Umbrella recommendations?
May 25, 2009 5:14 PM   Subscribe

Recommendations for an awesome umbrella?

Please share any links to cool umbrellas! Big or small, pretty or functional, innovative or classic. Thanks!
posted by kprincehouse to Shopping (28 answers total) 22 users marked this as a favorite
 
I haven't seen one in person, and doubt I would spend the money on it, but the unbreakable self-defense umbrella struck me as cool.
posted by fings at 5:25 PM on May 25, 2009


Can't find it online, but my latest umbrella features a map of the Arctic Circle along its surface (just in case I'm ever lost north of 66°, I guess). Thank you, Geological Survey of Canada!
posted by betafilter at 5:26 PM on May 25, 2009


Being something of a goth at heart, I've been coveting one of these for a while.
posted by Thin Lizzy at 5:29 PM on May 25, 2009 [1 favorite]


These folks have cool stuff.
posted by ersatzkat at 5:32 PM on May 25, 2009 [1 favorite]


accessorize makes some cool ones (though the crop currently online isn't super inspiring I have some older awesome ones).
posted by jennyhead at 5:36 PM on May 25, 2009


Not quite as cool as some of these other ones maybe, but I just got this MoMA sky umbrella.
posted by peacheater at 5:44 PM on May 25, 2009 [2 favorites]


I lust after ThinkGeek's LED Umbrella, myself ...
posted by DingoMutt at 5:45 PM on May 25, 2009 [1 favorite]


I haven't actually seen one in person, but I find the Brelli intriguing!
posted by bunji at 5:51 PM on May 25, 2009 [1 favorite]


I collect umbrellas, and my favorite ones come from Pare Umbrella.
posted by diamondsky at 6:07 PM on May 25, 2009


One other link to add. I prefer the classical shape of the ones from Pare, but the ones here are really cute, too.
posted by diamondsky at 6:09 PM on May 25, 2009


Knirps makes good umbrellas. The X1 line is light, compact, and about $50.
posted by mkultra at 6:26 PM on May 25, 2009


I'm very happy with my Malacca cane umbrella from Swaine Adeney Brigg.
The quality is out of this world--it's lasted over 15 years and still looks great!
posted by aquafortis at 6:29 PM on May 25, 2009 [1 favorite]


Well, my favorite umbrella so far was a small, red, Eddie Bauer one. Not because of the brand but because it had a button which would not only automatically open the umbrella but close it, too! Very handy for the transit commuter.
posted by amanda at 6:54 PM on May 25, 2009


Merde, il pleut. - shit, it's raining, in a lovely Tin-Tin font and colour. Look around, also popular yellow, and black.
posted by furtive at 7:06 PM on May 25, 2009 [1 favorite]


You want one of these umbrellas from Fukui, Japan. It doesn't get wet -- the water just flows right off without soaking into the fabric.
posted by armage at 7:14 PM on May 25, 2009


This one. Also these others from thinkgeek.
posted by pyro979 at 7:31 PM on May 25, 2009


I recommend a Gustbuster umbrella as top of the line, if you live in a windy climate, because it will stand up to anything a storm throws at you. But you must fulfill two conditions:

You must have at least $42 to throw at an umbrella purchase, because that's what the compacts cost, and
You must never forget anything you carry.

I treated myself to a Gustbuster umbrella because of how windy the storms are in my town, and how sick I was of getting a drugstore umbrella ripped to pieces as soon as I got it out in the rain. But I juggle a lot of baggage when I'm walking back and forth between errands, and what did I do three weeks later but leave the damn thing in a train station when the weather had cleared. So I am basically not allowed to buy myself another.
posted by Countess Elena at 7:36 PM on May 25, 2009


I like the adult sky umbrella at the Museum of Modern Art: http://search.momastore.org/?storeId=10001&catalogId=10451&langId=-1&pageSize=12&beginIndex=0&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&q=umbrella&promoCode=&Submit.x=7&Submit.y=9
Sorry - one day I'll figure out how to do this properly.
posted by x46 at 7:52 PM on May 25, 2009


I have Shedrain WindPros. I have an older style of the Mini that I keep in my day to day work bag. I also have two full sized ones that I can't seem to find online. They are about a 2.5 ft long and come with this shoulder strap so when closed you can wear it. I have one at home and one at work so if I find myself in one place or the other and it's pouring, I'm covered.

Like the Gustbusters, they have a venting system to prevent them from inverting. I've had the umbrella practically pull me upwards without inverting. I am not a small fellow.

I don't even consider myself an umbrella person. They just work so well, I was willing to pony up the $40 for them.
posted by advicepig at 7:57 PM on May 25, 2009


You probably couldn't do better than Fox Umbrellas (though, if I may say so, the £700 silver handled job is a little ostentatious).

With one of those you might well need to wear a bowler hat, drive a Bentley and have a comely, leather jumpsuited sidekick, but such is life.
posted by Quinbus Flestrin at 8:26 PM on May 25, 2009 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Some excellent links above, thank you everyone!
posted by kprincehouse at 10:15 PM on May 25, 2009


15 creative umbrellas on Oddee

Includes:
F*ck The Rain Umbrella
Water Gun Umbrella
Light Saber Umbrella
Senz Umbrella (storm resistant up to wind force 10)
Cloud Umbrella (walk with your head (almost) in the clouds)
Couple Umbrella
Nubrella (full head and shoulder protection)
Polite Umbrella (can instantly be made narrower)
UNbrella (make an umbrella out of anything)
Brelli Umbrella (100% biodegradable)
Bumpbrella (inflatable and illuminated)
Huge Japanese Umbrella (shield yourself completely)
Flask Umbrella
Umbuster Umbrella (knuckle duster handle)
Ufo Umbrella
posted by lioness at 4:48 AM on May 26, 2009


2nding Knirps, I just found one of their longer, classier umbrellas in a department store for $25 and love it.
posted by asuprenant at 6:34 AM on May 26, 2009


My mother has one of these Monet umbrellas, and it's the coolest thing. Not because of the looks (though it is pretty, and it's big when open and folds down small). Because it's one of those umbrellas (like Amanda mentions above) that opens and closes automatically when you press a button.

Makes the most satisfying swoosh, too.
posted by anthy at 8:48 AM on May 26, 2009


(and, on browsing the site, they have a number of other styles; not just Monet.)
posted by anthy at 9:06 AM on May 26, 2009


I've had this color wheel umbrella for over 3 years, and it's just starting to break down.
posted by quatsch at 9:42 AM on May 26, 2009


Veer has a cute umbrella with a different inside and outside, especially if you like words. I have it, but haven't used it too much yet.
posted by mismatched at 2:59 PM on May 27, 2009


seconding the Senz Umbrella: http://www.senzumbrellas.com/

The SENZ umbrella effortlessly slices through the wind, from a summer breeze to a heavy storm. Due to its smart design, the SENZ Original umbrella will not invert, and is windproof up to wind force 10!
posted by IZ at 4:37 AM on May 30, 2009


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