Kingfisher 9kg Cast Iron Effect Parasol Base

Okay then, what can i add that's new compared to the hundreds of reviews already published about this product then?Well........firstly, my Kingfisher parasol 9kg cast metal base holder arrived intact, unlike some unlucky customers where they didn't get theirs in one piece. I would like to point out here, that this item is made of cast Iron, and any cast metal can and does break in transit, especially if it is dropped on something hard. It is fairly weak material, great in compression, not so great with tensile forces and is brittle. Cast metals contain impurities which can sometimes lead to stress fracturing. Secondly: how you use it does depends on it's durability. I shall explain:Some customers have mentioned that during times of gusty weather (as us Brits are well acquainted with on an island that is known for very unpredictable weather); thus, if you have the parasol & base freestanding (i.e. without a table for extra support), then whether the parasol is up or down, if your garden/yard is in an expose area prone to get a bit breezy, then i can well see why it could and does blow over.My advice here would be; that if you intend to use it as a freestanding unit throughout the entire summer months (as oppose to removing & safely storing the parasol during inclement weather conditions), then it might be best to place it next to something solid, like a fence/wall or similar. Furthermore, if possible, secure the parasol with some brightly coloured guide wire (so that your nearest and dearest don't accidentally garrote themselves by mistake) by fixing the wire to the aforementioned fence/wall or similar with a suitable bracket. Next, take the wire & run it up to the parasol, wrap the wire around the pole several times tightly, then take the remaining wire in the opposite direction of the first fixed section of wire, & finally attach the end to another fixed bracket on the aforementioned fence/wall or similar. This ought to be sufficiently adequate to keep the parasol assembly reasonably at an perpendicular position during times of hurricane levels of the blowy stuff.Secondly: a few customers had mentioned that the captive nut bracket at the base of the vertical tube, can come away from the tube, sometimes after only a few uses. So, I had a look at this before assembly of my unit, and I agree, the welding does appear to be insufficient to hold the bracket in the tube for the stresses that would be imposed upon it. Fortunately, I am in possession of a perfectly functioning MIG welder and possess the skills to use it correctly. I therefor decided to remove the paint from the effected area and run two nice strong beads of welding along both sides of the bracket. I am now convinced that the newly re-enforced welded joins are more than sufficiently strong enough to withstand the stresses it is being asked to take. If you do not possess a MIG welder or the skills to use such a device, then please go and seek a suitably qualified and competent specialist whom can perform and carry out this task for you, for a few sheets of the folding kind. Or perhaps, you may know someone competently efficient at welding, whom can carry out this task for you as a favour.Back to my newly acquired and in the process of being improved upon parasol base:Thirdly: After i had completed strengthening of the welded joints, i then turned my attention to the manufacturer's painted surface on the base, what there was of it. I was not satisfied with the quality of the paint on the parasol base. It appeared to me to be very thin and scratched in places, which would do very little to protect the ferrous metal from corrosion as soon as it tasted the wet stuff, something else that our green and pleasant splendid little island is no stranger to. Thus, I decided to remove all of the manufacturer's paint from the base, using a variety of mechanised power tools that i have in my possession. After cleaning the surfaces of the debris and wiping down with Panel Wipe (a popular car bodywork cleaning detergent), of the whole thing including the underside (the paint is virtually non existent here), i then turned my attention to applying new & better rust resistance paint to the base. After rummaging through my ridiculously unnecessary large hoard of half used aerosol cans; I found a can of high zinc rich based primer from Halfords & thus applied two thin coats followed by one thick coat to the base. This was then followed up by two coats of exterior use black satin paint. And finally, just for good measure (and just because I happened to have a can or two of this as well), i applied two liberally coats of Dinitrol 4941 black rust proofing under body spray wax (it's for doing the underside of a car with, but what the hell, I thought to myself, let's use it on this base as well). I am now satisfied that my newly acquired and improved parasol base will not display the brightly orange coloured iron oxide staining for some time to come.But we're not done yet, all you discerning consumers: for I have one final task to ensure the longevity of my new purchase. Fearing the possibility of the casting fracturing on a hard surface due to potentially damaging 'ring' shocks, as it is my intention to place my new outdoor garden table, chairs and parasol set on a concreted part of my property; I proceeded to find an acceptable solution for mildly concerning issue. The problem I found here is that in order to attach some rubber 'feet' (yes, i just happened to find some of those lying about too) to the base would require drilling the base. This is not a good idea. Any metal that in cast form contains impurities within that leaves weak spots in the metal. Drilling through could actually cause the casting to fracture. So, I looked to another solution, epoxy resin based adhesive - basically......Superglue. I had in my stash of millions of bits broken up old cars, 6 x 2 inch diameter x 1 inch deep rubber 'foots' (actually they're old exhaust rubber mounting fixings, that I had saved for no particular reason), and with some care taken before hand to position the rubber 'boots' equidistant from each other, i applied the epoxy resin adhesive to each one, allowed sufficient time for the resin to do it's 'thing', before pressing home the 6 new 'feet'. I am now reasonably convinced that these new feet will provide adequate cushioning against hard shocks and even the mildest ones to prevent the dreaded fracturing of the cast metal base.Apologies for not being able providing any photographs of my new self improved Kingfisher parasol base...but to be honest, it doesn't look any different as per from the manufacturer. But i like it, after spending some time to address the issues expressed by those customers that weren't happy with theirs. I'm happy with mine. :)

Very good and heavy the strong winds don’t blow it over

I am delighted with the garden furniture but unfortunately the heavy base was broken in two. Rather than return the base , my son in law repaired it with special adhesive . All OK now. Thank you AmazonHeather

Great item for the garden, very sturdy

I am delighted with this parasol base. I love the pattern on it and the quality of it.

I liked the look of the base and I’m happy with it. However, putting it together, the parasol will not stay in the holder due to the fact that the inner rings threads do not marry up with the screw tightener to hold the pole in place. My husband has done a DIY job on it and it’s fine now as I couldn’t be bothered to return it just for that ! Not good though.

I like this, I’m old girl at 70yrs so just as well I bought a sack trolly as well.Heavy, but worth it. Nice item

Nice solid item