Balios Travel Folding Umbrella with Real Wood Handle Auto Open Close Vented Windproof Canopy - Designed in UK

My original rating of this umbrella was 2 stars, because it broke after minimal use. The following is my original review with some content and typo revisions. I purchased this umbrella because I was traveling to Seattle for the first time, for work. The umbrella fits in my carry on just fine. I barely used it in Seattle...the rain there is misty, spotty and barely lasts more than a few minutes; most of the locals dont even carry an umbrella (which is how the tourists stand out). Considering the lack of use, I was a bit disgruntled when my umbrella was broken by a strong gust of wind on a rainy mothers day this year (2019) I spent in my home state, New Jersey. I targeted that disappointment in the review above with a 2-star rating because the umbrella was no longer within the set return window. I was surprisingly contacted by one of the companys owners. I want to start by saying I am terrible at returning personal emails as I am constantly emailing for work. I replied to some of the emails, provided information requested for order verification and completely forgot about it all. For some time my emails had not been syncing properly with mobile devices. I have several follow ups since leaving my original post in 2019. It is now June 2020, and the company was still willing to work out a suitable arrangement despite my lack of response to their numerous follow-up. These are my honest opinions, I was not paid or compensated for this review or revision. I just wanted to share my experience with their customer service. I cannot say the same for several other purchases I have made. And sometimes great customer service makes all the difference in the world. I am receiving a new umbrella in exchange of the broken umbrella, I will post an update once I have received it and put it to the [normal] test of use. I hope this was helpful!

I used to just buy the cheapest umbrella I could. My old one was turned inside out by the wind. So this time I thought I would invest in a quality bumbershoot. I looked at many on Amazon before finding this umbrella. The feel of this umbrella in your hand screams quality. Build: I chose this umbrella because it had two features I was looking for. One of which being heavy duty fabric to prevent it from ripping, especially along the ribs. The fabric is 300T which is almost double the 190T many ubrellas use. I has a very luxurious feel to it. Couple that with thicker ribs and you have a sturdy umbrella. The second feature was the double canopy to provide a wind proof experience that should in theory prevent this umbrella from turning inside out like my last one. Although I have used it int he rain and it rolled off like water off a ducks back, I havent used it in high wind yet. So I cannot attest to how well this feature will actually work. Other features that were not a must have but are a nice addition are open/close button, ergonomic handle and case. The push button both opens and closes the umbrella with a spring action. You still have to compress it, but the umbrella closes on its own. Nice feature. The handle has a nice soft rubber texture with knuckle grooves to make it ergonomic and comfy. It is not a tiny nub of a handle like some compact umbrellas, but yet not too big so the umbrella is still compact. Very comfortable to hold. Lastly the umbrella comes with a nice heavy duty sleeve case with a zippered side. I doubt I will use it, but nice addition. I usually just keep my umbrella in my truck on side of seat with ice scraper. I can honestly say I have never paid this much for an umbrella, but what a difference. This one is like a heavy duty tactical umbrella. The quality is apparent and the materials make it feel like high end. I am sure it will last for many years. I will update after testing it in the wind. Update: 6/30/17 So I have had the umbrella for a while and the material has held up well. The windproof design does not work as well as hoped. While walking into a store during a strong thunderstorm the umbrella still inverted. Also the automatic opening works great, but can be difficult to close at times. I still stand by the fact that this is a top notch umbrella that is made solid, but dont expect it not to invert during a strong wind. And it may not be ideal for someone like a child or elderly person who may not have the strength needed to collapse it back down after use.

I bought this for husband to use. Good size umbrella, strong spring when you open it up. Lightly wobbly like most umbrella are. The wood handle is very nice. You can get a good feel in your hand holding it. Check the top part because mine came loose. Just twist it to screw it tightly, that way you wont lose it. Overall, this is a good umbrella, I just dont know how it will hold when there is heavy rain and wind. So far, it is good.

A very well made product. A tad on the heavy side and a little longer than makes for easy packing into a purse but excellent performance -- would work well even in heavy wind and rain. And the open/close feature is very good -- helpful with arthritic hands.

Every hinge is rusting. I wouldn’t expect that after only two months. I’m worried that the wet rust is going to get on my clothes, so unfortunately I can’t use this anymore - other than the rust it’s great.

I picked this up after my sister stole my other ones. It came just in time for some rain that we had here the past week. I really like how it expands and collapses at a bush of a button, leaving you to only have to push it back together and wrap it up. As far as cons there arent a ton, a little longer strap would be nice, its a tight fit sometimes if the umbrella bunches up in certain ways, another half inch would be wonderful so you can always button it back up with ease. The only other thing was that it was shipped in a black fabric case that was torn when I received it; I was concerned my umbrella might be torn too, but I pulled it out and it was protected by another little carrying case that was just fine, and the umbrella was too. Not worth taking stars off for those minor things, still the best umbrella Ive ever used!

Its always a good sign when you like something right out of the bag (or package in this particular case). Ive had quite a few umbrellas in the past and have a pretty good sense of what to look for. The wood handle is everything. Umbrellas handles tend to be cold to touch, especially the plastic and metal handles, but that isnt a concern with the wood handle. Another feature that immediately caught my eye was the storage bag. In the past Ive struggled to get my umbrella in its bag (can never fold it the right way) but having a zipper makes it hassle free. The Balios Umbrella has an open close button located right above the handle making operation simple and easy. Other umbrellas may have a click to open but not to close. Good luck with that. I love the classy look and feel of this Balios Umbrella, not to mention it’s durability. I would highly recommend.

Umbrella seemed great. Unfortunately it doesn’t really close easily anymore. It takes tremendous force or luck to get it to retract after pressing the automatic close button. Likely can’t use it and just missed the return window by a few days.