When Mr Lools and I completed our garden project in our old home we already had a patio set. But because we had done such a good job and created an excellent patio area using decking and plants, our old green plastic garden furniture looked tatty and out of place. So we decided to purchase a new patio set which was the Atlantic 4 Seat/ 6 piece Patio Furniture Set from Argos. Two years on we haven't looked back and its being used in our new home.


***Price***

The Atlantic six piece patio set cost £79.00 from Argos. You can purchase this in store and online at www.argos.co.uk. If you want the product delivered there is an additional £5 delivery fee on top of this for standard delivery.


***Delivery and Availability***
The Atlantic patio set is available for store pick up and home delivery. The product was in stock at our local store so we were able to pick this up on.

The weight of the product is 34.5kg. The patio set comes in two boxes. A 20kg box and a 14.5kg box. Due to the amount of packaging the boxes are very bulky. The product comes in two boxes about 1.5m long by 1.5 metres wide.

If you have a small car then you are not likely to fit the boxes into the car. Similarly if you go to collect these on your own you may need to ask for help to get the boxes to your car. We managed to fit the boxes into car at the time, (and Audi A3 which is a medium sized hatchback) but this was a squeeze and the back seats of the car had to be put down.

The website advises that if you want to opt for the home delivery option the product is available within two days subject to availability.


***The Product***
The Atlantic 6 piece patio set includes a square glass top table, 4 high back black foldable chairs and a parasol
The table and chairs have a stain proof and water proof covering.


Table size (H)71, (W)81, (D)81 cm.
Parasol size (H)204.5, (diameter)199cm.
Chair size (H)90, (W)55, (D)65cm.


***Assembly***
The patio table is flat pack but it is very easily assembled. It is recommended that 2 people assemble the table. One person can assemble the table in fact as long as they are able to hold the centre pieces of the table and attach the screws into the metal centre pieces. All instructions, screws and an Allen key is also included in the pack.

The chairs and parasol come fully assembled and are folded up. The chairs fold up for storage. The table legs can be removed for storage too however require unscrewing and this will take around 10 minutes to do


***Look***
The table and chairs together look very neat. The table is large enough for four people without it appearing too bulky but still a practical size. The silver and black chairs match the parasol very well so the set looks modern, and a lot more attractive than our old green resin patio set.

Personally I would have preferred the glass on the table to be clear or frosted rather than a bumpy frosted glass but that is only a simple gripe. The table legs are thin and the metal framework is very light giving a contemporary look. The table is very sturdy however.


***Quality***
For the price, the quality of the patio set was much better than I expected. The table, chairs and parasol are very sturdy. Last weekend we had a BBQ in which a fair amount of alcohol was consumed therefore Mr Lools, myself and our guests were not particularly careful. On the metal legs there are a few small scuffs but nothing noticeable and you have to look very carefully to see. The patio table had a few drinks spilt on it but after a wipe down the glass had no scratches on and looked like new.

If you compared the overall quality of the product, to a more expensive patio set, the set from Argos would appear to be of a lesser quality, but this should be expected for £80 in comparison to a £250 set. Looking at the Atlantic patio set from Argos when it is set out on the decking in my garden, it does look a good quality set and not cheap and tatty like some of the less expensive sets in B & Q looked like.

The table legs can also be adjusted so the table stands sturdy on uneven surfaces. The seats do have a weight restriction and are not suitable for individuals over 17 stone 3 to use.


***Overall***
This is an excellent value patio set which is stylish and a number of our friends have been in shock that the set cost under £80 as it really does look great and is a very good quality.

My old criticism is that once the table is assembled it cannot be folded therefore you will either need to di-assemble it over the winter if you want to store it in a shed or purchase a table cover to keep it in the best condition as it is quite large to store.

It's a stylish and simple patio set and with two years of use and it's still going strong and looking good!