Patio Umbrellas by Patiolife.com

Patiolife.com offers patio umbrellas and accessories, in various shapes and sizes with either wooden or aluminum poles, from American Holtzkraft, Majestic Umbrellas, Dayva and Windbrella.

Whether sipping cocktails by the pool, dining outdoors on the patio or lounging on the beach, a large, colorful patio umbrella usually features in the picture. Patio umbrellas serve several purposes: they keep you comfortable out of the glare of the sun and they protect you from harmful radiation. But have you noticed how people often keep their patio umbrellas up even when the sun is out of sight? There's something cosy about spending time under an umbrella, at almost any time of day.

Actually, an increasing number of umbrellas you see today are known as market umbrellas. The older design wire-framed units are patio umbrellas. Market umbrellas come in all sorts of variations, whether octagonal or rectangular, single or double-tiered, wooden or aluminum poles, push-ups, crank-lifts pulley driven. Octagonal or 8-rib umbrellas typically range in size range from 6' to 11' diameter. Square and rectangular market umbrellas have sides ranging from 4.5' to 11'. This means one can usually find the right size to complement anything from a bistro set to a large dining set.

An umbrella pole is connected through a circular hub, which moves up the pole as the umbrella canopy is opened. On an octagonal umbrella, the hub is connected to 8 arms, each of which meets one of the ribs that support the fabric canopy. Umbrellas with wooden (such as ash or mahogany) poles are either opened manually or use a pulley. When opened manually, the hub is lifted and a peg inserted at the top of the pole to hold it in place. With a rope and pulley (single or double), the umbrella can be opened with little effort by pulling on the rope and tying it to a cleat. Umbrellas with aluminum poles typically use a crank to open and close the umbrella. Rotating the crank tightens or releases a line inside the pole that adjusts the canopy.

Many of these umbrellas can also be tilted, allowing more flexibility in blocking the sun. With a manual tilt, you move the pole into one of perhaps 3 fixed positions (3-position tilt). Auto Tilt models allow continuous turning of the crank so that it raises and tilts the umbrella to the desired angle. Finally, most outdoor umbrellas have a vent near the top that allows air to pass through when it's windy. For those in a particularly windy area, a solution can be a two-tiered umbrella. But of course it is best to close an umbrella when it's windy.