Customer Reviews

Coolaroo 10 Foot Round Cantilever Freestanding Patio Umbrella, Smoke

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I was very excited to get this umbrella. I bought it about two months ago. It was attractive. I needed help to get it up the stairs but did manage to put it together on my own.

I could not figure out how to make it tilt. I used it and always cranked it down when not using it. It moves in the wind alot - even a gentle wind.

One day I was nearby - it was up and I noticed the wind picked up. Immediately I ran to crank it down - the crank would not crank and it smashed my thumb. Then the umbrella - with its heavy looking metal bars blew upside down and broke off where it looked to be welded.

This was a pricey luxury investment for me and i expected it to last years. Not months especially not only 2. both the person i bought it from through amazon and the manufacturer said there was nothing they could do. So off in the trash it goes and i will never purchase a coolaro umbrella again. I used it exactly as recommended... Oh the coolaro lady said it would not have broken if you kept it down - i laughed and said so how do you use it if its down? since i was using it when the wind picked up and it broke. (there was no weather report of strong wind that day) she said. hmm that's true. She was very nice and apologized but in this economy an investment like this is nothing to sneeze at. My patio is in direct sun all day - but i am going to go with a less expensive product since its going to break anyway. BOO!!!!! I did purchase through amazon - its not their fault.

We love it! This is exactly what we needed for our patio here in hot West Texas! (The only reason I gave it a "4" was because I had to get a "Southern Patio Blowmolded Base For Offset Umbrella" to make sure it didn't blow away. ....The base isn't very pretty...but it keeps the umbrella out of the pool!! :-)

Good quality, stable footing with four pavers (not provided). Great price for the quality. I would highly recommend this product.

This umbrella is AWESOME!!! Easy to use, no more looking around the pole to see your guests on the other side of the patio table. Wished that it came with a weighted stand.

Our deck has become an additional room--really frames nicely and keeps the heat of the sun off of you.

This is a great umbrella, especially because it can be moved wherever at any given time and is so simple to put up. I purchased some 2x2 pavers to weigh down the umbrella stand, it is very top-heavy. I was unsure of this (how the stand wouldn't tip over)when I made my purchase, but I would probably make this purchase again because it is a very large size (which I love), a great color and blocks the sun tremendously. I rated this item "4 stars" due to the fact that I had to buy pavers in order to weigh down the stand .

The umbrella arrived promtly. My wife and I - we are both in our 60s - were able to set it up without incident well within half an hour. The accompanying sketch was helpful but not optimally so. We had to use equal measures of guess work and common sense. Looks sturdy. Earlier reviews had prepared us for the need to weigh down the base and four paving stones bought at Menard's did the job. Actually these cement colored rectangles look quite elegant and proportionate to us and blend nicely with the patio. We've had a couple of storms roll here in this part of Michigan since, but the umbrella (we crank it shut when not in use) has stood its ground. Finally some nice shade for my hammock!
All in all I would recommend both the product and the vendor.

Umbrella is beautiful!!! A great color that compliments my patio set and the quality is outstanding!!! I love it and everyone that sees it wants one!!! Thanks!!!

This umbrella was exactly what I was looking for to put over my bar on my deck. The assembly was ok but you need 2 people to complete it with ease. You definately need the blow molded base to support it especially if you are on a 2nd floor deck as I am.

I too, loved this umbrella when it was new. But now just a year and a half later the plastic piece that holds the cantilever arm is cracked. The company will not sell a replacement part because they say it is too dangerous! If I put it up without them I think I could slide a new plastic piece on as well. Not to mention a broken umbrella crashing down once the plastic snaps. Looking back through their history on Amazon this seems to be a recurring problem. I am so disappointed in Gale Pacific.

My family bought one of these umbrellas, but during a rain storm, the wind was apparently too much for the plastic part that serves as the fulcrum, because it broke. It seems from the other reviews that we were not the only ones to have this problem.

Our efforts to obtain a replacement part have been unsuccessful. If only they had a stronger, preferably metal, replacement part, this would be an ideal umbrella, especially with it's very reasonable cost.

Why such a key part is made of plastic instead of metal when this part is at the key point with the most stress is beyond me. But unless you only use this umbrella when there is no chance for any strong wind, we could not recommend it.