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The umbrella, cane, riding crop and miscellaneous accessories Appreciation thread

dopey

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Originally Posted by gdl203
My experience is that the # of ribs is more important than the one vs. two piece construction for typical umbrella use. I have both and don't see much difference between a one-piece 8-rib umbrella and a metal tube one. I do see a big difference with my 10-rib brolly on a windy day.

This is the kind of useful, empirical information that makes SF especially useful. A pity I will likely forget I read it.
 

Lucy J

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Originally Posted by gdl203
By definition, yes. Two of my three 8-rib Brigg ended up with bent ribs in NY weather. My 10-rib Smith seems more likely to lift me off the ground than to bend (at least so far - knock on wood)

When you had the problems with the Briggs was it because the wind got under the umbrella and blew it out, or was it the wind battering against the outside of the frame and the frame bending inwards because of that? I find that, living on the coast as I do, Im pretty good at keeping the umbrella facing into the wind (I get a lot!! of practice) but sometimes, if the wind is really violent, it does feel as thought the frame might "give way" and that's the time I admit defeat and close the umbrella - it probably only happens two or three times a year though.

Ive been thinking of getting a JS umbrella for a while - perhaps I should get the 10-rib version?? Do you know if they can be purchased in colours other than black?
 

fcuknu

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yeah, you can get just about any color, I suggest navy.
 

gdl203

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Originally Posted by Lucy J
When you had the problems with the Briggs was it because the wind got under the umbrella and blew it out, or was it the wind battering against the outside of the frame and the frame bending inwards because of that?

Ive been thinking of getting a JS umbrella for a while - perhaps I should get the 10-rib version?? Do you know if they can be purchased in colours other than black?


In my case, the spoke ended up bending inwards when walking against the wind.

Yes, the JS umbrellas can be ordered in other colours. I have a grey one (pictures in this thread a few pages back).
 

Lucy J

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Originally Posted by gdl203
In my case, the spoke ended up bending inwards when walking against the wind.

Yes, the JS umbrellas can be ordered in other colours. I have a grey one (pictures in this thread a few pages back).


OK - so I was tempting fate - having said that I only have to admit defeat with either of my Briggs a couple of times a year, Sunday morning here in Brighton was one of those times whilst I was walking round to see a friend who lives about 15 minutes away.

Even with me hanging on to it tightly with both hands, my double-ribbed Brigg golfer was struggling to stay up and hold its shape against the ferocious gusts and sheets of rain, and I finally had to close it. Luckily I'd put on my long drizabone and Longchamp rainhat, so I walked the last few hundred yards without the protection of the Brigg, but clamping my rainhat to my head to prevent that from flying away in the storm - the local TV said we had steady winds of 30mph, but gusting to 55 or so...
 

Lucy J

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Originally Posted by Lucy J
OK - so I was tempting fate - having said that I only have to admit defeat with either of my Briggs a couple of times a year, Sunday morning here in Brighton was one of those times whilst I was walking round to see a friend who lives about 15 minutes away.

Even with me hanging on to it tightly with both hands, my double-ribbed Brigg golfer was struggling to stay up and hold its shape against the ferocious gusts and sheets of rain, and I finally had to close it. Luckily I'd put on my long drizabone and Longchamp rainhat, so I walked the last few hundred yards without the protection of the Brigg, but clamping my rainhat to my head to prevent that from flying away in the storm - the local TV said we had steady winds of 30mph, but gusting to 55 or so...


And so it came to pass that the double-ribbed Brigg golfer was defeated by probably the worst storm in the past two or three years on Saturday 14 November. It was a ferociously windy day, and I was walking to a restaurant on the seafront to meet a girlfriend for lunch. I was about half way to the restaurant when the heavens literally opened, and so, despite the stormy gusts, I opened the Brigg for shelter. As I walked down the side street towards the seafront the wind grew more and more intense, and I was battling to make progress against it. About 50 yards from the front the wind just got completely insane and blew me to a complete halt. I stood there for about 30 seconds, waiting for the wind to calm down but in fact the opposite happened and I began to be blown backwards - I tried to stand my ground, with the Brigg as a shield but the frame couldnt take any more and just collapsed around me. I took shelter in a doorway, trying to repair the Brigg, but the frame had been completely buckled and four pairs of ribs had snapped. After about 5 minutes the wind had relented enough for me to walk to the restaurant, drenched, to find my friend there - also drenched as her clear plastic dome umbrella had also been completely torn apart! According to the local news, the lunchtime storm had mean winds of almost 50mph and gusts to over 70mph!
 

viator

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Is there a good, solid sub-$100 umbrella? I noticed BB has some for $65.
 

ohm

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Originally Posted by Lucy J
And so it came to pass that the double-ribbed Brigg golfer was defeated by probably the worst storm in the past two or three years on Saturday 14 November. It was a ferociously windy day, and I was walking to a restaurant on the seafront to meet a girlfriend for lunch. I was about half way to the restaurant when the heavens literally opened, and so, despite the stormy gusts, I opened the Brigg for shelter. As I walked down the side street towards the seafront the wind grew more and more intense, and I was battling to make progress against it. About 50 yards from the front the wind just got completely insane and blew me to a complete halt. I stood there for about 30 seconds, waiting for the wind to calm down but in fact the opposite happened and I began to be blown backwards - I tried to stand my ground, with the Brigg as a shield but the frame couldnt take any more and just collapsed around me. I took shelter in a doorway, trying to repair the Brigg, but the frame had been completely buckled and four pairs of ribs had snapped. After about 5 minutes the wind had relented enough for me to walk to the restaurant, drenched, to find my friend there - also drenched as her clear plastic dome umbrella had also been completely torn apart! According to the local news, the lunchtime storm had mean winds of almost 50mph and gusts to over 70mph!

Was it a 10 rib or an 8 rib?
 

Lucy J

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Originally Posted by ohm
Was it a 10 rib or an 8 rib?

8 double ribs - I dont think Brigg do a 10-rib, but I dont think anything would really have survived the violence of the squall that battered my Brigg
 

ferguscan

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Does anyone know where I can buy an umbrella as follows:

- telescopic
- black nylon canopy (not polyester)
- pref. Whangee handle, but would consider other nice woods
- reasonably priced

Thanks,

Stuart
 

shoesies

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anyone know where to purchase a 1 piece maple umbrella with black top in Toronto? would rather buy local than order online, or used if there is one out there
 

lee_44106

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Originally Posted by Lucy J
8 double ribs - I dont think Brigg do a 10-rib, but I dont think anything would really have survived the violence of the squall that battered my Brigg

A wind-buster would've survived. It's the one with the double canopy acting as a vent.
 

Lucy J

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Originally Posted by lee_44106
A wind-buster would've survived. It's the one with the double canopy acting as a vent.

It might have Lee but Im not 100% sure...

We have a similar double canopy umbrella over here in the UK called a Stormshield - in fact its what I use when Im playing golf, and it normally lives attached to my golf bag. Its usually great if the wind gets under the umbrella, as the canopy opens to releae the wind pressure. However, on 14 Nov the problem was that the wind was so strong, that even with me facing my Brigg into the wind, the gusts were just battering the outside of the cover so violently that the metal frame just buckled and gave way and the umbrella collapsed inwards. In fact, one of the girls at the office was also caught in that storm. She was shopping with her husband and they were using his Stormshield umbrella, and exactly the same thing happened to them - the vent was no use because the gusts were battering the umbrella from the outside rather than from underneath, so the vent wasnt able to help and their umbrella collapsed just like my Brigg... I guess it was just a day when it wasnt wise to use an umbrella!
 

holymadness

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Given that it is nearly always the rainy season in Paris, I'd been on the lookout for a decent umbrella for some time. In the meanwhile, I'd borrowed a collapsible from a friend which turned inside-out during the first major windstorm, and a solid with a metal tube from a co-worker which broke 2 ribs during the next. Needless to say I was somewhat dissatisfied with my stopgap solutions and decided to find a proper one-piece umbrella. It's possible to order online from James A. Smith, but with prices starting at £150 and a wait time of several weeks, I was not persuaded. That goes double for Brigg. A number of high-end boutiques in Paris such as Antoine's (pl. Madeleine), Arny's (r. de Sèvres) and Old England (blvd. de la Madeleine) sell reputed brands, including Brigg, but for prices reaching €200-300. Again, a bit steep. I was tipped off by a friend about a rÃ
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parateur de parapluies in the 3e arrondissement named Pep's which was reportedly quite well thought-of. This tiny little atelier, which is hidden in the oldest (16th century) alley in Paris between the r. de Turbigo and r. St. Martin, is as you might expect stocked to the rafters with umbrellas. Most for repair, but some for sale. If you've ever run into a tourist with a black, pagoda-shaped umbrella that vaguely resembles the Eiffel tower, you've seen one of their creations. Less kitchy was their selection of stick umbrellas for men. There was everything from immense « parapluies de campagne » with linen canopies (apparently waterproof!) to gorgeous solid-stick pieces that had been polished until the wood felt like silk bearing canopies that were woven by hand and thus had different motifs on each side. But what caught my eye were the basic models, named for political ranks.
img5914.jpg
I was quite taken with the « ministre », part of a line of umbrellas made in France by a workshop founded by Pierre Vaux in 1948. As you can see, it's a solid stick construction made of maple. What I particularly like about it are its 10 ribs which give it extra wind resistance (though the owner gravely warned me that "in any contest between the umbrella and the wind, the wind will always win").
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But what really pleased me about this find was the price: €82, eminently reasonable given its construction quality and styling. He also sells a higher-end model in the same line, the « prÃ
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sident », which is the same size but with thicker wood (which to my mind meant heavier and not necessarily more desirable). The prÃ
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sident also has the advantage of coming with a plate joined to the handle with your name engraved on it, but at double the price, I could take it or leave it. In any case, I found exactly what I wanted for a price I was willing to pay and not a moment too soon; they predict rain for the next two days.
img5907.jpg
 

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