BLACK+DECKER Workmate 825 Dual-Height Workbench, WM825-XJ

Ok putting this thing together should have taken a few minutes, but after looking at the instruction for 5 minutes I just threw them away and watched a youtube video. The instructions have no bearing on assembling the workmate and may as well be written in Ancient Greek for all the use they were. Sort it out black and decker.As for the item itself it is nice and sturdy. Although the handles seem very wobbly and loose compared to my old workmate. Just another example of using cheaper materials/ fixings I suppose that we`ve come to expect in modern day life.I did have one issue when it was assembled, the plastic strip that runs from one handle to the other (to help with tightening both handles when only one is being turned) was all twisted and not connected underneath. So had to fiddle about with that to get it all lines up and reconnected. Not the end of the world but 5 minutes of fiddling about with a new item which I shouldn't have needed to do.

I spent some time reading these fairly mixed reviews before deciding to purchase the Workmate. It arrived on time, well packaged and well built.The stand is probably much lighter than the originals but it's made from pressed steel with dished stiffeners. As soon as I erected it I knew it would easily deal with anything I could throw at it.The dual height option is great since the lower height is ideal for acting as a stand for my router table.The instructions are terrible... but hey... if your buying it you're probably interested in DIY therefore sure to have at least some "mechanical aptitude". I ditched the instructions and just figured it out, I quite enjoyed the challenge. There's only 8 parts and 4 bolts for heavens sake.The top is thick level and clearly marked. I don't suppose the marked on angles and measurements are accurate to a micron, but as a guide they're great.The much criticised plastic belt that connects the two clamping handles is "clearly" designed for quickly spinning the jaws to the clamping position, and then tightening with one hand on each handle to nip it up. Anyone who expects to put all their weight on one handle and have it transferred to the other by the belt without breaking it is, in my opinion, expecting far too much.It folds impressively flat for its size.Finally two little niggles, but neither hamper its operation. Folding the feet back down relies on a bit of a "plasticy" clicky catch. The release bar that is pulled for the 90 degree clamping option is a bit "rickety"All in all a great purchase! Would easily recommend.

This is a sturdy workbench; dual height and very flexible when in use. However, there are a few niggles! Firstly, the assembly instructions are AWFUL. I had looked at other reviews so i suspected they were poor, but wow, for an established brand leader, this is unacceptable. I suggest you watch youtube videos to help with assembly. Once assembled, it all works well, but the 825 deluxe has handles that rotate together so you can adjust one-handed. A useful feature you would assume, but you can't tighten up properly unless you use both handles. What I can't suss out is the disengagement of this feature to adjust angled jaws. These a spring underneath but unless you pull these back by hand on each side, the drive belt just 'skips' the holes. I don't hold out much hope for the longevity of this bit, TBH. I think I'll disengage the belt and not use the one-handed adjustment at all.Will it last years? Well I hope so; my previous one was the earliest version and still going strong (albeit with replacement wooden jaws). It's good, but the instructions make for a bad first impression. Come on B&D, sort it out!!

Works great,I like the flip up section and the interconnected handles.I’m not convinced it’s as strong as my previous one, but time will tell.

Very pleased, good quality portable workbench which is easy to use & assemble , folds well for easy storage

I already own two 'original' workmates from decades ago. They have served me well, but they are showing their age. So I bought this 'top of the range' model as a 'treat'. I wish I hadn't.The main problem is that the working surfaces are not firmly fixed even though the steel frame is good and solid (and unchanged from the original design). The extra features have clearly been designed by people who have not properly understood how these benches are used.1) the front surface can be turned up to clamp vertically. This is great but the mechanism is poorly designed with far too much slack. Production costs would have been no higher if the slots and lugs had been proply matched so this is down to poor design not cost saving.2) the rear surface can be placed in a choice of three positions. This would be great, except that the fixing is now so sloppy you can no longer treat it as a workbench for clamping your job too; if you gently knock it it comes out.3) the rear surface is larger. This would be great except it still has the original short support pieces, so the back half projects out 'on a limb' so it is not a surface you can use for much: all that holds it in place are some tiny plastic wings; one whack of a mallet would probably snap them off.Finally, as many have pointed out, the instructions have a page missing and six parts are not mentioned in the parts list.Probably I will use this dissappointing object for 'spares' to replace lost or worn out parts on my original workmates.

I don't know what all the fuss is about. There's a lot of people posting reviews that this unit is hard to assemble. I agree that the instructions are not that helpful. They attempt to convey in pictures what would be relatively easy to describe in words. I guess this is so that they don't need to create lots of different instructions for different languages.But in reality all you need is a hammer, and about 10 minutes to figure it out. The instructions aren't entirely useless. Hammer a pair of split pins into place, clip in a pair of handles. Then fix a couple of platforms to the underside of the bigger piece of wood with the supplied bolts and little plastic spanner. Repeat for the smaller piece of wood, bolting it to the adjustable platforms that are just underneath the table of the bench. You're done.A quick shufty of the first couple of pages of the book (the rest is an operating guide - that's pretty common sense anyway), and a look at the photo on the box and it's obvious how it goes together. No video needed.Once built the bench is easy enough to use. The only thing that's not obvious is that the right hand crank has a mechanism that allows it to be turned independently of the other one, so that if you want to close the main jaws of the table at an angle, you can do that.Pretty sturdy once upright. Happy with it.

Instructions useless, had to find how to assemble from Youtube. Winder handles wobble (even with fixing pins bashed in) making it unpleasant to use.We ordered the the unit “without” the rear jaw turning up through 90 degrees, we received the unit with the quick click handle that makes it raise the rear jaw. I expected the unit as ordered, to have a non 2-position rear jaw, with a quick clap & release front handle. All the from handle on this model does is enable the rear jaw to be raised.Also, the rear large jaw, just loosely slots into the frame release/adjustment holes and does not securely lock into place for use or for when the unit is collapsed or transported/stored.I bought this for my elderly Father who wanted it for woodworking, if he tried to move it or adjust the 3 position rear jaw, then due to looseness of that jaw which won’t lock securely into the frame, he could risk injury when trying to use it. It was bad enough for me trying to assemble & then operate safely, let alone an 87 year old person (who I might add, is still very competent & skilful in his use of tools.We want either a full refund or the correct unit sending please ‘fully assembled’ Also, as the unit is now unable to be disassembled, ie the handles cannot be removed due to the stupid pin fixing arrangement. We’re also not prepared to try & dissemble the front jaw, as this was also a nightmare trying to make sense of the very poor pictorial only, assembly sheet, (hence the need for YouTube)All in all, I cannot believe how the quality of Black & Decker products have gone down, which leads me to believe that your buyer has not sent us a genuine B&D product & we have been sold a cheap ‘pirate’ version. I’m sure B&D wouldn’t send such poor assembly instructions as it came with. Even the Black & Decker label sticker on the workmate seems not to be genuine in the way it is applied & looks. It’s actually stuck over some gaps/square holes in the front of the top frame which is easy to puncture through during normal use, which at best, would then make a brand new unit look very shabby & even worse quality. (It also looks different from the picture of advertised workmates & even the item as displayed in the YouTube video of the same model number unit.Firstly please issue a full refund. I also won’t be returning or repackaging this unless as mentioned, someone collects & packages this, or it’s actually replaced with the correct item I ordered.I look forward to your positive replyMany thanks Richard Wall

De verpakking was beschadigd. Samen met de DHL bezorger uitgebreid gekeken maar alles was gelukkig compleet en onbeschadigd.Wat betreft het in elkaar zetten van deze Black+Decker Workmate. Wat een ramp, er zit geen installatie handleiding bij.

It is a bit disappointing as compared to a workmate I had 30 years ago, I wore it out. The metal is thinner. The part that rotates (the smaller board) is very loose, it does not lay flat or evenly with the larger board. The tray between the handles was eliminated. The board previously supplied just above the retractable legs has been eliminated, hence a place to hold tools is gone. I will cut and fit a board in there. It's deluxe? The holes do not hold the plastic wrench so the wrench is loose and is easily lost. The assembly instructions are awful, very lacking. The dogs are larger than I remember which is good. It is still rather unique in its capabilities and I look forward to using it. I am disappointed in the changes that were made in its design. Quality is lacking. Weight and ease of use are fine. Durability, time will tell. Sturdiness is fine.

Stadig konstruktion, står still. Bra med två höjder.

Da ich relativ hohe Ansprüche habe, sind volle fünf Punkte für mich eher ein Novum. Doch diese Werkbank ist zu diesem Preis wirklich unschlagbar! Ich hatte mir vorher in Baumärkten diverse andere Produkte angeschaut, sowohl anderer Hersteller, als auch des gleichen, und keine konnte auch nur ansatzweise mit der Workmate WM825 mithalten. Die Werkbank ist enorm stabil, leicht zu bedienen und sehr hochwertig verarbeitet. Die zweistufige Arbeitshöhe ist ebenfalls top, auch wenn die niedrigere Höhe für meinen Geschmack und meine Größe (1,8m) etwas zu niedrig geraten ist. Aber dennoch schön, dass auch kleinere Menschen bedacht wurden.Absolut genial und einzigartig ist die Möglichkeit eine Seite des Tisches um 90° zu kippen, wobei das Werkstück immer noch bombenfest gehalten wird. Da hatte ich zuvor etwas Bedenken. Lediglich die Kanten sind noch etwas zu scharf und könnten hier und dort noch etwas besser abgerundet sein.Die Lieferung erfolgte in Rekordgeschwindigkeit und dauerte von der Bestellung bis zur Lieferung nur einen Tag. Allerdings wurde auf "normales" Füllmaterial beim versenden verzichtet und der riesige Karton (die Werkbank wurde komplett montiert geliefert) mit alten Verpackungen, also Müll gefüllt. Einerseits eine tolle Idee zur Müllvermeidung, andererseits eine unverschämte Art seinen Hausmüll bei den Kunden abzuladen. Die Wertung darüber überlasse ich jedem selbst, weshalb ich dafür keinen Punkt abziehe!

Estupendo banco de trabajo para realizar trabajos caseros como yo, muy fácil de plegar y desplegar. Pesa lo suficiente para ser estable, no 1kg como dicen, podían rectificarlo, es de risa. Aun siendo fácil de montar te tienes que buscar la vida porque las instrucciones brillan por su ausencia.