Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Initial comments: This flag pole a good one for the price. I went to local "flag" stores and the poles there were much more expensive. As a point of reference, a 20-foot non-sectional pole starts out at $700 plus delivery. That being the case, I won't be too critical about the strength or durability of this particular flag pole set. The Duratex flag that came with this set is outstanding - much better than you might expect for this type of flag pole set. Considering the cost of this type of flag, you are really only paying (estimating) around $65 or so for the pole itself. If you want to save a few dollars, go with Nylon version of this flag set - it is around $50 less. I bought a 4x6 American flag outside of this set, so - in retrospect - I could have bought the Nylon version, but I digress. I will still use the flag that came with the set. Installation: After reading many reviews and question/answers about this set I determined how I would install my flag pole. First of all, from the negative reviews I would definitely not install this flag without some modifications. For the price of the pole, again, less than that $75 with the Nylon flag, it didn't hurt me to spend a total of $50 more to increase the durability and longevity of the pole. The sleeve: I replaced the included 18" sleeve with a 2" x 24" Schedule 40 PVC pipe. Less than $5. (You should, too!) The "foundation": Materials - One of the "Homer" buckets from Home Depot, 2 bags of Quikrete brand fast-setting concrete mix, 1 bag of Quikrete gravel, and 1 bag of Quikrete sand. I previously installed a flag at my old house using this method, and it worked well. I placed the 2" PVC sleeve into the center of the bucket and poured the concrete mix around it, making sure to keep the PVC centered and not lifting it at all. I used one entire bag, poured about 1/2 gallon of water into the bucket. One bag brought the level of concrete about 2/3rds of the way up the bucket. I slowly added concrete from the second bag and added as much water as necessary. In all, I used a little over a bag and a half. After tapering the top of the concrete away from the edge of the bucket as it dried, I let it set overnight. The concrete was probably set in about 30-40 minutes, however. A few things to note - 1.) The concrete bucket will be heavy - probably around 75 pounds. 2.) If you are using the bucket method, I would NOT follow the instructions on the Quikrete package, which mentions using a gallon of water per bag. The instructions allow for dissipation into the ground and that does not happen when you are using the bucket method. Start with less water and add more as necessary. The hole: I dug a hole that was right around 2' deep and approximately twice the diameter of the bucket - It wasn't the easiest task, as the ground in my yard was solid clay after about a foot of digging. After I dug the hole, I placed about an inch or so of gravel, and about the same amount of sand. I wasn't particularly worried about drainage, this was more for ease of leveling the bucket. I placed the bucket into the hole and made sure that it was as level as possible, and then filled in the hole around the bucket, making sure to tamp the ground (with a wooden pole) as I filled the hole back in. The clay that I placed back into the hole actually helped to make the installation extremely solid. After the hole was filled in, I placed top soil all around the installation area, and then covered with mulch. After all of this, I had about an inch or so of the top of the PVC sleeve exposed. An extra tip: Buy a two inch PVC cap for the PVC sleeve. It will prevent dirt and other debris from entering the sleeve while filling in the hole. (See attached pictures) Also, I painted the white PVC sleeve and the top of the bucket with black primer. Preparing the pole for installation: Materials: 2 - 1 1/4" x 10' sections of Schedule 40 PVC pipe, and 2 - 1" x 10' sections of Schedule 40 PVC pipe. I also purchased some fittings to connect the 2 1 1/4" sections together. I am not entirely convinced that this was necessary. I removed the cleat from the 2nd section of the flag pole, placed all of the sections together, inserted the 1 1/4 PVC pipe, and then placed the 1" PVC pipe into the middle of those sections. In essence, this gave the cheap aluminum sections a PVC spine. I then replaced the cleat. You may have to replace the screws with slightly larger screws, due to the nature of these type of self-tapping screws. Although not required, I also pre-drilled and added a few other self-tapping screws where the sections come together - mainly to hold this franken-pole together and not have the PVC slide out when it was lifted. Prior to installing the pulley portion of the pole on the very top, run the rope through the pulley and then put into place. (It is tough to run the rope through the pulley after that part is installed.) Tie the ends of the rope together. Prior to lifting the pole into place, for illumination, I installed a Sunnytech 3rd Generation Solar Power Flag Pole light to the top, and then placed the threaded aluminum ball on top of the light. Important note: Before you install the light and go through the effort of lifting the flag pole into place.... (AS I DID, on a beautiful, windy day) Make sure that you take the light into a dark room to ensure that it is actually ON! This light is great, but there is not an easy way to determine whether or not the light switch is in the ON position. Please heed my advice on this one!! Installing the pole: Materials - a ladder and a helper or two. Place the ladder about 8 or so feet (maybe closer) away from the hole. If you are using a flash collar, make sure to install onto pole prior to inserting flag pole into sleeve. Have someone hold the base of the pole at the sleeve and have the other person slowly walk the pole up the ladder until it slips into place. The day that I installed the pole it was very breezy. We've also been through a few thunderstorms since the pole was installed. The pole swayed a bit, but stayed solid. I installed a 4x6 flag, instead of the provided 3x5. I also installed a 3x5 state flag. I am sure that the sway wouldn't be nearly as much with the smaller flag or the second 3x5 flag. Regardless, with the modifications I am confident that I should be able to enjoy this flag pole for many years to come. If anything changes, I will update my review accordingly. If you are still reading this, I will provide you with my full shopping list: Flag Pole set (Including Duratex flag) Valley Forge Flag 3 x 5 Foot Duratex Commercial Grade US American Flag Kit with 20-Foot Aluminum In-Ground Pole and Hardware 4x6 flag (though I still intend to use the included 3x5 on a wall flag pole.) American Flag 4x6 ft. Nylon SolarGuard Nyl-Glo by Annin Flagmakers, 100% Made in USA with Sewn Stripes, Embroidered Stars and Brass Grommets.  Model 2220 Sunnytech 3rd Generation Solar Power Flag Pole Flagpole Light Sunnytech 3rd Generation Solar Power Flag Pole Flagpole Light,Upgraded UFO Design,Advanced Sensor,Enhanced Solar Batteries Panels,Waterproof Protection,Intelligent Self-charging Auto Active An additional set of swivel snaps (used for American Flag) Pair of 3 Inch White Rubber Coated Brass Swivel Snap by Flags Poles And More (2, White) (I actually ordered 2 sets. I eventually plan to replace the ones that came with the flag pole set) Flash collar US Flag Store 2in Flash Collar for Standard 20ft Pole Michigan Flag Michigan State Flag 3x5 ft. Nylon SolarGuard Nyl-Glo 100% Made in USA to Official State Design Specifications by Annin Flagmakers. Model 142660 2: 1 1/4"x10' schedule 40 PVC pipes 2: 1"x10' schedule 40 PVC pipes 1: 2"x24" schedule 40 PVC pipe (replacement sleeve) 2" PVC cap PVC cement for connection of 1 1/4' PVC (optional) 2 bags of Quikrete fast-setting concrete mix 1 ea: Bag of Quikrete gravel/Quickrete sand 5 self-tapping screws Homer Bucket My total price for everything was right around $200... With the right amount of preparation and precaution this "cheap" flag pole should last you for years... Good luck!