Showerthought: Are we spending too much on fancy patio furniture when secondhand stuff holds up better?

Had a chat with my neighbor Phil last weekend while we were both out watering plants. He's got this rusty old metal table from the 80s that still stands rock solid after 40 years, no joke. Meanwhile I spent $600 on a resin wicker set from the big box store two years ago and it's already cracking and fading. He said something like "they don't build stuff to last anymore, they build it to sell you another one in three years." That hit different because honestly I've been eyeballing a new set for next spring anyway. So what do you all think - is it smarter to hunt down vintage metal or wood pieces that can take a beating, or am I just unlucky with modern stuff? Anyone else had this debate in their own backyard?

2 comments

2 Comments

riley_coleman84d ago

Wait so is it really about brand names vs. just the luck of finding something old and well built? Like did Phil's table come from some random hardware store or was it a specific brand everyone knew back then?

jennyh554d ago

Riley, funny you mention that my uncle had an old Craftsman drill press from the 50s that he swore by but half the stuff in his garage was just random hardware store finds that never died. Brands mattered back then but so did the fact people took care of things and didn't toss them at the first scratch.