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What are Folding Chairs and What Should You Consider When Buying Them?

Friday, September 18th, 2009

I know this seems like a common sense question: what are folding chairs? But it is useful just to go over the basics and to talk about some of the add-ons and special features, as well as the different types of materials that they can be made out of, so that one’s eventual purchase is as satisfying as it could possibly be.

Obviously, a folding chair is one that is constructed in such a way that it can contract up into itself. It is thus turned into a much smaller volume drain. Then it can be stored in tight spaces such as closets, corners of basements, or other small areas. They can even then be hung up from sturdy hooks. Sometimes when one organization owns a bunch of the same type of folding chairs they will also buy a rolling rack to house them when they are not in use. This allows hundreds of chairs to be brought out from another area and rolled back to that area with much ease. It creates a need for much less manpower in order to set up conferences, meetings, and seminars, or whatever your group of people is gathering for.

The standard materials which folding chairs are made out of include plastic, metal, wood, and nylon (in the case of portable outdoor chairs). Each type has their own benefit, which has been written about elsewhere on this website. Suffice it to say that folding chairs are in general quite cheap. It is important to really consider getting ones that have padding built into the seat, otherwise it can turn into kind of a nightmare to be sitting on them for longer than half an hour or so. I’m sure most of us have had this unpleasant and painful experience at some time in the past, if not frequently. You may have to pay extra for this padding, depending on if the manufacturer has models available without it. But in the end, I highly recommend it and think it is more than worth it almost no matter the price tag.

One thing to think about when buying folding chairs is how long you are going to need them for. If this is just going to be a one time thing, then it is probably better to just rent the chairs. Try a caterer or a party store to see if they have packages available. If you want them for a longer time then you are going to need durability. Look into the various reputations of metal versus wood, etc. These things do break down if they are not of that high a quality so… not all folding chairs are of the same quality in terms of their expected lifetime.

Metal Folding Chairs

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Metal folding chairs are often a very wise choice when choosing among all of the options available: plastic, wooden, metal, etc. It is no wonder that they are so common. Along with plastic versions, they are probably the most popular type.

One of the best things about these metal chairs is that they hold up a long time. They break down the least of all types because they are made of long lasting metal materials. This is no small positive aspect, seeing as how many corporations are always looking to invest in cost effective solutions. You can count on metal folding chairs to pretty much outlast all of their competitors. I wouldn’t go throwing them against the wall but if well treated they will be around ten, fifteen, or even twenty years from the time of purchase. Of course you will lose a few. It’s inevitable that a couple “big” clients will come through and break their seats, but this is the rare exception rather than any sort of common experience or rule.

Another reason that your organization should consider folding chairs made of metal is that they are relatively cheap. By now, manufacturing companies have really refined their processes for producing these items, so they can offer them to your company for that much less. Like was mentioned before, if you are the purchasing agent for your company, church, hospital, school, etc. I’m sure your boss will take note when you pull off a big order of quality chairs for less than he or she was expecting to have to pay. Maybe a promotion is a right around the corner?

One drawback to metal folding chairs is sure to be their unfriendly “texture”. To put it another way, they can be quite hard on the backside. This is not a good way to keep people motivated and paying attention during conferences and seminars. It is hard enough to keep the troops alert and functioning at a high level during a normal business meeting. When you add in the soreness you can expect to lose a lot more of them.

Luckily there is an inexpensive solution to this: folding chairs with padding. This greatly extends the amount of time that someone can sit in a chair without getting sore. To throw in my two cents: padding is definitely worth the extra price tag. Shop around and buy in bulk to get the best deal.

Plastic Folding Chairs

Friday, September 18th, 2009

The majority of purchasers of plastic folding chairs these days are corporate entities, churches, schools, hospitals, and other institutional groups. They are basically looking to get chairs on the cheap which can be brought out and put back in a relatively small amount of time. Of course, the fact that they are foldable makes them all that more convenient to use. They can also be fit into tighter spaces like closets or small work rooms.

One may want to consider buying a rolling holder for their folding chairs so that they can be transported in and out of rooms that much more easily. These are typically around ten feet long although they come in a variety of sizes. They can make room for dozens and dozens of chairs on just one rack. They can then be rolled into storage until further use is necessary.

One reason that a business may need plastic folding chairs is for when they have outside clients coming in for seminars or meetings. This is far and away their most common use. They are excellent for this. You really don’t need expensive and fancy seats for a happening such as this. No one will remember the chairs by the time they are on their way home unless they were truly disastrous (a thing that is not really a problem anymore given today’s better engineering and manufacturing capacities).

One thing that you will want to consider however is how much comfort do you really want to supply for the people who will be visiting your church, company, school, cafeteria, hospital, house, or other structure. I only note this because you can make a choice to either get 100% plastic folding chairs or else to get ones that have a slight cushioning built into them. In my opinion it is worth it to spend a bit extra to get the extra padding. Without this, people will probably leave with some sore butts if they spend more than a half-hour or hour sitting on them. It can be a bit of a distraction, especially the ADD people among us (of which there are more than you might suspect).

Finally, a quick word about price: plastic folding chairs can often be purchased for only $10 or $15 per chair. This is quite a deal. In fact, you may even be able to find them for less, especially if you are looking to make a big, bulk order.