BaliosFolding Umbrella Real Wood Handle Auto Open Close Vented Canopy

I am now updating my review and revising up my score based upon some actual real world usage of the product and to reflect the excellent customer support I received in response to my original review.The original review can still be read below this new one. I've kept it as I think it's important to not whitewash my original observations as although my interactions with the manufacturer have had a very positive impression of the the product I still think those initial impressions are important.Firstly this umbrella is definitely more than your average travel umbrella. Its canopy is larger, the materials (canopy material, frame, wooden handle) are of a higher grade than most and its automatic open close action much faster and more consistent than other cheaper automatic umbrellas I have had in the past. Unlike those where the automatic action would fade over time (even the first 10 - 20 openings) this one has not had that issue and suspect it wont. Speaking of the canopy material this seems to be a very water resistant one, this combined with the speed and force of the automatic opening action means you'll never have to drip dry your umbrella again. Once you leave the rain just auto close and push the umbrella down to reset it and then open again. The force and speed will leave the canopy virtually free of water.Contrary to some of the other reviews I believe it does have better wind resistance due to the venting. The venting does not mean you can ignore the direction of wind, but it does give you more leeway on responding to it. Additionally, unlike some reviews my umbrella has not had any any issues with the venting letting rain through.The umbrella size and weight is definitely more than I am used to with any other travel fold up umbrella I've had. The canopy size is nice, you can cover two people walking side by side. I found the weight increase initially a bit annoying, but overtime you get used to it. I still think that if it were at all possible to redesign the umbrella with lighter materials that could still exhibit the strength and capability as the original (even if the price went up), it would be an upgrade worth paying for. Consequently the weight is the main reason given for why my fiancé won't buy one.The customer service was really surprising. Rick of ePorter contacted me with a long detailed response directly referencing my reviews original concerns with the product. He apologised for packaging and the less than stellar quality of some of the products manufacture. He welcomed my feedback, he really seemed to take to heart all of my comments and insisted he'd use the feedback to improve the manufacture of future umbrellas. Rick went the extra mile to reinforce his commitment to the quality of his product and see that I was happy, even going so far to send me another umbrella for free or the money back. I feel a bit guilty getting a free umbrella, but true to Rick's word this one had some marked improvements. The packaging on arrival was excellent being sent fully wrapped in bubble wrap inside a padded jiffy envelope. Rick had said in his emails that sadly he had little power over how amazon packaged things from its own warehouses, so this direct packaging showed his commitment to making sure this extra umbrella would not arrive with further disappointment. Once opened this new version of product addressed most of my original reviews concerns. It had a much better finish to the case and zipper, a more even finish on the wooden handle (and insignificant it may seem overall) no typos on the cardboard labels.Given my usage experience and the follow up customer support I can definetly recommend this umbrella and you can gurantee you'll be looked after by their customer support should you have any issues or product feedback.Original review:I have not used this in the UK's wind and rain yet so this review will be updated once I have. For now I'll review what I can based on delivery and first impressions.The parcel arrived day after ordered via amazon prime. Arrived in a oversized semi crumpled box, zero padding inside. The umbrella was presumably free to slide all around. The umbrella itself comes enclosed inside a nicely fitting case with a zipper, the handle wrapped in soft card. This zipper bag it's self comes inside of an outer fabric sleave with a draw string.From first glance the ensemble looks like a quality item, but there were/still are a couple of details that irked me from the off and differ from the product detail images and those of other customers reviews. Firstly the logo on the wooden handle is missing its registered trademark 'R', the grip is a bit lobsided (more of a visual annoyance as it does not affect how it holds) and finally the open close button text differs in style. These are quite noticeable differences to have on the one bit of the umbrella that is most unique, so it does bother me. Next I observed that the finish on the zipper bag is a bit rougher than I had expected, the zip stitching is rough and not great, enclosing the zip at it's terminating end rather than around it (as per the pictures). The cover is also missing the Balios tag and the overall finish is quite rough, it's shame because the materials and sizing are perfect and fit the umbrella well. Finally and minor though it is, the tags on the fabric sleave and zipper bag have some classic grammar and typo errors. "&Crafted" and "tpwards".Onwards to the actual Umbrella: it's quite weighty, heavier than any cheaper travel umbrella I've owned before, I hope the weight doesn't get annoying, the handle does seem like it would be better than a simple cylindrical grip, time will tell from real use. The automatic opening is unnervingly quick and has some serious power to it, same with the close, both actions are satisfying to use. Given I have not used it outside of the house yet I can't report on its rain and wind resistance,so I can't confirm nor deny the contrasting opinions from the five and one star reviews. I have however played around with opening and closing mechanism a number of times though and the automatic opening and closing action does not seem to be lessening any in that time, so although I'm a bit non plussed with some of the aesthetic finishes of the umbrellas handle and cover I do still hold out hope for it to fully fulfil its capacity to do its intended job.

I purchased this umbrella back in September 2024 and used it around a dozen times without any issues. I was nice and dry when arriving at my destination and even started up a whatts app group with some family members to show off my new umbrella as a bit of a joke as I kept going on about how I had obviously grown up because I had purchased a decent umbrella. (I commute so it felt about time I treated myself) so on a journey home I used my umbrella and it let me down, literally. It collapsed on auto open and would not re load. I was absolutely gutted. 1 as I was now getting wet and 2 as I had to now face the whatts app group with a not so happy pic of my not so amazing broken umbrella ☹️. This is when I realised that paying a little extra pays off. ‘AMAZING’ Customer service.Things can break right and sometimes that is just the way it is. Yeah I was a little upset at first but getting in contact with the company that supplied the umbrella and receiving an A ⭐️ Customer service experience goes a long way in my book. My umbrella is being replaced and I can now delight the Whatts app group with more pics of it in action. (although not too much rain please) 😂. Well done Balios 👏

I first tested this on a raindy day with very minimal wind and it was a pleasure to carry. It barely fluttered. Used it again recently in the midst of Storm Darragh and was really impressed with how well it held up against wind I really didn't have much sense trying to carry an umbrella in. Gusts that probably would have ripped my old, cheap umbrella out of my hands only minimally fased this one. There were 2 occassions where it did turn inside out (bear in mind that these were winds that Met Office had to warn people about) but I never had to fight the umbrella to get it back into a usable condition; with a simple adjustment to the angle, the umbrella snapped itself back correctly. Even in the calmest of winds, I needed an iron grip for my cheap umbrella, but with this I find myself only holding on for dear life due to instinct and with time I expect to really appreciate how sturdy this is.

Is a great umbrella, very compact, lightweight, large and comfortable to hold, but doesn’t last very long, only got a couple months of use out of it before the mechanism broke and is no longer usable.EDIT - Customer service reached out and sent me a replacement free of charge, can’t fault the service they’ve been amazing so I’ve added 2 stars for this. Should this replacement last longer than the previous one, I’ll be happy to add another