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

Great umbrella! It fits nicely in my back back, and when I need it, it flips open with a push of a button. I love that feature. I also keep one in the car. It fits nicely in the pocket behind the driver’s seat, and it’s great when you need to get out of the car. You can open the door, use one hand to open the umbrella outside of the car before you get of of the car and thereby minimize getting wet. It is also very sturdy, comfortable to hold and has a nice wooden handle. The only thing I wish was different is the rope for easy carrying. This thin rope is attached to the case and not to the umbrella itself. In previous brands I have owned, this rope has been attached to the umbrella itself, and I find that more convenient in case I want to carry the umbrella without its case. But this is not a big deal for me. The benefits far outweigh this minor isssue. The Brits have done a great job in designing this classy, sturdy umbrella. Absolutely top notch, I’d say. Cherio!

Im leaving a five star review because the first umbrella I received had a few issues but amazon sent me another one that seems just fine. However the 5 stars largely goes to the customer service. The company doesnt want you to have any faulty products and if there ever is any issue, they will solve the problem to ensure that you are satisfied. Im glad that they are very responsive to customer feedback and are happy to make things right! Below was my initial reviews of the product before I got my replacement, which works as expected. I just got this umbrella in the mail and it looks great! I love the craftsmanship and wooden handle. However, after checking out the product, I went to place it back inside the included sleeve and as Im zipping it closed the zipper broke RIGHT off! I didnt even pull that hard. I was surprised that this happened on my first time packing it away. Amazon isnt able to send me a replacement sleeve by itself Im going to have to get a whole new set and send back the one with the broken zipper. Other than that issue, it seems to be a quality umbrella, I havent had a chance to use it and get a sense of its sturdiness since I just got it. But the sleeve quality is not so good. Maybe mine was just a bad make, hopefully the manufacturers can improve on the sleeve quality. UPDATE: I added the third photo after playing around with it a bit more. Its already broken on me. Initially I thought the zipper itself on the sleeve was the only issue. But now the umbrella has already shown a big sign of unreliability.

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.

Best umbrella I have ever owned! I know that sounds strange to talk that way about an umbrella, but this is a really great piece of rain-protecting gear. I bought it for a trip to NYC and, luckily for this review, it rained, snowed and was windy the whole time. This umbrella was amazing! I have been using it as my go-to umbrella ever since and it has been put to the test (wind-wise) several times. Heres the rundown: Pros: Easy to open - the button works great! Really slick, actually. Makes you look like a real baller. Easy to close - again, just hit the button. Closes right up. Very James Bond. Real pro-style. Keeps rain off of your head - LOL right? I mean, it is an umbrella. But, for a small umbrella, it really does a great job of keeping a wide swath of rain off of your melon and body. Wind resistant - I should have put this first. I have used this thing in sustained winds of 40 mph and it didnt flinch. Gusts up to 60 mph and it didnt even think about going inside-out. .Rock solid in the wind. Buy it just for this fact alone. Wood handle - It really sets off this umbrella. Really makes you look like a player. Seriously. If I wasnt married, I am pretty sure I could have gotten several dates just based on the wood handle of this umbrella alone. Cons: None. It is the best umbrella on the planet. It may actually change your life. Pick one up now.

I purchased this for travel since my “go to” umbrella was looking pretty shabby. I wanted something more professional looking, and this one caught my attention for its sleek design and double vented umbrella. I also loved the nice touch of the engraved, wooden handle. I ordered in black, which is a safe, every-occasion color, but the other bright colors and prints were also really appealing! When I got it, it was impressively wrapped in a dust cover in addition to matching zippered case. The push button feature both opens and snaps shut the umbrella at the touch, which is convenient and mesmerizing! Despite all the added features, the umbrella is astonishingly lightweight and folds tightly into its zippered pouch for safekeeping during travel. The metal components appear to be very sturdy and well manufactured. So far it has stood up well to rain, but I rated 4/5 stars on sturdiness since my trip didn’t take me to any places where I encountered gusty winds. Still, I can confidently say this is a really nice umbrella with an expensive look and feel at a reasonable price point!

Easy to open but VERY difficult to fully collapse. It’s very awkward and embarrassing esp in public.

After finally getting to test this out in the rain, this is an awesome umbrella. It was shipped in a protective plastic case and has its own umbrella holder to put around it. It looks super classy with its really nice wooden handle. The best part is that it has a button to open AND close it (it took me a few minutes to figure out the button was used to close it as well, but I wouldve realized it sooner if Id read the words on the actual button). As for keeping the rain off me, it has a large radius and the edges turn downward to make like a bowl over you so the rain doesnt drip off the edges and onto you. Oh, and theres a cute tag with a quote on it - When it rains, look for rainbows. I thought that was a nice touch; it made me smile. Id definitely recommend this umbrella.

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 Id expect from a nickel plating (or especially stainless steel).

I thought I was buying a small compact large diameter umbrella. Turns out the measurements are incorrect and its a lot smaller than advertised.

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!