Outside of the “human element” we just spoke about, the swingset companies we represent must be held to a certain standard of quality. I made a video in 2014 that you can see here about a “quality” swingset. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N662hQbN3Ss&t=98s

The video is horrible. For the love of all that’s holy please don’t watch it, but in the description of the video you can find a summary of 7 things that make up a quality wooden swingset.

Other than #7, which refers to the price at the time, everything still holds up.

In 2014, when I made this video, Gorilla Playsets held all 7 qualities mentioned. In 2025, despite costs being over 50% higher, they do not.

I’ll go over them quickly again. I will update the article later when I have time with visuals to help:

1. The swing set is made one of three different types of wood. A quality wooden swing set is made from Cedar, Premium Preserved Pine, or Redwood. Cedar is generally regarded as the best all around wood. Premium Preserved Pine is generally regarded as the most durable and long lasting. Redwood is generally regarded as the highest quality and most beautiful wood.
   
   2025 Update – all of this is still true, however Redwood and Pine have jumped in cost more than cedar in the past 10 years. You will find cedar sets give you the best value for your money. Gorilla Playsets are still made from cedar.
    
2.  The deck height is at least 5 feet tall. A quality wooden swing set has a deck height of at least 5 feet. The most popular swing sets come with a 4 foot, 5 foot or 6 foot deck height. We recommend going with at least a 5 foot deck. Sets with a 5 foot deck height are large enough to accomodate your children as they grow. Sets with smaller decks are not as well suited for older children.
   
   2025 Update – This idea still holds true, however Gorilla is introducing more sets with a 4’ deck height into their line of swingsets. Many of their models state they are a 5’ deck height, when in fact they are actually 4’10” high, not 5’. Over the internet, these give the illusion of size and beauty when they are in fact smaller and more cheaply made. Little tweaks are made and corners are cut to ensure higher profit margins while cutting quality.
    
3.  The swing beam is a solid 4x6" piece of wood. A quality wooden swing set has a swing beam that is made of a 4x6" piece of wood. Many lower quality sets substitute smaller pieces of wood here, which makes for a less sturdy set.
   
   2025 Update – The idea that solid pieces of timber are still used in high quality sets remains true. Unfortunately in 2025, Gorilla now uses beams made up of 2-3 pieces of wood that are glued together. 
    
4.  The A Frame is made of two 4x4" pieces of wood A quality wooden swing set has an A-Frame that is made of two 4x4" pieces of wood. Many A-Frames (the beams that hold the main swing beam up) are made up 2x4" pieces of wood, or pieces of wood glued together, resulting in a much less sturdy swing set setup.
   
   2025 Update – The idea that a quality A Frame is made up of two 4x4” pieces of wood still remains true. Unfortunately Gorilla now uses A Frames that are made up of 2-3 pieces of wood that are glued together.
    
5.  The set comes with pre-drilled holes A quality wooden swing set has pre-drilled holes. A set that comes without pre-drilled holes is not only a nightmare to install, but any accidents in drilling may result in broken pieces of wood, and a voiding of the warranty. 
   
   2025 Update – The concept of pre-drilled holes still holds true. Gorilla still pre drills the holes in most of their sets. 
    
6.  It has at least a 10 year warranty A quality wooden swing set has at least a 10 year warranty on the wood, and a 1 year warranty on accessories. Most cedar sets come with a 10 or 15 year warranty. Most Premium Preserved Pine and Redwood sets come with a lifetime warranty. We recommend no less than this.
   
   2025 Update – The concept of a 10+ year warranty still holds true. Gorilla still honors the 10 year warranty, but what is covered under the warranty has changed significantly. Specifically, mold and insect damage are not covered under the warranty. We have seen a very large uptick in our customers reporting issues with mold and insect damage and we do not get reimbursed for fixing them.
   
   Another part of the warranty requires yearly maintenance on the swingset. If yearly maintenance is neglected, then the warranty is not honored. This was not the case pre-covid.
    
7.  It costs at least $1500 A quality wooden swing set, with all of these attributes, will cost you at least $1500. This doesn't mean you can't purchase a quality set under $1500, it just means the set will not have all 7 of these qualities.
   
   2025 Update – In 2025 I would say that the adjusted number is around $2500, not including installation fees.  This certainly does not suggest a set that is $2500 or above it is high quality. I am merely saying if something looks amazing and its under $2500 – do your homework!

A Few Other Reasons

The slides- The slides used to be doubled walled with thicker plastic.

The slides are now cheaper, single walled plastic slides. We have had to replace many of them due to customers not following the weight limit restrictions.

The bracketing system - The bracketing system, while not poor quality, is still of a lower quality than your traditional bolt through construction.

The Rails – The rails on the ladders are non-existent, and the grab rails on the tower are made from plastic. Other brands have metal grab rails on the ladder and platform.

Big Box Store Preference (Deference) - 

Gorilla has made 2 huge decisions over the past couple years to demonstrate they not only do not care about the little guy, but they are looking to completely rid the market of any solo installers or local dealers. These moves support themselves and big box stores.

Decision 1 - Remove all local installers from their website.

Imagine having your salary cut by over 50% with no warning.

Last year, Gorilla removed a page that listed local installers in all 50 states. This instantly removed many individuals living income by over 50% without warning. We (NJ Swingsets) had many local installers reach out asking us for work this past year because their installation volume was cut to over 50%.

These experienced installers were replaced by "lowest bidder" contractors. Big box stores will pay a certain price and no more. This leads to many people getting inexperienced workers to install a set your children are playing on!

Decision 2 - Rather than provide local dealers with the support they need to thrive and ultimately sell more of their product, the money is being diverted to selling directly to customer and supporting big box stores.

Priority goes to the big box stores. Gorilla will dropship for big box stores. They will not dropship for small businesses.

Gorilla gives out quantity discounting to big box stores. Gorilla does extend some sales to a local dealer, but it is near impossible to compete with the buying power of all big box stores combined.

Gorilla allows big box stores (well any dealer) to list a swingset at any price, even at a loss.  While this may seem like great to a customer, it creates a whole host of unseen issues that are too long to list here. In the short term, this is beneficial as the customer gets a great deal. In the long term, it devalues the brand and hurts anyone re-selling the product. Previous customers will come to expect lower pricing from the the brand in perpetuity, and new customers will assume the brand is of lower quality.

We believe competition is good. It can lead to better products, lower prices and more innovation. However in this case, lower prices are being created without a better product or innovation.

The focus is short term and short sighted. 

The human element that gives life to a business is neglected.