Will only work as a parasol, I wouldn't trust it for anything else (w/pics)
I like umbrellas. Even parasols when it's a day I'll be in the direct sun a lot. So when I was offered this Anti-Sun umbrella for "Rain and Wind" as stated by the product title I was in.<br /><br />Let me say I've rarely had to give a product a 2 star review. I usually pick products that I'm confident will be of some quality or use. Sadly for the first time in a long time I was disappointed with a product. Upon first glance out of the package all was well. It was light weight and very compact, though the black material was a little to plastic/pleather looking for my tastes it was still ok. Has it's own sleeve and an attractive blue. I unraveled it and opened the umbrella, it didn't open properly at least the first 3-4 times I tried, I always had to "correct" it and flip the outer edges down in some way. This does NOT give me confidence that it would be any good in rough weather, or even an aggressive breeze. After I did it a few times it started to open correctly. So I started inspecting it for construction flaws, which sadly I saw right away. The post seems as if I could easily bend it with little force, along with all the ribs of the umbrella. I also saw retail type nylon tabs holding the fabric down among the skelleton of the umbrella. My particular umbrella had a hem stitching flaw along one of the scalloped edges. It was also harder than I'd like it to be to get it to fold up and the strap to engage with the velcro. There is no way I'm going to get it back into the sleeve without a lot of effort that it's just not worth expending. The umbrella is NOT a good value at over $20 at time of writing.<br /><br />The ONLY reasons I would give this a two star and not a one is:  The design is nice with the color on the outside, the dark black on the inside will help keep sun out. The scalloped edges are pretty and a nice touch. THIS UMBRELLA IS ONLY GOOD AS A PAROSOL (on a non-windy day) provided yours does not come with a stitching flaw as mine did. Otherwise it is in my opinion useless in any other weather.
Rating: 2 stars