Spent $40 on a fancy umbrella that broke in the first gust of wind

I thought I was being smart buying a $40 umbrella from that street vendor near Union Square. He said it was "windproof" and could handle anything. The very first time I used it in a real breeze, those metal ribs snapped like twigs. I was soaked, out forty bucks, and had to carry that broken thing home. Has anyone else fallen for the fancy umbrella trick, or do you have one that actually lasts?

3 comments

3 Comments

gibson.robert11d ago

I mean, I had good luck with a cheap GustBuster from Amazon that's lasted years through New York winds.

ben48611d ago

Wait, have you ever had one of those umbrellas just completely give up on you in the middle of a storm? Like, I had this one from a street vendor that worked fine for like two days, then the wind caught it just right and it bent backwards and the spokes all snapped at once... totally useless after that. My buddy swore by the cheap ones too though, said his lasted through a hurricane in Florida once... but I think a lot of it's just luck with how the wind hits it.

elliot_johnson11d ago

My friend Dan had a cheap umbrella from a bodega that looked fine until he got caught in a sudden downpour near the subway... the wind hit it just right and it flipped inside out, then the handle literally snapped off in his hand. He just stood there holding the broken stick, soaked to the bone, staring at it like it betrayed him. Funny thing is, @gibson.robert might have a point about the GustBuster though... Dan finally bought one of those after that disaster and it's still kicking three years later, even in those nasty New York gusts. But yeah, luck plays a huge role with the cheap ones, you either get a dud or a miracle umbrella that somehow survives everything.