ALEKO 6.5x5 ft Motorized Patio Awning - Automatic Retractable Canopy with Remote Control, White Frame & Gray Fabric - Perfect for Deck, Backyard, and Outdoor Shade (2024 Upgraded Model)

We like our new awning very much. We got the motorized 20x10 ft (3 arm sets) to shade the space between our garage and carport.The arms came pre-installed onto their main support rail section, which made the whole assembly relatively easy to finish the installation. Some advice I have is to inventory your hardware (ours was missing the 3 bolts and nuts securing the main rail onto the wall supports). Not a big issue since I already had some hardware that worked, but you might expect to make a trip to the hardware store. Not sure why, as the box didn't come damaged or open (although the large subassemblies inside could have used better padding to prevent them denting and scratching each other in our case), but I read that it happened to other customers as well. Also make sure to read the whole installation manual and watch some videos (available from both -the manufacturer and the DIY-ers) to become familiar with the entire process before starting the installation work. The install manual is not perfect but better than many I've seen, detailing the steps with clear text, drawings and pictures. The assembly isn't very complicated, but it requires good attention and some basic-to-moderate skills, so it won't pose a challenge to most mechanically inclined people. Take your time and have some help when lifting the assembly up in place. It isn't terribly heavy but it's best for safety. I assembled ours myself and only had my wife helping with lifting it up in place. However, since ours is the largest size available and the whole assembly would have been quite heavy, we chose to first get metal frame up separately and after securing it on the wall supports then we brought the fabric roll and front rail in place, which we fed it into one of the side roller supports, rested it onto the center roll support, and then I loosened the other side roller support to slide everything in place and resecure. Went in like a charm, and then I adjusted the arms inclination to their very top position which still gives enough slope given the fact that it extends 10 feet out and just the arm flex alone under the canopy weight is giving enough slope for rain water to drain. Now, honestly, although the metal framing seems solid enough to support a little bit of rain water pooling on the canopy before making its way out from the edge, we will try to avoid having the canopy pulled out during rain, just to avoid stressing the mechanisms. After all, it only takes one click on the remote and it's motor that does the job.Bottom line we are very happy with the way it looks, the way it operates, the canopy material is thick impermeable polyester which we'll see but we hope to last a long time and considering the price we paid and our intended usage, we are happy with the deal and don't mind being careful with the way we'll use it.UPDATE 7/29/2024:As the awning came with a free fabric offer when submitting a review with photos of the installation, I decided to take them up on it but I also requested that the fabric be of silver gray color because my original gray fabric is a bit too dark for our liking and as we're thinking to get another awning for the right side of the house, we wanted it to be the silver gray option and want to have it match the one we already have. We didn't have much hope to get any fabric in the first place, considering that the offer states that the supplies are limited, and secondly, the offer also says that the free fabric color will be selected at random.Well, to our great surprise, the very next day after emailing them my review pictures, I got an email notifying us about the shipping order for the free silver gray awning fabric. So, not only their offer was honored but they were nice to also ship us the color we wanted, and fast too. Now, considering the customer service we get from sellers nowadays, which generally range from poor to non-existent after you make the purchase, I have to praise them for going above and beyond their promise because that is rare these days.So, hats off for people like them, so if you decide to go for their product, you can be sure that they will take care of you in case of any problems or requests you may have post sale. We will sure be getting another awning for the other side of our house. Thanks guys, you're AWESOME!