The Bt-series of round folding tables – the bt-48r, bt-60r, and bt-71r – are all models that are supposed to compete with Lifetime Round Tables in the white granite coloration. What we heard from customers is that the colors of the National Public Seating (NPS) round tables did not match the white granite from Lifetime Products. Because we only heard about this issue on the rarest of occassions, we figured that the coloration differences were because of different building specifications from either manufacturer. We finally heard one last complaint about this issue and contacted NPS about the problem. The customer that had received the tables said the packaging actually said Gray on the box. When we pressed NPS for the correct listing specifications, they said they had decided to market the product as a ‘speckled-gray’ or a ‘gray-granite’ color. Thus, please do not order the NPS Bt-series to match and white-granite Lifetime tables you own; they will not match.

NPS Folding Seminar Tables Included

If you are interested in purchasing NPS seminar tables – models bt1860, bt1872, and bt1896 – please note that all of these tables also follow the same coloring patter as the round folding tables. All Bt-series folding tables from NPS are speckled gray in color.

I just had a customer call a moment ago saying that they found a cheaper seminar table online at a competitor’s site and wanted to know if I knew anything of the quality. The model is question was model DAD-YCZ-180-GW-GG. The customer was comparing it to our Bt1872 folding seminar table. On the surface, everything looks to be about the same for about $30 cheaper. However, a closer examination showed some key differences that future customers ought to consider.

Folding Hinge Design on the Seminar Folding Table Frame:

The first thing that will stick out to the careful investigator is that the Flash Furniture model uses a single folding hinge to support the frame and table top. The singe hinge is very flimsy; and, the likelihood of a table collapsing is increased with just one hinge to support. The National Public Seating model, on the other hand, uses a double-hinge support. The hinge on the NPS model also does not merely fold up at will; it also uses a push pin to keep the frame from folding up when you do want it fold up.

Weight Capcity of the Seminar Tables:

The issue of weight capacity is a little more difficult to ascertain. Our competitor’s website showed two different numbers: 220 lbs. and 299 lbs. When I went to the manufacturer’s website, they did not have any additional information. So, I will assume the higher number is correct for argument’s sake. Even at this higher number, the weight capcity does not really compare to the BT1872′s 700 lbs. capacity. While most uses probably will not require the full utilization of all 700 lbs., this is pretty heavy (pardont the pun) evidence of the lower quality of the Flash Furniture model. Finally, there are several other points of comparison that require a little bit of speculation because of the dearth of available information.

Other possible differences between these Seminar Folding Tables:

These final points I will make are speculative – once again because of the dearth of information – but will have good reason for stating them as differences. First off is the warranty. National Public Seating warranties our tables for 5 years. Our competitor does not show any warranty on the Flash Furniture model, though I am pretty sure they have some sort of gurantee. When I saw the lack of warranty information, I went to Flash Furniture’s website again and found this as their stated warranty for their products:

“Most of our chairs have a 2 year warranty for parts. If a replacement part is needed, simply fax in your parts request, and your part will usually be shipped within 24 hours. “

The major problem with this warranty is that it does not even show if their tables are included under this warranty. I must assume that they have some coverage (I do not know of a company that does not warranty their table products at all); but, even if their tables are warrantied for 2 years like their chairs, National Public Seating warranties their products for 5 years.

Second, the weight capacity of these different brands of seminar tables has already been considered; the only other thing that needs to be brought out is the strength of the materials used in the table’s production. National Public Seating uses 16 gauge steel (the smaller the number, the stronger the steel) in their construction. Unfortunately, Flash Furniture does not have published details on this for their products. My guess (I told you I would be providing speculation with good reason) is that the gauge of steel could not be nearly as strong as the 16 gauge used by National Public Seating; otherwise, the weight capacity would not vary so much.

Hopefully this post has illustrated the reasons for the difference in price between Flash Furniture and National Public Seating models. The Flash Furniture model would be considered a very low-end, entry-level table compared to National Public Seating’s model.