Quote: Originally posted by OLLIEB on 22/4/2022
A word of advice re air awnings.(which i have) you dont get room for the flexibility of poles on uneven / sloping pitches.
I also agree with this from experience because poled awnings are adjustable to suit the ground contour whereas an air awning, the poles are permanently fixed therefore cannot be adjusted to accommodate any uneven ground.
We’ve had a variety of awnings, my personal favourite are air awnings.
Yes they are heavier but to help threading them on without any panels in helps massively, also our rear poles are adjustable to suit different ground conditions.
We have both a full poled awning and a porch air awning so have experience with both types of awnings. However, no matter which you choose there will will always be a disadvantage one way or another so neither of them are perfect in every way so it's down to personal choice at the end of the day.
With an air awning I do find that it's heavy in comparison but like a previous member has said, if you remove the side panels first it does make it somewhat lighter and easier to lift when feeding the cord through the awning rail.
Quote: Originally posted by tango55 on 24/4/2022
We have both a full poled awning and a porch air awning so have experience with both types of awnings. However, no matter which you choose there will will always be a disadvantage one way or another so neither of them are perfect in every way so it's down to personal choice at the end of the day.
With an air awning I do find that it's heavy in comparison but like a previous member has said, if you remove the side panels first it does make it somewhat lighter and easier to lift when feeding the cord through the awning rail.
I agree Tango, both types have advantages and disadvantages, so it does come down to personal choice and circumstances.
Our air porch awning had no removable panels at all, it was all in one lump, which is why we really struggled with it. Other air awnings may vary of course. With our poled full awning, both side panels and both front panels are removable and fastened in by zips, which means that we can put up the roof first with both of us, and I can do the rest on my own, as I usually do except in strong winds.
Quote: Originally posted by tango55 on 20/4/2022
From experience I have always had a raw deal buying second hand awnings on three separate occasions as people appear to be somewhat dishonest when it comes to selling awnings. It's an item that you can rarely view before purchase so you purchase on the basis of trust.
Assuming you are collecting (due to weight), why wouldnt you open it out to look at it? If the seller tried to pursuade against, walk away. How hard can that be?
We’ve had a variety of awnings, my personal favourite are air awnings.
Yes they are heavier but to help threading them on without any panels in helps massively, also our rear poles are adjustable to suit different ground conditions.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------HI, clbewi
just curious , how are the "poles" adjustable?
and what are you calling the "rear" poles?
Re the rear poles, as an alternative I have seen adjustable cothes poles (in various colours) from B&M £3.99 used with great success. Better than the £35 plus of the awning companies etc.
Quote: Originally posted by OLLIEB on 28/4/2022
Re the rear poles, as an alternative I have seen adjustable clothes poles (in various colours) from B&M £3.99 used with great success. Better than the £35 plus of the awning companies etc.
Brilliant idea! Though i can see some aficianados recoiling in horror at the thought of having a blue or red pole in the corners. I mean, what would the neighbours think!
Quote: Originally posted by tango55 on 20/4/2022
From experience I have always had a raw deal buying second hand awnings on three separate occasions as people appear to be somewhat dishonest when it comes to selling awnings. It's an item that you can rarely view before purchase so you purchase on the basis of trust.
Assuming you are collecting (due to weight), why wouldnt you open it out to look at it? If the seller tried to pursuade against, walk away. How hard can that be?
To be quite frank, yes you are just assuming and quite judgmental without knowing the full facts. The awning was advertised by a reputable caravan accessory shop in Blackburn on Ebay inclusive of £20.00 p&p charges so couldn't view the awning before purchase. The listing said that it was found in a trade in caravan minus the poles but had been inspected and stated that it was in good condition so it was good deal having the poles already. I made the purchase and when I received the awning by courier I opened up the awning in the back garden to view and found that the mud flaps were all ripped and torn and two of the pegging rings hanging on by a thread. To cut a long story short I took some photos and contacted the seller who had no option but to give me a full refund. A lot of disappointment and hassle involved but the focal point that I was making is the dishonesty involved when people sell awnings (both private and trade) which proves my point in this instance but I'm sure it now clarifies why I was unable to inspected the awning before purchase. The sale was based on trust and they failed miserably because the awning obviously wasn't inspected before being advertised.
Quote: Originally posted by tango55 on 20/4/2022
From experience I have always had a raw deal buying second hand awnings on three separate occasions as people appear to be somewhat dishonest when it comes to selling awnings. It's an item that you can rarely view before purchase so you purchase on the basis of trust.
Assuming you are collecting (due to weight), why wouldnt you open it out to look at it? If the seller tried to pursuade against, walk away. How hard can that be?
To be quite frank, yes you are just assuming and quite judgmental without knowing the full facts. The awning was advertised by a reputable caravan accessory shop in Blackburn on Ebay inclusive of £20.00 p&p charges so couldn't view the awning before purchase. The listing said that it was found in a trade in caravan minus the poles but had been inspected and stated that it was in good condition so it was good deal having the poles already. I made the purchase and when I received the awning by courier I opened up the awning in the back garden to view and found that the mud flaps were all ripped and torn and two of the pegging rings hanging on by a thread. To cut a long story short I took some photos and contacted the seller who had no option but to give me a full refund. A lot of disappointment and hassle involved but the focal point that I was making is the dishonesty involved when people sell awnings (both private and trade) which proves my point in this instance but I'm sure it now clarifies why I was unable to inspected the awning before purchase. The sale was based on trust and they failed miserably because the awning obviously wasn't inspected before being advertised.
It was your assertion that 'awnings are something you can rarely view', that prompted my post. Given what you have pointed out, i can only agree that you had every right to assume (theres that word again) that as the awning was coming from a 'reputable dealers', that it would be as described. I - like yourself, would not have been a happy bunny with what you actually received.
But, this scenario aside, i am not sure i would consider a second hand awning outside a dealers selling it - without viewing. As some peoples idea of 'good condition' can vary greatly from anothers. I am glad you got a refund, and consider my wrist slapped for shooting from the hip.
On the flip side, i bought a caravan, and on collecting, the dealer offered me - free of charge, an awning that came with it, that he had forgotten about. Being a Yorkshireman, i obviously took it as 'owt for nowt'. It was full sized, brand new - never been used, and made £360 on ebay less than a week later!
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