Black & Decker WM425 Workmate 425 550-Pound Capacity Portable Workbench

by Black & Decker

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

The Black & Decker Workmate project center might just be the item you need to make your home shop complete. Its versatility makes it an especially ideal choice for those with limited shop floor space: use it as a workbench, a bench tool stand, a vise, or a sawhorse, then quickly break it down and store it out of the way. Because it's lightweight and portable, you can move it conveniently wherever it's needed. The one-handed vise clamp system, with its exclusive clutch design, provides quick and easy clamping. The Workmate also features an extra block to expand your work surface, four swivel pegs, and an adjustable front jaw that swings up for vertical clamping. Its legs fold under to provide the lower height and stability needed when you're using it as a base for bench tools, and its all-steel construction and rubber feet ensure a stable, strong work surface that supports up to 550 pounds. All in all, we were pretty impressed. With features like these, it's no wonder the Workmate is a popular choice for light-duty and home shop use. --Tim Block

Amazon.com Product Description

Black & Decker’s WM425 Workmate 425 550-pound capacity portable workbench has an extremely durable and sturdy frame and an innovative one-handed clamp system. Its feature set and reliability make it ideal for carpenters, woodworkers, DIY enthusiasts, home mechanics, and anyone looking for home shop assistance.

WM425 Workmate 425 Portable Workbench At a Glance: One-handed clamping system adjusts clamps together or separately Adjustable swivel pegs support multiple shapes Adjustable jaws and vertical clamping provide flexibility and stability Dual height adjustment allows legs to fold under Supports up to 550 pounds, 29 inches by 20-5/8 inches of work surface

Black & Decker’s WM425 Workmate 425 portable workbench supports up to 550-pounds and has a one-handed clamp system (view larger).

A Host of Helpful Features
The array of helpful attributes within Black & Decker’s WM425 Workmate 425 portable workbench starts with its inventive one-handed clamping system. This clamping system allows the clamps to be adjusted together or separately, providing vast versatility and a range of project usages. It also comes with adjustable swivel pegs that support a wide variety of shapes by holding oddly or un-routinely-shaped work pieces and holding them securely. Also, the adjustable jaws and vertical clamping provides flexibility and stability when clamping materials as well as providing the ability to clamp different sizes.

Substantial and Strong
Black & Decker’s WM425 Workmate 425 portable workbench has a heavy-gauge steel frame construction that supports up to 550 pounds. This is one tough table. It has a handy dual height adjustment, which allows the workbench’s legs to fold under, making it easy to lower the height for larger projects. In addition, the workbench folds up rapidly for simple wall storage or non-intrusive storage within other spaces. It provides you with 1-9/16-inch vertical clamping, 7-1/2-inch parallel clamping, 19-inch parallel peg clamping, and 30-inch diagonal peg clamping.

Dimensions and Warranty
Black & Decker’s WM425 Workmate 425 portable workbench measures 29.2 inches by 8.9 inches by 29.5 inches, and has a work surface of 29 inches by 20-5/8 inches. It comes with a two-year warranty.

About Black & Decker
Since 1910, Black & Decker has been setting the standard for innovation and design of power tools, accessories, lighting products, hardware, and other home improvement products. The inventor of the first portable electric drill with pistol grip and trigger switch, Black & Decker has evolved from a small machine shop in Baltimore, Maryland, to a global manufacturing and marketing powerhouse with a broad line of quality products used in and around the home and for commercial applications. When users need to get work done, they trust Black & Decker for the products that will do the job efficiently and reliably.

What's in the Box
One Black & Decker WM425 Workmate 425 portable workbench, 4 swivel pegs.

Black & Decker’s WM425 Workmate 425 portable workbench has helpful features, stores easily, and is very sturdy (click each to enlarge).

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 29.2 x 8.9 x 29.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 36.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0000224R9
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: WM425
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (176 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,269 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #4 in Home Improvement > Building Supplies > Material Handling > Workbenches

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

161 of 165 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great tool, but minor fixes required, June 14, 2001

By 

Phillip P. Schmidt "philschmidt" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black & Decker WM425 Workmate 425 550-Pound Capacity Portable Workbench (Tools & Home Improvement)

Don't be confused but the WM425 = Workmate 550 Project Center is the latest top of the line. The design of the table is excellent, but its minor construction flaws merit it only 4 stars. First, do consider the problems folks had with shipping damage. This is due to minimal padding in the Black&Decker box. If UPS ships this product without additional protection, there is a good chance it will get damaged. Second, at the store you'll have a choice of which box to select. Even at HomeDepot, some were badly bruised. My unit had a spring that popped off but was easily fixed. What took a little tweaking was the main clamping shelf was not installed parallel to the other boards. I fixed it by making sure the bolts were aligned properly and synched with the sprocketed drive belt, but if you read the assembly directions first, you might get away with fixing this by getting the handles to click, which disengages the sprockets and allows the cranks to be operated independently to fix a misalignment. After these minor fixes, the table worked flawlessly. The book 25 Essential Projects for Your Workshop describes some simple extensions you can build for the Workmate. Don't worry that the benchdogs are plastic, they work fine. You can build stronger ones if you like. The main drive mechanism is plastic, so don't over-torque your work. The only other glitch I couldn't fix was cosmetic. The neato grid did not line up across all three boards because the pre-drilled holes for the support blocks were a little off. I also didn't find that the vertical clamping strength to be very strong, but its adequate, and the one-hand operation works well and is slick. I plan to use my workmate to support some heavy table tools, and clamp some work that I route or carve. My final word to B&D is, you've got a great product, don't blow it with poor packaging and hurried assembly.

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Overweight and overpriced but very sexy anyway., September 26, 2000

By 

Robert J. Murrell (PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black & Decker WM425 Workmate 425 550-Pound Capacity Portable Workbench (Tools & Home Improvement)

Likes: The Workmate is a tremendously good idea. I'm finding all kind of uses for it. I like Michael Edelman's idea to use it as a tool stand. It clamps my DeWalt framing saw upside down so I have an el cheapo table saw. My Bosch Progressor jigsaw (another purchase based on an Amazon user review) works that way too. (And my belt sander.) This is a good buy. I'm lovin' it to pieces. Dislikes: It arrived via UPS in bad shape. Looked like they dropkicked it all the way here. The particleboard top was broken in 2 places. And these boards are heavy...as is the steel frame. This old girl ought to go on a diet. That particleboard top might hold 550 pounds but it had better be distributed over the whole thing. Overall: Black & Decker sent me the replacement pieces quickly (and the lady I talked to was very courteous and apologetic about my problem...wish I remembered her name Black & Decker. She's the type person who's keeping people coming back to you.) I'd say that it was overwieght, overpriced, but I like it anyway.

136 of 143 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not just for hobbyists, March 6, 2000

By 

Michael J Edelman (Huntington Woods, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Black & Decker WM425 Workmate 425 550-Pound Capacity Portable Workbench (Tools & Home Improvement)

I have two Workmates; the second I purchased last year, and the first, over 15 years ago. Both get regular workouts. I use them for sawhorses, tool stands, clamps, drying stands and more.

The tool stand trick is great for working in restricted quarters, or in the field. I have a number of power tools mounted on a piece of plywood with a cleat screwed to the bottom so I can clamp them on the Workmate for a quick-change tool stand.

The folded metal construction and particle board tops of the current models makes them look more like hobbyist gear than serious tools, but they last. Owners get attached to them, too. Funny, but I've never seen a used one for sale.