A reader (thanks, Abe!) sent in a tip that Klein Tools has come out with a new folding workbench.
Abe wrote:
Who is making this for Klein? Overseas? And their Saw Horses too.
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I presume that the new workbench is made in China, similar to their plastic ModBox tool boxes and accessories.
Design-wise, the Klein ModBox folding workbench looks very similar to others on the market, featuring a clamp-friendly X-shaped slot pattern, as well as dog holes.
Klein says it can support up to 1,000 lbs of equally distributed weight.
Looking through Klein’s product images, I found the connection to the ModBox system – accessory cleats on the short end side of the workbench. Compatible Klein ModBox accessories are sold separately.
The work top measures 33.63″ L x 23.75″ W x 30.9″ H. It weighs 26.2 lbs, and is said to have a folded thickness of 4.5″.
Price: $120
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Discussion
The new Klein workbench reminds me of Dewalt’s, and also ToughBuilt’s. There’s also a relatively new Kobalt model.
The Dewalt folding workbench is currently still $89 at Home Depot. Why buy the Klein instead, for the small ModBox cleat section?
The work cart seemed inventive – New Klein Tools ModBox Work Cart – but I feel that the workbench seems more derivative. That’s not bad, just an observation.
Does the Klein folding workbench do things better than competing models? Does it have to?
I find myself holding conflicting opinions. At first glance, I don’t see anything wrong with the new ModBox workbench. But what’s special about it?
If we boil things down, there are generally 2 types of products, problem-solvers and money-makers. Sometimes a product can be both.
It seems to me that Lowe’s and Klein Tools are walking down the aisles at Home Depot and making a list of tools and accessories they’d like to partner on.
That’s not a bad thing, and I’d be surprised and disappointed if they didn’t do this.
But are they innovating and improving?
Many companies expand beyond their specialties. I can’t put my finger on why, but Klein’s rapid expansion in many new directions at once is giving me misgivings.
General construction tools, storage products, plumbing tools, and mechanics tools – Klein has entered a lot of new markets in a very short time. We should be praising their ability to do so, but underneath everything there’s a nagging voice whispering “what’s the catch?”
Not every new tool needs to be innovative. Side by side, except for the ModBox rails, what differentiates or elevates this new Klein product from others on the market, especially Dewalt’s?
Expansion is necessary – I think it’s the right move for Klein Tools – I’m just not convinced about the way and rate they’re doing this.
This is just one more new product, but I feel as if it’s part of a bigger picture that’s rapidly evolving.
James
3rd paragraph from the end… “Not EVERY new tool…”
I agree that I don’t see the value of paying 33% more than the very similar looking DeWalt. I get them wanting to make it work for their toolbox system and even think they could ask a little bit more for that, but I would think more like $5 or 5%, not $30 and 33%. I agree with Stuart, I don’t see anything significantly innovative.
Michael F
Klein seems to be going in a direction that will inevitably dilute the brand’s reputation.
MM
I think Klein understands that they need to do *something* to stay competitive. At one time they were among the best and easily accessible electrician’s in the US. However now there is a lot of competition, with some of the brands being outright better in my experience and becoming more available. On top of that there are a lot of good quality but more value priced brands out there. I think Klein knows that simply sitting on their laurels with the same products they’ve had for decades is not going to cut it.
Personally I’d rather see Klein compete on quality and performance and improve their core product offerings rather than taking the shotgun approach and making the brand broader and cheaper. I fear that what’s happening to Klein now is what happened to Craftsman in years past.
Jared
Whether Klein will dilute their brand name or rise to new prominence – I don’t know. The rapidity of the product expansion is what gives me pause.
It seems like that much growth could signal that Klein is willing to slap the branding on anything, just to get to market and enter a new product category. That’s the approach you don’t want to see, since it inevitably means quality will take a backseat while the company takes advantage of their brand’s reputation to sell new stuff – at least until consumers catch on.
I’m worried, but I don’t have enough information to draw a conclusion.
Klein might be outsourcing stuff to China, but if they’re on-top of quality-control and taking the time to make sure the products are well-engineered… seems like the brand value could be retained. Klein will just sell more stuff in new categories and a longtime, well-regarded brand might get new life.
Mark. M
I agree. I would rather a company like Klein be really, really good in a few specific areas than be mediocre across a swath of different products. But investors and stakeholders demand growth, so here we are.
fred
As far as I know Klein is still mostly a family-owned company. So, at least they are not beholden to quarterly earnings reports and wall Street analyst’s critiques. What I’m thinking is that the family may think that growth is the only way to stay viable – or at least to earn enough profit to keep up the family lifestyle. I’m not sure how many family generations separate the founder Mathias Klein and the current Chairman (Thomas R. Klein) – but I’m sure that there are now many more family members drawing income from the company than when it was formed in 1857. In any event – manufacturing any consumer product in the US is a tough business and I hope that Klein can stay profitable.
S
The big part that many might not see is that Milwaukee went full force into Klein’s core market– electrical trade supply houses.
10 years ago, Klein was the only hand tool brand all of them carried. It was the defacto standard in electrical tools. I’ve even been looked at weird for having an Ideal wire stripper on the job.
Then Milwaukee expanded their selection to trade specific hand tools and now the two brands are competing for tiny little supply house show room space. These days, it’s common to see electricians with just as many Klein hand tools as Milwaukee hand tools.
While competition can be good, I think Klein’s core market was eroded by Milwaukee, and they needed to find another way to be profitable.
I also don’t agree with the me-to scatter shot tools, but also agree it might be part of a larger picture to be a one-stop-shop brand for Lowe’s.
Lowes has desperately needed such a thing for a very long time– many of their tools in my area have always been an odd assortment with almost random stock quantities. I would hope that with a core brand supplier, they’d be able to better regulate shelf space and on-hand quantities. But it’s still Lowe’s…
Stuart
I don’t know if Klein’s market share has been substantially eroded, but their being reactive or preemptive about this has been smart.
JR Ramos
Few companies have been able to survive the last two-ish decades just sitting and doing what they’ve always done. Many branched out just like this even if they were rebadging products rather than producing them themselves. Some made it and stayed relevant, many disappeared (sometimes along with their designs which weren’t replaced). This approach has long worked for Makita, DeWalt, and Milwaukee. Some buyers (businesses) like to have a wider range from one brand to simplify purchasing and/or merchandising…and on the flip side some aggressive manufacturers can impose line-quantity requirements in order for a vendor to buy into the brand (Klein always did this and it was a pain in the tush…we worked hard to get their line and they sure made it hard to continue to keep it). There’s no way all of these new items were made just for an upcoming switch from HD to Lowe’s so I’m sure Klein has been contemplating this for a few years or more. As other brands started being as or more available than traditional Klein items, Klein has no doubt lost sales, so they’ve got to make it up somehow…lots of new products in product areas that they have not produced in the past. They still can’t topple Fluke in the test instrument arena and now Knipex and others have taken a big bite out of their mainstay items, and some obscure things like linesman and ironworker tools now have less expensive competition as well (not to mention pouches and belts and harnesses). I’ve long felt that it wouldn’t take too much for Klein to really get pinched once the reverence for the brand name and history maybe shone a little less bright with a newer economy/market and newer generations of tradesmen and other tool users. Maybe what they’re facing now. Ridge could be feeling the same…as well as Superior and Reed and other plumbing-centric manufacturers.
Robert
The top picture has an orange extension to the left. What exactly is that? Is it a user provider item like the clamps, or does it come with the Klein workbench? If it comes with the Klein workbench is that part of the reason for the higher price versus the Dewalt folding workbench?
Stuart
Looks like the deploy handle. The Dewalt works in the same way, with the pull-to-open handle sticking out when the table is open.
Rog
This is nearly identical to the Dewalt table, I did a double take at the first image
GG
Looks like a Keter top with janky legs. Having used the Keter line of worktables for almost ten years it’s hard for me to look at others. 🙂
William
You touched on this in a separate post Stuart about how Milwaukee develops products. They do a small launch of sockets to test the market, then bring out more and more mechanics lines. I think more companies could learn from this.
Companies will always struggle when going from niche to broad. Look at Grex or Fein, both very specialize brands that continue to only make their niche tool. Ideal, Fluke, and Greenlee, are also staying in their niche. Klein seems to be trying to broaden it’s market for other niches. Honestly I think we see the same, though to a lesser extent, with Festool.
I love the idea of the Modbox and associated accessories. I think they are purpose built for electricians. I don’t see a lot of electricians using a work table like this though. Like you said, is it worth paying the premium for the accessory rail? You would have to be pretty invested in Modbox and have a very specific use case for this table. Maybe that’s why it’s priced like it is…
COBill
Yes, I bought the Klein version specifically for the rails that hold the Klein MODbox accessories.
Personally I thought it was more than worth the small extra uncharge over the DeWalt.