[07/12/2013]
Received this chair yesterday. No shears or broken issues caused by shipping or shipping provider (FedEx) as others have stated. However, it should be noted that instructions were not included in the box. A call to Highwood's customer service number (found on bottom of their web site) yielded an e-mail with instructions. After an hour, chair was together. As previous reviewers have noted, having a flat head screwdriver to ease the plastic pieces into the holes does make things a little easier.
The chair itself is not too heavy, which is a concern I noted from reading other reviews. I agonized a lot over whether to buy this chair as there seem to be 3 different players when it comes to non-wood material Adirondack chairs: Highwood, Trex, and Polywood.
The factors that were important to me were:
- Size
- Reclinability
- Foldability
- Durability
- Warranty
The weight of the chair was not important to me.
Now it should be noted that I already have some Trex furniture, namely their rocking chairs and their porch swing. I have had it on my deck for over a year now and it has held up nicely. It's not the most comfortable, but it is super durable and was easy to put together.
On the size factor, if you look at the sizes between the chairs, you'll find the dimensions are fairly similar:
Highwood King Sized: 36"W x 33.2"H x 40" D -- 45 lbs
Highwood Adult: 37"D x 29"W x 36" H -- 33 lbs
Polywood: 37-1/4-inch D by 37-1/4-inch W by 28-1/2-inch -- Super light 13 lbs
Trex: 33D x 29W x 35.2H inches -- 37 lbs
The Highwood is the only chair that offers the "King Sized" variation (as well as a Child one). Many of the reviews of the Highwood Adult (normal) size mentioned it was a little small for some of their over six foot tall guests. As most of my family is over 6 feet, this went to the top of the list.
While all of these chairs seem to fold, not all of them recline. In fact, the ability to recline under the shade on a hot Summer day with a cold lemonade was top of my list (not that I ever have time to take a nap, but that's another matter). After putting together the Highwood, I have noticed that the reclining isn't that much of a bonus feature. There are really 3 settings of the 4 that are of value. The middle notch is pretty standard, the 3rd one is a little more relaxing, and then there's just opening it up flat out and making it more like a bed.
In terms of durability, the Highwood material definitely feels different than the Trex. I know this because I assembled both in my garage. The Trex material, when you move it along the floor of the garage, doesn't make that plastic-like noise. In fact, the Trex just has a *thud* noise. I was pretty surprised to see that the Trex is actually lighter material than the Highwood because my rocking chairs are beasts to move.
The warranty on the Highwood is a little longer (12 years vs 5 years for the Trex), which was also important to me as I love my family, but I've witnessed two of them break previous Adirondack chairs before. I felt bad for a second when I wasn't laughing.
The prices on these chairs all seem to be about the same. The Polywood is of course much less and comes in different colors. I have not purchased one, but at 1/3 to nearly 1/4th of the weight of the Highwood, I can't imagine that the material is that strong.
Will update later with my findings on comfort and durability over time...
Updated Feb 2017: upgrading from 4 to 5 stars. I added the latest pic around the firetable. Still black still clean. You should tighten the bolts ocassionally. Very impressed with the product and finally feel good about the purchase. Spending about $1400 for 5 chairs was well worth it considering no maintenance (stain) etc. My family member cheaped out and bought this garbage wood chairs from ACE for under $50 a chair and they are rotting and require constant care. This is an investment well worth it. Thanks Amazon and Highwood.
Updated: May 25, 2016 it has almost been a year and we have also moved to another location and the chairs have held up very well thus far - and their color has stayed black and have not faded - they have been used on a regular basis and have endured the Florida heat cold and rain. I am upgrading my review from three stars to four I will update again.
I am unsure of their durability due to potential use - as of yet, I will update the review as time goes on. I bought 5 of them. The boards feel a bit flimsy, I know they are made of a composite flexible material, and need to be light-weight so you can move them, but at times it feels like they could snap. The pieces attach to other parts of the chair using inset threaded nuts that have been secured in the boards and attach with long bolts. They were easy to put together, the backs and the base came already assembled. You just need to attach the back to the base and the arms and legs, it should take you about 15-20 mins. Instructions and all parts included, nothing was missing. They seems like they will hold up to the elements quite well, but I'm not sure about how they will hold up to normal use. There is a 12 year warranty on them, so make sure you peel the serial number stickers off the chairs and secure them with the purchase receipt. I have them around my fire pit, they look great, but when you sit in them and wiggle a bit, you can see how they rock a bit, like if a person was too heavy it might snap, as the legs are only attached to the base with a single bolt. The bigger issue was the shipping and distribution of these things, If you read other reviews you will see some had the same issue. I ordered 5 adult black folding and reclining and they sent me 4 weathered acorn westport classic and one large white classic rocker!!?? - Amazon was great and took care of it for me, however I then received 4 black and 1 white. Again - Amazon took care of everything. There must be some issue in the distribution center with the labeling. My house looked like a warehouse for about a week. However the boxes are clearly marked with labels and dots that indicate the colors, so I am not sure why this occurred. I would say if you are interested, buy one, test it out - and then make your decision - you can easily send them back. Overall I like them, but will have to see how well they handle use.
These chairs are fairly expensive so after reading reviews on many different ones we decided to get one of these before we went all in on four so it would be easy to return if necessary. Our experience is as follows: arrived in 2 days via usps, nicely packaged and well protected, all the parts were in the box as well as the instructions. An Allen wrench for the bolts and a driver for the screws is included, the hardware appears to be of high quality, a cordless drill with the supplied driver helps make quick work of assembly, took 20 minutes. Everything fit together perfectly, found no rough edges or misaligned parts. I am 6' 1" and 250 and I fit in the chair just fine, the curved back is a great feature. The chair does fold more or less flat but I doubt we would ever have a reason to do that. There are three levels of seat adjustment, the middle one seems like it would be best for most people. The chair is comfortable and relatively sturdy, the front legs/arms seem a bit wobbly seemingly due to the fact that there is only one bolt holding ittogether at that point but that is required for it to be foldable, does not seem to be a problem just something I noted. The chair looks great, is of good workmanship, made of high quality materials and seems like it will last a long time under normal usage. The color was accurately portrayed in the photo. We ordered three more. After reading all of the reviews there was no obvious choice so I thought it may help to share our experience. Go ahead and get this chair.
I have been truly impressed with this product. I research several of the poly Adirondack Style Chairs to find something that would be a durable all-weather product. This chair came well packaged with easy to understand instructions and relatively easy to assemble (Shipped flat. Ten pieces total).
The hardware was in organized individual clear pockets. The insert said that the hardware was packaged by a company called CTC Manufacturing, a non-profit dedicated to teaching life skills and providing employment for persons with disabilities. Well, it was perfectly organized and with no left over pieces. (You will need a driver handle to insert the provided bit into, but you probably have one around the house already.)
I was also very please to see that this product is Made in the USA!
Also, don't be worried about the King Size label. While it is slightly larger than some chairs, it is not awkward. It looks inviting and is enjoyed by users of many sizes.
My chair the Weathered Acorn and it looks great. I will plan to update this review in a year with info on how the chair holds up
I plan to purchase another one soon.
I tried all 3 synthetic material Adirondack style chairs I saw on Amazon - the Highwood, the Polywood, and the Trex. They were all good to very good, and similarly priced from. Specific pros & cons: Highwood has 3 different back recline settings, and the most comfortable armrests. It was slightly less expensive than the others, but required more work to assemble, taking 25 minutes vs. the others taking 5 minutes tops. If you're good at assembly, you'll have no problem with the Highwood; if you're not a DIY person, you'd be happier with the other two brands. Polywood model - widest variety of colors and very easy to assemble. Probably the best overall, though the back doesn't recline like the Highwood. Trex brand: Very good overall, but probably 3rd out of the 3 to me - Trex was easy to put together like the Polywood, but didn't have the same color variety. Also, the Trex I got had one screw poking through the slats that would poke a person sitting in the chair. Easy enough to fix (back the screw out a little) but for the price would have appreciated better quality control.
Feature Product
- Proudly and 100% Made in the USA from our own unique synthetic wood in an environmentally-conscious facility
- Offers a gently curved back and folds for easy storage and transportation. Seat height is 9.5 inches. Seat width is 20 inches
- Features a reclining option that allows you to adjust the angle of the chair back for supreme relaxation
- Durable, fade resistant material assembled with 304 grade stainless steel hardware means ultra-low maintenance - leave it outside year round
- Comes with manufacturer's 12-year residential limited warranty. Some assembly is required and assembled Chair = 29"W x 34"H x 36"d (33lbs)
Description
Welcome to Highwood. Welcome to relaxation. With its classic form, our Hamilton Chair is truly a design icon. Combining timeless styling, comfort and functionality it is part of our Highwood Adirondack Collection. This incredibly versatile chair will soon become your go-to chair for instant relaxation. Best of all, our material doesn’t absorb moisture and repels dirt and grime, making clean-up a breeze. The Hamilton chair is skillfully crafted to provide sanctuary in a variety of settings… take it to the lake, position it by the pool, bring it to the beach. The Highwood palette offers a wide variety of colors sure to embellish your piece of paradise. Highwood marine grade synthetic wood offers the most realistic look of natural wood without the headaches of maintaining or replacing every few seasons. We are proud to provide the wood-replacement material of choice for America’s largest theme parks, coastal resorts and hot-tub cabinets… now available for your backyard! Explore the entire Highwood product line to coordinate other beautiful and durable products that enhance your outdoor living space. The chair has been load-tested, per ASTM F1858-98 (2008) standard for outdoor reclining furniture, and has a 400 pound weight capacity. Some assembly is required
These are nice chairs.
I waffled between these and another brand that's available for very similar cost, and chose these primarily due to the recline feature, but also because the arms don't have screws through the surface (unlike the other brand), and because the arms are level with the chair in a comfortable position. By contrast, the other brand's chair doesn't recline, and the arms aren't level, making positioning a beverage (for instance) on the arm all but impossible.
As for other features, I'd say that the other brand's poly material has a nicer feel, and that they're somewhat heavier, but either is heavy enough to feel like good quality.
Two suggested improvements:
1: Chamfer/round off the edges of all the slats. The portions that contact the body aren't sharp per se, but would be more comfortable if they had a larger radius.
2: Chamfer/round off the "sawed" edges of the slats. Again, these edges won't normally contact the body, but they are sharper than would be ideal.
In the end, it's a toss-up - both chairs have strengths and weaknesses, so decide which features are important to you and enjoy!
I have ordered both the adult size and the king size chairs from Amazon. The chairs look great--much better looking than the chairs I purchased at Costco a couple of years ago. The plastic actually looks like wood, and the edges are smooth. The adult size fits my wife, and the king size fits me nicely. Putting a chair together is easy, but it did require me to pay attention and follow the directions. I decided to order from Highwood for three reasons-- the chairs were the right size, they are made in the USA, and the company uses a non-profit that uses the disabled to pack the chair hardware. On the negative side, I did have a couple issues with my orders--a missing board and pieces of hardware. I sent an email to Highwood about my problem and received a phone call in a few minutes. Highwood Customer service was very professional--the lady I talked too, Alyssa, seemed concerned, and sent out my needed parts immediately. Having great customer service you can reach quickly is a real plus. These chairs are not cheap, but I like to spend my money in ways that support American jobs when I feel like I am getting a good product. All in all, a good product, nice looking, and if the chairs hold up I will order a couple more.
My 2 chairs arrived quickly and assembled easily. The package included the tools I needed and simple directions. After enjoying these chairs for a week, we had a bad storm and a large tree branch fell on one of the chairs and snapped one of the slats on the chair back. I contacted the company directly thru email and heard back promptly. I asked if I could purchase the broken slat and I was told "I would be taken good care of." Since the Highwood company was located in the Poconos I opted to pick up the replacement part at their headquarters. They would have mailed it if necessary. When we arrived I was greeted at the door by a pleasant woman named Skye. Soon two men came out to greet us with the entire back of the chair (not just one slat)! When I asked the cost, I was told that it was part of the warranty and would cost nothing! these people were all so friendly and helpful - what a wonderful company to deal with! I now have two compete chairs and we are enjoying their comfort and good looks. I would gladly purchase more of this line of outdoor furniture again.
I spent a couple hours this past Saturday exploring the pseudo-wood adirondack chair market as I'm tired of these cheap, flimsy, Home Depot/Lowe's plastic chairs that pinch your butt as they inevitably crack from sitting in the sun.. I settled on the Highwood King size Adirondack chair after reading 100% of the available reviews. Highwood king size is just perfect for my 6'2" 260 lb incredibly masculine,high density frame. It came today three full days after I ordered it.Very quick.Mine is white. I know,that's racist. Packed adequately, I confirmed all of the chair pieces were present and I set out to assemble this summer drinking platform. If you pay someone $114 to assemble this for you and you're a guy,slap yourself. It goes together easily in approximately 20-30 min if you're doing it by yourself. When finished, I will say that I am satisfied with the product today. Looks great, adjustable nicely curved back,comfortable height from the ground , The arm position is comfortable and there is room to spare even for a guy my size. It did not explode when i sat on it-another plus.
Now for the negatives. It flexes quite a bit. Compared to the high quality wooden ones, I would say it is 25% more flexible. So what? Well, here's what. The fasteners used to assemble this chair are the typical Ikea-esque crap we've all cursed. The bolts easily thread into the receivers with the included allen wrench but that receiver is in the flexible plastic which is flexing under your moneymaker.Don't over tighten!! This will eventually fail but hopefully will take a while. The screws which attach some of the supports have star drives in their VERY UNDER-SIZED screw heads and they pull deeply into said supports when you're driving them. It won't take much to pop that screw head the rest of the way through the pseudo-wood. If I had it to do over again, I would not use an electric screw gun to accomplish this.Drive them with the screw driver type handle you hopefully have in your 1000 piece drill bit your dad gave you. Now for my favorite part. It's my favorite part because many of those reviews that I read mentioned issues with being shorted hardware or other components. They shorted me three of those beautiful tiny headed screws ! They also put one of the plastic washers on the wrong side of one of the legs-No biggie. The glue lets you pry it off and place it where it should go.I just spent 15 minutes looking for a place to contact the manufacturer so they could remedy the screw thing but it is not readily accessible. Do you have a pet peeve? (one of...) Mine is picturing someone whose only job is counting out the hardware that goes in each plastic bag for this chair playing games on his cell phone while he's working and not caring whether he put the needed 10 screws in the bag or just 7. Ehhh.......who cares. Welcome to 2019. Buy the chair. Overall, I'm happy with it.
Shipping container and packaging were top notch. Bolts, screws and washers (all stainless steel and nylon for washers) in heavy zip lock bag. Written instructions for assembly were very clear. An Allen wrench and a star drive bit were included, nice touch. Assembly time was about 30 minutes. The chair has a nice simulated wood grain. The chair seems sturdy and looks like it should last. I got tired of refinishing and repairing this chair's wooden predecessors. The chair is comfortable if a bit low to the ground. The back is adjustable to three positions. Hopefully this plastic will hold up in the Florida sun and tropical showers. Time will tell.
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