Umbrella Buyers Guide

Buying umbrellas isn't as easy as walking down the street anymore. You can't buy any umbrella you come across. Nowadays, there are countless options available for a variety of purposes. It is easy to get confused while determining the use of your umbrella.

Of course, protection from elements, especially rain, remains the primary objective of an umbrella. However, there are countless uses of umbrellas. Therefore, it becomes vital for you to get an umbrella that suits your requirement.

This buyer's guide aims to help you understand your requirements. Hence, you will be able to trim down the list to find exactly the type of umbrella you need. There's no need for you to get confused or invest in multiple umbrellas anymore.

With answers to some common questions and pro tips, this guide will provide the ultimate solution. Are you ready to find the best umbrella for you? Then without further ado, let's begin!

Why is it essential to have a good umbrella all the time?

An umbrella has a pretty straightforward function to act like a shield or shade that protects you from nature's elements. Protection from the rain was its primary function, but then it developed to protect against sunlight. Nowadays, you can find robust umbrellas that can save you in the storm, as well.

What does an umbrella comprise? It has a handle for you to hold it, connected to a small pole for an extension, and then the frame that holds the umbrella's fabric or canopy. The said canopy expands to provide you apt protection.

Despite such a simple design, umbrellas have become a timeless classic for you to own. It shows that you're a responsible individual, especially in rainy weather. More than that, an umbrella can prove to be adequate protection. Today, it comes in various designs and materials to give you a premium appeal.

Let's look at some of the most prominent reasons to buy an umbrella.

Undeniable Reasons to buy an umbrella

A handy utility

In the rainy season, you can carry an umbrella with a sense of relief. If it rains, you won't get soaked in water. The umbrella will protect you from water. Similarly, on bright and sunny days, proper shade from an umbrella can protect you from sunlight, especially the harmful UV rays. This can help you maintain your health.

Therefore, umbrellas are a handy utility with versatile use.

Timeless décor

You might have noticed umbrellas in several wedding ceremonies, luxurious resorts, and cafes. Umbrellas are a brilliant piece of addition for décor. You can never go wrong by adding them to your house, especially around the patios, for aesthetic appeal.

There are countless designs and colors umbrellas are available in. Hence, you will always find the one that suits your style and color requirements the most.

Easy to carry

It is relatively convenient to carry umbrellas around without much effort. They are easy to store, and most places offer you an umbrella holder for added comfort. If you wear a raincoat or other similar items, you might have to take them off, which leads to inconvenience. Imagine trying to find a place to store them. Umbrellas are easy to fold, a breeze to carry, and convenient to store.

Protects your body

Think about it like this. Rain can become very irritating for your hair and body, especially with itching and other problems. It can dramatically impact the quality of your skin and hair. Similarly, sunlight may cause sunburn, unwanted tanning, and damage to your skin.

Correlatively, both of these will impact your aging signs. You will show more wrinkles and have uneven skin tone, among other problems. Using an umbrella will help you counter these factors and preserve your supple appearance.

Safeguard your belonging

You may carry a raincoat or rain cover all you want, but you can't prevent water from slipping under these protective covers. More importantly, your devices and delicate belongings are more prone to exposure to rain and sunlight, including your shoes, bags, and everything you carry.

Having an umbrella with a proper size will enable you to protect your belongings from unwanted damage. You wouldn't like your belongings to get wet, especially if they aren't water-resistant. Sunlight also takes a toll on these belongings over time.

Thus, using an umbrella will undoubtedly extend the lifecycle of everything you own if you use it properly.

All-season use

You can use an umbrella in summer to shield from the light. Then you can use it in the monsoon season to protect you from the rain. More than that, you can use it in winters to prevent snowflakes from falling on you.

There are some other unexpected benefits of owning an umbrella. For example, protection from unlucky bird's poop from the sky. Similarly, it can protect you from several objects and elements that could fall on you from around. Ergo, you have an all-season use for an umbrella.

Privacy creator

If you don't like people looking at you and checking out your phone or book, an umbrella could be a great private space creator. More than that, it gives a sense of 'boundary' to other people. Thus, if you treasure personal space, it is an excellent addition to your everyday use.

It is especially significant in public places where people often avoid or overlook other people's personal space. On the other hand, it also helps you acknowledge and understand the private space if you feel like you're intruding on anyone. Overall, an umbrella is a versatile tool despite its minimalist appeal.

Easy to maintain

Umbrellas are reasonably easy to maintain and repair in case of any damage. If the canopy gets damaged or torn down, you can get a new one conveniently. Similarly, if the frame breaks, it has easy and highly feasible replacements.

Most of these are highly cost-effective and easy on the pocket. Even if you get high-end replacement or repairs, they may fall under your budget easily. You might have to discard a raincoat or other options, but these work the best without any need to throw them away.

Factors to consider when buying an umbrella

Here is a list of factors that you should consider when buying an umbrella. For your ease we have classified the factors so that you can quickly go through the list to select a durable umbrella.

Types of umbrella

As you already know, buying an umbrella is not as easy as it used to be. Modern innovations have led to the availability of countless versions of umbrellas. Therefore, the first most consideration you'd have to make is the type of umbrella you need. Here is a quick overview of different types of umbrellas:

Classic umbrellas

These are the everyday umbrellas you see that provide well-versed protection from rain and sunlight. Most of them are manual to operate and come in a variety of materials. Similarly, these are the umbrellas that have a long shaft and a curved handle.

Bubble umbrellas

These are similar to classic umbrellas but with a more lowered down shade to shape a bubble. People who like to have a shade over their faces and provide a mysterious appeal tend to use these umbrellas.

Most of these are colorful and have better protection for a single person to envelop their body from the top, partially.

Storm umbrellas

Also known as wind-resistant umbrellas, these umbrellas are the right choice for the stormy or windy season. These often have a double layer of the canopy and reinforced body for better integrity. Most of these umbrellas have a top midsection designed to provide proper wind flow to prevent you from feeling the pull or push of the wind.

Golf umbrellas

These are less bent and mostly have a straightforward design. The purpose of these umbrellas is to provide shade primarily while playing golf. Therefore, these don't offer much protection from water or its flow but manage to work remarkably well.

These often have a larger diameter that enables them to provide shade for up to two people. Relatively lightweight, these are not made for heavy-duty applications.

Shelter umbrellas

These are the ones you see around the beaches and in the cafes. Often, these are also used in weddings and other occasional decorations. Most of these umbrellas are heavy-duty and built to be highly stable. The strongest winds find it difficult to weaver them.

However, as these are sturdy, these are not portable. The models may also have complicated or rigid buttons and lever to hold the umbrellas. You can adjust the extension through their poles. Often, people use these as patio umbrellas.

These umbrellas can last for months and even days. However, as they are consistently exposed to sunlight, they need proper sun protection or UV-resistant material. There is a large range of designs, shapes, and colors these umbrellas are available in.

Size & Shape Considerations

Once you finally understand the type of umbrella you want, the next on the list would be the size and shape.

Shape

The octagonal shape is the most commonly available shape in umbrellas. Some have a hexagonal shape, as well. However, today, you can find square, rectangular, circular, or even half umbrellas. Some umbrellas even have a pyramid-like shape.

These unique designs could be great to stand out or meet your personal preference for a distinguishable appeal. Overall, shapes become an essential consideration. Some umbrellas even sacrifice some functionality for fashionable appeal.

Size

A proper umbrella size for personal use should be 1.5 times better than your shelter requirement. In other words, if a 3 feet wide umbrella is enough to cover your body and protect you from the rain, then you should have a 4 to 5 feet wide umbrella.

This size range is also great in case you have to support another person. It will provide enough expansion to safeguard your belongings like a backpack and other things. You can apply the same calculations in an umbrella for a patio or table.

Material composition

The quality of your umbrella, longevity, and maintenance all break down to the type of materials used. More importantly, the protection that an umbrella will offer also depends on the fabric.

For canopy

Synthetic material like nylon and polyester is common for umbrellas. However, there are paper umbrellas as well that protect from the sun and are lightweight. Some even use rubber-like material to protect against water and sunlight.

The best thing to look for in a canopy is not precisely the material but the material's quality. It should have a good UV protection rating and waterproofing quality. The breathability of the fabric for proper ventilation and temperature management might be an essential consideration as well. Then finally, the durability.

For frame

Frames have some of the diverse options available. You will find a wooden frame to metal frames to meet your requirement. Carbon frames are also becoming a popular and durable addition but very costly. The most common material is stainless steel, as it is lightweight and cheap. However, aluminum is also a great choice.

Wooden frames could make the umbrellas lightweight and aesthetically appealing. However, your umbrella will become more prone to damage and easy to break.

For handle and shaft

The shaft of an umbrella should be strong enough to maintain your hold without bending. As umbrellas are most prone to receiving wind, the tension on the shaft can magnify drastically. Therefore, you need a firm shaft.

Similarly, the handle's design and the quality of material could make a huge impact. For grip of the handle, most of the companies provide plastic covering. However, some have started providing rubber grip for a firm hold. So, you can look in this area for a convenient hold. Some even have an extra harness to hold the umbrella.

Protection against elements

Of course, it would be useless if your umbrella doesn't protect you from other elements. Therefore, you would have to look for the three primary factors in these.

Water protection

Some umbrellas are water-resistant but not waterproof. Their fabric will turn wet, but it will have a wicking feature to drain the water to the edges of the umbrella. However, in heavy rain, it could be very inconvenient. Furthermore, it will take time for these umbrellas to dry out.

You should look for the waterproof rating on the umbrellas if you want proper protection against water. The material becomes an important consideration, as well.

Wind protection

Ventilation is an essential aspect of an umbrella because it can become suffocating if it doesn't maintain proper wind flow. More than that, you will end up with hotter temperatures under the umbrella without proper wind circulation on sunny days. Therefore, ventilation is paramount.

Similarly, wind-resistance is vital. This can be assured with the help of rigid and sturdy materials for the frame and shaft. However, some umbrellas have double layering or added mesh ventilation to ensure proper wind circulation. Ergo, they can be more convenient to carry on a windy day.

Sun protection

Whether you use an umbrella for rain or not, sun protection could drastically impact the integrity of your umbrella. Any umbrella that is consistently exposed to sunlight will wither away. It is primarily due to the harmful UV rays that will dry down and break down the quality of the fabric or material.

The best you can do is look for the canopy with proper sun protection. If your primary objective of using an umbrella is for sunscreen, this becomes a vital consideration. You have to look for an umbrella material that has a good UV protection rating. Proper shade would also have an impact on your comfort.

Apart from these two factors, you can look for a canopy material that can hold extra coating if you want it. For example, an additional layer of wax or sun protection material could help your umbrella last longer and provide better protection against the sun.

Ease of use

An umbrella should be easy to use, and for that, there have been some innovations in the area. Compatibility comes under the ease of use as well. How well it protects you and how easy it is for you to carry, all of these fall into the ease of use.

Foldable umbrellas

These are similar to standard umbrellas that you can fold the frame of. However, some umbrellas have a retractable or foldable shaft for further convenience. Thus, these can become compact and easy to carry without any problem. Yet, these have equal chances of getting lost if you're not careful.

Automatic umbrellas

An automatic umbrella mostly has a button that you can press for folding or unfolding it. These are highly convenient to use and reduce the chances of damage through force when folding the canopy. So, you can look for this option. However, they are slow to retract.

There are also LED umbrellas with lights and illumination, especially for night time walking in the rain. This could very well enhance your security and reduce the requirement to carry a flashlight with you.

Warranty

If you're aiming for a branded umbrella, it should have a proper warranty. A warranty assures you of the quality and the 'time frame' of the umbrella. You would know that it will work for this long before it starts causing a problem.

For example, if the warranty is two-years, then you can work the umbrella for two years without any problem. It is vital to look at whether it is a warranty or a guarantee. These are two different things. Some warranties are optional, as they may not cover the frame damage or canopy withering.

So, pay close attention to the type of warranty or guarantee you're getting. Many marketing schemes say that it will provide you protection for a year but then claim that it was a one-season use as rain arrives once a year. These things happen, so check the warranty carefully.

A warranty also ensures that you get proper services and replacement for the umbrellas.

Purpose of your umbrella

Finally, remember the purpose of the umbrella to make the best decision. There are fashionable umbrellas that tweak up your style, but you can't expect them to protect you much. Similarly, umbrellas for kids have to be more durable as they don't know how to handle umbrellas with care.

Beach umbrellas would require proper shade and UV protection. Wedding and patio umbrellas would need to meet your aesthetic appeal and protect you from the sun and rain. So yeah, the purpose of the umbrellas and how you intend to use them will impact the type of umbrella you require.

FAQs: Best Umbrellas

Q: How long does an umbrella last?

A: It depends on how much you paid for it. The material of the frame and canopy plays a vital role in determining the life of an umbrella. Even the cheapest umbrellas can last two or three seasons (2-3 years) conveniently. However, they may wear out sooner than expected.

Q: Should I throw away the broken umbrella?

A: There's no need to throw away a broken umbrella if you don't want to. There are easy repairs available for umbrellas. If you figure out the problem, you may very well manage to fix them by yourself. However, if it's beyond recovery and you feel like you can buy a new umbrella for the cost of repair, then you can toss your umbrella away.

Q: What are some common problems with umbrellas?

A: If an umbrella is not windproof, it can easily bend or break in high winds. There isn't proper flow management most of the time, so it might be uncomfortable to hold and carry it around. The most common problem is that you can easily forget them anywhere. People also overlook the wetness of the canopy that may very well wet the floor and other areas.

Conclusion

Now you can always find the best umbrellas for you with the help of this guide. Ultimately, you get what you pay for in terms of material and fabric. However, it is vital for you to have all of the essential knowledge to make an informed decision.

Whether it is an umbrella for one-time use, professional business, or regular application, this ultimate buyer’s guide for umbrella covers every field. It breaks down complex information into simple considerations.

So, don't get confused anymore regarding the brands. There's no need for you to fall for the marketing schemes either. Now you can indeed walk through the streets and still find the best umbrellas for you.