The best workbenches, compared.
Top pick: WORX Pegasus WX051 Best value: BLACK+DECKER WM301 – £34.00 and 4.3 from 6,215 reviews, with the instruction and thin-sheet cuts kept in the score. Updated October 2026.
A workbench on amazon.co.uk is not one product. These twelve listings are a folding clamp bench, a folding table with dogs or clamps, or a fixed steel garage bench with shelves. You are choosing for a garage, a shed, or a car boot, and the wrong type is a worse mistake than the wrong brand. In the reviews, quality is a frame that does not rack, jaws or clamps that hold the work, and a top that does not sag under a point load. UK reviews call the paper instructions poor and the sheet thinner than an older Workmate. Stars do not turn a shelf bench into a vice. How to choose the type, then the height and the jaws, is in the [workbench buying guide](/hub/workshop/workbench/sub/workbench-buying-guide). A folding clamp bench uses a split top as a vice and often as a sawhorse. The Stanley FatMax Express is not sold as a table with a dog-hole grid.
A workbench on amazon.co.uk is not one product. These twelve listings are a folding clamp bench, a folding table with dogs or clamps, or a fixed steel garage bench with shelves.
42 products checked · 56 hrs invested · +18,600 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What do you need the bench to do?
The WORX Pegasus WX051 is a folding table and sawhorse that the listing says you open without building, at £131.99 and 13.9 kg. Across 1,978 amazon.co.uk reviews it averages 4.8, the highest stars in this set. The box lists two quick clamps and four clamp dogs, so you are not starting with an empty dog-hole table. Open size is 63.5 × 79 × 81 cm, and the folded pack is 79 × 63.5 × 13 cm. UK reviews call the frame solid, then say it is heavy to carry and that the tray hinges feel flimsy. The load line mixes 300 lb with Italian wording, so there is no single kilogram you can quote, and a vice on this table needs a wooden adapter. It suits a portable clamping table if you can lift 13.9 kg. It is a poor first bench if the budget is the £34 WM301.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A portable table you will clamp on, if you can lift 13.9 kg and pay £131.99.
Less suitable: A buyer who needs a stated kilogram load or a cheap first bench.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the Pegasus include clamps?
Yes. The included-components line lists the bench, two quick clamps, and four clamp pegs.
Do you have to build it?
The listing says no assembly is required.
What is the listed load?
The load attribute is not a single kilogram. It shows 300 lb for table mode and an Italian sawhorse figure.
The Bosch PWB 600 is the folding clamp bench that arrives built: an aluminium frame, a bamboo top, four blade clamps, 11.4 kg, listed at 55.3 × 68 × 83.4 cm and £151.57. Across 5,322 amazon.co.uk reviews it averages 4.7, and UK reviewers describe it as stiffer than a modern Workmate and quick to open. The listing claims 200 kg. That claim was not tested here. The country field says United Kingdom and a UK review says India, so this page does not call it German-made. The included-components line only says 1, while a bullet lists four clamping jaws. At this price it is the top pick if you clamp often and would rather pay than spend a Saturday on a Workmate leaflet. It is a poor fit if £34 is the budget, or if the shed needs shelves rather than jaws.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Someone who will clamp often and would rather pay than assemble a Workmate.
Less suitable: A £34 budget, or a bench that must stay in the shed as shelving.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the PWB 600 need assembly?
The listing says no. UK reviews say it arrives built and opens quickly.
What comes in the box?
The bullet lists four clamping jaws and a carton. The included-components line only says 1.
Where does the listing say it was made?
The country field says United Kingdom. A UK review says India. Both cannot be repeated as a single fact.
The PONY 2-in-1 is an aluminium folding table and sawhorse at £159.99, the highest price in this set, listed at 14.5 kg and 79 × 63.5 × 89 cm. The bullet includes four bar clamps, four bench dogs, and two safety straps, and the listing says you unfold it and use it. Six heights run from 765 mm to 890 mm. It averages 4.7 from 1,883 amazon.co.uk reviews, though many of those comments describe early use rather than a long season in a shed. The load figures on the same page disagree: 226.34 kg on the attribute, and 227 kg and 454 kg in the bullet, and neither was tested here. It is not a split-top vice, so it will not grip a door the way a Workmate does. It fits if you want included clamps and a stated height range and £159.99 is acceptable. A budget clamp bench, or a fixed shed shelf, is a different product.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A folding table with included clamps and a height range, if £159.99 is acceptable.
Less suitable: A budget clamp bench or a fixed shed shelf.
Specifications
Common questions
What is in the PONY box?
The bullet lists the table, four bar clamps, four bench dogs, and two safety straps.
How high does it go?
Six heights from 765 mm to 890 mm.
Which load figure should you trust?
The listing itself disagrees: 226.34 kg on the attribute, 227 kg and 454 kg in the bullet. Neither was tested here.
The LARBANKE 110 cm lists a 110 × 48 cm wood top, six heights from 81 cm to 106 cm, four lockable castors, and four separate feet, at £35.99. The star line is 4.7 from 5 reviews, and the raw file contains two short United Kingdom comments. That sample is why the editorial score is damped: five reviews cannot carry a 200 kg claim. Weight is not listed. The model name is the generic string workbench-stand, and the page also presents it as a standing desk, so it is not only a workshop bench. A printed scale on the top is in the bullets. It is a cheap mobile top only if you accept that the evidence is thin. Anyone who wants a known clamp bench, or a review history in the thousands, should look elsewhere in this set.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A cheap mobile top if you accept that five reviews cannot prove it.
Less suitable: Anyone who wants a known clamp bench or a large review history.
Specifications
Common questions
How many reviews are on the listing?
4.7 from 5. The raw file contains two short United Kingdom reviews.
Does it have wheels?
Yes. Four lockable castors, plus four feet for when it stays put.
What heights are listed?
Six levels from 81 cm to 106 cm.
The STANLEY FATMAX Express is a folding metal table, not a split-top vice: 85 × 61 × 80 cm open, 85 × 61 × 11 cm folded, about 10.5 kg, at £85.99. Across 3,015 amazon.co.uk reviews it averages 4.6. Dog holes and grooves take STANLEY FATMAX clamps, and the box is the bench only, so the clamps are extra. The bullet claims about 450 kg and the attribute says 455 kg, and neither figure was tested here. One listing line says assembly is required and another says it is not; UK reviews say you open it and use it. A repeated practical warning is to keep your fingers clear when the top folds, and the listing does not sell it as an MFT table with a dog-hole grid. It suits you if you already own FATMAX clamps and want a flat top you can carry. It will not grip a door the way a Workmate jaw does.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A flat folding table you can carry at about 10.5 kg and clamp with FATMAX clamps you already own.
Less suitable: A built-in vice, or a woodworking MFT with a dog-hole grid.
Specifications
Common questions
Do clamps come with the FatMax Express?
No. The listing says it works with STANLEY FATMAX clamps and has dog holes. The box line is the bench only.
How small is it when folded?
85 × 61 × 11 cm, and the attribute weight is 10.5 kg.
Is assembly required?
One attribute says yes and another says no assembly is required. UK reviews say you open it and use it.
The LARBANKE 120 cm is a rubber-wood bench you roll, not a folding vice: a 120 × 50 × 3 cm top, five heights from 85 to 105 cm, four lockable castors, and a listed price of £139.99. It averages 4.6 from 507 reviews, and UK reviewers call the build solid. The listing claims 900 kg. Reviews in the file do not show that load being used, so the number stays an untested claim. The socket line says two AC outlets and two USB ports with ETL marked, and it does not say BS 1363, so you need to look at the plug before you connect it. Item weight is not stated, and the manufacturer field says RANON METALS SARL. It suits a garage where you roll the bench into place and then lock the castors. It does not replace a Workmate, and ETL is not a UK plug certificate.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A garage bench you roll into place and then lock, if you confirm the plug yourself.
Less suitable: A folding vice, or anyone who treats 900 kg or ETL as a UK safety certificate.
Specifications
Common questions
Does it have wheels?
Yes. The listing says four lockable 360 degree castors.
Are the sockets a UK 13 A plug?
The listing says the sockets are ETL certified. It does not say BS 1363. Check the plug before you use it.
What load is claimed?
900 kg. Reviews in the file do not show that load being tested.
The BLACK+DECKER WM536 is the dual-height Workmate at £39.99, with 4.5 from 3,174 amazon.co.uk reviews and a 250 kg claim that this comparison did not test. The bullets describe two working heights for a bench, a tool stand, a vice, or a sawhorse, but the only printed minimum is 71.4 cm. Empty weight is 10.1 kg, with dual cranks, swivel pegs, jaw grooves, and rubber feet. Assembly is required, and UK reviews say buyers expected it to arrive more built than it does. The same reviews criticise the instructions and report side flex. The model line says WM536-XE while the title says WM536-XJ. It is the step up from the WM301 when you want two heights and can live with a fiddly build. It is the wrong listing if you want a bench that opens with no assembly.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A step up from the WM301 when you want two heights and can tolerate a fiddly build.
Less suitable: Anyone who wants a bench that opens with no assembly.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the WM536 have two heights?
Yes. The bullets say dual working heights for a bench, a tool stand, a vice, or a sawhorse. Only 71.4 cm is given as a minimum.
Does it arrive assembled?
The listing says assembly is required. UK reviews complain it was not fully built.
What load is claimed?
250 kg. That figure was not tested here.
The BLACK+DECKER WM626 is a dual-height steel Workmate at £89.99 and 11.5 kg, with swivel pegs, jaw grooves, rubber feet, and a 250 kg claim that was not tested here. It averages 4.5 from 582 amazon.co.uk reviews. The listing says assembly is minimal and that no detailed instructions are included. The printed minimum height is 75.31 cm, and the listed size is 70.7 × 43.2 × 70.7 cm. One United Kingdom review says two legs collapsed after about a month, and another says a work surface arrived machined wrong. Those are fault reports, not a measured failure rate, and they are why this bench sits below the no-assembly Bosch despite a familiar clamp layout. It can still be the mid-price Workmate if you will check the frame and use a video to build it. It is a weak choice if you need a bench you trust on the first day without that check.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A mid-price Workmate if you accept a failure report in the reviews and will use a video to build it.
Less suitable: A bench you need to trust on day one without checking the frame, or a no-assembly Bosch.
Specifications
Common questions
Are instructions in the box?
The listing says minimal assembly and that no detailed instructions are included.
What failed in the reviews?
One United Kingdom review says two legs collapsed after about a month. Another says a work surface was machined wrong.
What load is claimed?
250 kg. Not tested here.
The blue Monster Shop bench is a fixed steel shelf unit, not a clamp bench: model 28786, 60 × 100 × 90 cm, 13.7 kg, two MDF shelves, at £44.99. The listing says boltless lock pins and a rubber mallet, and UK reviews agree the build is quick. The attribute claims 200 kg and the bullets say 200 kg per shelf. Those figures were not tested, and reviewers say the MDF is thin and some tops sag. It does not fold and it has no jaws. The 4.4 from 533 reviews is the same review text as the black ASIN, so it is not a second sample of owners. It belongs in a shed that needs a standing shelf more than a vice. It is the wrong buy if you need to grip a door or pack the bench into a car boot.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A shed or garage that needs a standing shelf bench more than a vice.
Less suitable: Clamping, folding, or a thick timber top.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this blue bench fold?
No. It is a fixed steel frame with two shelves.
How does it go together?
The listing says boltless lock pins and a rubber mallet. UK reviews agree it is quick.
Will the top stay flat?
The listing claims 200 kg. UK reviews say the MDF is thin and some tops sag.
The black Monster Shop bench, model 28778, is the same fixed pattern as the blue one: 60 × 100 × 90 cm, 13.7 kg, two MDF shelves, boltless pins, and £44.99. The bullets say a powder-coated frame. The finish field says Unfinished, so those two lines cannot both be repeated as one fact. The review text matches the blue ASIN, including the 4.4 from 533, which means the black page is not a separate body of evidence. The best-sellers line is 84 in Garage Shelves, not Workbenches. UK reviews still describe thin MDF and sag under a point load. It is the colour choice when you want this shed bench in black. It is not a second test, and it will not clamp a board.
Pros
Cons
Best for: The same shed bench as the blue model when you want it black.
Less suitable: A second, separate body of evidence, or a clamping bench.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this a different bench from the blue Monster Shop?
It is the black colour, model 28778, against blue model 28786. The review text in the two raw files matches.
Does it fold or clamp?
No. It is a fixed shelf bench.
Why is the rank about shelves?
The best-sellers line says 84 in Garage Shelves, not Workbenches.
Across 6,215 amazon.co.uk reviews, the BLACK+DECKER WM301 is the cheap folding clamp bench in this set: £34.00, a compressed bamboo split top, dual cranks and swivel pegs, and a listed weight of 6.6 kg. The listing claims 160 kg, written as 1.6E+2 kg, and that figure was not tested here. Rank on this scrape is 1 in Workbenches, which shows how often people buy it, not how stiff the sheet is. UK reviews repeatedly say the paper instructions are poor and that the top feels thinner than an older Workmate. The carton line, 12.5 × 15.5 × 84 cm, is not a usable open top, and the manufacturer field says BLAUG while the product name is BLACK+DECKER. Assembly is required before it folds flat. If you only clamp a door or a board now and then, and the bench must pack away, the price is why this is the best value in the set.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Occasional DIY where a clamp bench must fold away and £34.00 is the budget.
Less suitable: A daily bench, a tall user who needs a stated second height, or anyone who will not watch an assembly video.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the WM301 fold for storage?
The listing says the Workmate 301 folds flat and the X-frame packs down after it has been assembled.
What load does the listing claim?
The load-capacity line is 1.6E+2 kg, which is 160 kg. This comparison did not test that figure.
Is it ready to use out of the box?
No. The listing says assembly is required, and UK reviews say the paper instructions are poor.
The BLACK+DECKER WM825 lists two working heights, 800 mm and 620 mm, a one-handed clamp with three jaw positions, and a 250 kg claim, at 14.5 kg and £86.49. Across 4,740 amazon.co.uk reviews it averages 4.3. The folded bullet is 830 × 740 × 200 mm, while another size line reads 20 × 74 × 83 cm, so those two measurements are not one open top. UK reviews call the paper instructions poor, some tops rickety, and the handle pin awkward. BLACK+DECKER’s UK support site publishes a WM825 assembly video because the packed leaflet is a known weak point. The amazon.co.uk file does not state a warranty, so this comparison does not copy a warranty from the maker’s own page onto the listing. It is the larger Workmate if you want those two heights and will follow the video. It is a frustrating buy if you already hated building a cheaper Workmate.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A larger Workmate when you want 800 mm or 620 mm and will follow the maker's video.
Less suitable: A no-assembly bench, or a buyer who hated building the cheaper Workmates.
Specifications
Common questions
What heights does the WM825 list?
800 mm or 620 mm.
Why do reviews mention a video?
UK reviews call the paper instructions poor. BLACK+DECKER's UK support site publishes a WM825 assembly video.
What load is claimed?
250 kg. Not tested here.
Twelve workbenches on amazon.co.uk were scored on 16 October 2026 from listing facts and review notes, not from a load test. The starting point is the star average times 20, rounded. A small-sample damp then comes off, and fault cuts come off last. Price does not enter the score. Price decides only the best-value badge. A listed kilogram is a manufacturer claim. The score ranks a listing inside this set. It is not an HSE approval, a British Standard, or a checked load.
Amazon stars
50%The amazon.co.uk star average, times 20 and rounded, is the base. A 4.7 becomes 94 and a 4.8 becomes 96. The star line on each product stays the UK listing figure.
Review volume
25%A small-sample damp comes off the base: 25 points under 20 reviews, 12 under 100, 4 under 500, and 0 from 500 reviews upward. Five reviews cannot carry the same weight as several thousand.
Listing faults
25%Fault cuts come off last, from 2 to 14 points in this set, for poor instructions, flex, a load line that is not a kilogram, shared reviews, or sockets with no stated BS 1363 plug.
Start with the job, then with stiffness and folded size, then with clamps in the box, then with height, then with whether you must build it. Price comes after those. The notes below follow that order for these twelve amazon.co.uk listings. None of the scores is a laboratory load test.
A workbench on these amazon.co.uk listings is one of three things. A folding clamp bench uses a split top as a vice and often as a sawhorse. In this set that is the BLACK+DECKER WM301, WM536, WM825 and WM626, and the Bosch PWB 600. A folding table uses dogs or included clamps: the WORX Pegasus, the PONY 2-in-1 and the STANLEY FATMAX Express. The Stanley is not sold as an MFT table with a dog-hole grid. A fixed garage bench here is boltless steel with two MDF shelves.
The Monster Shop benches do not clamp, and they do not fold. A 4.4 star line does not turn a shelf unit into a Workmate. If the job is a door or a board, start with a split top.
The line 12.5 × 15.5 × 84 cm is the carton, not a usable open top. Assembly is required before the WM301 folds flat. The 160 kg figure was not tested here.
The LARBANKE 120 cm claims 900 kg, and the reviews do not show that load being used. Its sockets are described as ETL marked, not BS 1363. Check the plug before you connect it.
The first split is the job. A clamp bench in this set is the WM301, WM536, WM825, WM626 or Bosch PWB 600. A folding table is the WORX Pegasus, the PONY 2-in-1 or the STANLEY FATMAX Express. A shelf that stays in the shed is the Monster Shop, 100 × 60 × 90 cm. Stars do not move a listing from one of those groups into another. Stiffness is what the UK reviews actually argue about.
HSE puts manipulative standing work about 50–100 mm below elbow height, precision work a little above, and heavy downward work lower still. A fixed 90 cm shed bench is a compromise. The WM825 states 800 mm and 620 mm. The PONY lists six heights from 765 mm to 890 mm. The LARBANKE 120 cm lists five heights from 85 cm to 105 cm, and the 110 cm lists six levels from 81 cm to 106 cm. The WM536 and WM626 say dual height, but the only printed minimums are 71.4 cm and 75.31 cm.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You clamp a door or a board now and then, and the bench cannot stay open. The BLACK+DECKER WM301 is £34.00 and folds flat after assembly. UK reviews call the paper instructions poor and the sheet thinner than an older Workmate.
You will clamp often and would rather pay than spend a Saturday on a Workmate leaflet. The Bosch PWB 600 is listed as ready to open, with four blade clamps, at £151.57 and 4.7 from 5,322 reviews.
You need a standing shelf more than a vice. The blue Monster Shop bench is a fixed steel frame, 100 × 60 × 90 cm, with two MDF shelves at £44.99. UK reviews say the MDF is thin and some tops sag.
In this set of twelve amazon.co.uk listings, the top pick is the Bosch PWB 600. It is £151.57, listed with no assembly, four blade clamps and a bamboo top, at 4.7 from 5,322 reviews. UK reviewers describe it as stiffer than a modern Workmate. The country field says United Kingdom and a UK review says India, so this page does not call it German-made. The best value is the BLACK+DECKER WM301 at £34.00, with 4.3 from 6,215 reviews. The instruction and thin-sheet complaints stay in that score. The other ten have no award. None of these scores is a tested load.
BLACK+DECKER WM301
£34.00 and 4.3 from 6,215 reviews, with the instruction and thin-sheet cuts kept in the score.
Editorial
Products Compared publishes British-English buying guides based on amazon.co.uk listings and public UK sources. We do not run a lab and we do not invent test scores.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 16 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file. Load figures are manufacturer claims, not a test run for this page.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are from the UK listings checked on 16 October 2026. We did not lab-test these workbenches.
