I'm very fond of the Workmate portable workbench, I own three of them. I was skeptical of them right up to the moment I put my hands on one and gave it a shake. I was an instant convert. My first one was bought new for full retail as an effort to buy something worthwhile with some birthday money. The second one was free, found abandoned and given a new home. The third one I bought at a garage sale and was a bit of a disappointment; it's about an inch taller than the other two. WTF Black & Decker? It's a newer model but I never would have believed changing that basic dimension.
The bad news is that they have parts that wear out; the good news is that you can still buy replacement parts.
So...in my infinite spare time I have finally gotten around to installing the replacement parts!
Over here we have the newer unit supporting the one
being worked on. Since the new one is a different height than the other two, it has been moved to the house to serve for home-based projects. One of the accessories I have made is a table top that can be clamped into the Workmate, it's surprisingly sturdy.
This is the one I bought new for full retail many years ago. It was stored next to the catbox for many years. One of the reasons it has taken me so long to fixing it is me not wanting to deal with the damage I caused a good tool by my neglect.
A little elbow grease, a wire brush, and some paint! Almost new!
New parts installed! Self imposed guilt trip eliminated! Pigs airborne!
