PB-16011-HAR Pool Buoy Plus Floating Umbrella, Harbor Blue

We really like this floating umbrella! We used it many times this summer and it makes for an excellent place to simply take a break from the sun on a hot day. Our pool is in the shade all afternoon, however, before 2pm this baby was set up and lashed to the side of the pool. Easy to swim over and get out of the direct sunlight! Easy set up and take down. It's built pretty sturdy for the price. Hopefully, if I ever have a problem I can simply contact the company. They appear to be a small, family type of business. In any case, you can't go wrong with this thing. Very cool!

Love this item for pool use.

The pool buoy works amazingly well. When trying to use a poolside umbrella, I was stuck near one corner of the pool. With Pool Buoy, I can float anywhere in the pool and stay in the shade. When you exit the pool, it is super-easy to flip the height-adjuster and take the umbrella part of the pool buoy out of the pool, leaving the heavier parts of the Pool Buoy in the pool. I initially wondered... why five cup holders when the umbrella is really sized for one (or two). However - you will spend so much time under the Pool Buoy, you can use those cupholders for cups of pretzels, snacks, extra drinks! While our poolside umbrellas were blowing over in the wind, Pool Buoy stayed under control. Brilliant!

If one or two cans or cups are placed in the table, the entire bouy tilts spilling the contents. This occurs even when umbrella is lowered nearly to the water. A third counter weight cup can be used to prevent spillage but still does not balance well. Without any load the system works as a follow shade.

The Shade Science Pool Buoy is a must for any pool owner. We bought it to supplement our sun shelf umbrella, which is stationary and only provides shade for a small portion of the pool. My 2 year old daughter loves to jump off the edge into my arms, but my back was getting roasted by the hot Texas sun. The first time we used this I was able to keep it positioned to keep us both protected from the sun.The installation was a breeze and only took about 3 minutes. Everything is made out of high quality materials. It was especially thoughtful that the cup holders are sized wide enough to fit a drink with a koozie. We haven't had any issues with it tipping over, but I only had 1 drink in there so I can't speak to it being full. Overall it was a great purchase and we look forward to using it all summer.

What a cheap, POS. This floating umbrella is made of some of the cheapest materials. The umbrella fabric has small holes all throughout it and the umbrella does not stay up. I put it in the pool the day we received it and the lever that is supposed to allow the pole to adjust up and down doesn't even put enough pressure on it to keep it up. When I raise the umbrella up, it just slides right back down. Also beware if just putting one cup/bottle in the table as it will start to tip over and spill your drink. I feel so scammed by this product and the company. This is the second Pool Buoy Plus I have ordered from Amazon in one week. The first one arrived with pieces of PVC piping, aluminum poles and a lawn umbrella labeled as the Pool Buoy Plus and was clearly some employee's joke to whomever purchased it. DO NOT BUY this pool umbrella until Shade Science decides to update this poor design.Update: 09/04/2017I am finally returning our 3rd Pool Buoy Plus in less than 2 months. Thankfully Amazon has been great about replacing them because the company doesn't bother to get back to you. The first one was a box full of spare parts from older umbrellas that didn't assemble into an umbrella and the 2nd one did not lock open. The cantilever on the pole is made of a poor quality plastic that wasn't strong enough to hold the pole up. The 3rd one has the metal bows ripping through the fabric at the ends and the fabric is already fading after one month of use! The slightest wind will tip th umbrella over and knock your drinks into the water. It's a great idea, but such cheap, poor quality and design with overpricing has caused me to send this one back to Amazon and be done with the company for good.

I've had my pool buoy for a couple weeks now and feel experienced enough to write an educated review. I really wish I could give it a 3.5 stars if that was an option.The promise of the pool buoy is one of extreme happiness - I can float in my pool anywhere and have shade. Shade from the Texas sun is MUCH needed where we live. The only flaw in the product is the main concern I had initially - it does not remain upright well. I almost wish the base was longer so the buoy could actually rest on the bottom of the pool for stability. Yes - the whole system would not float, but it would still be easily movable anywhere in the pool. Similar to other's complaints, adding an uneven or unevenly distributed amount of weight in the cup holders will make the problem worse. Or, heaven forbid, they somehow fill with a little bit of water, and again, the shade is leaning (or falls over completely).The caribbean crush color is beautiful and will complement almost any pool.As we have only had the buoy for a handful of weeks, I cannot comment on the durability, though it appears to be well made. I did have an issue screwing the buoy on the base in evenly, but my husband was able to get the two parts screwed together properly. As with any pool products, I would not leave it out in the Texas sun when it is not in use and it would be unfair to expect any pool product to last indefinitely in those conditions.The concept is genius, but a small tweak in the design to create better stability will get it perfect.

I ordered this to use at the lake as portable shade and a drink holder while floating around with friends. It works pretty well and is well constructed. My only complaint is that it was a little unstable in the waves and kept trying to tip over. I have fixed that problem by attaching a pool noodle around the outside of the table for more stability and buoyancy. Works like a charm!