daddym's Full Review: The Step2 Company Outdoor Storage Bench
I wanted something outside in the back yard that I could keep various outdoor things inside of, since we have a lot of parties in the summer time we also thought it would be a good idea to combine the storage with some kind of seating. The Step2 Outdoor Storage Bench was the perfect thing for us.
The bench is made of that hard durable outdoor plastic, that a lot of outdoor toys are made of. It is safe to keep it out all year long, and although the color may fade after time it will still remain sturdy and functional for many, many years. I guess the official name of the material it is made of is resin.
The bench is made to look like a wooden bench although it is pretty obvious it is not. It is in I guess a kind of a walnut color. Let's just say the colors are neutral. The top of the bench goes up into a kind of a circular tip. On the backing of the bench there is a sun design. There is also a some slots for air to go through. There are also 7 things on the front that meant to look like vertical boards. On the side of the bench they make it look like there a stone walls with a fancy tip at the top. Of course all of it is fake and it is just plastic, but it is nice that they tried to give it some visual appeal.
It is maintenance free and you will never have paint it or seal it or anything like that.
The bench itself is big enough to fit two adults. The weight limit is 400 pounds. inside the bench there is 5 feet worth of space. Of course it is long and skinny space but 5 feet of space none the less. You can't fit a whole lot of stuff in there, but I do have my hose in there, a small tool box, some of my son's bubbles, and some my grilling utensils.
Dimensions: 24W x 33"H x 53"D. Weight: 51 lbs.
When you get this bench you will need to assemble it, but the assembly is really simple. It took me less than 10 minutes to do, and I am not mechanically inclined.
The lid pulls up easily and pushes down firmly. The only draw back is if a child wanted to get in there they probably could, there is a little tension so they might have to put a little muscle in to it but they could get it opened, so if you have small children you might not want to store anything like bug or weed killer in there or anything that might be hazardous or sharp.
So far we have been really happy with this bench we have had it for a few months now. It keeps things inside of it dry when it rains. It has nice seating space, and decent amount of storage space. It is not overly comfortable to sit on but it is certainly adequate, and we find that when couples are over they sit on it a lot and even hold hands.
It also fits all three of our kids on it at the same time too. It is also not all that difficult to move unless you have something really heave in side of it, so if you are having a cook out and need some extra seating at the table two adults can pick it up at both sides and carry it on over to the table.
The bench costs about $150.00 but it is very much worth it. You will have the bench pretty much as long as you want to have it. The way it is made made makes wear and tear literally almost impossible. Aside from a little fading this bench will last you a very, very long time.
We even have a little extra space left in it after all of the other things I mentioned and we could fit a few more small things in there if we need to.
If the bench gets a little dirty from rain or from dirty people sitting on it you can just spray it with the hose and it will come clean. It did get a bit of mud on but my wife just took a soapy sponge and washed right off. My son also drew on it with sidewalk chalk which also just washed right off.
We have been very impressed, and very happy with this bench, we might even get another one to put by the sand box so we can sit by the kids when they play and store all of the sand toys.
I highly recommend this and I don't think you will be disappointed.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 150 Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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