Other Good Umbrellas to Consider
There are a lot of umbrellas out there, and we’re always testing more. Here are a few others we like that didn’t quite make our list of top picks.
Photograph: Balios
Balios Travel Umbrella Double Canopy for $27: This is another excellent budget umbrella that costs a little more than the Prostorm. It can automatically open and close with the push of a button—like with most automatics, you’ll still have to manually pull the runner down the steel shaft to collapse it. About a foot long, it doesn’t take up much room in a backpack, and the wooden handle is a nice touch; its generous size offers a comfortable grip. The vented double-canopy model did a surprisingly great job withstanding New York wind gusts. There’s a single-canopy model too and Balios has more fun designs than Prostorm.
ShedRain Vortex Vent Pro for $80: The Vortex Vent Pro has a 54-inch diameter and is another golf umbrella, though it’s slightly smaller than the Blunt Sport above (it weighs the same). Its materials aren’t as nice—an aluminum shaft with a fiberglass frame. However, it’s a double canopy, which helped it fare well in high winds, especially when I took it to the beach. It’s also about half the price.
ShedRain Vortex V2 Vented Auto Open Stick Umbrella for $48: This has the same lifetime guarantee as Davek and a large 44-inch diameter. It has treated me well over the last few years. The Vortex V2 is made from 100 percent recycled polyester from plastic bottles. It has a fiberglass frame and a vented canopy, and the rubber handle is comfy to grasp. It doesn’t have the style or luxe feel of the Davek, but it’s much cheaper.
ShedRain WalkSafe Reflective Stick Umbrella for $60: This is a simple manual umbrella that opens and closes smoothly, has a circular handle that can hook onto things, and has a 41.5-inch diameter that covers a person (or two) fairly well. The reason to buy it is the reflective fabric—it’ll brighten up quickly when a car’s headlights land on it, so you can feel safe knowing you’re visible to motorists.
ShedRain Vortex V1 Umbrella for $25: This auto-open/close umbrella works well, though it’s nothing to write home about. It’s pretty compact, with a 38-inch diameter, and it does a solid job against heavy winds, thanks to the vented canopy design. It doesn’t look or feel particularly nice, and the handle is a bit too small for my big palms, but at least there’s a strap.
ShedRain Stratus Manual Stick Umbrella for $100: I’ve had no real problems with this umbrella, but it requires a bit of force to fully open (it’s completely manual). You don’t need to extend it all the way, just a quarter up the carbon-fiber shaft. I would have expected it to be even lighter than our stick umbrella pick from Davek, but alas, it’s a little heavier. You get a 42-inch roomy canopy and a twill weave fabric with Teflon coating that does a pretty solid job of drying quickly. It has a nice rubber handle too.
Blunt Metro for $79: The Metro is compact and features the same great blunt edges of the Blunt Sport above. It automatically opens (manually closes) and the 39.4-inch canopy is large enough for one person. The canopy spins in 360 degrees to supposedly prevent damage to the core mechanism. My only issue is that when you fold it all down and cinch the canopy with the Velcro strap, it covers most of the handle, so you have to hold the Metro by the wet fabric (gross) or the wrist strap.
Repel Windproof Double Vented Travel Umbrella for $30: This one is sturdy, handles high winds, and provides good coverage when open, collapsing down to just a foot in length. It comes in gorgeous colors, and a single button opens and collapses the fiberglass ribs. But “It’s. So. Dang. Hard. To. Close,” according to my fellow umbrella reviewer, Louryn Strampe. Fully closing this umbrella is a two-handed operation, and she got so fed up with it during testing that she often just used the ground as leverage to push the handle down. It’s a problem across the lineup.
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Original Duckhead Umbrella for $40: The Duckhead is a very cute umbrella. There’s a duck’s head on the handle! This little head is made from wood certified by the US Forest Stewardship Council (ensuring it hails from responsibly managed forests). The company also has many designs you can choose from (I have a limited-edition dachshund pattern!) However, while the umbrella itself functions fine—I have yet to run into any issues—the build quality leaves a lot to be desired. The button you press to automatically open it is stiff and somewhat jostles around in place. The frame and ribs are steel, and when you are in high winds, you can hear the clinking of the parts in the frame, which isn’t very promising. I’ll report back in case I run into problems long term. At least the company offers a 2-year warranty.
LifeTek New Yorker Umbrella for $40: This is a beast of an umbrella. The 54-inch canopy is large enough to keep you and someone else dry, and its fiberglass shaft and wind-resistant frame withstand gusts big and small. The handle has a rubbery grip and a single red button to open and expand the canopy. A Teflon coating ensures it dries quickly after the storm has passed. But between its awkward handle, the 1.5-pound weight, and the 3-foot length, my coworker Louryn Strampe felt the umbrella was too top-heavy for her 5’1″ frame.
Senz Original Umbrella for $88: The first time I took this umbrella out, I overheard someone say, “That’s such a cool-looking umbrella.” It is! It looks like a kite shield, and the aerodynamic design can withstand winds of more than 60 mph. On a windy day in New York, the Senz merely bobbed up and down. Unfortunately, the canopy is hard to collapse unless you use both hands, which are not always free. The narrow shape also provides less coverage, although it does make it possible to stick the opened umbrella in your backpack and walk around covered and hands-free.
Avoid These Umbrellas
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Not every umbrella is worth your time and money. We didn’t like these options, so steer clear.
Gilley Umbrella for $63: The pitch for the Gilley is that you get a hard-shell case you can stuff the umbrella into to keep yourself and your space dry when you get indoors from the rain. No need to leave your umbrella open at the door! This isn’t a new idea, but I have a few problems with Gilley’s implementation. First, stuffing the umbrella back into the water bottle-esque plastic case isn’t as easy as the company suggests. You have to nail wrapping the Velcro around the 34-inch canopy and cinch it tight or it won’t fit well. When the umbrella is open, you’re supposed to affix the plastic case to the bottom so that it doubles as a handle, but this is not a comfortable handle at all because it’s so thick. Yes, it does keep you dry when the wet umbrella is inside the case. But I came back to the Gilley after several weeks and found it still wet because I forgot to remove it from the container to dry when I got back home. Gross.
Amazon Basics Automatic Open Travel Umbrella for $17: Yes, it’s cheap. Yes, it has a vented canopy for improved wind resistance. Yes, it automatically opens and closes at the touch of a button. But it’s also the most shoddily built umbrella I’ve tried. After more than a year of use, parts of the inner frame are rusting and the Velcro on the canopy strap is starting to fray. There’s zero fiberglass here too—the material’s flex helps the umbrella manage the wind. The Balios or Prostorm we recommend above are so much better for the money.
ShedRain E-Motion Electric Umbrella for $150: Er, you read that right. This is an electric umbrella. Yes, I know the irony. I, honestly, did not want to venture out into thunderstorms with a piece of aluminum and fiberglass mixed with a battery. The few times I did, the E-Motion did its job decently well. The Teflon-coated fabric feels durable and the nearly 40-inch canopy is spacious, but the motor is loud and doesn’t sound pleasant. This also means you need to recharge the umbrella and I just don’t think we need another thing to recharge. Better yet, I’ve already misplaced the proprietary charger and now have no way to recharge it. If you have a family member who struggles with opening and closing an umbrella, this might be a nice option, but it’s otherwise a bit too high-tech.
ShedRain AOAC Compact for $36: I have used this umbrella perhaps three or four times and one of its ribs has already broken. Sure, ShedRain has a lifetime warranty, but that isn’t very promising if it breaks with such limited use.
ShedRain Vortex V2 Umbrella for $40: I liked and used this umbrella for several months, then one day it stopped closing properly, and I couldn’t fix it. I got another model to test and I’m still having issues. Despite being an auto-open/close umbrella, I still need to push the canopy and have it click into place manually to keep it open. The closing mechanism is just plain faulty as I’m already seeing it starting to fail again. It’s relatively bulky for its size, but it’s compact enough to shove into side backpack pockets. It has a nice strap and a comfy rubber handle. The canopy is made from 100 percent recycled polyester fabric and the frame is steel with nine ribs. Unfortunately, its automatic functions keep failing.
ShedRain Stratus Chrome Umbrella for $90: The auto-open/close umbrella felt flimsy when I first tried it, and my gut was right. After months of use, the shaft has not held up all that well—it’s jittery when it opens and closes.
ShedRain Mini Manual Umbrella for $38: This is one of the tiniest umbrellas I’ve tested—it’s just 6.5 inches long when closed—and the canopy is 100 percent recycled polyester from plastic bottles. I just hate the handle on this thing. It’s wide, short, and just not comfortable at all to hold.
