Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Portable workbench buying guide

Updated: October 2026

You are looking at a garage bay or a flat hallway, and the listings are shouting 160 kg, 200 kg, 450 kg and 900 kg. This portable workbench buying guide puts the hold and the place the bench lives ahead of those numbers. A portable bench is one you fold and carry, or roll and park. The [mobile workbench comparison](/hub/workshop/mobile-workbench) holds the amazon.co.uk prices in this set. Products Compared used those listings and the review notes behind them, not a lab, on 19 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are looking at a garage bay or a flat hallway, and the listings are shouting 160 kg, 200 kg, 450 kg and 900 kg. This portable workbench buying guide puts the hold and the place the bench lives ahead of those numbers.

Our top picks

Bosch Bosch PWB 600

Best overall

Bosch Bosch PWB 600
8.7/10about £151.57
View offer
LARBANKE LARBANKE TS-1251O

Alternative

LARBANKE LARBANKE TS-1251O
7.5/10about £139.99
View offer
BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER Workmate 301

Best value

BLACK+DECKER BLACK+DECKER Workmate 301
8.5/10about £34.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What you are holding
  2. 2.Where it has to go when you stop
  3. 3.Height and the load figure
  4. 4.Sockets and assembly
  5. 5.What to do next

What you are holding

A jaw, a bar clamp and a bare top are three different purchases. The Workmate and the Bosch close on a pipe or a short piece. The WORX, the Pony and the Metabo use bar clamps, dogs or a T-groove for a door. Both LARBANKE tops list no jaws. An 85 mm Bosch jaw, from a UK write-up, will not swallow a door. The Workmate opening of 0–115 mm is a dealer spec, not an amazon details line.

Where it has to go when you stop

A fold around 9–13 cm can live in a cupboard. WORX quotes 79 × 63.5 × 13 cm at 13.9 kg. The Workmate is 6.6 kg after you build it. The Bosch is 11.4 kg and needs no assembly. The Metabo stays about 1 m long at 22.1 kg. A 120 cm LARBANKE never becomes slim. That split is on folding or rolling.
Bosch Bosch PWB 600

Testsieger

Bosch Bosch PWB 600
8.7/10about £151.57
View offer

Height and the load figure

Two Workmate height lines must stay apart. The brand page states 760 mm. The amazon details field states a minimum of 84 cm. The Pony runs 765–890 mm, Metabo UK states 800–1,000 mm, and the LARBANKE listings state 85–105 cm. Bosch states 200 kg, the Workmate 160 kg, and Metabo UK 120 kg. Both LARBANKE titles state over 900 kg, which was not measured here. If staff use the bench, PUWER 1998 regulation 20 requires the employer to stabilise it. A householder is outside that duty.

Sockets and assembly

A socket matters only on the two LARBANKE benches, and they are not the same plug. A reviewer of the TS-1251O describes UK sockets and USB-A. Reviews of the TS-1251O-1 disagree. If the pins are not BS 1363, stop. The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 require approval for UK plugs. The Office for Product Safety and Standards reported strip PSD 2403-0065 failing those checks. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers a UK socket in the pictures and another plug in the box. The Griplier at £279.00 has no review text.

What to do next

The work is a short piece in jaws, a panel in clamps, or a bare top you clamp yourself. The bench disappears into a cupboard, or it occupies about 120 × 50 cm. The entry price is the Workmate at £34.00. From £131.99 to £159.99 the shelf mixes types. The Metabo is £174.95. Who should leave each folding model alone is on the best folding workbench page.

Common questions

What kilogram do I actually need for DIY?
For light DIY, the stated 160 kg on the Workmate and the stated 200 kg on the Bosch are the figures on the listings, not a result measured here. A sawhorse claim of 450 kg or 454 kg is a different mode from a table claim of 120 kg or 135 kg. Match the number to the way you load the bench. Treat a 900 kg line on a £139.99 wooden bench as a seller claim.
Why do two benches quote a table load and a higher sawhorse load?
WORX UK states 135 kg as a table and 450 kg as a sawhorse. The Pony bullets state 227 kg as a table and 454 kg as a sawhorse. A sawhorse carries a long piece on a narrow top. A table spreads work across the whole top. The higher number is the wrong figure for a point load in the middle of the table.
Will it fit in a cupboard or only in a garage?
The WORX folded size in the bullets is 79 × 63.5 × 13 cm. The Bosch and the Workmate also fold flat, at 11.4 kg and 6.6 kg. The Metabo folds to about 88.5 mm thick and stays about 1 m long at 22.1 kg. A 120 cm LARBANKE does not fold, so it needs a room that can spare that footprint.
Is 760 mm too low?
It was too low for a reviewer at 6 ft 4 in on the Workmate. The brand page states 760 mm. The amazon details field states a minimum of 84 cm, and those two lines should stay separate. The Pony runs 765–890 mm, Metabo UK states 800–1,000 mm, and the LARBANKE listings state 85–105 cm.
Does a printed 900 kg mean a stronger bench than a 120 kg Metabo?
Nothing here measured that. The LARBANKE 900 kg line is a seller claim, and reviews describe legs that rack unless they are braced. The Metabo UK page states 120 kg on a folding table with a levelling foot. Read each figure as a claim for that bench, then judge the frame.
When does a plug on the bench matter?
It matters when the bench includes a strip, which here is the LARBANKE pair. Confirm BS 1363 pins on the unit in front of you. The two ASINs do not share one plug finding. ETL on a bullet is not UK approval of a 13 A socket.

Related pages

How to clamp work on a portable bench

How to set up a folding workbench

Mobile workbench

Best folding workbench UK: top pick and best value

Folding workbench or workbench with wheels: the split

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page, read on 19 October 2026.

  1. PUWER 1998, regulation 20 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. OPSS: LDNIO power strip PSD 2403-0065 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Metabo UK: MWB 100 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Black+Decker UK: Workmate 301 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. WORX EU: Pegasus WX051 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. DIY Garden: workbench round-up (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 19 October 2026)