Review on EEZ Y Compact Umbrella Windproof Construction by Cara Dudas

This is a very durable compact travel umbrella for everyday sun protection. I don't think you could build a better parasol with these dimensions. Sunscreen is good, but to get close to advertised SPF levels you need to apply sunscreen very thickly and every hour or so. Even then, American sunscreens, even those that claim to be "broad-spectrum," offer only a fraction of the UV-A protection advertised in the SPF rating, which is equivalent to UV-B protection. Reducing total sun exposure through a physical barrier is the best first line of defense against sun damage and melanoma. This umbrella is very durable and reliable. It has a very good spring mechanism that has never let me down. Pressing the button when open folds the umbrella, which then needs to be pushed down to lock it in the base. It takes a lot of strength to push down the umbrella, which can be a problem for the elderly. The design handles the wind well, although you will struggle with physics when attempting to carry the cap through the air and may experience significant drag in moderate wind conditions. The fabric appears to block all light and I'm confident that it blocks all UV rays based on the company's claims. An odd design decision is the fact that the underside is a somewhat specular silver color - shouldn't it be the other way around? I suppose it's possible for a few stray rays to bounce off the pavement, bounce off the reflective silver and hit you, but I don't think that would result in appreciable sun exposure. The biggest reason not to buy "compact travel". screen size. This is a compact travel umbrella. It fits conveniently in a pocket. It's also not too big for walking on busy city streets. But this silhouette can be a little difficult to manage. I'm a broad-shouldered, tall man and depending on the time of day I have to adjust my hand so that the shadow covers my arms. I also have to tilt my umbrella to the sun or else one side of me will get baked. It's not impossible to use, but it does require a little extra effort. However, given the narrowness of the busy sidewalks, I really don't want to bother with more. If you do NOT need to carry anything on busy sidewalks, I highly recommend getting something Golf sized or larger.