EasyGo Beach Umbrella

THIS UMBRELLA WORKS !..... and HOW TO MAKE A BASE TO HOLD IT IN THE WIND -- REVIEW PART 2 - BASE BUCKETThis 8' umbrella is a must for the beach, for two or us with recliner chairs. The summer wind off the Gulf of Mexico at Ft. Pickens, (Pensacola) FL on a sunny day is a constant 20 to 30 mph (measured with an anemometer), from 10 am to 4 pm. The 16 heavy duty fiberglass ribs hold the umbrella rigidly, while the edge flaps and the wind vents vibrate wildly the whole time like something from a Dr. Seuss movie. This umbrella is Iron Clad Tough !As mentioned by others, anchoring this umbrella, or ANY other one, against such a wind can be a challenge.HERE IS ONE WAY YOU CAN DO IT:(REFER TO THE ATTACHED PHOTOS -- IN ORIGINAL REVIEW -- PART 1 -- FOR DETAILS ALONG THE WAY for FIXES 1 thru 5) ........... REVIEW PART 1 can be found in the reviews for this identical umbrella sold "by EasyGoUmbrella". This is usually the very first 8' umbrella shown in the listing.I have prepared my umbrella for blustery days at the beach by making SIX modifications to the umbrella support system as follows:1. FIX #1: Add a PVC "sleeve" to cover and strengthen the Upper part of the umbrella support pole.This is detailed in photos # 1 thru 4. (Photo numbers are shown in a pink box, usually at the upper right corner of the photo. These numbers are provided so you can follow the sequence, in case they get out of order in the Review).(Refer to REVIEW PART 1 for FIX #1 PHOTOS).2. FIX #2: Add a PVC "sleeve" to cover and strengthen the Lower part of the umbrella support pole. This is detailed in photo # 5, (and continued as part of fix #3).(Refer to REVIEW PART 1 for FIX #2 PHOTOS).3. FIX #3: Strengthen the fastening of the Sand Auger to the Lower pole section.This is detailed in photos # 6 thru 10.(Refer to REVIEW PART 1 for FIX #3 PHOTOS).4. FIX #4: Install a Hitch Pin to join the Upper Pole section to the Lower pole section more securely. This is detailed in photos # 11 thru 16.(Refer to REVIEW PART 1 for FIX #4 PHOTOS).5. FIX #5: Install an eyebolt in the Upper Pole section under the umbrella canopy, to allow attaching a hold down rope. This is detailed in photos # 17 thru 21.(Refer to REVIEW PART 1 for FIX #5 PHOTOS, except PHOTO #21 is in this PART 2).NOTES:a. Fix #4 (the Hitch Pin) could be skipped, so long as the Hold Down Rope in Fix #5 is used.b. If you use Fix #5, the sand auger is not needed either, as the hold down rope run thru the eyebolt and tied to the Base Bucket handle will do the job. But, if the sand auger is removed, the pole will have to be buried in the sand thru the hole in the bottom of the bucket for about 6" to 8", for stability of the pole. This reduces the useful height under the umbrella. I therefore recommend the sand auger be left on the bottom pole section. If the umbrella is to be used in a backyard patio application on a table with a mounting hole, then the sand auger can be removed by removing the bolt and PVC strengthener installed as FIXES # 2 and #3. It is probably less hassle just to have a second umbrella for the backyard location.6. FIX #6: The BUCKET BASEUse a 5 gallon plastic bucket, such as a painter's bucket, or buy one new at the Big Blue Store, or the Big Orange Store.Cut holes in the bucket and the lid as shown in the photos, and attach three layers of plywood to the lid, using bolts and nuts. Two and one-half of these layers of plywood will be fixed to the lid, and 1/2 of the third (top) layer will be removable, to allow inserting the umbrella lower pole through the lid.This construction is detailed in photos # 22 thru 40.[ It is to be noted here that I DID NOT invent the Base Bucket concept. Here is how it happened: my friends Spence and Eileen were enjoying their new 8' Beach Umbrella, from AMAZON, at the Beach, but the wind kept blowing their umbrella away, as was happening to many other umbrellas at the Beach that day. After experiencing this annoyance several times, with Spence resetting the umbrella each time, Eileen turned to Spence and lifted her sunglasses, saying, "Honey, you know those 5 gallon buckets you are saving in the attic?..... can you use one of them and make us a Base for this Umbrella to anchor it in the sand?" And so, Spence did as he was told, and the world is better for it today. So be it known, that Eileen is the Inventor here. Spence also added the PVC support for the Upper Pole section.Being an Engineer, I just improved on their original design.]

The upper pole is held to the lower pole by a plastic lever that when engaged creates a friction fit with the upper pole. The problem is that with just the slightest breeze, the umbrella poles separate and the top portion of the umbrella goes airborne. Other than that the umbrella is great. the bottom pole screws into the ground very easy and provides plenty of shade for 3 people but if you have any wind at all you will be packing it up.

I ordered one and was very satisfied. We took it to Florida and used it one the beach everyday for the two weeks we were there, and had no problems. However, the ad did not tell me it has a built in auger to bore the hole in the sand, so I spend an extra $10 ordering an auger/stand I ended up not using. If you have not used a beach umbrella before, always tilt the top of it5 into the wind for best results.

The umbrella came with no instructions which really you would not think it would need them but there are several holes in the bottom pole that the top section can snap into and NONE of them allowed the umbrella to close until I cut part of the plastic collar so it could go down further. In addition there was a metal bar chained on to the umbrella that had no apparent function or place to go. The one I got before this was the same overall product with only one hole that worked fine without alteration. It seems they tried to improve this product and make it worse.

I was skeptical that the integrated screw on the pole would actually hold this in the sand, and the reviews seemed mixed on this point, so I purchased a separate sand anchor just in case. We would have had to remove the screw to use it because the screw is wider than the rest of the pole, but I figured we'd see what happened.Well, let's just say I'm returning the extra sand anchor! This thing was wonderful. It dug into the sand deeply enough to stay put all day long. We used it at the Jersey shore -- two days in Brigantine and two days in Cape May. We had pretty brisk winds in CM. Enough that some other umbrellas were blowing away. Not ours! It was rock solid. Highly recommend this umbrella.Edit: One year later, this is still a great investment. I went to the beach with my extended family last weekend, and they brought their own umbrella. While they were digging a hole and burying a sand anchor, we just put our umbrella in the sand with the integrated screw and went out to swim. The umbrella didn't budge all day. So glad I purchased this!

This is my second Easy Go Umbrella. The only weak point is the knuckle that allows the umbrella to be positioned on an angle. The button that keeps the poll straight is loose and works it's way out. If it comes out and gets lost, the umbrella is difficult, if not impossible, to use easily.Other than that, the tubes are heavy duty and long lasting, and the canapie is durable extremely efficient at reducing UV rays from coming through which keeps you cooler on a really hot day.It is a shame because everything about the umbrella is top notch, except for the knuckle. That needs to be fixed before I can endorse it with 5 stars.

The umbrella is great! We have only used it a few times but haven't had any issues with it. It's simple to set up and held up to some pretty strong wind gusts off the lake. It stayed in place and was easy to transport in the bag that's included with the carrying strap. The material is sturdy and it provided ample shade. Would definitely recommend this umbrella.

Use this in the summer of 2012 at the beaches in Ocean City Maryland, in wind of less then 10mph... (not enough to fly a kite) the umbrella's stitching started to come apart, the holder for the umbrella also ripped first use... for this kinda money I thought it would be alot more sturdy... or at least better then the ones you rent.