The first thing I noticed was the smell. That sweet, plastic-y resin smell that hits you when you unbox a $130 garden set from the big box store. My partner said it would fade. It did, mostly, but it wasn't the smell that bothered me. It was the legs.
We carried the set up the porch steps, and the table legs flexed. Not a lot, but enough that I noticed. The chairs were worse. When I sat down, the arms moved with my arms, like they weren't really attached to anything. I told myself it was fine, you get what you paid for, and we'd only use it a few months a year. That was year one.
Here's what actually happened, in case you're thinking about grabbing a cheap set.
The chairs crack second season, and it's not where you think
The failure point isn't the seat or the back. The frame is hollow, so the strain concentrates where the back braces meet the seat. A hairline crack on the right side, then the left. By August of the second season, one chair had a crack that would have given way under my 190 pounds if I'd leaned back. Maybe you're lighter and it lasts longer, but the pattern is predictable: the back gets wobbly first.
I checked the bolt holes. The molded mounts are thin, barely 2mm of plastic in places. If I'd held the chair upside down and shaken it, I would have felt the play. Next summer that play turns into a crack. It's not a matter of if, it's when.
The price difference shows up in the fasteners
A buddy of mine has a similar set from IKEA, cost twice as much. He turned his chair over and the bolts are full-size hex head bolts with wide washers, going through reinforced plastic blocks. On mine, the bolts are like piano wire, and the washers are thin enough to tear the plastic off. Add a little moisture and the steel rusts, staining the resin. It's cosmetic until the bolt strips, then you're sitting on a four-legged stool with a missing fifth leg.
Think about how the table will actually get used
If it's just a spot for a coffee cup and a plant, a cheap table is fine. But the moment you set down a hot pan or drag a chair across the concrete, you'll know. The tabletop on mine is stamped out of a single sheet, with a pattern that mimics wood grain. The center has a seam where two sheets are bonded. After a year of summer sun and rain, the seams at the edges started to lift. Water gets in, the layers swell, and the surface becomes wavy. Not a huge deal if you cover it, but it's another reason to check the seams before buying.
Before you buy, flip the set over and look at the underside. If the legs have hollow channels instead of webbed reinforcements, that's a sign. Another trick: wobble the table. If the legs flex laterally more than half an inch, it's not worth the price unless you're placing it in a corner where nobody will sit.
The one thing that decides it
Take a look at how the chairs attach to the seat base. If it's a socket molded in one piece that accepts a cylindrical peg, pass. That's the weakest design, and it's every cheap set I've seen. Look for something with a through-bolt that sandwiches the leg between two plates. You'll pay a little more, but that connection is what keeps you alive when you lean back to reach the salt.
While you're at it, check the hardware. If the bolts look like they're from a model car kit, they'll be the first thing to go.
Maybe you're fine with a one-season set. That's a valid choice — I've done it myself. But if you want something that'll last three or four summers with actual use, don't start at the price tier I did. Spend a bit more, or you'll be buying again sooner than you think.
Related: my mistake was ignoring the legs for a cheaper price. Deck Dining Set: Set Up the Table Before You Set Up the Chairs is a good sanity check before you commit. And if you're looking at a higher-end set, Outdoor Wood Dining Table: The First-Week Setup That Tells You covers what to look for beyond the price tag.
The factor that decides the buy is connection strength, not tabletop space, not brand, not even weight. Check how the frame is joined, and you'll know if it's a real set or just a discount prop.