ShedRainWindPro - Vented Auto/close Travel Umbrella

I received my new umbrella - ShedRain Windpro Mini - at the beginning of a long dry spell. So I really couldn't give much of a review until now. Over the last week however I have had the opportunity to test it in light, moderate and heavy rain but not strong winds. It has worked like a champ! The grip is a little short, but the umbrella is well balanced and the auto open/close feature works very well. I would consider it more a "compact" than a "mini" umbrella. The canopy is wide enough to give one person good coverage but not really sized for two adults. It is sturdy, the fit and finish are excellent and the materials very attractive - I bought the basic black. I am very pleased with this product and expect it to last for years.

Great umbrella. Good quality. With arthritis in my hands, I struggled with standard umbrellas. This is easy for me to use.

Compact, Sturdy, large enough for a couple, hugging and hutling away from rain or shine. Always carry it in my bag for unexpected weather or when I want my own shade.

I have only owned this umbrella for a short period of time but so far I like it. First off, the "Auto Open & Close" fully extends and opens the umbrella but doesn't actually close it. It works beautifully on extending and opening with just the touch of a button but when you push the button again, it just folds the canopy and doesn't retract the shaft. You have to manually compress the shaft and doing so reloads the spring mechanism that opens the whole thing. Not a big deal but it's good to know because I assumed the auto close also meant collapsing it too. I was also surprised to see the canopy appears to be attached to the frame in a fairly normal way. It still has the rounded metal points at each end and the canopy is tied on. When the umbrella is wrapped close, I am again surprised to see the design does not position the frame arms to be evenly arranged. You can see how some are bunched which in my past experience with cheaper brands would cause the arms to bend over time. I'll try to remember to update this review if I have any troubles with the build quality. My last small complaint is the sleeve for the umbrella. It does not have any zipper or elastic section so it provides a fairly snug fit. I think a zipper would have worked better. But even with all of these small gripes, I have had no issues with the actual use at this point.

This is a very nice mini umbrella, and does auto open AND close. It has a very thick sturdy shaft, and is made with semi-flexible spars that bend in the wind and prevent the umbrella from becoming a sail. It also has a vent hole on top, so in all it is quite stable in high winds. It is not the lightest umbrella ever, due to its sturdy construction, but it is light and small enough to carry around all the time in a backpack or briefcase no problem. I'm quite satisfied with this product. My only complaint would be that the button is kind of hard to push for auto-close, so if you have a weak grip you might want to try an umbrella with a more sensitive mechanism. On the other hand, this does effectively prevent accidental closures.

This is the second one I have owned. My original literally lasted for years so I didn’t hesitate to order another one.

I purchased my first ShedRain WindPro Mini Umbrella in 2005 or 2006. I purchased the umbrella reluctantly - it was the only umbrella option offered at the store, and it was a pricy one at that - and out of necessity - it was raining and I needed something, anything, to keep my camera equipment dry. The umbrella quickly proved to be different than others. It was sturdy. It was wind resistant. It opened and closed with vigor. I enjoyed using the umbrella so much that it mitigated, if only partially, the dreariness of the rain. I brought my umbrella with me almost everywhere. It resided in a side pocket of my backpack, always there, always ready. And then, like a fool, I lost it. How I lost it is neither here nor there, although the losing was entirely my own fault. Alas. I thought perhaps I could make due without an umbrella. But as a resident in one of the rainiest cities in the United States, last week's weather made me rethink that proposition. Instead, I found and purchased a new ShedRain WindPro Mini Umbrella. I must admit - I'm rarely as excited after an Amazon purchase as I was in anticipation of receiving my new umbrella. What an immediate disappointment. This umbrella neither opens nor closes with vigor. In fact, it doesn't close automatically at all. Sure, a second button press releases the umbrella's tension, but the canopy itself must be manually closed. ShedRain seems to have replaced the considerable quality of the old version with disappointment or possibly thing-a-ma-jiggers and what-cha-ma-call-its, since they appear everywhere along the skeleton of the new version. The old umbrella was the manifestation of simplicity; the new, an apparent inversion of parsimony. All in all, the decline in my perceived quality of this umbrella has left me quite melancholy. How I long for the days of yore; oh, how I long for my lost umbrella.

This is a fantastic umbrella. Bigger and heavier than the super cheap, crumble in the first strong wind, throwaway's. The vented top (let's strong winds out without letting rain through), the non aluminum spokes that don't fatigue and break after 1 week's use, the super reliable and easy open AND close, all make it worth the extra cost and the slight size/weight disadvantage.