AECOJOY10'×8' Manual Retractable Awning Sun Shade Patio Awning Cover Outdoor Patio Canopy Sunsetter Deck Awnings with Manual Crank Handle, Beige

Absolutely love this awning!! It took 2 people to assemble in about 3 hours. It was not an easy build but it was definitely worth it. Couldn’t be happier. Hopefully it will be durable. Don’t plan on having it open all the time as the weather in S. Florida can be a little unpredictable during storm season however it provides awesome shade from the intense Florida sun and the color of the canvas is so nice.

Product came on time was packaged very well, etc. etc.All the parts were there, and I highly recommend that you look at a couple of YouTube videos before attempting to install. Also, follow the instructions to the letter very carefully. It’s also key that when you first roll the canvas or cloth, That you roll it tight, and keep the swivel arms tied together and bound, so it’s easy to manage when you first put it on the brackets to the side of your home. It is most definitely a Typical two person job. That doesn’t mean that you cannot do this on your own, but it will take 2 to 3 times longer than if you had an extra pair of hands.OK, so here is the lowdown:You need to make sure that this is attached to either a stud behind the outside wall or, you need to build this out in order for it to be firmly secure. Mine is under a gutter, second floor, high-rise deck. The brackets are made of steel and Are assembled long ways, so the bottom half has nothing to attach to since it is under the gutter and the facia extends out with no support. So what I had to do was to cut Pressure treated 4 x 4 posts, attached it to another pressure treated board to build it out past the gutter. It is well supported with 4 inch lag bolts that go directly into the facia board that holds the gutter. If you don’t do this, that assembly will either rip from the house or, it will fail in high winds and come crashing down. I used flexseal white paint to cover to match and heavy duty foreign screws to make sure that during winds that the assembly will hold together. It took me a few more hours and expected, but the roller has to clear the gutter or you will not be able to extend and contract properly because the gutter is in the way. I honestly wish they had an extra extension bracket that was about 4 inches that came with the Product because it will cause extra work to the typical homeowner.Also, I highly recommend at the end of the canvas assembly, which extends out to snap them in, they will not hold. Go get either gorilla glue or heavy duty gorilla Adhesive caulk and lightly coat those pieces before inserting into the grooves so they all hold together. Reason being under at times stress when the canvas is shifting because the wind they will tend to pop out. Good luck, trying to find them in the cracks of your patio bricks, or in the grass down below in my case.As with the fit, it extends out perfectly and it retracts very smoothly. The canvas is made with good quality so I do not see this ripping or tearing anytime soon. We have had 15 to 20 not wins and it holds up very nicely. The crank is easy to maneuver and it is made of solid steel frame so I do not see this in the wind as well.We had some slight rains, and it did work as intended, which is key because I barbecue quite a bit and it’s nice to not be rained on while I’m cooking outside. As a sidenote, this does not come with a campus cover for the housing when it’s rolled up. I highly recommend that you purchase an additional campus cover so in the winter or whenever you are not using it for a long period of time that it is protected from the elements while it’s outside. I found one here on Amazon, which is about $46. This will come in handy in the late fall in winter during the Chicago weather. Overall, and quite happy, but just make sure you set aside enough time to have this completed properly. I would say for the value, it’s a very handy product, especially when you’re out side, entertaining, or just enjoying a cuppa coffee in the mornings. So much better than having, one of those umbrellas that you have to continually crank which can be quite cumbersome and honestly a real pain to set up. So again, make sure you have enough time to make sure that this is assembled and set up properly. This will take approximately about a half to a full day to complete if you want to do this right.As in the pictures, you will notice I do not have it extended all the way out. It is OK to do that. It won’t harm the brackets. It can extend all the way out approximately 10 feet which goes over the deck and the stairs going down. I just don’t need it that far, but I have the ability to do so if I would like.(Good Luck! It’s very well worth the investment!)

The media could not be loaded. Safety hazards 1: screws to keep the awning in place are too short for a typical wall in use. The only situation their screws would work is when you have a thick piece of wood exposed. if the stud is hidden inside the wall with some distance to the surface, as is typical in the U.S., especially with a stucco wall, the screw would have at most 1/4 inch inside the stud---that is not enough to support the weight of this awning, especially when it is open, it creates a very large leverage. To install it, the professionals I hired had to go to Home Depot to buy longer screws, which cost $45.5.Safety hazards 2: The right arm of the awning cannot hold its position due to a loose screwed (See attached video). This resulted in the arm hitting the piece below when we tried to close the awning---the awning could not be closed. The defect is apparent when you compare the two arms, the left arm is normal and functioning, but the right arm is loose and dropped, hitting the piece that connects the leg and the bracket on the wall. I paid the professionals $220 to put this thing on, and it can only be half closed--ugly. Also, because there are so many low-quality and wobbly parts, it takes the professionals 30 minutes to figure out what is preventing the awning from closing, guess who is paying for their time?Other flaws:Flaw1: One of the two cylinders that roll in the cloth has a dent—it cannot be connected to the other cylinder.Flaw 2: It is very time-consuming to align all the moving parts when there are so many flaws and loose parts. Although the price of this item is cheap, the installation is costly.Seller response:The seller suggested ‘solutions’ that are not solutions at all. For example, the seller offered a $30 refund and asked me to use that $30 to hire someone to work for 10 minutes to replace the loose arm, while the replacement arm is nowhere to be found yet was promised to come after 15 days + shipment time. The seller also suggested that there is nothing wrong with the screws since they have tested it. Why do they need to test it? They only need a ruler to figure out it is not long enough for a typical house in the U.S.!

Instillation instructions were ok but sometimes difficult to interpret. Assembled as instructed and then found interference with wall mounting locations. Had to change several adjustments to accommodate mounting locations and achieve proper arm retraction.Cranking is easy when extending, but difficult when retracting. I’m not sure if my wife has enough strength to retract the awning. Wishing it had a motorized upgrade.Some of the parts appear weak. Several screws fit loosely. Uncertain how long this will last.The plan is to deploy this several times per week in the summer. Wondering how long it will last with 60 use cycles per season. Would be surprised if it lasts 2 years. Some parts are custom and others are commonly available. Wondering if parts will be available when something breaks.I’m not sure what to do now if my wife is unable to retract the awning if it becomes windy.Wish that a PDF of the manual was available online. I wasn’t able to see what was involved until the box arrived. Assembly of 13’ long items can be awkward. Mounting it was tricky because the wall bracket locations interfered with assembled parts. It took some adjusting to get everything correctly assembled.

This product works greats. Very nice but make sure you don’t have high winds, or this will cause issues pulling up on the shade.