About WEN
WEN was founded in 1951 by Nick Anton and is still headquartered in West Dundee, Illinois. The company's research and development team helped pioneer everyday power tools including the electric jigsaw, the electric soldering gun, and the random orbital technology now standard in polishers and buffers — by 2001, fifty years after founding, WEN had sold more than 50 million consumer units. Today the catalog spans generators, drill presses, tool chests, bench grinders, miter saws, air compressors, and lawn and garden equipment, almost all of it priced and built for DIYers and homeowners rather than contractors.
Consumer Reports independently tests multiple WEN generator models in its Generators program, including the DF680IX, DF8000X, GN875iX, and GN5602X — third-party scrutiny that's uncommon for a value-tier outdoor power brand. In our own hands-on testing of the DF360iX and the WB6020 workbench, what stands out is how much capability WEN packs beneath the price: a dual fuel inverter generator with under 1.2 percent THD clean power, and a hardwood workbench that ships with a real front vise where competitors expect you to buy one separately.
Brand website: wenproducts.com
What WEN makes
WEN's range runs wider than the products we rank. We feature the lines that won their DIYRated categories:
Portable & inverter generators
gas, dual fuel, and pure sine wave inverter lines — featured on DIYRated — featured on DIYRated
Workbenches
hardwood and steel-frame benches with onboard storage — featured on DIYRated — featured on DIYRated
Drill presses
benchtop and floor-standing models
Tool chests & storage
rolling and stationary tool storage
Air compressors
pancake and hot dog style compressors
Bench grinders & sharpening tools
shop sharpening and grinding equipment
Why we recognized WEN
The DIYRated Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose products independently earn top-pick status in our hands-on category reviews. WEN earned it because its products came out on top in 2 separate guides — evaluated the same way every product on this site is: bought, put to work on real jobs, and judged on merit.
WEN products we feature
WEN DF360iX 3600W Dual Fuel Inverter Generator
Combines dual fuel flexibility with genuinely clean inverter output — under 1.2 percent THD at full load, safe for sensitive electronics — at a price that usually only buys a gas-only model. The built-in TT-30R RV outlet skips the adapter most RV owners have to carry, and a standard 20-lb propane tank delivers a 14-hour runtime, enough to sleep through a full outage without refueling.
Read the 7 Best Portable Generators of 2026 guide →
WEN WB6020 60-Inch Hardwood Workbench with Four Drawers and Onboard Vise
The only bench in its price tier that ships with a real 7.5-inch front vise and bench-dog holes built in, rather than expecting an aftermarket vise install. The 2.5-inch rubberwood top is thick enough for chisel work and flat enough to double as a layout reference surface, and four drawers plus a lower shelf put hand tools directly under the work instead of scattered on top.
Read the 7 Best Workbenches of 2026 guide →What earned WEN the recognition
- Seventy-five years of continuous operation out of West Dundee, Illinois, with R&D credited for helping develop tools like the electric jigsaw and the random orbital mechanism used across the polishing and buffing category today.
- Independently tested, not just reviewed: Consumer Reports runs multiple current WEN generator models — the DF680IX, DF8000X, GN875iX, and GN5602X — through its Generators test program.
- Real engineering value at a value price: the DF360iX pairs dual fuel flexibility with sub-1.2-percent-THD clean inverter power, a combination competitors usually reserve for gas-only or single-fuel models costing more.
- The WB6020 is the rare workbench under its price tier that includes a genuine front vise and bench-dog holes out of the box instead of treating vise capability as a separate purchase.
- A product line broad enough to outfit an entire home workshop — generators for backup power, a real hardwood bench to work on, plus drill presses, tool chests, and air compressors under one brand.