803512 Umbrella with Auto Tilt and Olifin Fabric, 9-Feet, Green

I'll start with the quirk since many of the benefits have already been described. I noticed others have the same problem as me -- at some point the umbrella either refuses to open up all the way or the tilting mechanism appears to be broken (the two are related). The issue is that the 2 pins in the tilting mechanism tend to come out, blocking the crank. All you need to do is hammer them back in and the umbrella is as good as new.So with that aside, I have to say the umbrella mechanism, while feeling cheap, is durable. Even with the pin sticking out and me cranking away at it as hard as I can, it never broke. Knock on wood, but this is a good sign that it's nearly unbreakable. It's true though that the last few turns on the crank can be very difficult.The "canvas" is also strong. I live in NorCal where the weather is mild so maybe I'm not a good example, but I left the umbrella open for the last 12 months and it's as strong as the day I bought it. The khaki color does an incredible job of looking clean despite being under a large tree that drops leaves and other debris on it year round.The paint on the pole does scratch off, but it still exceeds expectations at this price point.

I really love this umbrella and I'm so glad I went with the terra cotta. It came very quickly in a sturdy box and it was extremely easy to unpack.It looks wonderful with our Strathwood St. Thomas patio set also purchased on Amazon. We're using the 50lb Market Umbrella Base which is beautiful as well as very well-made, and HEAVY. I really don't have any qualms about putting this umbrella out when there's some wind. Of course, common sense applies, one wouldn't want to put the umbrella out when the winds are whipping about. We have it out right now with 15 mile per hour winds and it's doing quite fine.Using this umbrella with the 50lb Market Umbrella Base makes for a very sturdy combo.UPDATE 6/7/2012: Second season using this umbrella and it still looks like new. Very delighted with the purchase and wouldn't hesitate to order another.UPDATE 3/31/2016; Heading into our sixth season using this same umbrella and it still works perfectly and looks great. A tiny bit faded but the color is still very pretty. We do not leave the umbrella out 24/7 during the summer months - we bring it in every night - and we don't leave it out during rainy weather. I'm sure these have contributed to the longevity of this umbrella.

Very high quality umbrella. I bought the Terra Cotta color, which is very nice. There are two reasons I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. The first is the complete lack of instructions. Now, normally you wouldn't need instructions for working a stupid umbrella, but this one has a tilt feature called Auto Tilt. But, there is nothing that tells you how to make it automatically tilt. There's a small slotted screw head that looks like you would put a screw driver into, but that does nothing. Finally, I look up Ace Evert on the internet and gave them a call. When I asked the question, the fellow at Ace was very nice and laughed. He said "You would believe how many times I have to answer this question." He told me to continue cranking the umbrella past the point where it is fully opened and it will begin to tilt on its own. Sure enough it worked. But, I wouldn't have tried this unless he told me. It looks like you would be taking a chance on braking the umbrella if you over opened it. The second thing that contributed to the 4 stars is the photo of the umbrella shows a base. The umbrella does not come with a base. You need to order a base separately. Overall though, the umbrella is great and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another one if I needed it.

Compared to much more expensive units, this is a great umbrella. The pole is black aluminum, but is built well. The top "ball" is a cheap plastic, but we just don't use it and it looks fine without it. The tilt mechanism is smooth and this umbrella seems very well built. I'd buy another in a minute. Great value!UPDATE: 6-22-10A small hinge pin in the tilt mechanism fell out over the weekend. This allowed the umbrella to tilt too much, bending the hinge a little. it was not super easy to get straight, but I was able to find the pin and re-insert it using a nail set to seat it fully. No signs of loosening yet. We still love this 'brella, but watch out for the pin!UPDATE: 8-6-2013The umbrella still hasn't faded and lives outside for 9 months a year. The crank and tilt mechanisms still work. Great umbrella!!!

We bought this umbrella because we couldn't find anything at the retail shops that didn't cost and arm and leg.First -- we love itSecond -- it was really inexpensive compaired to the others we looked and and IS better qualityThird -- lots of people have commented about the tilt feature not working correctly. I was one of those who really couldn't figure it out because the instructions provided do not address it.TILT FEATURE BOTTOM LINE (IT WORKS) ... Use the crank that raises the umbrella. When the umbrella reaches its fully extended position ... continue to crank. As you do this the tilt will start to position itself. Keep going till you have it where you want it. Turn the crank in the opposite direction to repositon the tilt to another tilt angle or the "non-tilt" setting.We have had this umbrella in the San Diego sun ALL summer long .... color has not faded one bit.Great buy, great product, highly recommend it.