As you scroll through online umbrella shop websites you may begin to wonder what do all the brolly terms mean. Some are easy to know like canopy, pole, handle but some make you wonder… what is the difference between them. Most confusing for a first time buyer are description of performance and golf umbrellas. Umbrella industry always tries to re-invent the humble umbrella (read on it here) and new features such as windproof, wind resistant and storm proof are commonly used but what do they really mean?
Consumers often become frustrated when the windproof golf umbrella does not match their expectations but how windproof umbrella can really be? See what the phrases really mean when it comes to umbrellas:
Windproof umbrellas:
Most popular search term hence why so many umbrellas are described as windproof . This term is industry wide and we agree it sounds like the windproof golf umbrella could be used in a storm (wind, rain, lightening etc) however this doesn’t make it “wind proof". It simply means they are suitable for more aggressive weather.
The truth is unfortunately, there isn’t such a thing as a “wind proof” umbrella, although many make claims to this effect. You can of course get reinforced or vented umbrellas which help dissipate the wind through a vent making it harder for them to turn inside out or break.
Storm proof umbrellas:
This term means that if a lightning were to strike the umbrella, due to the materials used the electricity would not conduct through to the user. Usually the material used for storm proof umbrellas is fibreglass.
Wind resistant umbrellas:
Wind resistant simply means that the umbrella will not be damaged if it reverts in strong wind, it will simply pop back into shape.
Jollybrolly offers storm proof umbrellas here: Storm proof Umbrellas - this category includes Blunt umbrellas and our vented Stormshield umbrellas by Fulton.
Our own Jollybrolly brand golf umbrellas are actually storm proof and wind resistant so they’re a good option if you want good protection but you will not risk walking in extreme weather.
To sum up, our windproof golf umbrellas are strong and robust however always use common sense and your own judgement when going out in strong windy weather as even most tech advanced umbrellas like Blunt might not survive a strong gale no matter what the manufacturer claims!
