Synthetic Rattan Garden furniture
Discussion
Need some outdoor dining furniture which is robust and can be left out all year round.
Synthetic Rattan seems to fit the bill, something like this perhaps.
Any experiences ( Good or bad) with this material?
Lots of places selling similar stuff - does it all come from the same factory in China?
Synthetic Rattan seems to fit the bill, something like this perhaps.
Any experiences ( Good or bad) with this material?
Lots of places selling similar stuff - does it all come from the same factory in China?
Yep. I have a dining table and six chaiors and a modular corner sofa and coffee table.
It's all made from powder coated aluminium covered with a sythetic rattan trade named Rehau.
It so far has lasted a full Hong Kong summer in blazing 30c heat and a UK winter covered in snow.
Great stuff, couldn't recomend it more.
I had mine made in Indonesia and shipped up to HK when I was living there, not sure if the material will be the same, perhaps asking to confirm the material used.
It's all made from powder coated aluminium covered with a sythetic rattan trade named Rehau.
It so far has lasted a full Hong Kong summer in blazing 30c heat and a UK winter covered in snow.
Great stuff, couldn't recomend it more.
I had mine made in Indonesia and shipped up to HK when I was living there, not sure if the material will be the same, perhaps asking to confirm the material used.
depends what your budget is. My product is top drawer. IN the UK you get away with Chinese fibres because the U.V levels are low. In NZ and Australia teh product from the vendor linked above would melt. It's cheap low end imho and wont last more than 2 seasons. You want quality, buy a product made from german fibres and solution dyed acrylic fabrics. We also use marine foams.
I always say you can't buy an 8 seater dining set for under £2,500 which is decent. In saying that there is overpriced junk and good value quality. I would always recommend wood over rattan at the lower end.
allgone-Rehau is a great fibre, we use it
. The vendor above most definately does not use Rehau. They will not be able to tell you what it is as it's extruded in a no name plastics factory. Rehau is a polymer which is bullet proof. Chinese rattan is recycled plastic bottles.
Hope that helps
I always say you can't buy an 8 seater dining set for under £2,500 which is decent. In saying that there is overpriced junk and good value quality. I would always recommend wood over rattan at the lower end.
allgone-Rehau is a great fibre, we use it
. The vendor above most definately does not use Rehau. They will not be able to tell you what it is as it's extruded in a no name plastics factory. Rehau is a polymer which is bullet proof. Chinese rattan is recycled plastic bottles.Hope that helps
Edited by burwoodman on Tuesday 12th April 13:00
We bought from Oceans.
oceans website
They do a lot of the shows including the Ideal Home show and the boat show. Had a long chat with their MD and he talked about their sourcing / manufacture process and quality control. Been happy with the product.
Got a large L shaped sofa, 1 chair, a table/flat seat and 3 planters. A modular system, £1500-1600 all in delivered.
Henry
oceans website
They do a lot of the shows including the Ideal Home show and the boat show. Had a long chat with their MD and he talked about their sourcing / manufacture process and quality control. Been happy with the product.
Got a large L shaped sofa, 1 chair, a table/flat seat and 3 planters. A modular system, £1500-1600 all in delivered.
Henry
I'm also interested in this but don't have a budget of a few k unfortunately.
Would you say that (in the UK purely) one of the cheaper sets like the OP linked to would only last a couple of years? If so we'd be better off looking at metal or wood or something. This is a wedding gift from my parents so don't want something that falls to pieces in a couple of years....
Would you say that (in the UK purely) one of the cheaper sets like the OP linked to would only last a couple of years? If so we'd be better off looking at metal or wood or something. This is a wedding gift from my parents so don't want something that falls to pieces in a couple of years....
all i'll say on Oceans is..click on their link, then click 'Sofas'. If you chaps think that those cushions look good 
Dont take offence Henry but their product is low end al cheapo crappola. Made from the industries poorest materials; PVC, 1.2mm gauge alloy (I know). If we had a hot spell with the UV index rising that furniture would become brittle then fall to pieces. But as I said, if you want something to last a couple of seasons then bin it and know you're buying something a bit errr then fine. Just don't think you're buying quality as you are definately not. Gloster, Dedon, Cane-Line, Manutti are all good quality brands in this industry (us of course).
Dont take offence Henry but their product is low end al cheapo crappola. Made from the industries poorest materials; PVC, 1.2mm gauge alloy (I know). If we had a hot spell with the UV index rising that furniture would become brittle then fall to pieces. But as I said, if you want something to last a couple of seasons then bin it and know you're buying something a bit errr then fine. Just don't think you're buying quality as you are definately not. Gloster, Dedon, Cane-Line, Manutti are all good quality brands in this industry (us of course).
Kudos, happy to give you the benefit of my experience 5 yrs in and Id say no one in the industry knows more about the product in the UK.
We employ weavers from Cebu. They are the best, no question. On two of their CVs I noticed working in China and on investigation they were employed for a few weeks making show samples for chinese factories. Trust me, what you see at a show will not be what you receive.
PM me if you have any questions, happy to point you in the right direction.
We employ weavers from Cebu. They are the best, no question. On two of their CVs I noticed working in China and on investigation they were employed for a few weeks making show samples for chinese factories. Trust me, what you see at a show will not be what you receive.
PM me if you have any questions, happy to point you in the right direction.
dreamer75 said:
I'm also interested in this but don't have a budget of a few k unfortunately.
Would you say that (in the UK purely) one of the cheaper sets like the OP linked to would only last a couple of years? If so we'd be better off looking at metal or wood or something. This is a wedding gift from my parents so don't want something that falls to pieces in a couple of years....
snap! I always suggest wood. Something other than rattan if one can't justify the price needed to buy a decent product.Would you say that (in the UK purely) one of the cheaper sets like the OP linked to would only last a couple of years? If so we'd be better off looking at metal or wood or something. This is a wedding gift from my parents so don't want something that falls to pieces in a couple of years....
A set such as that linked by the OP will be made from PVC. Plastic degrades in the sun. The weaving will be what is called 2X1 (2 by 1). it's a way of covering the frame with teh smallest amount of fibre. It is slack and has gaps. The frame will have exposed alloy, poor paint work underneath. A knock down table. Then there are the fabrics......
In our industry the market is very big but we choose to let the low end guys fight it out. There is a hardcore element of customers who will always buy quality, do their research and find us. You may think my 3k seatings are expensive but they are actually cheap. Our competitors ask at least double(6k).
Edited by burwoodman on Wednesday 13th April 11:01
singlecoil said:
Do you mean good quality compared to some of the other brands mentioned, or just good in relation to what you paid?
I mean good quality, I have seen sets at double the price that are not as sturdy or comfy as these, I was dubious when ordering but really surprised how good they are, our local pub paid nearly 850 per cube for what looks like the same stuff, frames, chairs, material and seat padsblackcab said:
I mean good quality, I have seen sets at double the price that are not as sturdy or comfy as these, I was dubious when ordering but really surprised how good they are, our local pub paid nearly 850 per cube for what looks like the same stuff, frames, chairs, material and seat pads
I hope you are still as impressed when you want to use it again next year.blackcab said:
I mean good quality, I have seen sets at double the price that are not as sturdy or comfy as these, I was dubious when ordering but really surprised how good they are, our local pub paid nearly 850 per cube for what looks like the same stuff, frames, chairs, material and seat pads
Sturdy? It is complete knock down, including the chairs. So has unsightly holes around the chair to enable assembly. Said screws will loosen and require tightening. It is very cheap. Certainly not quality and whether it is a bargain remains to be seen. Ive never seen a knock down chair which lines up, even remotely.The pub variant you mention will have one big difference. It won't be knock down(chairs). the fibre is probably the same PVC recycled plastic. To give you an idea. Our 8 seater dining settings cost £260 in freight alone. We could knock it down and pay £50 but then you're left with a low end product. Our dining chair cushions cost £30 to make each. More than your chair and cushion combined. In this sector there is no such thing as poor, medium, good. It is either good or bad. To deliver the same setting would be £120 due to it taking up 3.5 CBM (two man). Your set would be shipped for £15(locally).
There is a large market for your type of product-fine by me. I know you aren't saying so but it's sheer ignorance when customers boldly state 'it's all the same'.
The weaving too is a major factor. Very few products are woven in a true 'one by one' pattern.
Edited by burwoodman on Thursday 14th April 15:39
burwoodman said:
Sturdy? It is complete knock down, including the chairs. So has unsightly holes around the chair to enable assembly. Said screws will loosen and require tightening. It is very cheap. Certainly not quality and whether it is a bargain remains to be seen. Ive never seen a knock down chair which lines up, even remotely.
The pub variant you mention will have one big difference. It won't be knock down(chairs). the fibre is probably the same PVC recycled plastic. To give you an idea. Our 8 seater dining settings cost £260 in freight alone. We could knock it down and pay £50 but then you're left with a low end product. Our dining chair cushions cost £30 to make each. More than your chair and cushion combined. In this sector there is no such thing as poor, medium, good. It is either good or bad. To deliver the same setting would be £120 due to it taking up 3.5 CBM (two man). Your set would be shipped for £15(locally).
There is a large market for your type of product-fine by me. I know you aren't saying so but it's sheer ignorance when customers boldly state 'it's all the same'.
The weaving too is a major factor. Very few products are woven in a true 'one by one' pattern.
In fairness, looking at your website the stuff that you have looks superb and will be of a better quality than this stuff from Argos - the point I was making was that there are people selling Argos quality at double the price - I accept your comments on the construction - it all seems good so far and it is comfy. how long it lasts will determine its overall value.The pub variant you mention will have one big difference. It won't be knock down(chairs). the fibre is probably the same PVC recycled plastic. To give you an idea. Our 8 seater dining settings cost £260 in freight alone. We could knock it down and pay £50 but then you're left with a low end product. Our dining chair cushions cost £30 to make each. More than your chair and cushion combined. In this sector there is no such thing as poor, medium, good. It is either good or bad. To deliver the same setting would be £120 due to it taking up 3.5 CBM (two man). Your set would be shipped for £15(locally).
There is a large market for your type of product-fine by me. I know you aren't saying so but it's sheer ignorance when customers boldly state 'it's all the same'.
The weaving too is a major factor. Very few products are woven in a true 'one by one' pattern.
Edited by burwoodman on Thursday 14th April 15:39
I think its fair to say that the Argos stuff is value engineered, but it looks good, its comfy and its doing its job - If it fails I will get back in touch
Paul
andy43 said:
Been looking at burwoodmans gear online - looks very very good. OH is impressed. No prices on there tho'!
PH discount?
Andy, prices are there on most pages. If in doubt download the catalogue-full price list at the rear. Even though I have been on this forum for many years I wouldn't abuse it by offering such a thing. In saying that I have always thought PH should have a more complete directory. The website was care of PH, SEO care of PH, one of my cars care of etc etc. It's a great place to be!PH discount?
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