MAC ALLISTER FOLDING WORKSTATION. Ideal For Indoor and Outdoor Workshop Use

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There are some downsides though. The half-hour it takes to assemble the bench might be forgotten after a while but is certainly an irritation at the time. But the weedy 100kg capacity means you’ll be a little limited as to what the Minotaur can be used for, and it feels a little wobblier when faced with a heavy wheel or other weighty component. We reviewed six of the best-selling workbenches to see which stood out for the motoring DIYer. We tested how well they gripped a radiator hose while being cut, held a wheel while it was being wire brushed, and provided a platform to hold a differential. Clarke’s bench has some useful features, including a choice of two working heights for the work surface and a substantial 150kg load capacity, which is enough for an entire engine or gearbox from a smaller car. The plywood worktop is fixed in a horizontal position, though. Folding workbenches provide a safe platform to put parts on and clamp tight while you work on them. Once you’re finished, the benches neatly fold away to maximise garage space. We put six designs to the test to see if the original Workmate has a vice-like grip on the Best Buy title, or a rival can set a new benchmark in our workshop How we tested them Most of us will have some Silverline tools in our garage or shed. They are good value and useful for jobs which you don’t do often or won’t need anything too sophisticated, such as chisels and hammers. The TB01 follows the same pattern and is excellent value; in fact it is the cheapest workbench we could find.

mac allister folding table vs keter folding table | Talk mac allister folding table vs keter folding table | Talk

The downside is a relatively low 100kg capacity and the half hour you need to invest on assembly. If your garage space is at a premium you might also need to consider storage, because the Minotaur is an awkward shape once folded. It feels solid and stable too, and has a decent 150kg load capacity, which should be enough for a small engine. The downside to this is a comparatively heavy 11.7kg overall weight. The two bench boards are fixed horizontally, but the clamping edges are shaped to grip smaller items such as pipes or fastenings.

If money was no object, we’d choose the innovative Mac Allister Folding Workbench. It is easy to use, and the size of the surfaces makes it much more useful for most automotive tasks. It also folds down neatly for storage. The “step” is useful for steadying the bench while sawing and can be used to work on taller parts, such as the top of a body panel. The downside is that folding and unfolding the Clarke is a time-consuming business, with legs to be deployed and knobs to be tightened. But it is reasonably compact when folded. On the face of it there seems to be little reason why the Draper is worth twice the price of a bench like the Silverline. It has no special features such as dual heights or tilting work surfaces and looks pretty basic. But as reflected in its name, the Draper’s main selling point is its 800mm width. While the Silverline is fine for lighter tasks such as painting and cleaning, it did feel a little wobbly when loaded with our heavy wheel. We’d certainly be nervous about approaching the claimed 100kg maximum load capacity.

MAC ALLISTER FOLDING WORKSTATION. Ideal For Indoor and

I have two of the Keter, a McAllister and a Forge Steel - The McAllister and Forge steel are own brands (Screwfix, B&Q) but basically badged items. I've not noticed any difference between them. They were bought at different times - normally when on offer somewhere.Some classic Morris owners might buy this good-value workbench just for the name, but it has another useful feature. In addition to the conventional clamping action of the two plank-like work surfaces, they can also be individually tilted to 45 or 90 degrees. This makes it far easier to hold awkwardly shaped or large components. The really remarkable feature of the Workmate is the maximum load capacity – a whopping 250kg. That’s enough to hold a Rover V8 engine. We didn’t test it to that extreme, but it certainly felt perfectly secure with our heavy wheel and differential. Mac Allister Folding Workbench 850MM – Recommended Who knows ... there are a couple of dimensional differences although both look identical. The difference in capacity is massive - if they were closer, then it may be a reasonable assumption that they could be, but to me, from what is online, they may be different build specs.