Balios Travel Folding Umbrella with Real Wood Handle - Auto Open/Close, Vented Windproof Canopy for Rain & Sun Protection - Compact & Lightweight for Travel, Commuting, Outdoor Events - Designed in UK

Quick release upon pressing the button. Love the handle. Materials feels good and secured when holding it.I have used this umbrella a couple of times and took it with me on a couple of vacations. It works as advertised and I really like the design. My only issue with this umbrella is that it can only fit one person but that's the sacrifice you have to make when getting a sturdy umbrella. I do recommend this umbrella.Has the double canopy so you don’t fly away like Mary Poppins in a heavy wind nor have your umbrella flip up. (That’s just wrong).Press One button and umbrella pops open fully.Press Same button again and it closes the umbrella automatically, then you just push it down to the handle.Really cool. Very well made. Looks well made too.I was Feeling a little like James Bond working it, so my wife took it away, hit me with it and it didn’t even break...LOLNot gigantic but certainly not tiny. Wife and I can both get coverage from rain at same time.This is the one you want when you want convenience, quality and ease of dealing with.No struggling with closing it up when getting in the car. One button handles that.Somehow, I lived my entire adult life up to very recently without owning an umbrella. That changed when I moved to Bogotá, Colombia. Compared to what you might imagine about Colombia, this mountain city is cold and the only thing tropical is the rain. It rains just about every day, although usually only for an hour or so. The reason for that weather change is the wind coming off the mountains that the city butts up against. My first ever umbrella was hastily purchased in the street and needless to say, it was not the most sturdy piece of equipment. It seemed to have a confused identity, thinking it was some kind of reversable jacket or something. It took every gust of wind as an opportunity to show off its perceived abilities, however its frame was not quite up to these acrobatic feats.As my first umbrella was slowly dying, having flipped inside out more times than a contortionist at Cirque du Soleil, I decided it was time to order a replacement. This, my second ever umbrella has been a much drier experience. It feels solid in hand and the wooden handle looks great. The wood is a stained a little darker than in the pictures, but I don't mind. I'm not sure what kind of three-fingered being the handle was designed for (I guess a British one), I would have preferred a plain round handle, but it's still comfortable enough to hold.I've owned this umbrella for about three months now, I wanted to wait before writing a review. It holds out in both light & heavy rain & whenever I've felt that familiar tug from a gust of wind, it's never flipped inside out. It doesn't have a huge diameter, so any sideways rain might still be a problem & it's probably not a two-person umbrella unless you really want to cuddle. That said, it's very portable & easily fits in my backpack, along with everything else. When holding the umbrella at an angle, I sometimes get a few drips coming through due to the nature of the double canopy, however that definitely beats having it turned inside out.The button to launch the umbrella open is kinda fun, I could maybe distract a potential robber for a couple of seconds, giving me an opportunity to run if I had to. Pulling it back in is no easy task though. I can bicep curl 70 lbs for 4 sets of 10 and this is still a challenge. Definitely don't give this to kids. It's really just the last bit, locking it back in, if you try to grab the small metal part that comes in close to the handle, it can be difficult & your fingers can get pinched, however if you push from each end, it's not actually that hard.Overall, a really good umbrella. I think it's good value for money and should last a long time.Really good umbrella. A little on the heavy side. Took away a star because no wristlet in umbrella. Only on the cover, which sometimes I put away! Difficult when having to carry several items in your hand.The wooden handle and double canopy (to allow air to escape on a windy day) were the main reasons for this purchase. Leave it to the British to design a nice umbrella, but the Chinese to actually make it. (As in this case.)Initially, the standard colors of (yawn!) black, grey and green almost eliminated the Balios for me. But the more I looked around, the initially chosen sky lining (inner layer) of another model made room for a seemingly better build quality. (Which is putting a lot of trust into online descriptions.)Once received, the umbrella turned out slightly smaller and lighter than I anticipated. In fact, it’s nearly identical to a department store umbrella it replaced.The automatic open/close mechanism is fairly standard for this type of umbrella. Push a button and it opens fully (provided you took it out of the sleeve first). Push the same button again, and it folds the canopy without retracting the shaft. That still needs to be done by hand, but again that very much how most of them work.The springs in the Balios that are associated with the open/close are fairly stout and at least initially may surprise you with the force needed to actuate. To me it’s not a big deal.The canopy consists of two partially overlapping layers. This is not meant to be a liner as in some cases (i.e. for pictures inside the umbrella), the Balios is doing it to provide an opening for wind to pass thru while the overlapping layers make sure rain doesn’t get thru in normal use.The umbrella oozes build quality, and it remains to be seen if that translates into durability.The wood handle is well formed and stays in your hand despite the complete absence of any elastomer (“rubber”). The sculpted inside of the grip is fairly effective. The wood finish has a reasonable grip, too, and makes for a comfort grip in colder weather.The fabric of the canopies is claimed to be a tightly woven 300T and that seems to be about the tightest you’ll find anywhere. It also means that the fabric is fairly thin and once again it remains to be seen how it holds up.The handle doesn’t have a loop, but the sleeve does. I normally use the loop only for hanging the umbrella and this constellation is fine. However, at least in the past I typically didn’t keep the sleeve for that it didn’t seem useful. The Balios may change that.Btw., the metal finish at the handle is significantly darker than the pictures suggest. I think that’s a good thing, but it remains to be seen if this coating is as durable as I'd expect from a nickel plating (or especially stainless steel).Perfect protection, sturdy, and looks awesome!In the past, I've avoided umbrellas. Not because I like getting rained on, but simply because I've - on the whole - had bad experiences from them. More often than not, the average umbrella will be bought in a hurry during a downpour from a nearby petrol garage, only to turn itself inside out within a matter of minutes, before being dumped in the bin.Well, I can tell you one thing straight away: Balios Umbrellas are *not* your average umbrella. As a lover of the finer things in life, I was absolutely delighted by the softness and beauty of the wooden handle, and as soon as I opened it up, it was clear this was a well-made, superior product that wouldn't let me down. Luckily (in a sense) it arrived through the post before I had to take my kids to school, and - this being England - it has already started to rain quite heavily. I pushed the button on the handle, my new umbrella unfolded itself with a smooth and impressive action, and I was off.Not only did I look great walking down the road with this elegant accessory, I was kept dry and safe from the downpour, too. The vents in the canopy allow the wind to move slightly through the umbrella, meaning there was never any danger of the item turning inside out and dragging me along the road. I was seriously impressed.I also love the smooth and sturdy mechanism of this device - it locks very satisfyingly back into place when you're done with it, and from there, you can keep it in its attractive carry case. I'm an absolute convert, and seriously won over the by affordable price and quality of this item. I would actually like to buy one for all my family members, too!Ok this Umbrella put a smile on my face as I opened it to explore if I had made a mistake, you never know with umbrellas.The first thing that caught my eyes was that it had two covers,then the Qoute on the tag - When it rains look for rainbows. I thought that’s nice.Then the care taken to protect the wooden handle even though it came with two covers.The handle was wrapped with a semi hard paper.I love the look and feel of the handle, nice to hold.The umbrella has some weight to it, making It feel really strong, the cover is made with two layers, I am guessing it acts as a wind breaker. This is my first time owning one made like this.As a woman they won me over, and I don’t usually give reviews to this detail unless I am overly happy with the product.I have taken photos to help anyone who is thinking of buying this especially as a present. Plan was to give this out as a prezzy.I can’t say if it will stand the rain, but I have no doubt that it wouldn’t . It’s definitely good quality and has been carefully designed.Yep! It has my 5 star. Fast delivery too with prime. I will happily recommend to others.Looks as classy as the images. Grip is very comfortable, auto open and close works perfectly. Resilient too - heavy rain and wind over an exposed bridge in London and didn’t once give me cause for concern. When I read the description about the fabric I thought it was just sales hype but from one shake it was dry. Sleeve with the zip is quality and the wooden handle is special. It fits in my bag nicely but I imagine it will be big for some bags. That said, the dimensions on the description are accurate. For the price it is a real bargain, I’ve spent a lot more on umbrellas that were nowhere near the quality of this.Unsure how this product has such good reviews! The stand is so flimsy in the handle (which is very uncomfortable to hold). You have to hold the stand in the handle. Returning the product. Not sure if there’s vast variability in the quality of the product or if the product is just awful - either way, avoid the purchase of a more expensive umbrella for £1 quality.I have had the worst luck with umbrellas in recent years - cheap ones invariably let me down, and I’ve long ceased trusting myself to remember an expensive umbrella on the bus or train! I’ve tried a number of brollys, from no-name emergency buys to major brands like Totes, and none have lasted - so with this in mind I did a bit of research and comparison before buying this one.My first impressions are that this is a well-designed and high-quality item, particularly when put side-by-side with a similarly priced umbrella from a well-known drugstore. The item came well packaged to protect the canopy and wood handle, and has enough heft to inspire confidence. The handle is made of a lovely dark wood, and is perfectly smooth with no imperfections or rough spots. It is exactly the right size for my (average-sized) hand which is a huge positive given how uncomfortable the tiny travel-style umbrella handles can be. The umbrella comes in a matching sleeve, which rather uniquely has a zip down the side to make it easier to get on and off - a small detail but suggests the thought and consideration put into the design of the product. Overall it is very elegantly designed and put together -they haven’t just slapped some fancy script font on a cheap brolly, but have paid attention to the details such as stitching that help it seem a bit more ‘high-end’.The umbrella itself is similarly well designed - pressing the open/close button expands the canopy forcefully, revealing the sturdy metal and fibreglass frame. It is definitely a step up from the standard, thin metal ribs you’ll find on a cheap model which gives me confidence this will last more than a few trips around windy West Yorkshire! The canopy is vented, which allows wind to pass through rather than stressing the umbrella frame - this is a great feature and definitely helps, although no brolly is really wind-proof so just bear that in mind. The canopy fabric is pretty standard and blocks water just fine - the light blue colour looks very handsome in person and goes well with the wood handle. Pressing the button again snaps the canopy shut, again with some force, which helps shake off excess raindrops. The brolly requires a surprising amount of force to fully retract into the collapsed form - on the one hand this is reassuring as it’s all very sturdy, but I do wonder if having such strong springs in the frame may raise the risk of something breaking down the line. However after years of flimsy umbrellas breaking on me I’d rather take my chances with something that might be ‘too strong’!!Overall I am very very impressed with this product - it has every feature I was looking for (fibreglass ribs, vented canopy) and some I didn’t know I wanted (zip on the sleeve)! It seems well-made and sturdy enough to last, without being too heavy and while having an elegant, smart appearance. My only possible note for improvement would be to add a carrying loop/strap to the handle itself - the included sleeve has a loop attached but it would be better for it to be on the umbrella handle itself so the brolly can be hung to dry. Such a minor point really, and definitely not a deal breaker by any means. This would be an exceptional product for £30, so for under £20 it’s one of the best deals out there.