the screw and small plate above in place and now not that easy to remove.

Tbh ,I wasn't expecting much for £25 but this workbench is surprisingly good ,ok it's not as good as a genuine workmate but on the plus side it's not as heavy and cumbersome, its easy to bolt together,took 20 min to assemble, I would say if you want just a lightweight bench you can't go wrong with this , I would definitely recommend this product

The first time I used it the two metal pieces pictured dropped from somewhere which was really annoying especially as I can't find where to put them back? It's not a bad unit though the instructions could be better. The metal used is on the limit for being strong enough, there are manufactured kinks/indentations designed to stop the legs folding in on themselves, I'd personally prefer stronger metal. The protractor and ruler won't last two minutes, the gauge on the protractor was already missing numbers and I would imagine after a few uses the rule numbers will soon wear away. Sadly like most 'wooden' items you get MDF which in this case is too soft for what it's intended use is, I suppose you get what you pay for. My old Black and Decker workbench had true wood tops thicker metal construction and lasted me almost 20 years, given bits are falling off on its first use and all the above I don't see this bench lasting a decade 🥺

Good sturdy construction. Assembly instructions hopeless. I had to go to YouTube to learn how to assemble it. Suitable for heavy duty jobs.

I bought this workbench for some light woodwork whilst refurbishing my new house, such as holding wood for planing, sawing & drilling etc. It's also extremely useful for clamping my sharpening stone while honing chisels! The bench took about half an hour to put together, although like other reviewers, I found the instructions a bit hard to follow. It would have been nice if some large pictures and/or drawings of the fully assembled unit had been included, and maybe even an exploded diagram, to help understand how the various parts fit together. However, I managed ok by referring to the instructions & the photos on the box. The leg assemblies are conveniently labelled 'L' and 'R', which is a great help. The bench is easy to use, and doesn't wobble about on the floor. You can either clamp your work directly in the jaws, or use the dogs provided which fit into various holes in the worktop. There's a protractor printed on the front worktop, although I'm not entirely sure what this is for! There's also a ruler along the front edge. One point to note about the ruler & protractor- don't use solvents to clean the worktops! I used some acetone to clean a spill, and it smudged the lettering. After you've finished, the workbench folds up neatly, and it's nice and light to carry around- this was the main feature I was looking for, as I've had workbenches in the past which weighed a ton! I wouldn't like to use the MDF worktops for anything heavy, such as hammering in nails, or heavy chiselling, and I certainly wouldn't want to stand on the bench, as I suspect the tops might fracture quite easily, especially with all those holes, as others have also pointed out! But for light work it should be absolutely fine, and should last a long time.