Customer Reviews

Rainbow 8' Beach Umbrella with Carry Bag, Umbrella UPF 50+ with Tilt - Fiberglass Ribs

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I like the umbrella but will admit that it is a bit thinner in material than I would have preferred so I hope it keeps the sun's rays out as I would like. The one comment I think anyone ordering needs to pay attention to is that this umbrella already has an auger type base so you DO NOT need to order an "sand anchor" with this even though it shows on the site as something people order in addition to the umbrella. In fact PLEASE NOTE that the umbrella doesn't even fit in the anchor because of the augar shaped based so don't order the anchor as you will end up as I did with an anchor you can't use. I do also like the larger size of this umbrella.

Saw this item in store in Ocean City, NJ, but they didn't have any.
Got from Amazon and project is great and not too heavy. Very easy
to use and setup, great shade and coverage. Value for $50 is excellent.
Lots of compliments and it would be easy to sell these at double the
price on the beach.

Not much more heavier than the 5' model it replaced. Get an anchor
to hold in sand. Don't bother with a smaller umbrella, bigger is
better and worth the money.

We love this umbrella. It provides enough shade to allow both of us to sit in beach chairs under it. No more struggling to fit in the shade. Very happy with purchase. Other people at the beach are always jealous!

This umbrella is huge! and well built. But figure out some way to anchor it because it catches wind like a sail. In the picture, it shows the umbrella sitting on it's side and that is how i wanted to use it.
I purchased this for use in our backyard by the kiddie pools. For the adults to sit under while the kids played. Because it was grass, we couldn't bury the pole. Perhaps at the beach you can and that would be sufficent. We tried to weight the umbrella with bags, shoes and towels. everytime the breeze blew, the umbrella tried to flip over or jump backwards. and it's so large and well built, it would definitely cause injury. We finally ended up closing it up and sitting in the sun.

I read the reviews for this umbrella and also got a 12" sand anchor for the beach. In moderate breezes on the Jersey shore, the umbrella would fall over on its side. So I tried using it on its side. It blocked the wind well enough, but now I was facing the sun, and the wind would shift, so I would have to keep one hand on the pole. Bound and determined to get this to work, I bought a 26" sand anchor, thinking this would solve my problem. The first time, the anchor wasn't deep enough, and the umbrella again tilted in the breeze. I took down the umbrella and inserted the sand anchor about 18". The umbrella was up for about 20 minutes and this time the top pole bent 90 degrees where it meets the bottom pole. There were dozens of open umbrellas around me as the heat was in the 90's, some also 8' in diameter, and no one else was struggling with them. I gave up and packed it back in the bag. Carrying it back, the top strap on the bag separated as it was sewn on with a single row of stitches. Not my day.

I was very impressed with how sturdy this umbrella is and would definitely consider buying a second one. You'll need an anchor though... in windy weather, this large umbrella can pull away!

Despite the cost (or perhaps because of it), this is a great umbrella.
You need to purchase a stand, though...especially if you are going to use it on grass or as a picnic-table umbrella. We use it for our table, and it provides great shade! It's extremely stylish too, with vibrant colors.
We love it!

I have enjoyed this umbrella. It is large enough for two people. The quality is great. The ribs are strong enough to withstand reasonable wind gusts.

I'd like to give this product four stars, but I just can't. The problem here isn't the umbrella itself, but the sub-par poles that the umbrella is attached to. The lower pole is the big problem as it is made from somewhat thin aluminum; this lower pole is really not strong enough to support the 8 feet of umbrella above it. In a fairly modest breeze, this umbrella will quickly become top-heavy causing it to potentially topple over. When mine did exactly this, the lower pole, bent and actually broke. It's nice to have all the shade this umbrella can give, but I would caution against using this on breezy days. I worked around the bad pole by using a heavier gauge pole I had from another umbrella and using a Sand-Grabber that I had purchased many years ago (this umbrella actually has a built-in sand grabber, which I thought was a nice touch; too bad the pole wasn't stronger). Also, the coupling which holds the upper umbrella half to the bottom pole, does not make a tight enough fit to keep the wind from blowing the umbrella out of the lower pole. Big umbrella, nice idea, but it just doesn't work well given the materials that were used.

We have had several beach umbrella's over the years, and this one is by far the best. The carry bag makes this so easy to use and store.