All umbrellas can be divided into four varieties: umbrella-cane, umbrellas in 2, 3 and 4 addition. Each of them can be an automatic or semi-automatic machine.
Umbrella in 4 rows
These umbrellas are good because they are the most practical, light and compact in the folded form. But they do not have a very comfortable little dome - the length of the knitting needle (that's how the size of the umbrellas is measured) is 52 or 54 cm. Such a dome does not protect the human body completely and if you keep the head under it dry, one shoulder will certainly get wet. But to maintain the basic quality of this umbrella - compactness, the optimal width of the dome, unfortunately, can not be increased.
Umbrella in 3 rows
This umbrella is considered the most practical, so it can have a fairly large dome - 58 cm (in male models it reaches up to 70 cm). However, if it is folded, it is much less compact and more truly "four-folded." But it is the umbrella of this species that is at the peak of popularity among buyers as the most convenient, lasting and expressive umbrella professionals, more "opaque." With such an umbrella, dry rust not only head and shoulders, but also trousers, unless, of course, you jump in puddles, in short, it is able to protect against heavy rain.
Umbrellas in 2 addition.
They are not very convenient (they do not fit anywhere). Their plus is cheap. Actually, expensive - with the appropriate modern fabrics and skeletons - they do not. Today an umbrella in two pieces - from an assortment of cheap goods, so-called disposable umbrellas are made in this price option.
Umbrellas-walking-sticks.
They can be either on a wooden or metal rod, the dome of such an umbrella can open both mechanically and automatically. Traditionally, the classic umbrella-cane, of course, should be with a wooden rod and with a wooden hook handle. Most buyers still prefer this time-tested option. In addition to the classics today, it's easy to find elegant high-tech canes, with aluminum rods and handles and bright, shining domes. The canes will surely protect the owner from the rain, since they have a bigger dome. In addition, umbrellas-canes will always give a style to both a man and a woman, successfully completing any classic costume. Although the umbrellas are extremely reliable, they are not so convenient - when there is no rain, they become an extra burden, because they do not get anywhere, and a person has to hold it in his hand all day, without being able to put it in a bag or briefcase.
The simpler the design, the umbrella is stronger - it's an axiom. For example, in an umbrella-cane, the rod is made as an integral structure and it is much more difficult to break than a rod with two, three or four sections that join each other. The cane is opened only by the spring and the latch, and the entire kinetic system is concentrated outside. Umbrellas-walking-sticks are so durable that for sure, at a particularly thrifty house even old umbrellas-canes have survived, which still work and nothing is being done to them.
Mechanics or machine?
A modern automatic umbrella, without doubt, is more convenient than a mechanical one. It is enough to imagine yourself jumping out of the bus in torrential rain with a bag in one hand. To open a mechanical umbrella, you have to stop, put the bag and already wet, with two hands open it. The umbrella-automatic of such manipulations does not require: on the move you just press the button and the saving roof is already over your head. It is widely believed that mechanics are more reliable than automatic machines. However, the stability of the work of the mechanic and the machine to date, almost equal. As a rule, the technology of umbrella-automatic devices has been worked out so much that the breakdown in the mechanism of the opening-closing system is very rare, especially if you have purchased a umbrella of a reliable quality brand.
And where is the guarantee?
Quality guarantees can only be harnessed from umbrellas, which are sold through shops and on the marking of which information about the supplier is indicated. Unfortunately, most suppliers can not really carry out warranty service. In addition, the warranty period on the label does not always correspond to the actual warranty period. Repair the umbrella of foreign production is very difficult due to the frequent lack of components in our workshops. Well, if it's just about replacing the knitting needle or rivet. And repair of the opening and closing system of the dome is not made at all in view of the laboriousness, lack of spare parts and necessary equipment.
British umbrella of Chinese work
The vast majority of umbrellas are made in China. Even if it is written on the umbrella that it was made in England, Holland or Italy, this is hardly the truth. The umbrella assembly can not be completely automated, and in Europe manual labor is very expensive. Here, in a small amount, expensive brand umbrellas-canes with exclusive woven cloth are made. They turn out expensive, so to sell them, you need a boutique and a brand that justifies the price. The market for such umbrellas is extremely limited.
What to look for before buying an umbrella
- The first rule of a good umbrella is that it should open quickly and easily.
- For a dome of umbrellas, as a rule, polyester fabric with impregnation, protecting from a moisture is used. To determine whether a quality fabric, look at the color and print pattern: it should be clear and bright. If you have an umbrella that has lost its color, the contours in the drawings are blurred or do not coincide - the fabric is substandard. The quality polyester is much softer than the nylon-like crisp parchment, no longer respected by progressive producers and buyers.
- In cheap umbrellas in two folds, nylon is most often used. In the rain it stretches and the dome sags, and from the dryness the material contracts so much that it is difficult to open the umbrella. If you have such an umbrella, this thing is substandard and short-lived. A good umbrella is revealed immediately, quickly and to the end.
- For the most fashionable umbrellas, mixed and jacquard fabrics are used, in which synthetics are mixed with cotton. It looks stylish - the fabric is somewhat rough and, unlike polyester and nylon, does not shine. It is more expensive, heavier and thicker, only for umbrella-walking sticks. Other umbrellas can not withstand her weight.
- No less fashionable is the chameleon fabric, which is easy to recognize by metallic brilliance. This is also a heavy fabric, designed for the construction of umbrella-walking sticks. An umbrella made of such a fabric in three pieces is unlikely to last long: the knitting needles and rivets are quickly deformed, the brass rivets are "cut off" and poured out.
- The more joints on the rod of the umbrella, the more vulnerable it is. Make sure that the last umbrella spoke is not metal, but light plastic. The main thing in the spokes is not the thickness or shape, but the material. It is important that the quality of the middle spoke is also the most vulnerable (we are talking about umbrellas in three additions). Well, if it's plastic too. The umbrella becomes lighter, stronger and more elastic. This is the antiveter system: it is these spokes, when the umbrella turns out, when folded, elasticly fold it back. The machine must be closed from the inverted state at the touch of a button.