Description
Compact Umbrellas from Huifeng
As far as picking a good umbrella goes, you basically want one that’s big enough to keep your upper body relatively dry but small enough to tuck away when you go indoors. There’s definitely a tradeoff between protection and portability, but the best umbrella is the one you have with you. So even the most protective umbrella will be useless to most people if it’s too big to slip in a coat pocket, purse, or bag. Also, it should be reasonably sturdy so it won’t leave you high and (not) dry in the middle of a thunderstorm.
Before getting into the specifics of what makes a good umbrella, it’s worth quickly explaining the primary components because the terms are critical to our discussion of testing and durability. The main stem of the umbrella is commonly known as the shaft, and the frame that opens to create the canopy is made up of individual ribs, generally 6 to 8. In most folding umbrellas, the ribs are composed of three segments that fold up in a Z shape. Umbrellas that fold up to tiny proportions require four or even five rib segments.
