I found this thread because I just got off the phone with my wife who informed me that replacement slings for our set of six Telescope chairs will be $780.00! That is a very tough pill to swallow, and like many here we weighed this heavily against just getting a cheaper set from HD, Costco, or any number of stores. Our set is about 10 years old to date (purchased summer of 2010) and the aluminum frames, table, and umbrella have held up extremely well (we do store them inside for winter though). Ultimately, I decided to stick with these and pay the exorbitant price for a few reasons: - The rest of the set is extremely high quality. I feel good each year when I pull it out of storage - heavy duty powder coated aluminum construction that has lasted well and still looks 9/10 after a spring wipe-down. - It does bother me how much importation has changed - pushing us toward a throw-away-away-and-buy-another culture. I do feel like we enjoy additional quality on these American made items (not always the case). - Less and less stuff is American made any more. As an engineer and a maker, I miss the days when we made most of the best stuff here. This set still exemplifies that quality. It's a little thing, but something I rarely get to enjoy these days. - After 10 years, with very little degradation (other than the fabric slings), I know what to expect from this set, and feel confident that they will last another 10 years easily with new fabric. The convenience of going 10-12 years between having to think about this, or take a gamble on something potentially less durable is worth something to me. Surely, I'll be feeling the sting of this bill in about a month (so good thing I'm writing this now!), but I thought I'd share what tipped us to reinvesting in this very expensive set. Pic when new April 2010:

I've used this product Sew Perfect® NU-Foam® Densified Batting to make a cushion. The cushion has held up fairly well - not overly compacted. It's designed for outdoor furniture and the description of "densified batting" is accurate. It won't hold water like other stuffings or foams. It has real density, but at the same time, it's "airy" so that water will run out. This Hancock's web site has only one size, but it does come in various sizes and thicknesses (I bought mine at a Hancock's store). CMC Here is a link that might be useful: densified batting.

I also went back and forth on choosing patio furniture. Liked the slinged back cloth furniture just because of it's drying abilities. (We live in the Pacific Northwest.) But was afraid it probably had a five year shelf life. Then the question becomes does it cost as much to re-cloth as it would just to purchase new? So I was going to buy just an inexpensive set, but apparently everyone else had the same idea. Because the set I ordered was shipped damaged and they ran out of stock. So I went to a patio store and found a gorgeous Hammett aluminum set. The manufacturer apparently really controls the sell of the product and the dealer wasn't really wanting to deal. So I left my name in case they had a sale (or whatever) and left. I actually ended up with a Thomasville set from Home Depot. It's aluminum so I don't have to deal with covering it in the winter. And it did come with cushions which I coated with a Marine waterproofer. No it's not as thick of an aluminum as the Hammett. Obviously the welding, etc. is more high end on the Hammett. But still the same five year warranty. I believe both the Thomasville and the Hammett are being made in China. However the Thomasville was on clearance. So the Hammett set would have cost me another $1500. And this doesn't include the price of purchasing cushions for the Hammett set. The set I bought had to be picked-up and assembled. Not hard to do, just time consuming, especially removing all the sticky labels. The high end sets you get white glove delivery service. Another thing Hammett demands of it's dealers. Since for us it's a late June through the start of September season it just seemed like a more reasonable thing to do. (Actually had the heater on the first of July! Tomorrow it looks like I'll have to turn on the air conditioner.) If I was using it all year round I would probably spring for the more expensive set. Cushions and sun usually don't have a long shelf life. The Sunbrella products are suppose to hold up longer, but you will pay for that material.

@fnmroberts that’s a lovely space! Mine is much smaller. I’m just looking for a 48-54 inch round dining table and 4-5 chairs. I have a bluestone patio, kind of modern looking but also New England looking. My biggest issue is creating privacy against too close neighbors. @kandrewspa interesting about the wind! My husband liked the “Bazza” cafe set from Telescope Casual. Aluminum, MGP, and sling. And stackable. It was comfortable and stackable but we didn’t like the color that was stocked in the store and it wasn’t at all what I’d been imagining but I’m still thinking about it. I have maples, Japanese maples, redbud, and will plant maybe a flowering cherry tree like they have in Washington DC. A ton of helicopters fall from the neighbor’s huge maples. A patio store guy suggested the Kingsley Bate Milano chair to me. I haven’t sat on it. Anyone out there know this chair? And following is the Bazza set that seems to match (although not the one from the store and I’d get a round 48-54” table.) To me it looks better from behind than most sling sets. This is important both because the yard is so small and the backs of the chairs is what I see from the house and from both entrances to the garden.