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- Verified Buyer
Purchased July 27, 2018: As most of the umbrella offerings fall into the usual color range (red, blue, green, etc.), this one was exactly what I sought to fit the decor of my deck and home. Realizing that a darker red-orange may not be everyone's choice, it works for me. I've had it for about 8 months now. It seems to be holding up well with no discernible fading or physical deterioration. Then again, it's only been 8 months. It operates well and tolerates a fair amount of wind. Someone neglected to retract it for several days during a period when my area experienced moderately high winds, which were well tolerated. The price is fair for the quality received. I'd purchase this umbrella again if needed.September 11, 2022: Although I would purchase this item again and, indeed might, it represents a compromise in my experience. After roughly 50 months of use, the mechanism still functions like new insofar as I'm able to discern. As others have stated, it withstands at least moderate winds when fully open and is durable when closed. No cover is supplied, which likely contributes to one of the issues I have with it, that being, it fades. After one year of constant use, it was obvious that fading was going to be problematic, as there were streaks evident, especially in those areas exposed to the elements when closed. That could probably be prevented by purchasing a cover at additional cost from another source, though I hesitate to speculate on the difficulty of putting it or or taking it off, as that would likely be cumbersome. The lack of uniformity of fading is no longer an issue after four years, as the entire fabric area is now faded to the point that I find it quite unattractive, now at the closing of its fifth summer season of use. Possibly my standards are a bit high for the price I paid at the time, over 4 years ago ($119.99 + tax, Amazon Prime shipping). My experience with much pricier patio umbrellas of the same size and configuration was much better - it's true that they faded slightly and uniformly over time, but not to the extent this one has lost its originally attractive color. Then again, the price I paid for them was at least four times that paid for this one. When I inquired of the manufacturer about the possibility of purchasing a replacement fabric set, without the frame and pole, I was informed that they didn't offer that option, and that it would be necessary to purchase a complete unit. I was offered a 5% discount on a new one. At the time, the price was $144.99, so the price would have been considerably higher than what I originally paid, even when taking advantage of the discount ($17.75 more by my calculation). I suppose that's something, but certainly not close to what it might have cost to just purchase a replacement canopy, I would have thought, so, I declined. Now that the price has dropped, I may well repurchase at the lower price. I presume the discount still applies since there was no time limit specified in the offer I received. My overall advice is that one should factor in the lower cost of this item as compared to one at twice or more the price that (might) be expected to last considerably longer with the suggestion that one adjust one's performance expectations. Other than the fading, my overall experience has been good, but not excellent. On the other hand, if one gets three or four seasons out of this umbrella and pays about a quarter of a high-end brand name, I suppose the tradeoff is that one can get four new ones for the same total price and have a reasonable expectation of good performance over a 12- to 15year period of use. In my own case, I would keep the pole and rib mechanism, just in case there is a mechanical issue that presents before I decide to replace it yet again. The one concern I do have is of an environmental nature - four times as much natural resources would have to be consumed to manufacture and transport all four iterations of this product, all of which are likely to end up in a landfill somewhere, which means that there is a net environmental cost not untypical of a lot of 'throwaway' products we consume. Is this a good use of the earth's resources and the additional carbon emissions contributions to climate change - probably not. It is THAT question that has thus-far prevented me from reordering, even though the price is now $15 less than I originally paid four years ago and $40 lower than it was offered a couple of months ago. All of us need to be thinking of this question as we're confronted with such decisions. I'll update this if anything changes in my experience.
