There are a few other lateral arm awning companies some with low pricing. Eclipse has the finest proprietary system on the market. The rest of the market buys parts from European or Asian companies and puts the parts together. Some companies sell the awning frame to a dealer and the dealer makes the cover by hand and sells the completed unit. This cover will not be nearly as good as the Eclipse cover which is produced on a computer driven sewing table and is perfectly square. If covers are not square eventually the unit will not operate properly. The following is a list of components and the Eclipse difference. Eclipse is the only ISO 9001 certified unit. Our 13′, 14’9″, and 16’6″ projections contains even beefier components.
Why our Eclipse Awnings are better than the rest!
- Fittings and fasteners
all stainless steel components - Elbow
large radius vacuum casted not extruded this means no failures and excellent push on the front bar. Ask how are your elbows made? - Shoulder
vacuum casted not extruded and using the sure-lock system to insure that the proper pitch is maintained. Ask how are your shoulder components made? - Mounting brackets
cast, not extruded, for superior strength. Ask how are your mounting brackets made? - Springs
tempered steel and highest tensions gives us the tightest cover on the market. - Cables
Extra wide polycarbon stainless steel strap rated at over 2 tons. - Arms
extruded aluminum with channels for extra strength to provide perfect fit for the shoulder and elbow. Only system with paired arms or equal tension tested to fit together. Tested to 60,000 cycles. Ask how are your arms made. - Roller tube
78mm galvanized steel inside and out – most companies are now using aluminum which is weaker and has less memory which means over time it will sag and cause problems. - Torsion bar
the shock absorber for the entire system ours is 2mm steel which is 3 times stronger than aluminum and has much better memory. Over time aluminum torsion bars will lose its ability to absorb shock which will then transfer to the mounting surface. - Front bar
ours is chambered with a very large perimeter and by far the strongest on the market. This is important since the front bar takes all the tension on the fabric. Other products will bow at the front over time.
Eclipse units are rated for 60,000 cycles (a full in or out) the industry standard is 8,000. Ask how many cycles is this unit rated for?
Eclipse has a full 10 year warranty on the frame which is the most expensive part of the awning.