Durable umbrellas

Competently choosing a quality umbrella for yourself, you should focus not only on beauty and a good fit to the image. The high-end accessory has many years of hard resistance to rain, wind, snow and scorching sun ahead. Only the most durable model will allow you to rely on yourself in any situation.

When choosing an umbrella, consider the weight and size, otherwise the “protector” will be too cumbersome, heavy and inconvenient. Especially seriously, the selection of an optimal material and a suitable finish should be approached by people suffering from an allergy to fabric, paint.

Among the really large variety of countries, manufacturers, originals and fakes, you can easily find the reliable umbrella of your dreams. It is enough to clearly formulate for yourself the final request and to understand the basic technological concepts.

Having decided on the supposed ideal umbrella, you can proceed to the selection of a suitable model. Rely on the type of design: it is the basis that determines all other parameters.

Umbrellas are divided into two main categories:

• Umbrella cane;
• Folding.

The cane is fully consistent with the basic rule: the smaller the system of parts, the higher its reliability. The simplicity of the design provides maximum durability: high-quality non-folding umbrellas are able to faithfully stand guard over the makeup and hairstyle of their hostess for 10 years or more.

Another significant advantage of such products: opening, an umbrella-cane creates a wide dome, better protected from oblique rain. The minimum of moving parts is a guarantee of stability: in such a design, the risk to turn into a shapeless pile of knitting needles and fabric with a strong gust of wind is much lower.

For the many advantages of a cane, one has to pay with bulky dimensions: such an umbrella is quite long, it clings and causes a lot of inconvenience in conditions of lack of free space. The umbrella is quite heavy (300-500 g). He will have to keep in his hands all the time, which will seem very inconvenient to the owner, prone to some absent-mindedness.

The popularity of a folding umbrella is caused just by its compactness and practicality. Decreasing if necessary in 2, 3 and even 5 times, such a product will easily fit even in a handbag. The modest diameter of the protective dome is compensated for by its ease of use and the minimum of problems when opening or drying in cramps.

The more mobile joints involved in the design of the umbrella, the faster it becomes unusable. The points responsible for folding become the most vulnerable areas. Reliability also reduces the use of frail aluminum alloys for the frame, spokes and fastenings.

Otherwise, the product would be too massive and expensive. Lightweight materials tend to bend under load (for example, under the action of the wind) - thus disrupting the normal functioning of the entire device.

The way in which the opening and closing of the umbrella is performed largely determines its durability and resistance to stress. When choosing a quality product it is worth remembering: the more complex the automation, the higher the risk of malfunctions.

The following types of umbrellas can be distinguished:

• Fully mechanical - you can open and close the dome with your own hands.Losing convenience and speed to more modern versions, the manual mode allows the umbrella to last longer.

• Semiautomatic - the most common mechanism in most umbrellas, the optimal ratio of comfortable use and frequency of breakdowns. Minus - the rod must still be added manually.

The automatic system assumes the complete opening of the dome with the push of a single button, and the double automatic also means the closing. Such an umbrella has a very important advantage: instantaneous bringing to combat readiness. It can be opened even with one hand (which becomes important when you carry a dozen bags). This is a good choice for an active pastime, but it is worth monitoring the state of the articulations of the spokes. They usually need to be repaired after frequent use.

There is a widespread opinion: the more spokes in the design, the more reliable the umbrella. Indeed, it is pointless to take a model in which there are less than eight pieces, and hope for a long service. If the owner is not too interested in the flawlessly round shape of the dome, it suffices to dwell on the 16 needles in the frame.

It is much more important to pay attention to the material and fixtures:

• Aluminum is a budget and extremely fragile option. Its only advantage is its low weight. Usually it loses its shape too easily and wears out. The wind resistance limit of the aluminum frame is 8 meters per second (for comparison, a gust is considered to be a storm after 20 meters per second), after which the umbrella will turn inside out.

• Steel is a strong and durable material that can withstand strong wind pressure. However, such needles significantly increase the weight of the product and can make an umbrella almost unaffordable for fragile female hands.

• Fiberglass is an elastic, lightweight and durable “relative” of plastics. Successful replacement of metal spokes and the most current trend in modern production of umbrellas. The lack of material - high cost, so that the quality will have to pay.

• More available is the combined version, which is almost as good as fiberglass. Its advantages are the steel base of the spokes and flexible carbon fiber end links.

A well-made “protector” has several knitting needles for fabric on springs (“crown”). This is better than the method of fixing on the cord ("winch"). The more points of contact between the fasteners and the web, the less wet the dome will sag under heavy rain.

There are no special requirements for a rod for an umbrella-cane: a form that is convenient for hands and a strong material that does not burden its owner too much. When choosing the optimal folding design, it is important to pay attention to the section: the more corners it contains, the more reliable the final product.

The reference to the anti-wind system regularly appears in advertisements and descriptions of individual models. Behind such a name is a combination of additional springs along the bends of the spokes (this allows the anti-storming umbrella to bend in different directions) and special longitudinal grooves along the fasteners (this increases the likelihood that the spokes will stay in the right places after a collision with the air flow). When a strong gust of wind turns an umbrella with a similar protection inside out, it is enough to close and reopen it to restore normal operation (do not try to put the spokes back into place with your hands).

The first and most important task of any umbrella is not to let the water inside the dome. The cladding material must be not only moisture-resistant, but also sufficiently durable, capable of retaining its original appearance under torrential rains or the scorching sun.

Accordingly, the quality of the umbrella is determined by the choice of fabric for plating:

• Nylon is a fairly cheap material.Unfortunately, it quickly sheds under the sun and requires proper drying: strictly in the opened state (otherwise, the fabric will “sit down”, with the result that the dome will lose its shape).
• Polyester with a special impregnation - soft to the touch, wear-resistant and water-repellent material. The disadvantage is that you need to be confident in a particular manufacturer and in the originality of the product. Most of the useful properties of polyester is in the impregnation itself, and in low-quality umbrellas, it tends to disappear over time. The combination of this material with Teflon gives maximum moisture resistance, soft colors and the ability to change the shade of the canvas with different lighting.
• Pongee - analogue cloak fabric with a rough spongy surface. Due to the high coefficient of repulsion of moisture, such a skin dries in a matter of minutes.

The best indicator of the quality of the umbrella is deservedly considered the covering of rubberized satin. Extremely durable and quick-drying material has almost no flaws (excluding relatively high cost) and is used to produce the highest quality models.

The first thing to do when inspecting an umbrella is to check the operation of the mechanism. Open and close it, repeat the procedure at least three times in a row.

If the umbrella has a collapsible design, it is important to ensure the safety of the rod. Do not hesitate to shake it a little bit in a fully expanded form: if the sections are shaking, such an umbrella will not live for a long time.

The original high quality product, which serves its owner for a long time, must include all the necessary information: about the manufacturer (the logo on the dome), a separate label with a clear indication of the composition, hygienic certificate (for compliance with the requirements for allergen content) and a guarantee of six months.

Spokes should be the same, even and not just sewn (in several places at the same time) to the fabric, but also fixed at the ends with special caps. If the new product has sagging at once, then it will sag even more (for a cane, the requirements for fabric tension are higher than for the folding version).