Shade&BeyondOutdoor Roller Shades 8' W x 8' H Patio Roll Up Blinds 220GSM Shade Cloth Roll for Porch Gazebo Pergola Balcony Backyard, Spliced of Two Sections, Mocha

We needed something to shade us during the heat of summer on our Ramada. We love to sit outside and drink our coffee in the morning, but the morning sun was pretty intense here in Arizona in the summer. We thought we would give this a try. It works great! We heard some reviews about the handle, but we have found it sturdy and easy to use. (I had contacted the company asking if I could buy some additional anchors to adjust the shade cloth to different levels but have never heard back from them unfortunately. I needed 4 more of the plastic anchors).

The shade is perfect. Easy to install and was exactly what I was looking for.

When I opened the first package I noticed there were two “male” poles for the bottom rod (should have been one “female”) resulting in the end plug being too big to fit. I’m waiting for a response from the manufacturer for a replacement. I thought-ok, anyone can make a mistake then I installed both of the shades at the exact same height and noticed one shade is 1 1/2” shorter than the other as shown. Pics included, also of the fabrication I had to make until hopefully a new pole and correct length shade is received.

I like this shade. With two people it would have been really easy to hang. Very straightforward. I did decide to use different screws that were a little more burly.My only complaint is that the crank handle isn’t long enough on an 8 foot shade that is already being hung another three feet off the ground. It’s only 40” when it’s in ‘crank mode’ and I still need to stand on a chair (I’m 5’8”).It would be nice to have a few extra inches on the rod, story of my life.4/5, would buy this again. Will likely try to find a different crank from a third party.

We ordered 2 of these for our patio because of the afternoon sun… it was a perfect solution!Easy to install, had them up in 10 min. (they do give you a template)Only issue is, it would be nice if they were weighted at the bottom, since a slight breeze will make them swing.So to fix that problem, we slid a piece of rebar through the bottom rail and that seems to help.For the money I would recommend this product 👍🏼

TLDR: I installed roll-down shades on my patio and learned some lessons. I had to add wood blocks for mounting due to uneven spacing, which took about 2 hours. I accidentally melted a shade with my BBQ grill but replaced it quickly. The next day, I installed an 8' shade with a temporary mounting board and had to use my own bungee cords and electrical tape for extra stability. Mounting was easy with the included template, and I found that pre-drilling helped. The shades have cooled my patio by 15 degrees and increased privacy. My original review highlighted easy assembly and adjustment tips from the manual. Overall, I'm very satisfied and would highly recommend these.[Update 6/15/2024]: As promised, I'm updating my experience. I have received the other roll down shades. I've added more finished pictures with everything as it I had hoped. In one of the pics you can see I needed to add some extra blocks of wood in order to mount the shades. Yes I did measure initially the other side of the patio and assumed (bad idea) that both sides were equally spaced. It took me a while to get the fit just right, maybe 2 hours or so. That was the second 7' long section I installed.About 4 hours after installing this shade, I decided to warm up the BBQ grill which was in front of the shade. You can see one of the pics shows a hole melted in the blind. That was the heat from the grill and totally my fault. I ordered a replacement the same afternoon (doh) and just swapped out for the melted one.The next day, the 8' sectional shade arrive. I had to install a mounting board "temporarily". I'll replace it with a nicer trim board when I upgrade the porch next year. Since the length was 10', I ended up swapping out the included bungee cords with my own cord so it could reach to either side of the patio. I learned that the plastic inserts that slide into the bottom aluminum pole slide out easily when stretched as far as I have them set apart (about 1 foot on either side). I used a piece of electrical tape to wrap around and add tension to the insert. It seems to be holding well for the past few days. We haven't had strong winds.I also mounted the 8 foot blind from top-mount position. In one angle of the picture from inside the patio, you can see how the mounts can be assembled to point in a downward direction. This was manually done when the package arrived and before installation.It's very easy to mount these if you already have a frame installed around your porch. The included template is incredibly useful to pre-drill and install the mounts, insuring a tight fit and easy installation. Initially I used a self tapping screw to secure the bottom pole assembly, since mine was slipping off. I learned there are some dimples on one end that help hold these pipes together. Therefore, I didn't need to use screws in these last two assemblies. My patio is roughly 15 degrees cooler now that these are installed. I feel like I have privacy now more than ever.[Original review]: When reading the reviews, another user mounted these in a downward position. They left a negative review based on the way the mounts arrived. They didn't know that you could adjust the mount by removing the mount backing, remove the retaining screws that hold the raise/lower mechanism, and pivot it 90º. Reassemble the mount and you're able to install this in any configuration. I was initially worried, but thanks to the instruction manual, it showed how easy it was to change the mount orientation.Assembly took about 10 minutes. That was assembling the top rod, inserting the shade into the top road shaft. Then rolling it up. The bottom pipe just fit itself together and didn't lock in place. I added a self-tapping screw to the center of the bottom pipe. It helps to keep the 2 pipes secured. This also included the time it took to adjust the mounts for the installation. The manufacture included a drilling template that I was able to tape in place and pre-drill the mount holes. The process of putting this up buy myself was another 10 minutes. The instructions were pretty straight forward and the end product looks like a $200 blind like my neighbors bought. I'm hoping to get many years of service out of these.Overall I'm very happy. My one complaint is that the 2 lower aluminum pipes do not lock in place. When I first inserted it into the bottom, the wind did blow and manage to wiggle the 2 pieces apart. I'm a handy guy so it didn't bother me to add a self-tapping screw, and make sure this stays together a good long time.I started with this 7.5' blind and installed where the sun comes down in the evening. I wanted to make sure I liked the color before ordering other. This blind fit exactly between the porch posts. Another one is on order for the other side. I'll also add 2 more 8'x8' shades to completely enclose the patio.I will update my review over time with more pictures as I finish adding them. Very excited to check off this item on the list of things to do.

The only complaint is the Bungies the mount to the poles the ends don't stay in that well I actually had to drill and put a screw in it

Easy set up and pretty decent quality