GustBuster Metro 43-Inch Automatic Umbrella

I did a lot of research before purchasing this umbrella and thought it was the one to get. I bought this one and the larger version and they both have broke. on the 68": one of the rods that holds up the actual umbrella broke completely off. On the 43": several of the rods have pushed through the material and is starting to rip. I have contacted the company and they stated I need to pay $10 for each umbrella to have it shipped back. Also, I will have to pay the shipping cost to the facility. I am not going to invest any more money (potentially an extra $30-$40 dollars) into these umbrellas. I will simply try to fix them myself and avoid the unnecessary cost of shipping them. I am a huge fan of buying high quality products and do not mind to pay a little more for something that will last. This umbrella is simply a waste of money. I would not recommend this umbrella to a friend nor will I be buying anything from them in the future. Take the "lifetime warranty" for what it is worth.

I purchased this product in early 2015 and maybe have used it a total of 5 times. Also, keep in mind that I'm not using the umbrella in the Amazon rainforest, strictly to and from work on days when it's absolutely required.While using the umbrella today, I noticed that my "UNflippable, UNflappable, UNleakable" GustBuster had a broken hinge and while fully extended the pole stem is now being supported by only the fabric. Which means the fabric is likely to tear apart. See attached photo for more detail.I called GustBuster regarding this issue and was told that I needed to send the umbrella and a check for $10 back to GustBuster for the umbrella to be repaired and returned to me. Which means I'll be out $20 to get the umbrella repaired. Unfortunately, I have no confidence in the product or the company and am not willing to spend another penny or a minute of my time towards a refurbished umbrella.Upon initially receiving the umbrella, I thought it was OK but not worth the $40 I paid for it. Now I am confident the umbrella is poorly constructed and would recommend you purchase from a different manufacturer.

I’ve had mine for quite a while, but it doesn’t rain often here. So I really only used it ~5 times before it broke apart like others have experienced. I never even got to test it with “gusty winds”, just opening and closing a few times killed it. The metal pieces seem quite weak, with a tiny amount of metal holding it together. The strain of just opening up will easily break them. It was also a bit small.

Pros:-Works as a great umbrella (sturdy with a strong wind) but does terribly with opening and closing.Cons:-The parts that drive the opening and closing mechanisms are cheap and flimsy. This is my second one I bought and sadly I have only used one about 40 times and the other about 30. The closing mechanism broke and it is a nightmare to close because you can only grab the plastic sliding piece connected to all of the tension rods to collapse the umbrella which is just awkward. Because you have to do it manually you will be close to the umbrella which will “shake” when it goes backwards over the first pin which will spray water on you and then it seems to lock at a point (second pin), right before it is supposed to, but close enough for you to think it’s fully closed. *if you stop here then you will not be able to put it back in the sheath it came with. **the only way to easily collapse it fully is for you put your hand on top of the umbrella and push down. If you try to just “pull” it down to the real closing point the same way you got it down to the second pin you will likely have to dismember your fingers because an adults hand can’t pull the sliding plastic part into the handle. You can risk pinching your fingers on the tension rods though and stick your fingers on top of the plastic slide piece and push down if you would like but it’s at your own risk.-the handle is just not acceptable. I think they had no more development money and it seems like someone just took a cheap piece of plastic and superglued it to the stem of the umbrella. It is also slippery and the farthest thing from an ergonomic shape to have in your hand.

In the bay area, there are some minor storms. Wind and rain. I wasn't bothered because I had this umbrella. I walked outside and it was pouring. I opened my umbrella and see this. The umbrella now cannot function properly. It flaps like crazy, not as wind resistant as it was and some rain falls through the outer canopy and on my head.The umbrella was great until it broke. I had so much hope that this would literally be the last umbrella I buy. I just bought another one prior to this event and now I want to return it because of this issue. This umbrella was never in a backpack/suitcase, never compressed between other items or by an item, was always opened and dried before putting away, and it was always hung. I am very disappointed because I could've gotten a similar umbrella that would last longer for much cheaper.

I bought it about 2 years ago and probably used it less than 10 times. I initially liked that it holds against the wind but I'm disappointed with the quality. The threading came off not too long ago and parts of the fabric came off as well. I take quite good care of this umbrella given that I paid around $40 for it. It would've been worth the money had it lasted more than 10 uses. There are a lot of wind proof alternatives out there, I would not recommend this product.

I've been a GustBuster fan ever since I got my first one ten years ago. I have the longer 48-inch golf version, but that can be too big sometimes so I bought this 43-inch compact version for on the go.It's made of sturdy materials in a well-constructed design. The double canopy allows air to flow through which defends against high winds. Ever since this, all my umbrellas need this feature. The "tear drops" design is a nice touch that is their trademark.I buy pricey umbrellas because it makes me less likely to lose them. When I go out I think, "That's $30-40" I'll lose if I forget it. And so I have yet to lose these. Recommended if you don't lose umbrellas.

Well, I've had my Gustbuster Umbrella for a couple of weeks now, and I'm finally ready to write my review.PROS-It's wide enough to keep me dry!! - Often the smaller umbrellas offer only nominal rain protection. I've yet to get wet with this thing, and it's been a couple of very rainy English weeks!-It's pink!!! - I love that it's bright enough that I don't forget it, and that the color is bold enough that none of my male colleagues are tempted to take it home with them.-One button push open and easy manual close. - No more struggling to get the umbrella opened before you get soaked, or get soaked while trying to close the umbrella before going on the bus or inside a shop.-IT DOESN'T FRIKKIN' TURN INSIDE OUT!!! - Today was a very wet, very windy day. I looked all around at the other people on the streets fighting with their umbrellas as they turned inside out, and smiled to myself as my umbrella behaved like it should. I couldn't help willing everyone to look at me and my umbrella of awesomeness with envy.-It's cheap! Sure, £20+ does seem kind of expensive for an umbrella, but if I had to add up the cost of all the umbrellas that I've had to buy before now to replace the ones that have gotten broken in the wind, then I've spent well more than this one's cost.CONS-It doesn't wrap up tight easily. - While the manual close is easy enough, getting the umbrella to finish collapsing as you try to pull the TWO velcro straps around it can be rather tricky. The trick to it is to grab both straps at the same time and pull them around the umbrella in a downwards fashion. Or just have a small plastic bag that you can dump the thing into.-It gets quite windy underneath the 'brella. Which, admittedly, can be a pro if you're a fan of the "wind-blown" look. I'm guessing that the reason it's so bloody windy underneath the umbrella is because of the design feature of the holes that allow the wind to pass through. Since it passes through the umbrella, it doesn't really get blocked, and subsequently swirls around the carrier. I'm sure that more than a person or two has been amused at my shoulder-length hair flying in all directions. Well, I guess it's time to either reconsider pixie cuts or invest in more headbands.Well, that's pretty much it. The benefits well outweigh the negatives. So if you can handle a bit of wind, then I would definitely recommend this umbrella. Just, not in pink, please. I'd like to be able to continue easily recognizing my umbrella a midst a horde of others!

I needed a new umbrella and was fed up with buying ones that I would not use in windy conditions because I did not it would survive. The GustBuster is very robust and gives confidence in the wind. I have tried it in windy conditions and it seemed fit for purpose. It is larger and heavier than I expected but as this is not Formula 1 engineering adds weight. I am happy with this umbrella and I expect to have it for many years.The one thing that concerned me was the number of reviewers who had received a discount in return for an unbiased review. I did not receive a discount and this is an unbiased reveiw.

Sturdy, it's been trapped in my briefcase for a long while but it's still happy and working, and I usually lose one or two a year in action. Not a terribly large opened size for its packed size but it does tend to be stable in wind and gusts and you don't begin to do any Mary Poppins-like involuntary flying. I suspect it's Bernoulli's principle and the flap breaks the suction over the top of the brolly.It also doesn't look as numpty as you might think slung over your shoulder, at least according to my grand-daughter who knows nothing about these things, and it's a very convenient way to carry it, like a weather guerrilla fighter with his rifle on his back ready to take out any rain shower he meets or get wet trying.

Purchased in September 2012 and its now November 2016. Still in good use and had no faults with it.The only downside is the frame within the umbrella - its very compact and sometimes you head just knocks on to it.I have tried this on a windy day and I think this umbrella would have turned inside out if I had not closed it a little.I still love it and has helped me so much during my work life and then my uni life.

I have used it a couple of times in really squally conditions where you have to hold on to the brolly pretty strongly and it has held up well. It is not a large umbrella and your legs will get wet in horizontal rain but this product has done as the blurb claims.