Walko Compact Portable work Bench mini review

[pingvinlakrits]

Hi all,
yesterday the Walko Workbench arrived from the Netherlands. I chose the Compact version, which is a three legged affair. (The standard Walko has four).

I ordered the "Compact set" consisting of the Compact Stand, two MDF tops with mounting brackets. I also ordered supporting struts/brackets that fold away when not in use. These complement the mdf tops and both the struts and the tops can be placed at various heights on the stand.

The bench is reassuringly stable, it is neither too heavy nor too light. In all positions the bench stands secure and firm with no rickety rackety wobbling. The legs are black rubber and there are wall/floor savers (extra feet, rounded) when using it in the upright or saw table position.  The locking mechanisms are positive and with no play. The bench is very intuitive and I did not read the manual. Actually - I didn't get a manual. I did get an email today from Walko where they said they missed out on the manual but I could contact them if the need arose. I don't think I will be needing it though.

Scope of delivery:

In upright position it stands 180cm tall:

Supporting fold away brackets, rubber on top, very sturdy:

Feet and wallsavers; will check if the rubber causes skidmarks on the floor:

 

[pingvinlakrits]

Forgive the poor quality of the second image; the camera bag is over six feet away so the wide angle lens and flash were "out of reach".

For the better part of the mini review, the action part, the mdf tops will be mounted and the proper gear used for documentation. Now that I got started I think I will grap a quick coffee and get right to it.

Stay tuned.

 

[pingvinlakrits]

On photos #2 and #3 in the first posting you can see the black plastic sacrificial "top" for when the bench is lying flat out on the ground. This is easily replaceble and pretty cheap too. I will try and spare mine for as long as possible as there is no Walko dealer in Sweden at the moment.

Next posting will be with the Walko in the normal workbench position, with the MDF tops attached. We will see if there is any inter-system-compatibility or not. 

 

[poto]

Hey Henrik,

It looks like there are only three cross braces on your bench, and the middle one is not lined up with the joint in the legs. Does this mean that when you open it (bend it) one side only has one cross brace at the bottom and none at the joint? Or is there another piece that you insert or something?

Looking forward to your review!

 

[pingvinlakrits]

Poto:
Very observant!

Yes, there is only one cross brace on one side. In the bench position there are locking side bars (folds away when not in use) and it is very sturdy when locked.

I will try and apply some heavy load to it tomorrow, it is now eight thirty PM over here and fianc?e just got home so I am off the internet.

EDIT: you do not need to insert anything at the joints to help stabilize the bench. I will post a picture of the locking mechanism later on.

 

[monte]

Ok, Henrik....... I know your all the way across the pond in Sweden, so I hope this works.............

How's your new Walko Compact Portable Workbench doing?

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Roger

 

[Tinker]

Damit, Roger.  I wish you would give warning when you use that thing.  I was sitting here minding my own biz around 5pm when I heard a hell of a rumble.  I thought it was thunder.  Now i understand it was you yelling at Hendrick.  : ;D  It so happens i was right in the line of fire.

But thanks for sending the reminder along.  I have been watching for his report lately.
Tinker

 

[Hergy]

There was a video demonstrating this tool, but I can't locate it. All I can recall is that I thought it was pretty impressive-------slices, dices, makes julian fries etc. Timmy is only 50 miles away, however.

Well, duh. There is a video in the link shown above. Sorry.

 

[Tony M]

OOOO! I feel all tingely and gidy  ;D

 

[Rein]

Super to hear the walko is coming over the ocean. Cant wait until its here.

 

[tallgrass]

can't wait .....any idea on pricing?

 

[Tony M]

can't wait .....any idea on pricing?

I recall reading that the price over there to here translates to around $850 for the larger model if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Steve Jones]

If I can find some way to stick the MFT fence (old style) onto the thing, sign me up!

Does anyone happen to know if the the hole pattern and spacing is the same as the MFT?

If not I could probably replace the MDF tops with MDF drilled on the same pattern (using my MFT as a pattern), or simply buy a replacement MFt top and cut it to fit.

Steve

 

[ccmviking]

I heard that they are going to change the tops from MDF to Bamboo.  This will make them more water resistant.  Not a real big deal to me since I don't work out in the rain and besides we only get 5"-6" of rain per year here.

Chris...

 

[Eli]

I heard the legs were adjustable from 50mm to 3600mm. And that there is an extra large hole in the top for a stainless vacuum coffee cup.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Good Morning,
Apologies to Henrik for having his discussion sidetracked by a string of promotions for another forum and Festool Junkie.  I received a number of complaints from FOG members about this.

One of the promoters has chosen to delete his posts.  I moved the remaining ones to the "Sales" board.  For those of you who are interested in seeing the promotions, click here.

Now, let's get bacl to reviews of the bench!

Stay in touch,
Matthew

 

[Michael Kellough]

I deleted two posts about the Walko. My first post containerd a link to the forum where I learned that the Walko would be available. I posted because a similar post from Chris Mercado posted the previous day had disappeared and I thought not very many people had had a chance to read it.

You deleted my post shortly after I posted it. I guessed it must be because of the link to the other forum. I found a link directly to the distributor and posted that link in a second post and you allowed it to stay.

Later yesterday you restored both my first post and Chris's post which broke the news here. With Chris's post restored both of my posts became redundant so I deleted them.

Now you have moved Chris's post to the Sales Board.

By any rational reading the posts you moved to the Sales Board are posts intended to spread the news that the Walko would be available in NA. The availability of the product is directly relevant to this discussion. Links to sites that sell products mentioned in posts to the FOG are common and frequent.

The reason you objected to these posts is because they included links to another forum that is focused on Festools. That forum is tiny compared to the great and powerful FOG and it is not commercial and does not sale anything so why did you move the posts to the Sales Board?

 

[ccmviking]

Matthew,

I've always had an interest in this unit and was excited to find out more information about it.  I didn't see any harm in my first post and actually made an attempt to get a discussion going again on the FOG.  YOU for some reason chose to start playing around with the posts and causing some sort of issue.  Had you left things alone maybe folks would be discussing the table and it's functionality.  Thanks for sidetracking the forum once again. 

Chris...

 

[greg mann]

With all due respect, Matthew, one of the things I have really liked about your approach here was that you didn't get bent out of shape at the mention of another forum. That is one of the reasons I hardly ever visit SMC these days. Their attitude about links to other forum was so parochial it seemed childish. Up until now, you have not been cut from that cloth and I have admired that. I would like to see you continue on the high road here.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Good Morning,
Generally, I have no problem with people mentioning other forums here.  In fact, people do this all the time.

As you noted, some forums do not even allow links to other forums.  For example, SMC apparently does not allow full links to the FOG, even though I allow links to SMC here.  In fact, on one occasion SMC was down, and I was happy to allow members to use the FOG to communicate with each other.

On the protest site, a number of members have been banned just for mentioning the FOG in posts or PMs.  That, and a lot of other details that I won't get into here, makes this particular example quite different.

Again, my apologies to Henrik.

Thanks,
Matthew

PS: I should add that I received complaints about the promotional aspect of the posts in question.