I have already decided that aluminium is the best material for patio furniture. Now lets talk about how thay are made and what are best. I break patio furniture down into 3 groups. 1. All Welded Die casted 2. KD die casted with 304 stainless hardware. 3. Extruded Aluminum. All welded is always going to be the quality, it is so because it is a solid peice of aluminium that is welded into one peice. It the all welded section you need to watch out for furniture that is all welded, that is extruded aluminum and can be allwell taking away the weight. You want a solid not hollow peice of furniture. KD furniture is still solid die cast but has assembly to it. these chairs are still great if you dont mind twisting some bolts are cost a little less. Make sure the hardware is 304 stainless to avoid rusting. The lesser quality is anything that is extruded hollow tubing that does not have the weight or the material. A lot of sling furniture is extruded and still very popular do it low maintenance and it is very comfortable to sit in. When buying wicker make sure that the framing is aluminum and not steel, the steel will rust. Also try to avoid buying furniture from a drop shipper. They usually do not stock anything and will make wait a long time to receive there furniture, and do not handle warrenty issues in house.