An Umbrella you can Count on!

The only job of an umbrella is to keep you protected from the rain right? Well, that isn’t always the case! Many of them are easily ruined due to the wind or other elements. Others don’t open like they should or they don’t close when you try to go inside! It can be frustrating and upsetting to deal with such hassles and inconveniences.

You need an umbrella you can count on. You can’t buy one randomly due to the look of it or the cost. You can’t buy one randomly when you are in a situation where you need it right away! Instead, you should make sure the product is one that is worth what you pay for it. You need to feel confident it will keep the rain at bay, open when you want it to, close when you are done with it, and be a convenient product to carry with you.

Our Research Efforts

Selecting the best umbrellas you can count on didn’t come easy! We spend hundreds of hours conducting our research! Of course, there are far too many products in this category for us to reasonably test all of them. Instead, we carefully compiled a list of possible products. This was based on reviews, price, brand, and customer information. We put 50 of them through several rounds of testing to obtain objective details. What we discovered are many of the products out there are significantly overpriced when you consider what you get in return from them.

We took umbrellas on errands, stood under them in pouring rain, and simulated high wind testing in a controlled environment. We also opened and closed the same one hundreds of times to ensure they would consistently do what they are supposed to. Such testing helped us to gather unbiased but detailed information on these umbrellas.

We asked professionals that create umbrellas to test them with us. We also ask those that offer a variety of them in retail stores. Others involved in the testing were volunteers of both genders and all walks of life. Our goal was to get a realistic idea of how well each of the products we tested would hold up. An umbrella needs to be something you can count on!

During our research, we found the materials used to create the canopy part of the umbrellas are very similar from one product to the next. We also found the length of the handle and the canopy width to be similar. There were variables in these two areas, but they were all within a couple of inches of each other.

The biggest differences were the materials used to create the mechanisms for the umbrellas to open and close. The quality of those elements did vary greatly on the models. Some of them were very cheap and didn’t last long at all. Others were decent but didn’t over as much value as we would have liked from them. We also found those which are high quality and a very low price. Of course, there were also high quality umbrellas with a high price tag attached to them!

Pick #1

Out of all the umbrellas we tested, you can absolutely count on the Repel Easy Touch Umbrella! It can hold up well to high force winds, thanks for the construction that includes a 9 rib design. Many of the other umbrellas we tested only had 7 or 8 ribs. There were also those that only had 6. This was one of the few that had 9.

It is every bit as sturdy as many of the others out there, but you can buy it for about half the price of most of them. It only costs about $25 and you can buy it in a wide range of colors. You may like the traditional black or want something else!

The Repel Easy Touch Umbrella is also compact. It will easily store in your bag, your briefcase, or even in the storage area of your vehicle. It is easy to open it up with a button you simply touch. The canopy it puts out is 37” in diameter. It can easily cover one or two people from the rain. This umbrella also features a lifetime guarantee for the company to replace it or refund the purchase. This is a generous offer, and shows they stand behind what they have created.

Click here to see on Amazon Canada.

Pick #2

Another amazing umbrella to consider is the Amazon Basics Automatic Travel Umbrella (with wind vent). We were very impressed with how this umbrella held up against the competitors, many of them common brands and household names consumers are very familiar with! It did extremely well with the wind testing and it is offered in many different colors. You can buy one and reply on it for less than $20.

The vent design makes this a solid but light umbrella. If you live in a location where high winds are often a concern, this may be your first choice rather than second. The wind vent allows the fabric to be flat and protect against the rain. When it is windy, it will open up and that releases pressure. This process prevents the umbrella from inverting in the high winds. The Amazon Basics Automatic Travel Umbrella (with wind vent) can protect your item during high winds. Many of the others we tested were ruined due to the high winds.

Click here to see on Amazon Canada.

Proper Care

While you may need to fold it up and put it away when you go inside somewhere, try to wipe the umbrella off if possible. This is going to help it to last longer. If you are at home, leave it open and let it dry on the porch or in the bathtub. It is a myth opening one up indoors is going to bring you bad luck! Wipe off the button for it too so that water doesn’t cause it to corrode.