| COMPARISON
ITEMS |
RETRACTABLEAWNINGS.COM®
(ELEGANTE, FERRARA, SLEEK & GRANDE MODELS) |
SUNSETTER®
(MOTORIZED) |
SHADETREE® |
OTHER RETAILERS |
EUROLAB APPROVED FRAMES
 |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
TÜV PRODUCT APPROVED FRAMES
 |
Yes |
No |
No |
Only a few |
| ARM DURABILITY |
Heavy Duty |
Light Duty |
No retractable arms and is not a retractable awning. Light
duty frame. |
Most have light or medium duty arms/frames |
| KEVLAR STRAPS IN ARMS. CANNOT RUST SINCE NOT STEEL |
Yes on Elegante, Ferrara and Sleek models. Grande model has DOUBLE
stainless steel NON rusting chains in arms |
NOT Kevlar. Use cheap rusting steel cables in the arms |
Has no cables & is not a retractable awning. It is a canopy. |
Varies. Most have cheap rusting steel cables in the arms |
| SUPPORT POLES INTO THE GROUND WHICH BLOCK YOUR VIEW
AND IMPEDE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE AND PETS ON
THE PATIO/DECK |
No Support Poles. All lateral arm type awnings |
None |
Yes. Required |
Varies |
| FRAME |
Aluminum - Non Rusting |
Aluminum |
Aluminum or PVC |
Varies |
| WARRANTY FRAME/ARMS |
25 years Non Prorated (Longest in the Industry) |
5 years Prorated |
5 years on operation only. Warranty not stated for chipping
or peeling of paint. |
Mostly 5 years or less (Some Prorated) |
| ARM SYSTEM OPERATION (CHAIN or SINGLE/DOUBLE CABLE or KEVLAR) |
Kevlar
on Elegante, Ferrara and Sleek models (Used
for bullet proof vests). Tested worldwide
as the very best in the industry |
Double. Steel which will rust |
No retractable arms and is not a retractable awning. It is
a canopy. |
Varies but most use steel cables which will rust |
| MAXIMUM PROJECTION |
17 feet (longest in the industry) |
10'2" ONLY |
21 feet, but has poles that block your view |
Most have a 12 foot maximum |
| ASSEMBLY HARDWARE (SCREWS/NUTS/BOLTS) |
Stainless Steel - Non Rusting |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Varies |
| MAXIMUM WIDTH FOR A ONE PIECE AWNING WITH NO FABRIC
GAPS |
40 feet |
18 feet ONLY. Any wider and it would bow as aluminum extrusions are
very thin |
Fabric width 46" and 60" only. Has a large gap between each
section of fabric allowing rain, sun and heat
to penetrate the porch or patio |
Varies, but most are 26 foot or less due to thin aluminum frame extrusions |
| WIDTHS AVAILABLE |
6'4" minimum to 40' maximum in 1 INCH increments |
10' to 18' in one FOOT increments ONLY |
Maximum 32 feet in sections of fabric allowing rain, sun and heat
to penetrate the porch or patio |
Varies |
| ARM PROJECTION SIZES AVAILABLE |
5'
(Sleek model)
5'-6" (Elegante model) |
9' and 10'2" ONLY |
No retractable arms and is not a retractable awning. It is a canopy. |
Varies but not more than 13' |
| 7'-0" (Elegante model) |
|
" |
|
| 8'-10" (Elegante
& Ferrara models) |
|
" |
|
| 10'-6" (Elegante
& Ferrara models) |
|
" |
|
| 12'-0" (Elegante
model) |
|
" |
|
| 13'4" (Uses octagonal torsion bar for strength) |
|
" |
|
| 17' (Uses DOUBLE torsion bars for strength)(Only
from RetractableAwnings.com) |
|
" |
|
| ADJUSTABLE PITCH WITH CRANK
(ELEGANTE ONLY) |
Yes (Option on 7', 8'6", 10' Elegante Only). Maximum width is 20 foot wide to be able to use
this option. All lateral arm models have a
manual adjustable pitch available |
Not Available |
Not available and therefore water may collect on the pockets of fabric
since Sunbrella fabric is water repellant |
Most don't have this feature |
| ARM LOWERING KIT TO ALLOW PROJECTION TO BE EQUAL TO
OR LARGER THAN THE WIDTH |
Yes. Elegante model only |
Not Available |
Not available as this is not a retractable awning |
No other internet awning companies have
this feature |
| FRAME / ARM FINISH / HOOD FINISH |
Electrostatically powder coated paint will not peel from Sun |
Baked Enamel |
Powder Coated |
Varies |
| FRAME COLORS |
White
or Ivory (Elegante model) White (Ferrara,
Sleek and Grande models) |
One color ONLY |
White or Taupe at an extra charge |
Varies |
| COMPARISON
ITEMS |
RETRACTABLEAWNINGS.COM®
(ELEGANTE, FERRARA, SLEEK & GRANDE MODELS) |
SUNSETTER®
(MOTORIZED) |
SHADETREE® |
OTHER RETAILERS |
UV RESISTANT TENARA SEWING THREAD WARRANTY
 |
Lifetime warranty on our Tenara sewing thread |
Tenara thread not used |
Unknown |
Varies. Most use cotton or polyester thread which will deteriorate and break in 2-3 years. |
| SOLUTION DYED WOVEN ACRYLIC FABRIC |
Yes |
No. It is VINYL which will rot, mildew and fade very fast |
ONLY 30 standard Sunbrella choices |
Varies |
| FABRIC BRANDS |
Sunbrella (USA), Gottschalk (Germany), Dickson
(France) and Para (Italy), Soltis Air (France) |
No Brand (they use VINYL) |
Sunbrella |
Varies |
| NUMBER OF TOTAL FABRIC SOLID, STRIPED & PRINTS
AVAILABLE |
Over 500 Solution Dyed Acrylic Fabrics & sheer
fabrics available |
ONLY 7 VINYL choices |
ONLY 30 standard Sunbrella choices |
No Competitor has 500+ Fabrics |
| STRIPED FABRICS PNEUMATICALLY COMPUTER SEWN FROM THE CENTER
OUT TO THE ENDS SO STRIPES ARE THE SAME AT
BOTH ENDS OF THE FABRIC |
Yes |
No. Do not use fabric. It is vinyl |
Unknown |
Varies |
| SOLUTION DYED BINDING TRIM ON EDGE OF 8" VALANCE |
Yes. Also solution dyed like the main fabric to prevent fading |
Unknown |
Unknown, but valance costs an extra $7.50 per linear foot |
Varies |
| FABRIC WARRANTY AGAINST FADING, MILDEW & ROTTING |
5 Years, but life
expectancy of fabric is 10-15 years depeding
on sun exposure |
None under the "All Weather Warranty" |
5 years on fading & mildew but rotting not stated |
Varies, but not more than 5 Years |
| NUMBER OF VALANCE STYLE CHOICES |
6 Styles (Tipo 1 - Tipo 6) |
ONLY 1 choice available |
ONLY 1 choice available |
Varies |
| STRIPED/PATTERNED FABRIC ORIENTATION |
From wall to front bar |
From left to right |
From wall to front bar |
Varies |
| FABRIC RETRACTS ONTO ROLLER TUBE AND IS BARELY
VISIBLE |
Yes |
Yes |
No, Fabric has large stackback & is not pleasing to the eye |
Varies |
| COST OF VALANCE |
None |
None |
Extra charge of $7.50 per foot |
Varies |
STRIPED
FABRIC
EXTRA CHARGE |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes to most |
UL RECOGNIZED MOTOR
 |
Yes |
Unknown |
Motorization not available. Must be manually opened/closed |
Varies |
CE APPROVED MOTOR
 |
Yes |
Unknown |
Motorization not available. Must be manually opened/closed |
Varies |
| MOTOR WARRANTY |
5 Years |
5 Years |
Motorization not available. |
Varies, but not more than 5 Years |
| OPTION OF MANUAL OR MOTORIZED AWNING |
Yes |
ONLY Motorized |
ONLY manual draw (operation) available |
Varies |
| OPTIONAL BACKUP MANUAL OVERRIDE (In case of loss of electricity in
your area) |
Yes (as an option) |
Yes, but forced to purchase |
Motorization not available, therefore override not available |
Varies |
| ROLL IN ASSIST SPRING ON MANUAL ELEGANTE
AWNINGS |
Yes |
Not Available |
Not Applicable since this is a canopy awning |
No other internet awning companies
offer this feature |
| EUROPEAN STYLE EXTRUDED NON-RUSTING
ALUMINUM BULLNOSE OR FLAT HOODS. PROTECTS AWNING FABRIC & PREVENTS
RAIN FROM DRIPPING BETWEEN BRACKETS &
WALL WHEN OUTDOOR SILICONE IS USED ON A FLAT
WALL |
Yes for Elegante, Ferrara and Grande awnings. Sleek model comes with
built in cassette hood |
Standard light duty PLASTIC cover and is not a hood |
Does not have an aluminum hood. Storage "wrap ups" available
at an additional charge of $59.95 for
EACH section. May not prevent
rain from dripping between brackets &
wall since "wrap ups" cannot be siliconed. |
Varies |
| INDOOR & OUTDOOR SWITCHES,
WIND, SUN & RAIN SENSORS, REMOTE CONTROL
& TIMERS AVAILABLE |
Yes to All |
Outdoor switch & Remote ONLY |
No switches or sensors available since this product is not motorized |
No internet competitor has a
rain sensor & timer
option |
| MANUFACTURING PROCESS |
Made to customer sizes in one inch increments so
that it fits correctly |
Mass produced in only a few sizes |
Made to customer sizes |
Varies |
| COMPARISON ITEMS |
RETRACTABLEAWNINGS.COMŪ (ELEGANTE, FERRARA,
SLEEK & GRANDE MODELS)® |
SUNSETTER®
(MOTORIZED) |
SHADETREE® |
OTHER RETAILERS |
