GustBuster Classic 48-Inch Automatic Golf Umbrella

62 days, 9 uses! That's all it took for this umbrella's shaft to crack at the spring mechanism and yield it unusable. To its credit, the umbrella looks good and functioned well, but the craftsmanship I expected from this item was simply not there. Researching umbrellas and coming upon the great reviews of this umbrella, I had expected a quality product that would last at least a few seasons. That didn't happen.When I contacted the company for a solution, they offered to fix it if I 1) sent the umbrella back at my expense which, being an odd shape is nearly half the cost of the umbrella itself AND 2) enclose a check for $10 to get it fixed. That does not strike me as stellar customer-centric service.

I purchased my first Gustbuster Classic in 2007. It lasted me over 9 years. Two months ago, I purchased 2 new Gustbuster Classic umbrellas. I've only used one of them a handful of times, but one of the support beams has already broken. Given how high quality my previous Gustbuster was, I was hopeful that the manufacturer would stand behind their product and either issue me a refund or send me a new umbrella given that I am outside of my Amazon return window. The only option they would give me is to pay to have it shipped back to them along with a $10 check to pay for return shipping on either a repaired (if they determined it could be repaired) or a new umbrella. I bought my Gustbusters on special, one for about $11 and one for about $13. No way was I going to pay $20 for this. As of the time I'm writing this, a new one is $30.11. Even at that price, paying $20 just to have it fixed doesn't make much sense to me. I hope the other Gustbuster I purchased does not also break so easily. I will try to update my review once I see whether that one lasts. Fortunately, Amazon made an exception and is allowing me to return the Gustbuster that broke outside of the normal return window for a full refund.

Complete waste of money. If they were to strengthen the components this umbrella would be a 5/5 superstar.I was very excited to order this umbrella. I just moved to an area that gets a fair amount of rain in conjunction with powerful winds. This umbrella has so many great things going for it. The handle is strong. The way it deploys is great. It stands up to winds like a strong giant!The problem: The internal components are half plastic. I've ordered two and both pieces that have snapped after three or four uses. The photos here show the second umbrella, where the piece separated on the lower side. With the previous umbrella the plastic piece snapped at the top part.If this was a $10 umbrella I would be very happy with it. For $35 it better be bulletproof.

I ordered this umbrella a few months ago on back-order and was excited for it to arrive--I watched the videos and thought this product would be great for my commute. To my dismay when the umbrella arrived, I opened the triangular package (no padding or other protective measures, which others may have commented on already) and opened up the umbrella to find the beginnings of a crack on the fiberglass shaft.To be fair, I asked for a re-shipment and received the next in two day's time. However, the second was no better--actually, the next umbrella was exactly the same, with the same chip in the fiberglass. Perhaps every umbrella is like this, but for me at least, this is unacceptable given the price I'm paying. Needless to say I've returned them both.My main worry was that the umbrella's shaft would eventually crack fully with use, which is what I saw later in a two-star review by "The Allen" on Mar 24, 2015. Based on my testing, the plastic piece that locks into place upon closing the umbrella slides right over this chip, which has a small metal piece protruding from the shaft. After only a few test opens/closes, I could hear the fiberglass very slowly chipping away, which, like I said before, was unacceptable for me.Perhaps it was a bad batch, but given my experience (and what I've heard from others in the same boat) I wouldn't buy from this company again. I don't normally write reviews at all, but this experience was so bad that I wanted to warn others.

Very poor quality, i have used this product no more than 5 times and the handle has fallen apart, not through miss use I promise you, but, the wood handle was full of filler to hide defects and painted.And guess what the manafacture will not replace it.update Sept 2015.after 13 emails to the manafacture, all being ignored I have now given up. I have been totaly ignored.Please don't make the same mistake as me and purchase this product.It's April2016 and still criticism of this product hasn't been resolved. Am now considering the Small Claims Court. Seriously, please do not buy this product.

Great reliable umbrellas that withstand the Northern weather. I've bought this model to replace the one I lost previously.The umbrella is light, yet solid and provides a good amount of coverage from the weather without being ungainly like a golf umbrella. The central shaft is brown plastic, which may put some people off as it looks very artificial, however the lightweight that it brings is welcome versus real wood.The canopy is closed with two separate velcro straps (one low and one high) as well as a sleeve provided to protect the umbrella and keep other items from getting wet. My one minor complaint with this umbrella is that the velcro on these straps seems to lose its stickiness over time (I used it for a couple of years), but you do still have the sleeve to keep the canopy contained

This really as a trendy umbrella. Nice looking wooden handle and a very sturdy feeling mechanism. As I walked past the bohemian coffee shops of Birmingham flocks of indies dropped their cappafrappanapo's all over their beards and came running after me in their new balances to ask where they could get an umbrella with such a nice looking handle. They weren't interested when they found out it wasn't second hand OR older than 50 years old but more fool them. I shook the umbrella off outside of work and it was bone dry instantly. I had the last laugh

I had a larger windproof umbrella, however it inverted and to be honest, this umbrella is the largest you need, any larger and walking along streets is really hard, avoiding houses, the road and people.It has a lovely wooden handle with a tipped end for walking.If you're a very tall person, it may be hard to use as a walking stick though (I'm not small, so I'm talking like 6foot).It has two straps to keep it together ans comes with a sheath, which has a hole in the end so the tip sticks throuhg and you can still walk with it.It has an automatic pop up mechanism and has survived perfectly so far :DHas a lifetime warrenty and has been tested to 50mph winds.It has two layers of material for the wind to rush through, but they do not flap a lot in rain.This is definitely worth the extra few quid if you're thinking about getting an umbrella.This one is for life!

I was worried about some of the reviews on here saying that this umbrella is too small for purpose, but thankfully this is not the case.I am not a small person yet it keeps me adequately protected from the wet stuff although to clarify the 48inch measurement is across the arc of the opened umbrella and does not refer to the diameter which is approximately 40 inches, ie more than enough to keep a single person using the umbrella happy. The build quality is fantastic and so far has stood up to the strongest winds that this inclement season has thrown at it,with no problems whatsoever. Apparently its been tested upto 50mph winds in the USA which is very reassuring!The handle is wooden with a polymer shaft and rubber tip for protection with a superb one touch button opening system that will make you smile each time you use it . Don't waste your money on cheaper brands as you get what you pay for here.