Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I ordered two of these awnings. My experience with them is outlined below. Cons: Extremely poor installation instructions: The fact that the instructions are a laughable translation is only the beginning. As one reviewer said, you can read the directions once, or a hundred times; it makes no difference. They are utterly nonsensical. You must use trial and error and your best guess to install the awning and align the various clamps to allow proper operation. Alignment was a non-trivial issue: Several brackets must be properly positioned or else the awning will not extend and retract correctly, the canvas will bunch up and badly wrinkle as it retracts, and the support arms will experience high stresses that will bend or fracture them. The brackets that secure the canvas to the front of the awning won't slide into the desired position when loosened if the awning is partially retracted due to a bad design (the front bar twists and locks the loosened brackets). Each of the two awnings I received were adjusted with substantial differences from the other. Nether operated correctly, and I had no way of knowing how to correct either one of them. My father and I spent a great deal of time determining where to place the brackets to allow proper operation. No instructions whatsoever are provided to guide you. If you are lucky, the factory may have set the brackets in the proper position and aligned the awning correctly. Considering neither awning I received was properly aligned, that luck I mentioned might be harder to come by than you think. Out of the box, neither was properly functional. The pitch of the awing is comically steep: Expect at least a four-foot drop (or more) from the point of attachment to the end of the awning. If you hang it at 8 feet, the end will hover about 3.5 feet from the ground. No joke. I'm not kidding. I'M REALLY NOT KIDDING! Ok? I created mounting shims that angled backwards at 8 degrees in anticipation of this problem after reading other reviews. It was not nearly enough. Even after setting the pitch adjustment to its shallowest position, the pitch is very steep. Worse, the pitch will not hold its position, no matter how tight the bolts and jackscrews are fastened. Your immediate sense of semi-satisfaction after your Herculean Hulk of a helper tightens the bolts and jackscrews will soon be dashed as the awning takes a nose-dive over the course of the day. My advice; create shims angling back by at least 20 degrees or hang the awning at least 12 feet above the ground, unless you are three feet tall. My plan is to modify the pitch brackets to a design that makes at least some sense. Cheap materials: The screw heads are very easily stripped (very soft metal). Have screw extractors ready and waiting. This will save you from a trip to the hardware store during the installation. The canvas on both awnings had holes in it straight out of the box. Poor quality control: The awnings come pre-assembled, but each of the two awnings I received had significant differences from each other regarding where the various brackets/clamps/pivot points were secured, how the fabric was aligned with the tube, etc. The canvas on both awnings had multiple holes. I looked at the picture of this product on Amazon and didn't know whether to laugh or curse. The pitch angle they show cannot be achieved with the product I received. No way. Not even close. The worst part is that the awning could be radically improved with a few design changes that would not affect the cost. It's simply a bad design. My father and I are both engineers, and all we could do is wonder what the people designing this product were thinking, if anything at all. I'm considering condensing all of my measurements, adjustment procedures, observations, and fixes into a guide for other poor souls who may have been duped by the picture. Especially with the optional motor. Oh, don't get me started on the motor installation. Why? Because after that long rant, an obligatory additional rant on the remote control programming instructions (or lack thereof) must follow. We have only so many hours in our lives. Eventually, these awnings will perform as desired. They aren't there yet. I need to take them down, make new shims at a steeper angle, and fabricate a clamp that will properly secure the pitch adjustment. Oh, then I need to patch the holes in the canvas or order new canvas for each. I realize most of the above won't mean much to anyone but prior purchasers who have dealt with this first hand, and it's too late for them. I just wanted to give potential buyers some idea of what they might have waiting for them. Pros: If you have little money, have a very high tolerance for poor design and materials, and are willing to work hard to make lemonade out of a lemon, these awnings are the cheapest retractables you are likely to find. If only the designers had thought a little harder. If only the company had hired someone to write a clear and comprehensive installation guide. If only.