It's fine until the wind blows! (Robert Days 2.7m Off-Set Parasol with Crank Handle)

Member Name: kingfisher111

Product:	Robert Days 2.7m Off-Set Parasol with Crank Handle
Date:	13/06/09 (178 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks good and provides good shade

Disadvantages: Hard to put up, might fall over

We originally had one of those patio table and chairs sets where the table has a hole in the middle for the parasol to go though. This worked very well for a while but at the end of last summer the parasol broke which meant that we were on the lookout for a new one. A friend of mine had an off-set parasol which I had previously admired so we decided to look for one of those.

After shopping around for a while we found this 2.7m Off-Set Parasol with Crank Handle on the Robert Dyas website. It really appealed particularly as it was on a half price offer at £39.99 instead of £79.99 which seemed like tremendous value. W duly ordered it and had to pay a little extra (£5.25) for delivery and it arrived a couple of days later.

The parasol comes flat packed with instructionsin a very long box. It is reasonably straightforward to put together as there are not many different pieces. I am only taking my husband's word for how easy it was though as I had absolutely nothing to do with the assembly apart from offering him a cup of tea while nhe was making it!

As you can see from the picture there is a criss cross base supporting a long shaft. Attached to this is an arm which can be moved up and down to either go over a table or elsewhere and attached to this arm is the green canvas parasol. Apart from the actual parasol everything is made out of a strong sturdy plastic. All of this makes it reasonably light so it can be moved around the garden.

Once you have assembled the parasol you need to discover how it actually works. In order to position the parasol over your table you can extend the arm by pushing a collar up the shaft causing the arm to move outwards through another collar attached to the top of the shaft. This can then be locked in position. This is not incredibly easy to do as it actually seems to require a great deal of strength to push it upwards and you do seem to encounter a lot of resistance. I'd probably describe myself as a reasonably fit and strong female but I do find it hard and anyone with any joint problems would find it virtually impossible.

Once you have extended the arm there is a crank to turn in order to open up the parasol. This is a much easier action and I don't think that many people would have a problem with that. To close down the parasol you just turn the crank in the opposite direction.

Once up, the parasol does look quite smart and it is wide enough to provide quite a good area of shade. Also, as its position is not fixed in the centre of the table you can move it around to ensure that the table gets the maximum protection. A lot of our friends and family who have sat outside under it has said how nice it is!

There is however, one more problem with it and that is the fact that the base is not as strong as it could be. This means that if it is placed on an uneven surface or if there is a bit of a wind it is prone to toppling over - not great if you are in the middle of eating a meal or something! We have tried to think of ways of securing the base but as one of the advantages is the ability to move it around you really don't want to do this!

Overall I am pleased with the way this parasol looks and the amount of shade that it arrives, and I was also very pleased with the price we paid. However, I do think that the difficulties with putting it up and the fact that there is that possibility that it might topple at any minute and bop an unsuspecting guest on the head would probably put me off making the same choice again. Having said that, once up it does what you want it to and for that reason I am awarding it three out of the five stars!

Summary: Don't use when it's breezy!