Asgard Featured in GardenFocused Metal Sheds Review
Asgard Featured in GardenFocused Metal Sheds Review
GardenFocused, an independent gardening advice website, has featured Asgard in their comprehensive metal sheds review. Known for their impartial, hands-on testing approach, Garden Focused personally views and critically evaluates sheds rather than relying on manufacturer marketing materials. Here's their full review:
Garden Focused Metal Sheds Review
All our advice is totally impartial, we are not affiliated to any shed manufacturer. All the pictures are taken by us and not copies of manufacturer's glossy pictures.
Wherever possible we have viewed for ourselves, and critically evaluated, each of the sheds mentioned in this review. Where we have not viewed a manufacturer's sheds it is because they do not have a display site in the UK.
Our stance is that if a manufacturer won't let the public see their metal sheds before they are purchased, then the quality must, at the very least, be considered suspect.
We have written a page dedicated to secure metal sheds because they are a specialist market.
At the end of this article we include an email from Darren G who has specific experience of Asgard and Biohort metal sheds. Well worth reading.
METAL SHED MANUFACTURERS
There are fewer metal shed manufacturers compared to the number of retailers. If you can get an accurate opinion of the manufacturers of metal sheds you will be well placed to narrow down the choice of which models offer good value within your price range. You can then decide if you want to buy direct from the manufacturer (if that is an option) or through one of their approved retailers.
The list below is in alphabetic order.
ASGARD
Asgard specialise in high security metal storage solutions. As well as garden sheds they also provide bicycle, motorcycle and caravan storage. As far as security is concerned Asgard is the company which others aspire to equal, but rarely do.
They are part of a larger company, Flexiform Business Furniture Ltd and have been in business for over 40 years.
All their products are designed and manufactured in England and have a ten year warranty. Unusually, their sheds come with a fully integrated metal base included in the basic price – this adds significantly to the security of the shed.
Shed walls are 1.2mm thick and this is about as thick as they come! Compare that to to the majority of metal sheds which generally have a wall thickness of 0.25mm and you begin to appreciate the strength of Asgard sheds.
If you look at the walls of an Asgard shed you will see that they are flat, this is only possible because of the thickness of the steel. Other shed manufacturers have ribbed walls, this is because their walls are so thin that they would have difficulty supporting the structure unless the walls were ribbed. Ribbed walls are not a sign of strength, quite the opposite.
A typical Asgard metal shed
Other design features which make Asgard metal sheds stand out include double folded joints for additional water resistance. Assembly on a suitable base is easy and straight forward. Allow four hours and most people, including those diy challenged like me, will have completed the shed assembly.
The locks on an Asgard shed door are about as secure as they come. Even their cheaper models have an enviable three point locking system. Moving up the range they have a five point locking system. All of the locks are pick resistant.
To minimise the risk of condensation, not only are the fascias vented but also the roof. Many of the sheds come with an installation service.
Asgard Sheds can be bought direct online through the Asgard website. They can also be bought through GBC who have displays of them in many of their garden centre sites throughout the UK. They don't market them as Asgard but the secure metal sheds they sell with straight walls are Asgard ones.
Many are displayed on their sites at garden centres if you want to view before you purchase. Several other online retailers also sell Asgard sheds including Tiger Sheds.
Click here for a more in depth review of a typical Asgard shed.
Company address: 1392 Leeds Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD3 7AE
Contact Number: 08456 580 730
Website: http://www.asgardsss.co.uk
BIOHORT
Biohort are an Austrian company who manufacture three ranges of garden sheds in the medium to high price ranges. They are the Europa, Avantgarde and Highline garden shed ranges. To date we have been unable to find any of their sheds on display in the UK.
Whatever the quality of their garden sheds we would not recommend them, simply on the basis that you can't see them before buying. It seems very likely to us that any descriptions or pictures on the internet about Biohort sheds are simply a rehash of the descriptions from the manufacturer and not from first hand experience.
This is not a brand of garden shed we would recommend for purchase in the UK
GARDEN BUILDINGS DIRECT / BillyOh
Garden Buildings Direct are at the very low end of the metal sheds market is concerned. All their sheds are marketed under the BillyOh brand name. They do not offer a fitting service.
There are several online review sites that feature BillyOh sheds. Reviews.co.uk have some recent reviews which can be found here.
On Trust Pilot they have a rating of 3 out of 5 stars (see here). Amazon is sometimes useful for reviews of products and they do have a few reviews of Garden Building Direct sheds but the highest shed review (excluding the bike storage ones) currently is a 2 star (out of 5 stars) with all the others being 1 star. You can see these reviews here.
There are several MumsNet reviews which can be found here, they make unpleasant reading.
One worrying aspect about this company is that we have been unable to locate any showroom where you, or anyone else for that matter, can actually view the product before buying it. Call me picky but I would like the option of seeing the sheds before actually buying one of them.
Delivery schedules are quoted as being from two to thirty days. Deliveries will be to the kerbside and the driver(s) will unload all parts. Unusually the company write "we may not accept claims for damaged goods if the courier has obtained a clean signature for delivery". That is an unacceptable condition in our view and probably not legally enforceable.
This is not a range of sheds which we would recommend.
Company address: FAO Sales and Customer Services, Kybotech Limited, Dukeries Industrial Estate, Claylands Avenue, Worksop S81 7BQ
Read the full Garden Focused metal sheds review
Why This Review Matters
Garden Focused's independent, hands-on approach to testing makes their review particularly credible. They personally view sheds at display sites, take their own photographs, and provide honest comparisons between manufacturers.
Their conclusion that Asgard is "the company which others aspire to equal, but rarely do" in terms of security comes from direct evaluation, not manufacturer marketing materials.
Made in Yorkshire, Built to Last
Every Asgard shed is designed and manufactured in our Bradford factory. We've been making secure steel storage for over 20 years, using Welsh steel with 30% recycled content, and backing everything with a 10-year warranty.
The 1.2mm wall thickness, flat wall design, integrated metal base, and pick-resistant locking systems that Garden Focused highlighted are standard across our range.
Ready to Upgrade Your Storage?
Whether you need a metal garden shed, bike storage, or motorcycle garage, Asgard has a solution that works.
