GustBuster Doorman 68" Umbrella (Black)

I live in pittsburgh and have had my share of umbrella testing but i have never had an umbrella so good. The umbrella is large and serves to fight crazy winds here. If your looking for keeping in a bag or easy carrying this is not for you. It is huge no doubt but you can easily fit three large men under it comfortably and keep them perfectly dry which is what I wanted. I had it during the sandy storm and as said it withstood without reversing, popping, breaking or any such problem through the hurricane period.It has a wonderful handle if you like old school and is sure to grab attention by its size shape and style. It is worth the money and you would just save yourself loads by not having to try other poor quality umbrellas

Last weekend, I happened to leave this umbrella at a restaurant and came to Amazon to consider ordering another (though fortunately, I was able to recover it). Amazon dutifully informed me that I'd last purchased it 14 years ago, and it occurred to me that I should probably leave a review.In short, after 14 years, this umbrella still works well, is in good condition, and is the umbrella I reach for when I know I will have to deal with rain. It's large enough for two to walk under together fairly comfortably, and it does a great job shielding yourself and children from the rain while loading into or unloading from a car. It's still quite large when collapsed, and my wife has trouble using it one handed, but the large size makes it so much more effective in heavy or driving rain.I live in the southeast US which isn't especially rainy, or especially windy, but it does see routine use and spends a lot of time in very hot cars in the summer. I was initially a little skeptical of the all nylon construction, worried that it would become brittle over time, or that connections would fail and separate, but after all this time I've still had no problems.

The GustBuster Doorman is exactly what I was looking for when it comes to an umbrella. I wanted something that could easily accommodate multiple people under while also holding up to the intense mountain winds we get here in the hills. Overall I am very pleased with my purchase on both of those accounts...However, buyers beware... I bought mine used from Amazon Warehouse and frankly they bungled their inspection. When I first took it out for a spin, there was a strange rotation to the canopy around the shaft that normally doesn't happen with umbrellas as well as a 1/2 inch up-and-down movement to the entire canopy when closed. Upon inspection I noticed that the brass open cap was tearing due to the brass nail used to secure it to the shaft. Being the handy man I am (and person who would rather fix things than waste them), I removed the nail and found that it was bent at nearly a 90 degree angle. I soldered the tear in the brass to seal it then secured it with a new brass nail.I thought all would be good because it removed the up-and-down movement of the canopy, but it didn't fix the rotation issue. That's when I opened the umbrella up and took a look under the hood. What I saw was obviously cracked plastic (pic attached) I'm sure that the nail at one point was contained with plastic so that it wouldn't allow the canopy to rotate freely. Needless to say, I should have just returned it because I'm 100% sure that at some point this nail is going to break the rest of the plastic and ruin the runner.That aside, this seems like a solid umbrella to me. The plastic seems good quality, so I'd like to think this is either a factory defect or whoever the previous own was put it through hell before returning it. I'm interested in buying a new one just to see how the original is compared to this beat up and supposedly "very good" used one.

So here goes, a whole year review.First thing I want to say for those of you in a hurry, with your wet feet, or even jeans! Tired of the same thing again and again. The water catches you with the 10 year old foldable umbrella. Look no further. This thing is BIG. It will keep you safe from rain, and even your whole family!I must say, you look like a freak, the thing is so big that people will look at you wondering if that's an umbrella or you just stole a circus tent. But then again, do you mind what peopke thinks of you? I rather get to work completely dry than be one more in the crowd!What you should consider is, am I strong enough to carry this thing around? To be honest, I don't think there is a lot of people that could use one of this for more than an hour without getting a sore arm. To put it you in perspective, I am 6 ft 4 in, do some regular sport (and I do use my arms a lot in my sport) and I do feel the weight of it. Specially when it's windy, although I fell like it works great in any situation, and breaks the wind fairly well, given the size.So, yes, buy it, but just if you don't mind the looks, and you are strong enough. Be advised.