Skil 3100-12 X-Bench Workstation

Wanted something portable, and easy to use, and this is it
! I was purchased for fathers day, and my husband loved it.

I received the first workstation that I ordered through Amazon in a box that was torn and taped in multiple places, upon opening there was damage to the worktop surface. The second box came the same way, torn and taped in multiple places. The box is very heavy and pretty large, so Im pretty sure that it gets beat up throughout the shipping process. The second box was so damaged that I could look inside the box without even opening it. There was the same type of damage to the worktop surface on this second workstation as the first one, I didn't even proceed to open the package, I called Amazon customer service and requested a refund. Amazon's customer service is outstanding, the persons that I talked to both times were courteous and apologized for the damaged package, they were very helpful. I declined to have another item sent because of the previous reviews on this item that shared the same experience with damage and because of my two attemps without any luck in getting a good, new undamaged product. Even though the process of getting a refund from Amazon is fantastic, having to bring the item to a UPS Store to have it shipped back is timely and inconvenient, especially if you have to do it twice, I was not willing to go through this process a third time! While I know that the star rating is for rating the product itself I rated it at 3 stars(an okay rating) because the first workstation that I received, even though I didn't get to use it, appeared to be pretty heavy duty and well constructed. Hopefully others that are thinking about buying this item will read this review and seriously think about buying one locally or at least realize that you have a good chance of receiving a damaged item. I was willing to play the hoping I get a new undamaged item way of thinking, but after the second one that came the same way, I think I will try to find one locally. It is just too bad, because I bought this on the lightning deal and got a good price for the work bench and will almost assuredly have to pay a much higher price. When I purchase from Amazon I always read the product ratings, hopefully the three star rating will catch the attention of others thinking about buying this item so they can decide for themselves if they want to take their chances with shipping damage. I hope this review will help potential purchasers of this Skil 3100-12 X-Bench Workstation.

To get a common gripe out of the way; the packaging was adequate but pretty dinged up, the table was just fine. UPS pretty much cuts out at around 35lbs (16KG) yes they will accept up to 50lbs (70lbs?) but with one person on the truck these heavy packages are problematic. The heaver packages should really go UPS or FedEx freight (up to 10,000lbs).

Having got that out of the way. This is a very flexible workbench that is easy to collapse and set up. Height is up to 34" so it is just fine with my Festool MFT800 (now discontinued and on blow out) and is about .6" lower than my band saw table. If this proves a problem I can block up the legs. The leg adjustment is very easy per leg (just unclamp adjust then reclamp [clamp holes are about every 2-3" and you can't clamp in between]) and one leg has a screw type leveler. The table is heavy and very well made. The weight is an advantage unless you plan to move it round a lot. If that is the case a good set of wheels might be worth the money. (addendum, a friend took an old dolly and made a bracket to hold the folded table on edge, easy to make that kind of bracket and relatively cheap.)

I got it because of the flexibility with the insert plates and because of the split design that allows sawing or plunging a domino into a gap.

REVISION:
I down rated this because there aren't many holes in the bench top and they are ill placed. The manual says that they are specific sizes of wood, but regardless they are just plain inadequate in numbers.

The supplied switch was very stiff and the plastic broke at about the 6 or 7th use.

The adapters are ill designed. The jig saw adapter is not worth the money as there is no way to set up a fence except with Bora 540950 Clamp Edge Tool Guide, 50-Inch and I don't need a jig saw table insert to use that! Separate review under Skil 3100-09 X-Bench Jigsaw Insert Plate.

The router table is schizophrenic. It fits my ancient skill plunge router perfectly. Just screw 3 screws into the base plate. But the accompanying fence is almost well designed. e.g. you can't remove the router plate without removing the fence and that is a major pain. The miter gauge and track are sloppy with about .2" 5mm of slop. Not usable for precision woodwork. Separate review under Skil 3100-11 X-Bench Router Kit Insert Plate.
END REVISION

REVISION 1
I wound up buying an Incra LS25WFNCSYS 25-inch Range Positioner with Split Router Table Fence Super System as the fence provided was pretty useless. This is putting a $100 saddle on a $5 horse as the fence was $400. But IMHO something like it is necessary to get a really useful router table.
END REVISION

Addendum--the insert plates would be a lot more useful if they were square and could be used with different aspects, towards the short end of the table, along the length or towards the long end of the table; depending on the work piece.

Conclusion--a nice folding workbench marred by less than well thought out features. The holes for bench dogs and clamps are small,few and far between. But still a roomy and not horrid portable table and a good value. IMHO the Stanley Fatmax work bench (now discontinued) is a better buy if you don't need a lot of working room.

True to form Skil has once again lived up to its image as a mid to lower end product producer. However, first a note on Amazon. I ordered this bench brand new from Amazon about 5 business days prior to receiving it at my home. That was fair and accurate. The problem began when I unpacked the item. The box appeared to have been previously opened and in poor condition. Some of its tape was hanging off the box. Once the lid was opened it did, in fact, have all its proper packing in place and the edges appeared new. After taking the item out and unfolding it inspection of the tabletop revealed minor cracks in the MDF type laminated top. In addition, where the table folds there was a large chip in the table. Now, before you say that's small, this is not a low priced item in my opinion. When you're buying new the item should, in fact, appear new. I called Amazon who where great. Their representative told me he'd ship out a new item next day service and include a return ticket for the older one. Next day another unit does appear on my doorstep. I opened the package and item has a similar problem. I finally came to the conclusion that it has more to do with the packaging itself than the item. You see Skil only uses 4 pieces of styrofoam molded to the edges inside the cardboard box. I suspect since it weighs 57 lbs the delivery people bang the package around pretty well. I did call Amazon who gave me a partia credit towards the item which I thought was very fair. I did actually call Skil themselves who weren't very helpful at all. Basically, we'll replace it but you'll have to wait 2 weeks for UPS gound AFTER we receive the old one back. I decided the options where accept the Amazon deal or end up waiting for what would likely be another damaged unit. Moral of the story is that the packaging isn't very good on this item. Next, the item itself.........As I said Skil isn't really known for their high quality in their tools. They are great for the ocassional hobbyist or apartment dweller. I'm neither and have a pretty extensive woodworking background. I felt the size and compact nature of the bench would be a good addition to my workshop especially if I needed to take some work outside during warmer weather. Its size is nice and I must admit I really like the adjustable legs. The top itself leaves alot to be desired. It is not heavy duty and looks as if it would chip quickly. If you had to say it apears almost sacrificial to me. Don't expect it to stay in good shape very long if you're going to do any sort of woodworking on it. However, truth be told that's what a bench is really for anyways. I purchased the vise attachment for the end of the table. My advise to you is......don't. This thing was $40 and is really low quality. I can't see it being very useful for anything except a very small object. I also purchased the router attachment. This, I think, was a useful addition. The bench has the ability to have power in it by use of an extension cord. You can easily mount a router and use it quite easily. I use a Porter Cable Wireless router that was manufactered back in the 2002 year or around there. If you ever get a chance to get one of these GRAB IT. It truly is one of the best items I've ever purchased. It was discontinued by Porter Cable because professionals found it to heavy and without enough juice to do larger jobs. However, for the weekend warrior and hobbyist its amazing to work without a cord. So so much easier. Buy a second battery and you'll be all set. Trying to find one is the difficult part. Those who have them don't want to part with them and when you do find one expect to pay about $400. However, as I said, in my opinion its well well worth it. Anyway, as far as the bench is concerned I was disappointed with its overall quality but for small jobs and ocassional use it will work. Don't consider it if you plan on anything more than cutting afew pieces of wood to do some minor fixes around the house.

Great product. Services, product description and delivery was top services. Plan to purchase from this seller again in the future, additional items.