Finding the best retractable awnings for your home or business can be more complicated than you may expect, especially with most companies investing in a good marketing campaign to sell their products.
That’s why I created the website Retractable Awnings Reviews, where you can find everything you need to know about retractable products, what a high-quality model is, valuable guides, comparisons and most importantly genuine customer reviews.
Today we’ll discuss the best retractable awning brands and companies for 2023. All suggestions are based on customer feedback/reviews, type of product, production materials, adjustability, treatment, installation, ease of use and warranty.
How to find the best awning companies?
Are you looking for a new awning for your house or business and want to invest in a high-quality product? Then you probably want to find a reliable company that uses top-notch production materials and offers outstanding customer service.
Finding a top-quality retractable awning company requires lots of research on your own or taking advantage of the already existing and researched information on this website.
It’s essential to note that looking for an awning in giant e-commerce platforms like Amazon and its affiliate marketing partners without sufficient knowledge of high-quality retractable awning and retractable pergola products is extremely deceptive.
So, instead of jumping over to the search box and typing “patio retractable awnings” it’s best to read up on what makes a product suitable for investment and long-term use. Another option is to start looking at company websites without using third-party platforms like Amazon.
If you visit an awning manufacturer’s website, try to rate it based on the amount of information published there. This includes model specifications, warranty period, services, installation, etc. Do they publish educational materials such as how-to guides or comparison tables? Check if they have any acquired licenses and engineering certifications.
Compare reviews for top awnings companies
If you are on an e-commerce platform and you see various companies and models, see the reviews published under each product. Often you’ll see a lack of reviews as there are thousands of models available. If you are on a vendor’s website, check if they have published reviews. That’s a bit tricky since many companies publish fake reviews or they have an outside source publish fake reviews for them.
Overall, the above is one of the reasons I created this website. Here everyone can publish honest, non-sponsored reviews, and the website’s purpose is to provide accurate information. So, if you are already here, make sure to check the reviews customers have left regarding their purchased products and the companies that offer them.
Awning materials
Production materials are of vital importance for a retractable awning’s longevity. Unfortunately, not many vendors/manufacturers state the specific materials they use to produce their models sold online, through “big box” stores and retailers. I am left with the impression that RetractableAwnings.com is the most detailed in this regard.
RetractableAwnings.com
RetractableAwnings.com uses high-quality materials for the production of its awning and pergola models.
These include:
- Lightweight 6063 aluminum
- Non-rusting stainless steel marine grade 316 components
- Para Tempotest®, Dickson®, Sunbrella®, Ferrari®, Mehler® and Phifer® fabric brands
- Somfy® and Simu® motors/controls
Eclipse Shading Systems
Eclipse Shading Systems uses the following production materials:
- Cast aluminum
- Steel
- Sunbrella®, Phifer®, Dickson®
- Somfy®
Adjustability / Customization
If you choose retractable awnings over fixed/permanent awnings (which I strongly recommend), you must know how highly adjustable they are. You can retract and extend a retractable awning to any point of its projection you wish, which is not possible with fixed awnings.
In terms of pitch (the awning’s angle from back to front), each retractable model has particular features. Keep in mind that it is important to pick the company that offers retractable awnings with the highest pitch to allow for maximum light rain runoff and best shade coverage.
However, customization is a different thing. While some companies offer highly customizable products and tailor them to their client’s needs, others sell only preassembled models mostly from China.
The second option is not preferable as you need to match the size of your available space to the size of the awning, which is rarely the same. You also often must compromise with essential design elements such as fabric type, fabric color, pattern, stripes, valance style, sewing thread, etc.
The best awning companies that offer highly customizable solutions for their clients are the following:
- RetractableAwnings.com
- Eclipse Shading Systems
- ShadeTree Cool Living
- Sunesta Awnings & Outdoor Comfort
Services
When choosing the best awnings company, we must mention its services. After all, it’s not only about purchasing the product. Here are the top three companies according to their offered services.
RetractableAwnings.com
Retractableawnings.com provides an end-to-end service as they design, engineer, customize, sell, distribute, assemble and install their products. You can also benefit from superior customer service support. They also work with worldwide with experienced third-party awning and pergola installation companies and individuals at https://www.awninginstallers.com
Corradi Outdoor Living Space
Corradi Outdoor Living Space is another worthy company as its services entail designing, selling through dealers and custom outdoor shading systems.
Shadetree Cool Living
Shadetree Cool Living has a computer-aided design (CAD) team that designs their awning models, a production team and customer service representatives. They also work with third-party awning installation companies.
KE Outdoor Design
KE Outdoor Design works with a range of local dealers to deliver a complete suite of services, including design, assembly and installation.
Awning installation
You can mount your retractable awning on different parts of the building, depending on your available space and the space in which you want to shade. In the table below, you can see the various mounting methods and the companies that offer them.
|
Retractable Awnings.com |
Aristocrat Retractable Awnings | DIY Retractable Awnings | ShadeTree Cool Living | |
| Wall | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Roof | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Soffit | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | 🗙 |
| Eave | ✅ | 🗙 | 🗙 | ✅ |
| Overhang | ✅ | 🗙 | 🗙 | 🗙 |
| Fascia | ✅ | 🗙 | 🗙 | 🗙 |
| Beam | ✅ | 🗙 | 🗙 | 🗙 |
| Rafter | ✅ | 🗙 | 🗙 | 🗙 |
*Table 1. Table of awning companies offering the most diverse mounting options
Ease of use
Retractable products are more effective and easier to use than fixed awnings. That’s why I advise everyone considering a shading product to invest in a retracting mechanism. You can control them by turning a manual detachable hand crank or via a remote control/wall switch/mobile app/timer if you purchase a motorized awning (electric version).
The manual operation works best for small-sized awnings, while motorized versions are preferable for larger sizes. If you are unsure about what size you might need just yet, you might want to choose a company that offers both manual and electric retractable awnings so that you can consider both methods of operation. Should you decide on motorized, I would recommend a backup manual override for the motor that will allow you to manually close the awning in the case of a loss of power.
Warranty
Warranty is an important qualifier when comparing awning companies. That’s why below are the top vendors with the most extended warranty periods.
Important note: Keep in mind that the fabric warranty depends on the fabric brand. When choosing your retractable awning, make sure to check the fabric brand used and its particular warranty period, so you are not left disappointed.
Aristocrat Awnings, Shades and Canopies:
- Frame – Limited lifetime (prorated)
- Fabrics – 10 years
- Motors/controls – 5 years
RetractableAwnings.com :
- Frame – 25 years (not prorated)
- Fabrics – 10 years
- Motors/controls – 5 years
Sunesta Awnings :
- Frame – 15 years (prorated)
- Fabrics – 10 years
- Motors/controls – 5 years
Shadetree Cool Living :
- Frame – 10 years (prorated)
- Fabrics – 10 years
- Motors/controls – 3 years
Eclipse Shading Systems :
- Frame – 10 years (prorated)
- Fabrics – 8 years
- Motors/controls – 5 years
Types of awnings
Companies also vary in the type of products they offer to their customers. Some sell all kinds of shading products, and others focus on retractable models only. Awnings can vary in other aspects too.
Aluminum awnings
Today, most quality companies use aluminum for their products, although many do not state what kind of aluminum. However, rusting metals such as carbon steel are not recommended and should not be a part of the best outdoor awnings.
Fixed awnings
I strongly advise skipping the fixed awnings and investing in a retractable roof. However, still, many companies mix their shading solutions and offer both fixed and retractable awnings. I would avoid those, as they are not specific in their niche and manufacturing process. You would often find their products missing essential specifications and features or having shorter warranty periods and most are made of regular steel that will rust.
Retractable lateral arm awnings
RetractableAwnings.com and Shadetree Cool Living offer the best retractable lateral arm awnings. Eclipse Shading Systems also provides functional and stylish models.
Retractable side or drop arm awnings
The widest variety of retractable side or drop arm awnings I’ve seen is offered by the vendor RetractableAwnings.com.
They have a few different models of the following types:
- Side screens
- Vertical drop screens
- Drop arm awnings
Window awnings
While there is no window awning type per se, there are some awnings (both retractable and fixed) that you could install over a window to stop the sun from entering and reduce the temperature inside the room. Here the best awning brands would be those that offer you custom sizes and various mounting options.
Awning company reviews
Based on the reviews from the public at large on Retractable Awnings Reviews, the best awning company in the US and Canada is RetractableAwnings.com. It occupies the first place with happy customers who found the quality-money ratio satisfying and are extremely content with their purchases and the service provided. The second place is taken by Corradi Outdoor Living Space and the third place by Shadetree Cool Living. These rankings are current as of September 2023.