Sunnyglade 4PCS 176LB Square Shaped Water Or Sand Filled Umbrella Base Cantilever Offset Patio Market Umbrella Base Stand with U Locking (Black)

I went to my local hardware store and picked up 2 bags of play sand and 1 of Paver because I was too lazy to go to the opposite end of the store for more play sand. In short, the wet paver sand is the devil, don’t under any circumstances get it. Get dry play sand. I was able to fill all four units with two 50 lbs of play sand and the one paver sand bag. The play sand went in easily with a funnel, the paver sand was a huge pain and took 5 times as long. Never again. Next debacle were the metal u-shaped clips. Terrible. I was able to finally get them to fit by tilting the weights toward the center which gave me the ability to get the clips in the holes. I wish this was better explained in the instructions. Outside of those two issues, so far so good. Took me a few hours to completely finish and this included a trip to the hardware store. It’s supposed to rain and storm overnight so I’m looking forward to seeing how things hold up, but for now, I’m relaxing under my new umbrella with a nice breeze and a cool beverage in my hand!

The weights for the umbrella we filled with water , keeping the umbrella weighted down and sturdy.

Bought sand instead of using water. Perfect

I bought this to go on my balcony. I initially tried to fill it with sand but it was too challenging as the sand wasn't loose enough. I then did the other option of filling it with water. Initially everything was great, but then I noticed one of the squares was very slowly leaking under the other squares and on the patio floor. It's outside, so not a huge deal, but it made a big mess. So, I ended up dumping it and just using sand halfway and it's steady. So, maybe if it didn't leak I'd give it more stars.

I'm not sure how long a product like this is supposed to last, but mine was purchased in April of 2021 and it sprung leaks this year. This isn't a product that does much beyond sit there and hold something down, so I'm a thinkin' that two years isn't a long lifespan. It did the job for the two years, but it seems like I'm experiencing an I "hardly knew ye" situation, so it's disappointing.

As others have said, wet packaged play sand is more than difficult to use, If you want to use sand, put it out for a day or so in the sun to dry out. My wife and I tried the wet sand - just awful. We decided to go with a water fill. We live in south Florida and do not have a winter freeze . Also, I used bleach, about a 1/2 cup, to offset bacteria growth. I intend to change the water once a year. The clamps that hold the four sections together were impossible to do by hand. I used a pipe clamp to pull the sections together. At that point the "C" clamps slip on, and upon release provide a snug fit. I will need to use the clamps to separate the sections for future movement of the umbrella and refill. It is holding a 10 foot square market umbrella.

Perfect weight set for our patio umbrella.

You do need a heavy base for the Sunnyglad cantilevered offset umbrella. After reading the reviews which proved very helpful I followed their advice. One reviewer commented that he filled each base with sand and then with water. I followed suit. Make sure the sand is dry because wet sand does not slide into the base at all. Then after all the sand is filled, tap the base down to help the sand settle. Then refill the base again and repeat until you can see that the sand is at the fill nozzle. Then add water. You will see the sand settle some more. I didn't add any more sand because the base was heavy enough. Worked so great. Gives me peace of mind especially when the wind starts to blow. When that umbrella sways, you will want to have a little assurance that the umbrella won't topple. The base with sand and water is that assurance. It's also nice to see the base fits so well in the stand with U-clips to hold the 4 bases together.