Retractableawnings.com® vs. Sunesta Comparison

How do RetractableAwnings.com’s high quality retractable awnings match up to Sunesta? In most areas of comparison, our awnings come out way ahead.

Frame material comparison

For starters, our frames are primarily constructed from 6063 aluminum -- a high-quality alloy -- and are resistant to rust, corrosion, and pitting; Sunesta’s website does not state the material used for their frames. Our assembly hardware is likewise high quality, made from marine-grade 316 stainless steel that is also resistant to damage from the elements; Sunesta’s is stainless steel but the quality is not indicated on their website. Finally, our frames are electrostatically powder-coated with Qualicoat® brand powder coating (best in the world). Sunesta’s frames are powder-coated, but their website doesn’t state which brand is used.

Size comparison

Sunesta offers a maximum awning width of 40’ with a maximum projection of 14’8”. RetractableAwnings.com easily tops that with a maximum width of 52’6” (using one motor and a single piece of fabric) and a maximum projection of 16' (largest lateral arm projection in the world). Plus, RetractableAwnings.com offers a variety of different retractable awning models to fit your needs in terms of appearance as well as size.

Fabric comparison

We offer brand-name solution-dyed acrylic fabrics from around the world with over 500 fabric solid, striped, and tweed options available from Para, Dickson, Recasens, and Sunbrella, while Sunesta offers 190 solid and striped fabric options -- none of which are stated as name brand. Even the Goretex brand Tenara thread we use to sew our fabrics is UV-resistant, resists damage from saltwater, bleach, extreme temperatures, and the elements, and has a lifetime warranty against seam separation.

Feature comparison

RetractableAwnings.com offers more features that add to the ease of use of our products, such as a hand crank on our Palermo Plus model that allows you to adjust the angle and pitch -- but on the Sunesta retractable awning, this is done by manually loosening bolts. We also offer accessories such as optional non-rusting, aluminum telescopic poles for added wind support on our Palermo, Palermo Plus, and Roma models and non-rusting stainless steel roof brackets in three sizes on our Palermo, Palermo Plus, and Venezia models.

Our retractable awnings are available with value-added features that increase their safety and ease of use. For instance, all of our awnings use a patented roller tube design that prevents the fabric from bunching, optional telescopic poles for extra wind support, and a patented center support to protect the fabric from fraying, rubbing against the center support (a/k/a the intermediate tube support) causing friction and damage to the fabric.

And, In addition, we have high-tech options you won’t find from Sunesta that make our awnings easier and more convenient to use, such as motion sensors, rain and sun sensors, timers, key switches a digital keypad, smart home integration, and a smartphone/tablet module that allows you to schedule your awning’s opening and closing times and more.

Warranty comparison

Unlike Sunesta’s, our retractable awning products come to you direct from the factory with no retailer middleman, and have a longer warranty: 25-year non-prorated on our frames and a 10-year warranty on our name-brand fabrics, vs. Sunesta’s 15-year warranty on their frames. Sunesta’s website does not state if their warranty is prorated or not.

The verdict: At RetractableAwnings.com, our products are made with the highest quality materials and designed to weather the elements beautifully and have been Beaufort wind load tested in Europe. That’s a claim many of our competitors, including Sunesta, can’t make.

For a more complete side-by-side comparison of RetractableAwnings.com and Sunesta products, see and download the matrix below.

Download Comparison PDF