GustBuster SunBlok 58" Silver

I had mine for several years. Then I loaned it to a friend who has a medical condition that made him miserable while we were standing in direct sunlight. He raved over it, and I just didn't have the heart to ask him to give it back to me. It was still in like-new condition. So I had to buy another one to replace the one that I had gifted. Unfortunately, this umbrella nearly doubled in price since I had first bought it. Oh, well, I wasn't about to risk trying something else just to save a few bucks. So I bought it again.

OK, there are 3 important kinds of light--ultra-violet ("UV"), visible (let's call it "yellow light"), and infra-red ("IR"). The Sun's power is mostly yellow and IR, with some UV. IR's real good at making you hot; yellow light can also make you hot; and UV is the nasty stuff that causes sunburn and cancer.And there are three things that each of these kinds of light can do when it hits something: it can reflect and bounce off to somewhere else; it can be absorbed and turn into heat; or it can go through, if the thing is transparent at that color.A good parasol should keep you cool; should keep the UV off you; and should not get hot itself.Most parasols are designed with silver on the top and black on the bottom. The silver on top reflects the UV, the yellow light, and often the IR, and sends the Sun's energy bouncing off to somewhere else, away from you. But you still have to worry about bounce from water, white sands/snow, sidewalks, etc, coming up at you. That's what the black interior is for--black absorbs the visible yellow light and does not send it back to you.The manufacturer has obviously put a lot of engineering into the SunBlok. Now he is coming out with modified parasols "on a rolling basis" that have black on the top, and silver on the bottom, as "there have been complaints about the silver outside scratching". He's had a college test these for UV, and they still block UV (the black fabric on top is going to be mostly transparent in the UV band, so the silver underneath will still reflect outwards in UV).Fortunately I got one of the older ones with the silver on top. I would be scared to carry a black-on-top umbrella in the hot sun: the black is going to absorb all the yellow light, so the parasol will bake like a potato. And the parabolic silvery insides will pick up all the visible/IR bounce and reflect it back to me, making sure the bounce hits me from all sides. Great if you're in a photography studio. Lousy if you're trying to hide from the sun in 90% humidity.Suggestions: 1) Send the old design and new design parasols down to a tech institute in Orlando or Miami for testing of yellow light and IR light, in dry and very humid air (the difference matters), under serious hot sun. Does the black one get hot enough to burn fingertips under natural conditions? How much hotter per hour will a sack of water holding the umbrella get from bounce from the black lining vs. the silver lining? The freshmen will eat it up. 2) Sell the ones with the silver inside to cinematographers. Make it a different SKU. This is really a serious change in spec. 3) Tell people up front that the one with the silver on the outside may scratch, and that's the price you have to pay for serious parasol action. 4) "2003: Chemical company BASF embedded nanoparticles of titanium dioxide into a nylon fabric, which can be used for sun protective clothing that maintains its UV protection when wet." If not already using this, check out this and newer fabrics for re-evaluation of fabric choice. Perhaps there's one that doesn't scratch. Univ. Alberta has researched UV fabrics; there must be others.---Overall review: Quite excellent so far. Seems sturdily made. Fiberglas is critical to avoid lightning, extra star. Dark on the inside, has two layers of fabric at the crown except for the "daisy petals", so gives extra shade. I was worried that it would be too big and bulky, but the 29" x 2 = 58" of fabric circumference gives a nice octagon with a diameter of 48" rib corner-to-corner or 44.5" side-to-side. About a person-and-three-quarters-generous for one person, comfortable for two walking pretty close together. Not too heavy. Manual latches at bottom and top--you have to fiddle with the top one to get it to catch. Handle is "pistol grip" with subtle finger notches sculpted into the front, thumb notch in the back. It's obvious a lot of care has gone into designing and building this parasol. As long as it's silver on the outside and black on the inside, I'm going to be happy with it.

Ghost Buster umbrellas hold up and do exceptionally well in the wind!

Let me start by saying I live in Denver, CO, a mile above sea level, hence the nickname "The Mile High City". Sun rays, especially in the summer, are exceptionally strong here so skin cancer is prevalent. Having suffered heat/sun strokes in the past, I need all the protection I can get. So I went back and forth between this model and another brand that would fold up and tuck in a purse or bag. The problem is the smaller model wouldn't have offered the larger area of shade and UV protection I was ultimately after.Heads up here: I already have a regular golf size umbrella and this one is not quite that big but is certainly a good size.This sun umbrella arrived in the stated time and the first thing I noticed out of the box was how substantial and well designed the handle is. Based on unfavorable reviews I chose streets with narrow sidewalks where cars parallel park along the sidewalk. There are also low hanging trees and large bushes that can be a hindrance while walking and cleaning up after my dog. The GustBuster umbrella is a tad on the heavy side but not noticeably heavier than the regular golf umbrella I have. A little tilt this way, or that way, avoided all the big bushes and low hanging trees along our walk. The only problem I had was walking into the sun and trying to balance the umbrella out in front of me for sun shade, while at the same time maneuvering the retractable leash in the same hand. I finally put the rubberized handle near my waist while holding the umbrella further up the stem, worked like a charm. Also used my umbrella along with my four-wheeled cart to go shopping on public transportation. I was easily able to maneuver the umbrella and shopping cart with only one hand.The only real problem I foresee is the plastic thing that is pushed upward and clicked into place to hold the umbrella open. This same plastic lever thing is pushed in again to collapse the umbrella. Being plastic that lever could break with repeated use, and if it does I will be back to comment on how long it lasted. All-in-all, this looks like it will become my go to umbrella for outdoor life.UPDATE: I've now had this umbrella in every weather condition the description claims it is designed for. The sun protection is really GREAT!! I swear this umbrella reduces the temperature by at least 5 degrees if not more. Then came a few days of wind where the sustained wind was about 38 to 42 mph, with gusts to 50 mph. I had to hold the umbrella stem a bit tighter than usual but this umbrella performed beautifully!! Then, the last few days we've had afternoon showers (our answer to the monsoons). We've been hit with everything from mere sprinkles to out and out downpours. OMG, we definitely welcome the moisture!! This umbrella protected me perfectly!! I'm SO GLAD I did not get another smaller brand as I was first tempted to do.I've already gotten two people to at least consider this umbrella just by using it and explaining how well it performs. Of course some people remark, "Oh, that's a big umbrella. Is it heavy?" Of course my answer is, "No, it's not heavy, just very sturdy. As for being big, yes it is (I say that with a big smile) but I am always very well protected.":) :)

How is it possible that this thing has lasted this long? It still works perfectly since 2011. I've accidentally crushed it many times in my car.. I've lost and found it... It's gone through some crazy weather over the years in Chicago, LA, Japan, and so many other places.