We know it is very tempting to buy from a big box store swing set and install it yourself, thinking you will save big! Yes, you will save money but think about who will be playing on this swing set, your children! So we have highlighted why you should stay away from cheap swing sets on the web!

Quality

Yes, those big box store swing sets look very appealing online and maybe even in person. Have you ever thought about what they will look like a year later? Those swing sets are made to look appealing for the first year, just long enough for you to finalize your financing or agreement with the supplier! But what are they really made of? Most of the time, they tend to be made of low-quality lumber to keep the costs down and drive the price down to the point you desire! But it’s not just the quality of lumber they use, it’s how much they actually use.

Take the swing beam, for example, we use engineered lumber screwed together to make a solid 4×8, most big box store swing sets use a single 2×6. Let’s be honest, in today’s lumber world, a 2×6 is not really 2 inches by 6 inches, realistically you are looking at 1 1/2″ by 5 1/4″. Would you really like two or three of your kids swinging, and enjoying themselves, relying on one simple board? The odds are you probably don’t!

Also, to reach the price point you desire for a backyard swing set, don’t you think they cut a few corners? As said above, they use a very minimal amount of lumber to achieve that price point. Not very concerned about your child’s safety. Oftentimes they use either 2×2’s or 2×3 as the base of the play structure, on our swing sets the base is a solid 2×6!

Warranty

We have the best warranty in the industry, giving parents the peace of mind that their children will be safe! Big box store swing sets’ do not have the same warranty. Most swing sets are backed by as little as a one-year warranty, and most by a 3-year warranty. You may ask, why do we call it a cheap swing set? Well, the manufacturer only covers their craftsmanship for 1-3 years, which means they are not proud of their work and do not expect it to last for more than 3 years!

Expertise

When you search for swing sets on google, yahoo, or other search engines, what are the top results? We can tell you Lowe’s, Walmart, Home Depot, Wayfair, Amazon, and more, but what are these companies lacking? They offer so many products, they can not focus on or know many details about any of them! They only have many displays to show you, but the real swings set itself, as we all know, everything online can be deceiving in its own way. The description almost never depicts the product, how challenging it is to assemble, or its true size and features. Oftentimes, the final result is disappointing as it tends to be smaller, less detailed, and even less unattractive to customers! Do not be deceived by cheap swing sets online!

Installation

Probably one of the most frustrating things about cheap swing sets is the installation process. You purchase a swing set, let’s say for $1500, you can choose to either build it yourself or pay someone to assemble it, yes pay even more! Those big box store swing sets never have instructions that are easy to follow or attempt to make the installation process easy at all, they also hardly ever come with pre-drilled holes or lineups correctly, resulting in having to cut or trim certain components. But what happens if you do not cut right and mess up? That is another out-of-pocket expense resulting in extra money and lost time. Putting stress on you and your family for unnecessary reasons.

So, when searching for cheap swing sets, do your research and homework to make a final decision. Is it really worth the savings? The final product is never as it seems, and the maintenance that follows is never revealed in the purchasing process. Trust the people that specialize in custom swing sets and are with you every step of the process, being transparent about their product! Ditch the cheap swing sets and find true quality with Swing Set Nation, shop our vinyl swing sets here that are backed with a 20-year warranty, the best in the industry!