Frankford Umbrella Shade Star 6.5 ft. Steel Beach Umbrellas with Ashwood Pole

We just recently moved to Florida and spend a significant amount of time out at the beach! We lifeguarded in college in Myrtle beach which also involved renting out chairs and umbrellas so when we moved we knew we wanted to get similar umbrellas to what we rented out because they were heavy duty and have been used on the beach everyday for many many years without needing replaced and minimal repairs! This umbrella is exactly the same! We LOVE this umbrella! It’s sturdy, heavy duty and provides great shade! It has withstood heavy rain however it’s not totally waterproof but that’s not what it’s made for! It’s made for shade! We specifically wanted one with the metal ribs because they are heavier and withstand wind more. The fiberglass ribs will still flip the umbrella and then fray so I recommend avoiding those if you want your umbrella to last. This umbrella is perfect and we expect it to last us for years and years!

Used this at Ocean City, MD, in late September for our annual beach vacation. Was very sturdy and held up nicely despite stiff winds at times. The wooden pole and strong metal connection, along with the steel umbrella ribs and canvas covering, were just what is needed. The only caution I will make is I accidentally put the connector side of the two poles down into the sand before assembling them and didn't shake out the sand adequately, so the poles stuck together, and I still can't get them apart. But that's a minor issue, as I can still use the umbrella just fine, it just can't be broken down to fit back into the canvas carrying bag. Some day I'll take the time to try and pull the poles apart, but even if I can't, it's no big deal. I saw people with cheaply made umbrellas that were already torn or bent. Take my advice, spend the extra to get a study beach umbrella. You won't regret it.

Shade on the beach.

I bought this umbrella for a family vacation to Bethany Beach, and was very pleased with the quality and effectiveness of the product. I expect many years of future use! Highly recommended.

Our Frankford beach umbrella has an all metal umbrella frame including metal ribs. The umbrella fabric where the metal ribs are attached is reinforced. The umbrella is vented. The wood pole is nicely finished and the two segments of the pole attach with an all metal sleeve. The umbrella is well made, not that heavy, and comes with a carry bag. I didn't purchase the recommended anchor. I use a shovel to dig a deep hole and then weight the umbrella down with our beach bags.We used the umbrella, three or four times per week this past summer. The beach we went to was windy almost every day. The wind on most days was substantial. We were able to keep the umbrella up most days. However, other umbrellas with thicker metal or wood ribs, and larger vents stayed up longer than our umbrella.The improvements I would make to our Frankford umbrella would be: 1) make the carry bag out of a heavier canvas material, or at least double the fabric at the bottom of the bag. Our bag, even though I am careful putting the umbrella away, had begun to wear out at the bottom of the bag. The shoulder strap could also be reinforced where is attaches to the bag. 2) The points where the steel ribs attach to the umbrella material could be reinforced with a heavier material. 3) The vent could be made larger and sewn less tight so more air passed through the umbrella. Perhaps, instead of having a vent there could be open holes left at the top of the umbrella. I think that any of these options would result in less lift pressure being placed on the umbrella and there being less lifting. 4) replace the spring loaded locking mechanism that attaches the two pole segments with a thick steel rod. The thick steel rod could then also be used to hang things off of to further weight down the umbrella.Overall, I am impressed with the workmanship. I like our Frankford umbrella, and would purchase another one.

This umbrella is the same one used by my local beach as the rentals so I knew it was gonna be sturdy and reliable:-) three seasons later and no a complaint :-)

After years of umbrellas flying away or caveating in medium level winds we decided to get this heavy, well reviewed umbrella. With a sand anchor the umbrella stay in place and does not sway even in very high winds. The pole and fabric are very heavy and high quality. Carry bag is made of same excellent fabric. A premium product that's worth the premium price.

My family has had canvas with wood pole beach umbrellas since the 1950's. I was needing to replace one that I purchased in 1987. This was the type I was looking for and I am pleased with my purchase.