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This Handtruck Serves as a Mobile Workbench - Core77

This MW 1000, developed by Systainer Systems and branded Festool in the US, is a tool-carrying handtruck that turns into a workbench. Aimed at tradespeople, it's designed to be lightweight, robust, easy to transport and, of course, to be paired with Systainer's system of accessories.

There are some nice UX touches, which aren't obvious from the photos but become apparent in the video below: Pallet Clamp

This Handtruck Serves as a Mobile Workbench  - Core77

The two ABS collars on the handle are a nice touch; they're smooth and provide a smaller contact area with a van floor, making the unit easy to slide out. The vertical adjustment on the shelf is nice. Having three of the feet be height-adjustable, so you can take any wobble out of the table on an uneven floor, is intelligent.

You can also see the designers had to make some tough decisions: While an unfolding worksurface might be more convenient to deploy, they opted instead for a slightly fussier connection that must be manually clipped together, after the worksurface is muscled into place. This arrangement was undoubtedly chosen to save weight and volume.

Overall I think it's a fine example of industrial design, making good use of aluminum extrusions, ABS for the locking mechanisms and large rubber stair-friendly wheels. I do hate MDF, but it's undoubtedly the cheapest way to get a dead-flat worksurface.

This product has an interesting and complicated history. Years before the Festool version, a maker/fine woodworker named Timothy Wilmots designed a version that can be made by hobbyists and makers at home called the "MFTC". It's obvious that Festool borrowed heavily, yet it appears they didn't consult with him or involve him in the process. Festool of course added a ton of innovation and manufacturing polish to the idea, but I wonder if it would have been even better if they brought him in to consult or help in some way. There are additional products he designed, of which festool has since made their own versions, seemingly without credit or consultation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5YzIwK-g0E

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This Handtruck Serves as a Mobile Workbench  - Core77

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