Christmas is coming . Is it worth spending lots on them or just get a basic one?

The flashy ones are over complicated. Occasionally handy but not really worth it. Two of the basic ones is more useful.

this one?

There a quite a few – do similar things to a workmate but different – about. The Ketter one (usually about £50 in B&Q at the moment) is very good – gives more work surface and somewhere below the work surface to put stuff out of the way, clamping is via two quick clamps that you can then detach and us for other clamping jobs.

The whole thing packs away really well too

Theres another one that I can’t remember the name of – but I I do I’ll post it

I was going to suggest the Keter one too. I don’t have one but have a very old & basic B&Q special that I’m tempted to replace with one of them.

remembered – its the Framex

Can be used in two orientations – one way round its like a taller workmate that you can stand more upright at while working. Turned on its side you can support full sheets of plywood, doors etc. Because it just holds the board in 4 points (you can adjust the positions for squarer or longer narrower shapes) you can cut and drill quite freely without hitting the support

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo0k9htlQPY[/video]

Ohh I like that Keter one.

Ohh I like that Keter one.

The they’re as cheap as they’re ever likely to be in B&Q just now – theres a similar, more basic one thats really an over-size saw horse – its easy to confuse the two. The latter should be cheaper but they’re selling that full price and the work-mate-esque one at a discount

Keter one here. Gets a lot of use. Very impressive bit of kit.

I’d ask the family to club together and get me one of those Keter ones for Christmas but for the fact they got me a Workmate one last year 🙁

Saw a builder using some interesting trestles the other day, they were just two metal brackets which you inserted lengths of 2×4 into, so endlessly re-placeable. Looked really neat, but never seen that design for sale anywhere.

Saw horse brackets – I’ve got half a feeling Axminster did them a while back

arrgh my eye!

EDIT – in fact a search on amazon will turn them up.

they got me a Workmate one last year

n+1 🙂

Saw horse brackets –

They were this design, looked very nifty..

http://www.sawhorsebrackets.com

whatever work pays the best mate.

igmc

Homebase have the Black and Decker one on offer at the mo.

http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/black-and-decker-workmate-wm536-835189?cm_mmc=Email-_-Homebase-_-HBBF38AB_RS-_-BDWorkbench&_$ja=tsid:21484%7Ccgn:HBBF38AB_RS&pEmail=<%25user.CustomAttribute.UserID%25>@homebase.co.uk&uid=7701757636&mid=751117462

I’ve got the Keter one, really good bit of kit for what it is.

I don’t rate the current range of B&D workmates, made of flimsy pressed steel with some pretty sharp edges. Before I got my one I used to borrow my dad’s workmate, which used to be my grandad’s. It’s pretty old. It’s made of a mixture of castings, chunky box section and thick gauge folded steel. If I could buy one like that these days I would. Probably cost about £250 though. Will just wait, eventually my dad’s/grandad’s will end up being mine I guess!

Got a homebase offer low end black decker work mate the other week , utter crap but was cheap.
Also have a kettler one but find it never seems to clamp things the way I want

Mark. He’s not as much of an arsehole as Steve.

I’ve got an el cheapo Screwfix one that does the job but isn’t very pleasant to use.
For occasional DIY use though, it is fine and I think it only cost £20.

I keep looking at that Keter one and thinking it would be a handy addition.
B&Q do one, but I am not sure if it’s the same as the Screwfix one.

I got a Keter from B&Q the other week on offer for £45. Don’t know if you’ll find any at that price though – they seem to have replaced them with their own brand Macallister copies at £55

I have the Keter one (bought after the last time this thread topic came up).

It’s good. I like it. Useful as a general tool and pottering table as well as just a workmate.

Another Keter user here. Absolutely brilliant. Sturdy as hell, folds up and down easily. One of my best purchases.

I got a Keter from B&Q the other week on offer for £45. Don’t know if you’ll find any at that price though – they seem to have replaced them with their own brand Macallister copies at £55

Still on their website at £45. I haven’t seen the macalister copies but they might not be ‘copies’ in the sense that Keter sometime manufacture under other peoples brands so the first Keter table I got was branded Black and Decker.

Just spotted on their B&Q’s website that the sell the Framex I linked to above branded as JCB

There’s loads of the Keter ones in the B&Q I go to (Bristol Cribbs Causeway) at £45.

Also, can confirm that the MacAllister ones at £55 are exactly the same as the Keter version (and evidently made by Keter – says made in Israel on the packaging – Keter is an Israeli company) except with blue coloured bits on.

They all look pretty good don’t they even the blonde one! But can they make a cup of tea

Another vote for the keter one, I got mine from b&q for £45.

The older B&D workmates such as that below were better, with their cast aluminium rather than pressed parts. Very stiff & adaptable, with a good wooden working surface.
The one pictured & that for sale aren’t mine, which I doubt I’ll ever get rid of it. It’s seen many years use by my Granddad & will hopefully keep going for a lot longer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Black-and-Decker-Workmate-/172007409480?hash=item280c70c748:g:dyEAAOSwys5WUiCT