Abba Patio 9 by 9-Feet Square Offset Cantilever Umbrella

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I live in Southern California and my family spends a lot of time outside, but the sun can be brutal in the summertime and well into the fall. Shade is absolutely essential to being even close to comfortable during the day. For us, the Abba Cantilever Offset Umbrella was a great fit for our backyard. It was very easy to assemble and when not in use it folds up and is completely out of the way.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. We were not financially compensated for this post and the sample were provided to us for review purposes. The opinions are completely our own based on our experience with the product.

My first impression of the product was when unpacking the shipping carton - all 9 feet in length and 75 lbs. of it. The contents were very well packaged to prevent damage in shipping and seemed to be sturdy and well-constructed.

There are really only two main parts to the umbrella - the base and the umbrella. The umbrella is preassembled. The base does need some assembly, but it is minimal and only took me a few minutes with the tools included in the carton. It’s simply a matter of attaching four support legs to a central pillar. Once the base is together, you have to lift up the umbrella and lower it down onto the assembled foot. This is probably a two-person job unless you are really strong. Even then probably worth having two for safety. If you aren’t into reading the directions (me), make sure you slide the plastic baseplate cover onto the umbrella pole before you lift the umbrella up and set it into the base. Otherwise, you will have to lift it up again to add the plastic baseplate cover.

Next you need to decide how your are going to secure the umbrella foot to the ground. There are holes in the base that you can put screws through to secure it to a solid surface like concrete patio or wooden deck. You can also weight down the base, and there is a DIY version as well as one that Abba can help you with for this option. If you want to go the DIY version, you can pick up square or triangular concrete pavers and fit them into the guides in the base. The option I went with, which of course I think is best from an aesthetic perspective, was to order the “Abba Patio Cantilever Offset Umbrella Base Plate Set” that weighs down the umbrella with 175 pounds (80kg) of wet sand - you supply the sand and water that fills the Abba plates.

Abba Patio Cantilever Offset Umbrella Base Plate Set

$109.00 on Amazon *DETAILS

Once properly weighed down and assembled, the Cantilever Offset Umbrella is very easy to raise and open. You simply alternate moving the sliding handle up the vertical post and turning the crank that opens the umbrella up. You can position it either horizontally or at an angle depending on your space. It’s a HUGE umbrella and provides enough shade for two patio tables.

The umbrella comes with a cover to pull over the lowered umbrella when not in use. To be honest, this is the hardest part of the whole process until you figure out what tools work best for you. The post is 8+ feet high, but lifting the sturdy cover up with the tent pole-like stick provided didn’t make me feel like I had much control over it, but that might just be me. If you have a broom handle or a sturdy stick, it makes covering the umbrella much easier and doesn’t take any time at all.

I plan on covering it up when it’s not in use as our patio is very susceptible to wind, but if you live in a more sheltered area and are not very concerned about the wind and elements, you might get away with leaving it up and just lowering the umbrella at night.

Conclusion

After using the umbrella almost daily for about a month and having several people try it out, my impression is that it is easy to open/close for people ranging in age from their teens into their 80s, is very well made and will hopefully last a long time. My family loves it! I am also very pleased with the overall high-end appearance of the fabric and workmanship of the metal construction. It would not look out of place in a high-end backyard alongside expensive furniture.