dxg Say: Black And Decker Workmate 425
Don't buy mail order, 2005-01-16
This review is for: Black And Decker Workmate 425
This is an OK product with several major caveats. Don't buy mail order. It will arrive damaged. The packaging is nonexistent and the plastic fittings on the underside of the boards will break in shipping. I've done it twice. If you must have it, buy from a retailer and check everything before you take it home.
As a product for fixed home use it's OK. For taking to work sites, it's too heavy and awkward to fold, unfold and carry. Also, the plastic fittings that don't make it through shipping may not make it bouncing around in your truck. They are not very sturdy.
A better choice is the Craftsman (the more expensive one). It has telescoping legs and is easier to fold and carry. The top boards are melamine, but you can make your own hardwood boards. The best pegs/clamps for these workstands are the ones that come with the Skil workstand sold at Lowe.

Eric Antonow Say: Black And Decker Workmate 425
After the drill, the second tool you should buy, 2000-05-18
This review is for: Black And Decker Workmate 425
Deserves a spot in the design hall of fame, this well-constructed foldable bench is responsible for saving thousands of dining room chairs and picnic tables from their accidental scaring and destruction. No longer will you drill through your wood project and into the kitchen countertops, gone are the days where you very foolished used you knee to balance the board you were cutting with the radial saw. The vise is very useful for clamping small glue jobs -- though often not wide enough anything larger -- and serves and an extra pair of hands when you need them most.The extra 40 bucks (vs the WM225) buys you slightly sturdier construction (though I haven't had a problem in 10yrs) and the ability to create a vertical vise/grip. It's not a bad feature to have for certain kinds of fine wood working projects -- but at that point I suspect you're better off getting a permanent work bench. At the same time, I've rarely longed for it.

Phillip P. Schmidt "philschmidt" Say: Black And Decker Workmate 425
Great tool, but minor fixes required, 2001-06-14
This review is for: Black And Decker Workmate 425
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.

Doug W. Say: Black And Decker Workmate 425
Not close to the quality of the original, 2008-06-08
This review is for: Black And Decker Workmate 425
The WM425 has lots of ingenious features but they are made so cheaply-- with plastic and thin metal-- that those features are more of a marketing ploy than part of a quality Workmate. My original Workmate, which is probably 20 years old, is working like new. My WM425 is already broken-- one of the handles broke off. The WM425 takes me at least twice the effort to perform tasks that the original Workmate can do because the screw length of the WM425 is so short you often have to remove and shift the back two bamboo platforms in order to clamp wood between them-- going from 1 1/2" to 6". Also you often have to find a place to put the center/rear platform that has to be removed at times. The platforms use plastic parts that slide into notches in the top metal rails. The fit of the platforms to the rails are cleaver but I do not believe they will last long-- especially if you need to clamp down hard or move/change them. Which, brings up the point the WM425 Workmate does not clamp down as well as the original Workmate. And, the one handed tightening feature is poorly made and does not work well. The original Workmate sits well on its side when folded up. The WM425 falls over in the slightest breeze.
I called Black and Decker just after my WM425 arrived because one of the plastic pegs arrived broken. The customer service at Black and Decker is excellent and she sent a replacement peg to me on the spot. I told her that the WM425 seemed cheaply manufactured but I would keep it because sometimes things that look cheaply made actually work fine anyway. I also mentioned to her that I would pay much more for an original workmate if they were to manufacture them again-- since I know they last a long time. Also, although the box looked fine, the Workmate arrived twisted so the pull bar did not function. (By the way, I twisted it back-- the metal is so thin it twists easily.)
Well I've had the WM425 for about 6 months and hardly use it. I am using my original Workmate about 100 times a month and I still could use need another quality workmate. But, the WM425 is such a disappointment that I'm using a sawhorse instead. If you own one of the original Workmates you are most likey going to hate these new ones.
I do not often write reviews, but these are so bad in comparison that I hope to prevent others from making my mistake. At the very least, try one before you buy it.

BSA Boy Say: Black And Decker Workmate 425
Old Workmate vs New, 2005-03-21
This review is for: Black And Decker Workmate 425
I had an original workmate for almost 25 years. When I moved a few years ago I gave it to my son who had just purchased his first house. Now 5 years later I really miss that old workmate. So I decided to replace it and purchased a new WM425 from Home Depot. It promised to be everything the old one was and more. WRONG!! What a piece of crap compared to the original. It's built out of stamped metal instead of heavier gauge aluminum and is not at all easy to unfold. The worst feature is the vise action which is not as tight or precise as the original. The 2 handles are joined by a cheap light plastic perforated strap so that both sides tighten (sort of) at the same time. This eliminates the possibility of clamping pieces whose sides aren't parallel. So it's going back to HD and my son and I will be having joint custody of the old Workmate.