Outsunny 10′ x 10′ Aluminum Patio Pergola with Retractable Pergola Canopy, Backyard Shade Shelter for Porch, Outdoor Party, Garden, Grill Gazebo, Dark Gray

Why the hate?
(Purchased and assembled early April in WI)I want to preface my review by stating I assembled this completely solo, and not the 3 person minimum as stated on the product, so take what you will out of this review. I consider myself to be “relatively handy” at DIY, but I am not a professional.1. The product arrived in a giant, heavy box but all the pieces were accounted for and nothing was broken, damaged, etc. One of my “S” bars (the top beam pieces of the pergola) was a bit scuffed. That was it.2. The instructions straight up suck. The whole assembly is only about 8 steps when it should have been about 20 or more. They try and jam 3-4 steps into 1 step and only provide photos. There are no written instructions, and the photos are not always obvious on what it’s trying to show. This resulted in a lot of disassembly and re-assembly on my part to correct my errors. You need to look at every little detail in those photos to make sure your screw holes are facing the correct way, which is represented with a very tiny dot on the images.3. I assembled as much as I could indoors on carpet/linoleum flooring as it was raining outside at the time. All beams, legs, etc were done indoors until the weather cleared up.4. Once the weather cleared up, I assembled what I would consider the worst part (considering I was alone) which was attaching the legs together with the beams to get it standing. The process itself isn’t terrible, but it was extremely difficult alone.5. Once the legs are standing on their own, the rest of the assembly is pretty simple and self explanatory.6. Attaching the canopy rail isn’t terrible, but again, a pain solo. The canopy material is that of umbrella type material. Mine did not tear during assembly and appeared strong.The hands down most frustrating part of this assembly was trying to do everything alone, and that’s no fault of the product. The unclear photo instructions is their fault, though.In the end, the pergola is very stable and looks very nice. My backyard neighbors commented immediately after I finished to say it looked really good. I’m sure they enjoyed watching me struggle.I absolutely recommend using a quality screwdriver and not the junk provided with this. Seeing the photos of the “bending” legs tells me that they did not tighten the screws properly. I used a ratchet screwdriver, and fully tightening the screws corrects this easily.I also did not have any issues of the beams or pieces “bending like tin cans” as another reviewer described. All pieces felt tough and sturdy, good metal material, and I dropped pieces several times onto a cement patio with no scuffing or bending.None of my screws stripped during assembly. I had no issues with holes not aligning. I again point this to user/assembler error. If they don’t line up, you did something wrong.In the end, this pergola really makes my backyard look more appealing and inviting, and I look forward to being able to enjoy the summer under it.

Best quality for the price
I spent a lot of time researching and choosing a pergola in this price range. This is definitely the best quality for the price I found, but I’m curious to see how long it lasts given the weather (see Con #1 below).PROS:–Diagrams and parts list made it easy to figure out how to put together, just take your time and try not to miss a step (also see Tip #2 below for one step that was missing)–All-steel frame, including the top crossbars–90-degree anchor bars–Four corner posts are one solid piece each, which brings me to the cons…CONS:–All the crossbars and top frame bars are two pieces of steel held together with a weaker metal. This is clearly the primary weakness of this pergola. To be fair, this is the same design as other pergolas in this price range, and I’d say this pergola is even sturdier in comparison (given the Pros above that other pergolas don’t have). That said, if someone stands up under the pergola and presses up on the crossbars, the top bows rather than holding strong and lifting the pergola.–Random dents and scratches and pieces that don’t fit nicely together (see pictures). My biggest concern here is not the look of dents/scratches but how long it will hold up to weather.TIP:–This pergola would definitely be easier to assemble with 3 or 4 people. That said, my husband (6ft) and I (5ft) did it relatively easily (3-4 hours) after this slight change in assembly: Assemble the 4 corner posts and set them in place on the ground. Assemble the top frame and the two center crossbars, including prepping the screws in place to secure the 4 corner posts. Tallest and strongest person lifts the top frame overhead and holds while the second person goes around to each corner and screws the frame to the 4 corner posts. This of course requires one person to be relatively strong/feel confident lifting the entire top frame overhead and holding for 1-2 mins, and be at least 6 ft tall to get it high enough–Also, the instructions miss ONE step. When attaching G to F. Attach bottom G first, insert F, then make sure to prep and secure the canopy and rings before securing the top G piece.All in all, this is the best quality for the price, but I’m curious to see how it holds up over time! I’ll update if I run into any issues, but currently glad to have some shade on this wind-less day 🙂