Surprisingly Serviceable Umbrella at a Very Reasonable Price
595459
I bought this umbrella in a hurry, without reading a single review, and without giving it much thought. I have returned to leave this review because the item was a very pleasant surprise.

I have found it to be sturdy, more than adequately large for two, easy to navigate with on Manhattan sidewalks, resistant to wind, and to have a nice feeling of "heft" in the hand when rolled. I am grateful that I made the mistake of buying it, and I recommend it unhesitatingly.
1431383
First of all I'll say I'll say I'm happy with this item. It works as I expected and is pleasantly portable and versatile.

Physically the item is surprisingly well constructed. The interior of the umbrella portion feels sturdy and yields a strong connection to the flash. Locked in place the umbrella is robust. The reflector similarly attaches strongly. The diffuser and grid are pretty much standard for a cheap soft box.

In use the flexibility shows itself. Umbrella only gives a broad graduated beam with a hot spot. Add the reflector and the hot spot reduces. With the diffuser you have a more diffuse source. Add the grid and you regain the directionality. The main negative here is the small size but this was clear when I bought it. It also means I can use it on a portable boom while also operating the camera.

Overall for the size and price this is a win. Know that the small size means it's functional at close range, but you get this for the portability.
2950621
I was pleasently surprised with the weight of the fabric.  I had seen Sun Sails in stores that were cheap plastic woven together, but this is a nice, heavy-weight material that I can best compare to heavy picnic table umbrellas.  The D-rings at each corner are secured by heavy nylon webbing.  You do need to purchase your own mounting hardware.

As opposed to the picture, this sail has three panels, not two, and there is no way to get the center panel tight.  Both end panels on our's are as taut as they can get, but unless we add our own d-rings and pull the center panel or add grommets like the previous post mentioned, we will have to push water off with a broom everytime it rains and just accept that it moves 2-3 feet with a stronger breeze.  We installed our's at a slope thinking that would allow water to run off the end away from the house, but after our first rainstorm last night, we found that the middle panel is just too loose even with the slope and it collected a lot of water.

I do wish it came with installation instructions that included exact dimensions to space the corners so that it would pull tight.  Though we were able to do this on our own, it would have made installation easier.  It is shading our area well without being too dark and probably decreasing temps by about 15 degrees.  Definitely a good shade option for the price if you're willing to accept the issues with the middle panel.
1448422
This is a solid, generously-sized umbrella.  I live in the Netherlands, where it is windy and rainy all year long.  This thing fits in my briefcase no problem and keeps me dry unless the rain is pretty much horizontal.  I'm not a huge fan of the red handle, but that's a style thing.  Oh, and I know many of the complaints about the self-closing umbrellas have to do with the fact that they don't magically close themselves back into their original size like a Transformer.  This doesn't do that either.  You have to push it down to fully collapse it.  No big deal.  That's how they all work.  If you want a serious umbrella for a rainy location you should consider this one.
2432639
I did not want to pay $30 a day for chairs and an umbrella at the beach, but my husband also did not want to lug around a bulky, heavy umbrella. I searched around and actually saw this umbrella on display at Costco, but by the time I made up my mind to buy it, they were out of stock.

This is a great umbrella. Lightweight and easy to transport. It was also easy to screw into the sand, and then even easier once we realized the handles fold down for better range of motion. There was one REALLY windy day that the umbrella moved around a little bit, but even the large rental umbrellas moved around and folded up. It provided enough shade for two adults in chairs. Would recommend a larger size if more than two adults will be sitting under it.

We saved a ton of money and already my husband is talking about bringing it to the lake, where there is a sandy beach.
1442750
It serves its purpose well and provides plenty of shade.  For the price, you really can't go wrong.  That being said, there are few design limitations that users should be aware of if they really want this product to last.

For one, yes- you will need something heavy to hold the base down.  The instructions say to use paving bricks, which we used and seems to work well.  Secondly, and probably most importantly, the top post pin and guide tube are PLASTIC.  The pin is designed to hinge the umbrella in and out.  It cannot support any torsional / twisting loads. A slightest wind will cause the umbrella to rotate about this pin, incurring extreme stress.  In the times we've had the umbrella open I noticed a single 10mph wind gust has already caused the plastic to warp.  It won't take long for it to fail completely.

I developed a rudimentary and quick solution to this problem by strapping a cord from our patio eve to one of the umbrella spokes.  The cord holds the umbrella in position so that a wind gust will not cause it to twist or rotate.  So far so good.  When the upper pin and guide tube break, I will probably modify and install a steel tube.

So, to summarize it up:  It's great for the money.  Do not leave it open unattended.  Develop some means to prevent the umbrella from rotating or twisting to prevent the upper pin and guide tube from breaking apart.
1205852
I've had this umbrella for a couple of days now. We haven't had any rainy weather yet, but I'll be ready with this umbrella when it does rain.. The umbrella opens and closes with a push of a button. It is constructed with 9 ribs that looks like it can withstand fairly strong winds. I haven't had a chance to test it out in windy conditions yet, but I think it would survive better than my other umbrella that has 6 ribs. I usually have to keep a close eye on my 6 ribbed umbrella when it's windy to prevent it from turning inside out. With this umbrella, I might not have to be as vigilant. It is light-weight and small. It's very easy to carry around. I've used a large umbrella in the past. I prefer small umbrella like this one that I can carry around with ease. To summarize: it's small, lightweight, and well constructed. I'll be ready when it rains again.
533320
Overall, this umbrella is a good umbrella.  What makes for a "good umbrella"?

1.  Keeps you dry - this is a "standard sized" umbrella and as such, it doesn't provide much protection from rain from the waist down, particularly if there is driving rain.  Nevertheless, comparing to other brand named umbrellas of similar size, this umbrella does keep you dry
2.  Easy to open - Very easy to open, intuitive
3.  Not terribly heavy - compared to the average umbrella of its size, it's about the same weight.  It's a bit larger than I would want for a briefcase size, but it's a good "in car" umbrella.
4.  Don't turn inside out when a wind gust happens - WHOA!  I'm impressed.  It seriously doesn't flip!

My umbrellas are 30 years old.  The fabric is tearing at the ends.  I keep resewing it to the metal spines but they tear again and again.  I forgive them, they are 30 years old.  It's time to retire them.

Some of the cheap umbrellas only have a few spines and I'm very leery that such an umbrella designs could really be functional.  I'm not into $1 umbrellas...I want a good umbrella that will serve me well.  So I looked at this one and it met many conditions.  It had enough spines, it has the second layer inside, which supposedly would prevent the umbrella from flipping upside down.  Then, it claimed to be "hands free" and keep you dryer when used from inside of a car.

Let's look at the claims:
1.  Innovative double layer inverted umbrella does not shower rain on you when you close it.  - agreed.  This is true.  But be careful, because I hopped in the car, closed the umbrella and put the umbrella on the passenger side of the car with the handle up.  WHOA...a whoosh of water came out of the umbrella like you had taken a glass of water and threw it on the seat.  Now that I know, I'll be more careful, but I still have a wet neoprene seat.

2.  Simple embedded push-button switch - easy to operate and will not pinch fingers. - True
3.  Self-standing - nope...  Is it "flatter than a pointy umbrella"?  Yes.  Is it going to stand on its own?  Mine doesn't.
4.  Sturdy Black-coated metal shaft - it feels sturdy, but the handle feels plastic
5.  Hands free C-Handle - I wedged my arm in the C but it was quite wobbly.  I tried several arm positions.  I also tried to rest the umbrella on my shoulder and it would balance for a short period of time, then wobble again.  My arm has a fat layer so the C was filled.  I tried it on my wrist, which is smaller than the C, and it was more wobbly.  I did try to put it with the opening of the C closer to my body, longer vertical of the C facing out and that was more stable, but not as expected.  I'll vote "No...not hands free, but very comfortable and less effort than a standard umbrella handle"

I tried to get in and out of the car and you can indeed open the umbrella with a smaller door opening than a standard umbrella, thus reducing how wet you get.  I had to open it approx the width of my wrist to maneuver the umbrella outside and push the button.

Overall, I am pleased with the purchase.  This is definitely a good car umbrella or shopping umbrella.  The one star is reduced because it didn't meet the claims of being hands free and self standing.
I received the product for a discounted price in exchange for an honest review.
1415770
This umbrella is great for the price. I doubt it will do well in a big storm, but totally fine for a typical rainy day. Perfect for one and just what I wanted.
3619594
The quality of this umbrella exceeds my expectation for the price. It's sturdy, strong, and very easy to assemble. The crank makes opening/closing effortless. I've done many online searches and comparison and finally after several months, settled on this one and I'm very glad I did. It was a little scary for me to not have seen the actual product because it's hard to really determine the quality from pictures. I'm going to buy another one.
482644
At this time I have no problem with this umbrella. It offers plenty of coverage and has not been a problem with the wind.
3399455
MY wife wanted a UPF-rated umbrella to protect her from sun exposure, so we purchased this one.  She has since had several occasions to use it. The materials and construction seem to be adequate, and the mechanism works smoothly. When we first received it, it had a very strong odor from the vinyl material its made of. I opened it up and placed it outside for a couple days which took care of the issue.

So far it's holding up well with normal usage.
2037974
It is a sturdy umbrella, compact when folded but quite spacious when opened. And it can withstand nasty winds. It does the job. It is pricier than the usual umbrellas, but with its strength, I think I'll be saving money in the long run as I won't have so many cheap umbrellas getting destroyed on me.
1888102
After reading many reviews for many different offset umbrellas I ran across some horrible ones and some that were looking better though the prices for the "good ones"  were about $30 to $80 and I don't want to even start talking about the fancy $300-$400 umbrellas that I wasn't even considering. I was not expecting this to be the best quality umbrella and was wondering if it's going to be any good and was surprised to find out its actually a great umbrella for the very low price. Opening and closing it is easy and takes no time without the need to use any force or needing to lift any heavy weight. The umbrella is covering a large area the fabric is thin but does block the sun well and this umbrella looks great in my backyard. The base is not heavy enough to hold it especially if it's windy. I've been seeing pictures of people who attached the umbrella to many different things securing it from falling / tipping over and eliminating the base that comes with it. I saw some reviews that showed broken parts which I can see how such a thing can happen especially if using too much force that isn't needed, another reason is if the umbrella is kept uncovered and the sun is pounding on the plastic damaging it. Definitely worth investing in a cover for it when not in use.
Overall I'm extremely happy with this great umbrella, the LOW price and good quality.
Looks great and does a job blocking the sun.
Easy to open and close
Highly recommended umbrella especially with such a low price tag.
Seller and Amazon were great and shipping was extremely fast of course.
Thank you for a superb service and product
1937569
This seems to be just what I needed to hold a patio umbrella in an outdoor table.  The weight is significant, which is needed in moderate winds.  The look is standard, no high marks for style, but it is solid and doesn't require sand to fill it.  It should be handled with a little care, so as not to drop and break it.  The price is very competitive with what I saw in local stores.  I'm satisfied with the product and purchase.
4438532
Fine umbrella.  I've only had it a month.  We'll see how it holds up over time.
1936297
I like this umbrella a lot.  It's small enough to fit in the side pocket of my backpack yet large enough when opened to cover both me and another person if necessary.  I haven't had any problems with wind either.  If I had to be picky and complain about one thing, I'd say that the handle seems to be a little bit loose.