TeleBrella® Portable Beach Umbrella

I bought my Telebrella in 2016. I live on a beach and use it regularly. We get many compliments and much interest. I have taken this umbrella down the side of a mountain in Crete Greece to Seitan Limania. Incredible I know, but it compacts tightly and is easy to travel with. I just bought a one for my brother for Christmas. He too is a regular beach goer.

Anyway, the umbrella is running up on 8years old and still in perfect working condition be it a bit faded. But is has been well used. I highly recommend!

Great Service by ShadeUSA. Got the Telebrella exactly when they said I would get it at the price listed. The fabric wasn't taut on the frame but worked well. The hooks we purchased worked well with it. Didn't need to use the clips for the wind. Shaded two of us sitting on lounge chairs. The second carry bag really helped resulting in less time to put it up after using it one day. We packed it in a large bag without any problems. Happy to have it.

We bought one and it worked as advertised. We were traveling by plane and it did fit in a large suitcase without adding a lot of weight.

Summary, love these umbrellas. Bought two Telebrella's and two sets of sand bags.

I bought these umbrellas because our timeshare raised the daily rental price to the point it just took a few days for the umbrellas to pay for themselves. So now they are “free” to use. Wish they had raised their prices before, so I would have looked earlier. Pros easily outweigh the cons. Add in the cost benefit and its really a no brainer if you rent umbrellas at a beach.

My tip
Connect the two extensions to the bottom piece and then screw it down into the sand. It's much easier to get it straight this way. If you just screw down the bottom piece by itself, it’s hard to judge if it’s vertical.
I also shortened the sandbag strings, thought they were little too long as they come.

Pros
Don't have to schedule around when the activity hut opens to get umbrellas and then show them where to put them.
Can set up any time we want instead of when they open. We always waited for them since we wake up early
Don't have to wonder when they are going to take the umbrella down in the afternoon.
Don't have to decide if it is worth it to get umbrellas when the weather is iffy. Especially since forecasts can be wrong.
Don't need to stay all day at the beach. Can just come for a little while if we want.
Biggest pro is savings, our timeshare charges a lot for one umbrella a day now, they paid for themselves in 3 days at the beach.

Cons
Have to bring umbrellas from room to the beach. The carry bag makes it easier, and they are pretty light.
Have to pack umbrellas in check in bag to bring.
Have to let them down for lunch, or when away for a longer time to be safe, put pop back up when you come back. After a couple of times, this was easy so no big deal.

I wondered if I would have problems on windy days. It was fine, even when it got very windy. One afternoon, wind really picked up, and all the Costco Tommy B umbrellas were packed up, so by later it was just our umbrella and hotel umbrellas that were still out. Another day a big gust of wind knocked an arm down. So we installed the little binder clips and no more problems. On windy days, we also added a sand bag or two, connecting the sand bag to the upper part of the pole as instructed by customer service. I would locate the sand bag in the direction of the wind. So if you stood at pole and faced sand bag, you’d be facing the wind. Not sure if this was necessary, but it made me feel better.

Reached out to company to ask a question and got prompt service. Once I got the product I put it together to test it out and it is fabulous. I spend 10 weeks a year on beaches and have used just about every beach shade or umbrella imaginable from pop ups to tents to shade sails to the usual beach umbrellas sold at Costco, you name it. They’ve all failed or broke or just didn’t perform. I have spent probably $1,000 over the years on these various items as well as rentals. This is literally the first product that checks ALL the boxes: portable, fits in a checked bag, easy storage when at home, unbreakable frame, good quality materials, easy set up AS WELL AS easy take down and easy to put back in the damn bag. As others have said, when possible, you can assemble the umbrella in the hotel and take the bigger bag (which is included and thankfully, not an extra accessory) to save even more time at the beach. I have used (and junked) so many other products that were ok in one or two of these areas but so bad in the other areas that it wasn’t suitable for me. I have cursed a lot (and loudly) in trying to take down other products while I am hot, wet, sunburnt and ready to leave. This is a dream to take down. If this one ever were to break I would not hesitate to buy another of this exact same type. It’s a complete winner for me and a game changer. I look forward to telling everyone on the beach all about this umbrella cause This one will definitely draw a crowd upon assembly.