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Patio Umbrellas

Patio umbrellas come in many different shapes and sizes. You have cantilever patio umbrellas, market patio umbrellas and garden patio umbrellas. There are also umbrellas that slide open, umbrellas that crank open, push button tilt umbrellas, auto tilt umbrellas and collar tilt umbrellas. Let’s start with the different categories of patio umbrellas.

Cantilever Patio Umbrellas

     Cantilever umbrellas have been a fast growing trend since the year 2003. A cantilever umbrella is not your typical umbrella that everyone pictures when you say the word umbrella. Most people think of a traditional table umbrella that goes in the hole in the center of a patio table and is screwed into a weighted umbrella base. The cantilever umbrella could not be more different. This style umbrella is designed in a way to hang over the table rather than being held up by a pole. Starting from the ground up there is a base that sits on your patio (not under the table) that is usually weighted down by filling it with sand, weighted down with decorative patio bricks or anchored down to the patio or deck. From there attached to the base is an aluminum pole that goes up and hangs an umbrella over your area that needs shade. These come in sizes from 9 feet - 13 feet. There are many advantages of having a cantilever umbrella. You can use it on any type of seating group you may have on your patio whether it is a living area, chat group, or dining area.It is very easy to use the umbrella on different areas of your patio because most cantilever umbrellas have the ability to spin 360 degrees and be used over your dining set, living area, and your hot tub with out having to move the heavy base once. Tilting a cantilever umbrella is another upgrade compared to a traditional patio umbrella. When tilting a cantilever umbrella you have the option to tilt most of them up to 180 degrees.

Garden Patio Umbrellas
     Most garden umbrellas are 7.5 feet. They normally have an aluminum chrome colored pole that will fit any 1½” umbrella hole in the center of a patio table. They also normally are equipped with a crank to open the umbrella and offer a push button tilt to adjust the umbrella for better shade. Many garden umbrellas have a hanging valance around the outside edge of the umbrella. Garden umbrellas offer strength and a great look at an affordable price. Garden umbrellas were very popular in the 90’s, but around 2002 many consumers started going with the stronger and larger market umbrellas.

Market Patio Umbrellas
     Market Umbrellas are available in many different sizes but most commonly found in 9 feet and 11 feet. One of the distinct features of the market umbrellas is the straight edges around the outside of the umbrella. There

are no hanging valances which give the market umbrella a very modern sleek look. Another feature commonly found on the market umbrella is the wind vent. A wind vent is an addition piece of fabric found at the top of the umbrella that allows wind to escape from the underneath of the umbrella. Some models also offer a double wind vent to assist in large gust of wind. Market umbrellas also have many different options for styles of poles and tilt options. With market umbrellas you can get a wooden pole or an aluminum pole. Many people like the wooden pole umbrella for a more natural look. A wooden pole market umbrella normally has a draw string pulley system to open the umbrella. By pulling on the draw string you open the umbrella and keep it in the open position by sliding a pin into the pole. If there is no draw string to pull you would just slide the umbrella up the pole and again prop it open with a pin. The only downfall of the wooden pole umbrella is that there is no tilt available. The aluminum pole umbrellas offer a much easier way to open the umbrellas. These umbrellas have crank handles that can open and close the umbrella which make the things easier because you don’t have to reach and climb over your patio table to slide in any pins to hold the umbrella open. Also by having an aluminum pole and crank to open and close your umbrella it gives you the option of tilting your umbrella. The different options for tilting your umbrella are push button, auto tilt, and collar tilt.

The Many Different Ways to Tilt Your Umbrella
     Having the ability to tilt your umbrella is a very desirable feature. The sun is moving all throughout the day and being able to tilt your umbrella maximizes the amount of shade your umbrella can give you. When it comes to tilting your umbrella there are three different styles of umbrellas that tilt. There are push button tilt umbrellas, auto tilt umbrellas, and collar tilt umbrellas.

Push Button Tilt Umbrellas
     The push button tilt is the original style of tilting an umbrella. It is very simple. First you crank open your umbrella. After you have the umbrella fully open you reach up towards the button at the top of the pole, hold the button in and with your other hand pull the umbrella down to the side the hinge allows you to and release the button. In order to operate the push button tilt umbrella you need to either be able to reach across the table and up the umbrella pole or use a step stool or ladder to reach the button.

Auto Tilt Umbrellas

The auto tilt umbrella works in a similar fashion to the push button tilt umbrella, but is an upgrade because of its ease of use. Like the push button tilt umbrella the auto tilt umbrella needs to be fully cranked open. Once the umbrella is fully cranked open you must continue to crank the umbrella open to operate the auto tilt mechanism and as you are cranking the umbrella the umbrella automatically tilts without having to push any buttons. This is a much easier way to do things because anyone can operate this umbrella no matter what height you are. No step stools or ladders needed.

Collar Tilt Umbrellas
The collar tilt umbrella is the easiest to operate of all three different types of tilting umbrellas. The collar tilt umbrella operates just like an auto tilt umbrella. In order to tilt a collar tilt umbrella after the umbrella is fully open you simply turn the collar right above the crank mechanism of the umbrella. This is much easier than an auto tilt umbrella because when tilting an auto tilt umbrella cranking the umbrella after it is fully open offers some resistance. When turning the collar on a collar tilt umbrella, it is done with ease. There is no resistance, anyone can do it.

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