B&D Workmate 825 any good?

I want a folding workbench for my birthday from my parents, I don't have enough room at uni for a proper workbench so this will have to do until I get my own house.

I've read some reviews of workbenches available at the moment and a lot get rubbish reviews. The better of them are the B&D WM825, though even that has mixed reviews.

Does anyone have any advice on which to get or can recommend a different brand? I'm looking for one for less than £70.

Comments

[=SMART=]

My dad used to have a B&D bench just like that, dont know the exact model number but it was great, really sturdy and versatile.

Its lasted forever ! B&D are quality tools, it might even come with a warranty

[=SMART=]

just saw this down there
http://www.instructables.com/id/Workmate-tm-resurrection/

that one lasted 20 years !

[Jayefuu]

The phrase that's being thrown around a lot in the reviews is "They don't make 'em like they used to". :(

[Robbie245]

They're not half bad.

[Jayefuu]

For anyone that finds this in the future, I went with the B&D WM825 in the end. It seems really solid and well made, I don't know what the bad reviews on Amazon were all about.

[=SMART=]

Awesome, Have Fun !

[orksecurity]

Depends on what you want from it. I have an older member of that family, and if you think of it as something halfway between a workbench and a sawhorse it isn't bad. For some things the built-in clamp is useful; for others it isn't. For some things the holes are useful (I got a cheap set of toggle clamps along with the original clamp heads, which let me clamp things down to the top as well as between its halves), for other tasks they're just another opportunity to drop things on the floor.

For some tasks, an ordinary folding table (possibly with a sheet of plywood or something similar as a "sacrificial" top that can be replaced when it gets damaged) would work as well or better. For others...

So: Is it "any good" gets answered "yes". That doesn't necessarily mean it's the best thing for _you_ to spend your money on.

[Kiteman]

Any workbench is better than no workbench.

My dad uses one from B&Q, one of their own "Performance" brand items, I think.  It cost him around £30, and he's happy with it.

(I use their "Performance" power tools, and I have no complaints.)

It does not seem to be on their website, though...

[Burf]

I have one that is around 20-25 years old. It was used nearly everyday in my construction company by assorted tradesmen and laborers. It has been dropped from the roof of a house onto a concrete driveway, had 50 sheets of 1/2' plywood stacked on it, left in rain and snow and generally abused in every way its not intended to be.
The 7/8 inch plywood top is worn, split, saw cut and partially delaminating from exposure to the elements, and the plastic clamping lugs have long since disappeared, but when I sold my company, that was one of the few tools that I kept. My son will probably get it when I kick off.
Bear in mind though, mine was built years ago and I can't attest to the new ones, but my old clunker works as well today as when I bought it.

[professor2005]

I've had mine for years and although it is not a primary work surface, I can take it from the basement to the back yard and I use it for a lot of things from a vice to a drill press stand.