Official Umbrella aficionados thread

[logboy]

Have you used any restoration services as a matter of interest? I'm looking into this as I've found a few old ones at home, could be owrthwhile for yourself as there's plenty of english made frames on ebay.

i haven't no. looked for repair services in the past, only one i found was peps in paris. imagine old frames could be minefield of possible flaws or broken elements - most i can see being offered on ebay are old quality umbrellas they're chancing making decent money off, despite likely something obviously wrong like rotten canopy.

i really want (one or all of) brigg, fox, ince, james smith, lockwood, but one or two i tried to contact are unclear (possibly cagey) on the limitations when it comes to sourcing or using decent frames - impression i have from elsewhere, as well as opinions here, is that if you can find a good frame it's rare and you'll pay hard for it - as british steel would have been what they'd have used, and it's not an industry that's really what it once was even 20 years ago.

 

[rharlow]

What was the issue with the Dagg?

logboy is correct in that the shaft/handle was slightly askew in the Dagg umbrella a received. However, it's only noticeable on close inspection and feels quite solidly attached. It has survived the Fall season wonderfully, and the cotton-poly blend canopy and ten rib construction are quite nice and unusual for an umbrella at this price point. I certainly wouldn't pay Maglia or Talarico prices for it, but having picked it up during one of their sales for US$105, including shipping from Sweden, I can definitely say Dagg is excellent quality for the price.

 

[Complexo]

Thanks for your reply (and to the others)

I hadn't heard of Sugru before, so that was quite interesting.

I understand that it's natural that this can happen to the wood. I just wasn't sure if they would normally be discarded when it did. But as I understand you all, it's quite normal that they're on the umbrellas we'll receive when we buy them.So thank you.

 

[konstantis]

Good Morning dear Sirs . I am interested to buy a solid umbrella. I have found the umbrella of attached photos of Mario Talarico from online store. The store advised me that it is a solid stick one wood construction umbrella. My knowledge to umbrellas are limited but I really want to buy something special and this would be my first quality umbrella. Could you please advise me if that specific umbrella is really a solid stick one piece umbrella ? Thank you in advance.

 

[rharlow]

Good Morning dear Sirs . I am interested to buy a solid umbrella. I have found the umbrella of attached photos of Mario Talarico from online store. The store advised me that it is a solid stick one wood construction umbrella. My knowledge to umbrellas are limited but I really want to buy something special and this would be my first quality umbrella. Could you please advise me if that specific umbrella is really a solid stick one piece umbrella ? Thank you in advance.

Yes, that appears to be a solid stick, where they've shaved down the outer bark layers of the wood for the shaft. A great maker like Maglia can taper a fit-up shaft/handle construction to look nearly as clean as this (as they do for their whangees), but the grain of the shaft looks to me like it's the same wood as the handle, a solid stick beautifully tapered down for the shaft. Great looking umbrella, definitely worth the investment!

 

[konstantis]

Yes, that appears to be a solid stick, where they've shaved down the outer bark layers of the wood for the shaft. A great maker like Maglia can taper a fit-up shaft/handle construction to look nearly as clean as this (as they do for their whangees), but the grain of the shaft looks to me like it's the same wood as the handle, a solid stick beautifully tapered down for the shaft. Great looking umbrella, definitely worth the investment!

Thank you sir. I really appreciate your help. May I ask your opinion about cherry wood ?

 

[usctrojans31]

Thank you sir. I really appreciate your help. May I ask your opinion about cherry wood ?

I have a Talarico in cherry, and I love it. Mario said it's his preferred wood for umbrella, even dubbing it the king.

 

[Proleet]

Good Morning dear Sirs . I am interested to buy a solid umbrella. I have found the umbrella of attached photos of Mario Talarico from online store. The store advised me that it is a solid stick one wood construction umbrella. My knowledge to umbrellas are limited but I really want to buy something special and this would be my first quality umbrella. Could you please advise me if that specific umbrella is really a solid stick one piece umbrella ? Thank you in advance.

Mind sharing what store sells that model?

 

[ojaw]

Mind sharing what store sells that model?

Check the watermarks...

 

[mactire]

i haven't no. looked for repair services in the past, only one i found was peps in paris. imagine old frames could be minefield of possible flaws or broken elements - most i can see being offered on ebay are old quality umbrellas they're chancing making decent money off, despite likely something obviously wrong like rotten canopy.

i really want (one or all of) brigg, fox, ince, james smith, lockwood, but one or two i tried to contact are unclear (possibly cagey) on the limitations when it comes to sourcing or using decent frames - impression i have from elsewhere, as well as opinions here, is that if you can find a good frame it's rare and you'll pay hard for it - as british steel would have been what they'd have used, and it's not an industry that's really what it once was even 20 years ago.

Well I've decided to see if I can get someone to do a competent repair of my grandfathers umbrella. So I'll be getting something from ebay as a first test of their repair skills. I'll update the thread in time.

 

[Mazzantini]

Wind and water efficient umbrellas Spanish Galician manufacturers from La Coruña.

Venta online de paraguas - La Fábrica de paraguas

Descubre nuestros paraguas fabricados en España, la máxima calidad y el cuidado hasta el mínimo detalle. También podrás encontrar paraguas Cacharel, Bisetti, M&P...

www.lafabricadeparaguas.com

 

[ojaw]

I think most half decent umbrellas could withstand 60kph winds face on.
Switch it around so that the wind catches underneath though and it's hasta la vista baby.

 

[Mok]

ince is the more noted, long-established name. i've not seen either of them in person, don't know if bucklesbury would be anything more now than fitting on the budget as an alternative if no LU ones catch your eye, as the choices in the UK for our makers are limited - brigg, fox, smith, lockwood would be my picks, but they're out of the price point of just over 100 euros, which is actually pretty limiting as all the very decent ones are more like £3-400.

like i've said, i've researched makers and picked up on what i would personally prioritise (outside of what i already have - LU and maglia) and consider upping my budget for. very few will have had more than cursory experience with the appearance / durability of all the really good makers - you could see them by going to shops, but unless you're spending hundreds several times over and putting them through years of use, you're never going to hear a definitive call on what you would pick yourself if you look into it yourself, and certainly not if you're looking for my guidance on how to spend far more money than most would on such an item.

if you look on youtube at people with brigg and fox umbrellas, you'd probably be quite surprised at how thick the sticks are - pretty chunky, far more so than LU. LU would be the best balance between a pretty good quality product and an affordable price without having to spend much more than i think most people's budgets would want to stretch to.

this guy's fox solid stick umbrella looks very hefty to me >

Oh hey, that's me in the video. The oak umbrella feels really good to use - it's light enough not to be bicep muscle builder but also sturdy and bulky enough to feel like it's got substance. It's not flimsy in other words. I love it.

The smaller telescopic one is my travel / quick get up and go umbrella and I leave it in the car. It's surprisingly well built but the clip and click mechanism when expanding the umbrella sometimes doesn't engage and I have to keep pushing it until it does.

I've since bought another one:

This one is more a fashion statement and functionally gets annoying as it doesn't have a hook to hang it on your arm if you need both hands to do something. Looks cool though.

 

[ojaw]

kitteh kat, cute

 

[Genericuser1]

I was going to pick up a London Undercover (and may still) but it seems like their only shipping option costs $26 which I'm adverse to. I don't need it from the U.K. in 1-2 days a week or two would be fine.

Are there any comparable brands similarly priced with better shipping? I was looking at this model:

Navy & Black Watch Tartan Classic Umbrella

Shop our Navy & Black Watch Tartan Classic Umbrella, handcrafted in England using only the finest materials. Worldwide shipping available.

londonundercover.co.uk