Keter Julie Dining Set

Fragile chairs and bumpy table top – I have been pondering the purchase of an outdoor dining set for years but have failed to find one that I considered to be suitably weatherproof. The Ketter Julie Dining Set at $819 seemed to fit the bill. I had two discussions with the Ketter manager in Melbourne regarding its suitability, strength and materials used in its manufacture. It is claimed to be made from “resin” which turns out to be polypropylene which is melted and pressure injected into moulds. While polypropylene is not suitable for exposure to UV light, this set is heavily impregnated with a black material which should provide protection. I was assured that the chairs will withstand errant guests who unobserved, tilt them back on their back legs as I was doubtful about the strength of this material. On erection of the table on a sunny day, the top took an alarming bow upwards. On a cool day after rain, a number of pools of water remained on the now uneven surface. On the first use of the chairs, a rather heavy guest when leaving put his weight on the arms to assist him to stand causing one arm to snap where it joins the seat and almost detach from the leg. Inspection shows that point of the mould is only about 2 - 3 mm thick and the arms being splayed outwards contributes to the sideways push of the user. I contacted the Ketter firm to point out the fragile nature of the chairs which can be dangerous and made a suggestion about the improvements that could be made. Their reply was that the chairs are not designed to withstand someone pushing against them but this is in fact the type of force which is partially frequently used when arising from a chair, especially if the arms are splayed outwards as in this case. Even a person pushing precisely downwards will cause a component of the force to be exerted outwards.