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Tips to inspect a play set before buying it

We all love a good bargain and some of us are even bargain hunters but when we find something with a price that seems too good to be true, that is a clear sign to stop for a moment and try to analyze the item you are thinking of buying. If you are getting a reduced-cost body lotion or maybe a cheap pair of flip flops to hang around the house, it probably won’t matter how much you saved, but when you are considering getting a playset or a swing set for your kids, you won’t want to be cutting any corners there, since you could be compromising your children’s safety and you will probably have to buy a new playset in a few year’s time because the first one did not last and even became a hazard.

When you buy a playset for your family, we believe that your main concern should be the same as our company’s: safe play for years to come. This is a concept that really makes sense to us because we have built a trustworthy reputation on it; we want children to enjoy their play sets and swing sets for many years, with their parents knowing that they will do it safely.

Swing sets and play sets are very attractive in general, so just by looking at them it can be hard to tell if they are made with the best quality materials and craftsmanship. They can look amazing on the outside but they can be a big disappointment when nuts and bolts start coming loose on a swing or railing, or your child gets a painful splinter in his hand from the wood.

Designing and Building Quality Playsets

At Adventure World Play Sets we know all about designing and building quality playsets playsets that will ensure your child’s safety for years to come; it is our mission to create play sets that not only appear super attractive and inviting to kids, but that also makes safety their number one priority.

Having been in this industry since the year 2000, we know what to focus on and this knowledge allows us to tell you what you should be paying attention to when acquiring a play set for your family.

Here are seven things to look out for when checking out a play set:

Start from the bottom:

Check for anchors holding the set to the ground; cheaper play sets tend to omit the anchors and sometimes the weight of older kids could make the set unstable and maybe even topple. Also, if you are looking for a wooden set, check for splintered beams or even exposed nails or screws. Adventure World Play Sets uses pressure treated wood and it is all covered with a smooth vinyl sleeve for protection and durability.

If your play set includes a playhouse:

Make sure that posts and rails don’t have splinters and are securely held together. Most cheap sets will only go as far as using plastic-coated paint which will wear off in a few years and leave exposed wood that can crack and splinter.

Take a good look at the roofs of the towers or playhouse:

While this in itself is not a safety feature, the roofs can give you a pretty good idea about the quality of the play set. Inexpensive sets use fabric for the roofs and these will fade, tear, get moldy or may even blow away!

Check out the swing chains:

At Adventure World Play Sets we pay attention to the small details that make a world of difference, like our rubber-coated swing chains, which are there to accommodate kid’s comfort and safety. No little fingers stuck there!

If at all possible, check out play sets that are displayed outdoors:

If at all possible, check out play sets that are displayed outdoors and look out for wear and tear; the colors may be faded, the chains and screws may be rusty and the belt swings may be cracked; all these are little tell-tale signs of poor quality.

Try it out:

A good quality swing set or play set will be ok when grown-ups get on it! Swing on the swings and gliders, hang from the trapeze bar, slide down the slides and climb in on a rock-climbing wall. Do they all feel sturdy and strong when carrying your weight? If they do, then they will carry your kids’, too.

Last but certainly not least, check out the warranty:

Especially on the frame of your play set; the warranty that a company offers on the items they sell, says everything about their commitment (or not) to quality. An average play set warranty is for about five years; in our opinion, if a company doesn’t trust their set for more than five years, why would you? At Adventure World Play Sets we offer a 20-year warranty on the frame of all our sets!

Design & Build Your Custom Play Set

outdoor play ideas

Our swing sets and play sets are designed and built in our Lancaster, PA, workshop by skilled Amish craftsmen using local, top-notch American materials. When you inspect our sets, you will find that they pass all your tests with flying colors!

Don’t wait any longer and find a dealer near you so that you can come and try out our play sets and make a conscious purchase that will bring you benefits for many, many years!

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