Balios (Designed in Britain) Prestige Walking Stick Umbrella—Luxury Chestnut Wood Crook Handle—Bamboo Shaft—Windproof Fiberglass Frame—Auto Open 300T Finest Fabric

Update: The company had reached out to me after reading my review and had concerns that I was not 100% satisfied with my purchase. They told me that they have noted my issues and will be speak to to the factory to rectify the issues. They have offered me a 50% refund on the umbrella. At $15 this is an exceptionally good deal on this umbrella based on the quality construction. Therefore, I have moved the rating from a three to a five star rating. I am impressed that even thought they are a small firm they are readily proactive in responding to customers requests and feedback. They are willing to work with customers to satisfy them. Many companies I have bought from are not this helpful. Based on this, I feel compelled to update this review. Hopefully this umbrella will last me for several years but if I need another I will come back to Balios for another purchase.I received this yesterday after my 13 year old Totes gave us the ghost and one of it's ribs rusted through and snapped in half. After looking through several selections on Amazon, including Totes, I decided upon this one. This one was a bit more expensive than the others but since I keep these typically over a decade I like to get good ones. I received the package as promised, product was delivered intact. The product presented well in a black canvas bag with a nice pull string that I will likely never use again. So much cost put into the bag, I wished they delivered it in a box or paper sleeve and put that money back into the product itself. The product proudly states that it's "Designed in Britain with Quality and Aesthetic Beauty in Mind" but the right below it states it was manufactured in China. (see picture)The umbrella seems well built. The handle is...well..."interestingly rustic". It looks like it was whittled with a pen knife and feels that way. There is a light stain over the wood but the feel is rough and it felt like I was going to get a splinter. I took some 00 grade steel wool over the handle a few times and it took the roughness right out. Feels much better. The handle is attached to the handle well, or so it seems with some kind of white translucent adhesive in a thick bead. However, the handle itself is carved slightly crooked. There is a metal badge on the handle that has the name "balios" in script tastefully written on it. However the way the badge was nailed on the handle has left a bend and gap on the badge, hardly what I would consider "good" workmanship (see the pic below). The rest of the umbrella seems to be well made. The deployment button is large and robust. The deployment action is smooth and smart. The wooden main tube seems well made. The spars and ribs of the canopy are of large diameter and seem to be able to take on all but the most hurricane force winds. The tips of the canopy are larger than those on my previous umbrellas and are made of a hefty feeling metal. The tip of the umbrella is covered by a sturdy feeling cap that is nailed on. The canopy fabric is a thick material that seems well made. I may spray on a coat of water repellent however. The fabric seems a more matte finish than my previous Totes umbrella that had more of a shiny, slippery sheen to the fabric.The fasteners that keep the umbrella together when collapsed seem well constructed and well sewn on. My biggest complaint is the handle which is mostly what one touches on an umbrella. Plus I don't know if a "gentleman umbrella" should have such a rough looking handle. The rest of the umbrella seems well made and up to the task. As I said, I keep my umbrellas for years so only time will tell how this will hold up.

So the last wood stick umbrella I had was a Totes back in the early 2000s, and after 2 or 3 years it lost a fight with a wind-driven rain.. shaft snapped. I didn't even bother with the warranty. That one was made in China. I replaced it with a string of Totes collapsibles with the big vented canopy, but I tire of their less-than-stable canopy and overall how cheap they feel, not to mention how the rib tie stitching keep breaking. After years the plastic handle turned to a sticky goo, and so did the warranty replacements. I've had it with cheap brollys! I also wanted to get back to stick umbrellas, I'm done with collapsibles. Straps are poor substitutes for a crook handle, and the complications in construction are not worth the compromise in strength. Back to sticks I go!The Balios is much more like a proper English umbrella and feels superb. Yes, it's made in China, but the Balios does feel superb! It has a button-and-loop strap, not a snap. (The strap for the tips does use a snap). The canopy material in the Balios is much nicer. The Balios shaft measured at 14mm. The stitching on the Balios is tight, there's no slack anywhere. Opening and closing is smooth, the smoothest I've had. When open, the canopy is taut. When closing, it closes with a positive click, no ambiguity, no slop. There's a rosette outside, under the cap. The runner is a nice, fat plastic with a grippy feel. The spring to open the umbrella is smooth.This is my first umbrella with a fiberglass frame, and I was pleasantly surprised to see it has brass rivets, albeit hollow. Can't say how long it'll last, I'm hoping it lasts at least a decade or two. If it does that, then job well done! I do take care of my umbrellas, I don't fold them wet, I don't throw them around.What I really want is a Fox one-piece stick, but heh, that's not going to happen. At $32 the Balios is a great value for good quality, something I can afford.The one thing I'd suggest to the maker is: Please, pretty please, include the tight-fitting sleeve that umbrellas used to come with! Remember? Made from the same material as the canopy, and had a hole so the ferrule would be exposed? Made the umbrella look so much sharper!EDIT: Six months in, and the umbrella is doing fine. Many heavy downpours and lots of wind haven't done anything to break it. The canopy and all stitching and ties are still as tight as when it arrived. There is no wear / chafing anywhere. The opening button and spring are fine, the "click" when the runner goes over the spring when closing is still solid. I like it so much I may order the navy with constellations. EDIT 2: Things changed for the best, and I actually did get a Fox umbrella, handmade in Croydon, UK out of a solid piece of flamed maple. Does this make the Balios a lesser brolly? Nope! The fabric on both is pretty much identical, some kind of hi-grade polyester. Both are equally tight -- by that, I mean when open, the canopies sound the same, the same exact pitch and tonality -- just like a drum. Simply put, tbe Balios is an outrageous deal, and far, far above what you get from mass-market big-box retailers. Get the Balios, you will not regret it. Forget Totes. Balios is the one if things like Fox, Magila, Smith or Swigg are out of reach. The Fox will be my daily driver, but the Balios will be the faithful backup. Truly, having the Fox in my hand just showcased how good the Balios is.One other suggestion: Make the main strap tighter, by about 1/2 to 3/4 inch tighter. It'll help furl the Balios tighter, like a proper brolly should.

There are some things I like about the umbrella- the button rather than velcro for wrapping up is nice. I like the feel of the wooden handle. It probably would keep you dry. It is nice looking and the auto open works very smoothly.But, there are plastic pieces supporting the ribs from the shaft. Mine came with one broken and I don't see how they would last that long in the real world of abuse an umbrella takes. The main shaft is very bendy to the point where I don't trust it to lean on at all (I know it is not a medical device walking cane, but it should have some strength to it). If I picked this up at WallyWorld for ten bucks, this wouldn't be a big deal, but for the price I paid and the description, I expected better.*Update- Mercury Online contacted me about my poor experience with my first umbrella and offered me a second to test out. I have since revised from a one star to a three star rating. I do appreciate their customer care. The second one was not broken, a marked improvement. But my concerns about the plastic parts that do not feel like they will last and the bendy shaft remain. It is an ok umbrella. It looks nice and will do the job. I just don't know for how long.

Really terrible quality, after using less than a month(less than 10 times), the umbrella won’t close. No where stuck, just the runner is not sturdy at all, using very soft plastic parts.