AFSKU 5 Foot Cedar Porch Glider, Stained Finish, Amish Crafted

This is a very nice glider. It is solid wood construction. Here are some things to consider:1. If you select the stained finish option, note that it is stained and not varnished. You may wish to apply a coat of weatherproof varnish when you get it.2. You will need tools. At the minimum, a hammer, an adjustable wrench (or a set of open end wrenches or a socket wrench set), a screwdriver with a square drive bit ( electric will be best and save a lot of time). The square drive screwdriver is not too common.3. Directions are not the best, but adequate. If you have no experience assembling furniture (like from IKEA) then this will be a little difficult. Read the directions several times and take your time.4. If you are pretty good with tools, assembly is easy and will take less than an hour. I was able to complete this in about 40 minutes and I did not have a helper. Some of the steps will be easier if you have someone help hold things in position.We are very pleased with the finished product. The glide mechanism is very smooth, and the bench is comfortable. It looks good.

Ok, the free labor for the assembly was hubby's, but give me credit...I helped! When the box containing the glider parts arrived, nicely packaged & undamaged, we were thrilled with the scent and color-stain of the cedar parts. What a lovely stain they put on it! All the pieces were there, including exactly the correct number of bolts, washers, nuts, and screws. YES, we did have to run to the hardware store to buy a square (Robertson) screwdriver bit for hubby's drill (for the 3" wood screws), but having already read the reviews on Amazon, we were expecting that...so, no big deal.It took us over 4 hours to assemble this glider, mostly because of the confusing instructions. The Amish may have provided the parts for this glider, but the instructions were written by someone for whom English is not their first language...while standing on their head...and then twirling around! You have to follow the instructions on one side, then turn the page over, read halfway through the other side, only to THEN see the dreaded words, "Before beginning, assemble the glider base first..." WHAT-T-T-T?? Why was this not on Side 1 of the instructions? Good thing I'd read the instructions through from beginning to end, only three or ten times, before going to help hubby build this thing. O-o!!But, all griping aside, we were impressed by how accurately the bolt holes & screw holes lined up perfectly on all the pieces. It was MY fault that we had to disassemble the glider base completely and redo it...I just couldn't grasp those instructions and almost went into a catatonic state. Hubby's never assembled furniture before and was relying on ME to decipher those Martian instructions.We think this glider was worth the small amount of money ($208) we paid for the 5-foot one. Could the wood have been a bit heavier? Sure...but then you'd be paying for walnut or mahogany. FOR THE MONEY, this is a wonderful, well-built little glider for our new patio. I intend to paint on two coats of an outdoor glossy polyurethane wood sealer ($39 per gallon), and it'll really look gorgeous! (Oh, in my case, I'm GLAD that the cedar is a teeny-tiny bit rough, because then the wood sealer will adhere nicely. I don't imagine that the stained-but-untreated cedar would hold up very well to the harsh sun and rainstorms here in the mountains of Arizona, so it's almost imperative that you paint on a few coats of a quality wood sealant.)

This is a nicely designed glider. The seat and back contour is very comfortable and swing action is smooth. The assembly was very easy compared to other furniture I've put together. The seat and back are fully assembled in the box. The base is four pieces; easy to setup. It only took about 45 minutes from opening the box to swinging. The manufacturing was good but I did have to use a woodworking clamp to squeeze the back to the seat (in order to get the washer and nut on the carriage bolt) as something was a tad off.The cedar is light weight and the swing base can slide if you sit down with any momentum. The low weight makes it easy to move.I have noticed some stress noise as you sit and occasionally as you swing. I'm hoping that's not a precursor to failure.Overall it's a good value for the money.I ordered the stained glider but it arrived unfinished. The seller promptly corrected this problem. I plan to finish with teak oil.

I buy a lot of things through Amazon but rarely leave feedback, however, I feel compelled to do so this time.I purchased both the 5' Cedar Porch Slider and also the 2' Chair Slider. I have some of the same thoughts as most of the other reviewers. This is a well made, quality product for the price point. I like that it is made in the US. It comes with good and easy to follow instructions. It even comes with a separate page of instructions with lots of options should you want to put a finish on the sliders. I chose polyurethane. These look great and are comfortable.The above reasons are enough for my review but the real reason that I stopped to write this is due to the company's customer service. You see, there was actually a problem with my order. I contacted the company and within hours, I had a return email from Hank. He was very attentive to my concerns and corrected the problem as quickly as possible. I am in a customer service industry and we all make mistakes, it is how you resolve them that separates you from your competition. I would gladly purchase from this company again and would encourage you to do so as well.