Umbrellas can provide shade throughout the day if you purchase them with tilt options. With a tilt mechanism, you change the position of the canopy to match the angle of the sun. If you remain outdoors for an extended period, you change the position as necessary to ensure that you always have proper shade from the sun.



1. Importance of Tilt

Why is tilt important? For one thing, it is convenient. It keeps the sun out of your eyes, no matter the time of day. Even with sunglasses, the sun can obscure your line of sight and make reading or talking to someone difficult.

But it's more than a matter of convenience. Tilt options on umbrellas also improve their usefulness in guarding you from the sun's damaging radiation.

Scientists have linked ultraviolet rays from the sun to skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Doctors diagnose more than a million cases every year. In a many of these cases, doctors believe that sun is the foremost cause.

The Skin Cancer Foundation has been warning people for thirty years about skin cancer and its prevention. While they stress the importance of sunscreen, they warn that it is not enough. The Foundation also recommends that people cover up with clothing and try to stay in the shade from about 10:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon. During these hours, the sun's rays are usually at their strongest point of the day.

You can protect the health of you, your loved ones, your friends, or your neighbors by purchasing an umbrella with a tilt mechanism. Adjusting the tilt increases the effective shade of the canopy, regardless of the sun's position in the sky.

2. Types of Tilt Control for Umbrellas

While the basic concept of tilt works the same, the controls differ among products. Different types of tilt control also offer fewer or more directions in which the canopy will maneuver. The three main types are push-button, collar, and auto tilt.

Push-button tilt umbrellas have a button which controls the tilt. You will probably need to open the umbrella in order to find the button somewhere near the top of the pole. When you press the button, you can tilt the canopy in the direction you wish. You will be able to tilt the canopy in a limited number of directions, perhaps two or three.

Collar tilt umbrellas open with a crank. A separate collar controls the tilt mechanism. As you turn the collar, the tilt adjusts. Whereas push-buttons only offer a limited number of tilt positions, the collar makes any angle possible.

Auto tilt umbrellas use one mechanism for opening and tilting the canopy. You use the crank to open the canopy. Then you just continue cranking to adjust the tilt. As you crank, the canopy will change positions. When you turn the crank the opposite way, the canopy will rotate through the tilt positions the opposite way and then close.