Official Umbrella aficionados thread

[jonathanS]

Are Maglia solid stick umbrellas ($400-$450) noticeably better in terms of construction, materials, and finish compared to a nice but more affordable option, like Kent Wang’s tiger hickory umbrellas?

In other words: are you getting more than just the luxury nameplate when you buy a Maglia?

Anyone know the price of Maglias in Milan? Thinking of stopping by.

 

[TimothyF]

no idea about kent wang.

ive had maglia. remained unused, sold it when i found out they use chinese frames and have done for twenty years.

the ins and outs of value are many and varied. they’ll be bespoke, essentially, to some extent. they’re handmade. nice enough fabric. quite stylish.

for me, truth remains that i don’t like how some qualities are over emphasised and others downplayed or hidden. they’re a lot of money, and once things look illogically expensive, onus is on manufacturer to not spin but explain.

Could you elaborate (or link to something that already exists) more on Chinese frames vs. English/European made ones? Heard about this before and would love to learn more objective facts about it so consumers can make more educated assessments of what these makers offer. Thanks!

 

[logboy]

Could you elaborate (or link to something that already exists) more on Chinese frames vs. English/European made ones? Heard about this before and would love to learn more objective facts about it so consumers can make more educated assessments of what these makers offer. Thanks!

i’m english, so british steel is something i somewhat naturally use as my benchmark. there were british steel umbrella frames until around the time maglia switched to chinese. some high end makers use old stock frames of high quality; heurtault does.

other than this, most mass produced cheap umbrellas will be chinese manufacture. if i’m paying a lot of money, i see no more explanation than they’re using chinese parts, i can only tar them with the same brush. if you ask questions of makers, you’ll get evasive and selective answers, if you’re lucky. i’ve tried with english makers like brigg, fox and one or two others iirc.

why pay a fortune when you don’t have to, and it’s not necessarily any better? it’s another failing of how items with a high asking price are not fully described.

 

[Lucy J]

Are Maglia solid stick umbrellas ($400-$450) noticeably better in terms of construction, materials, and finish compared to a nice but more affordable option, like Kent Wang’s tiger hickory umbrellas?

In other words: are you getting more than just the luxury nameplate when you buy a Maglia?

I've had a Maglia solid stick (navy with red zigzag stripes), which was a present from a client, for about 8 years. I try not to use it in severe weather, but over those years there have been a few times when the weather has turned and I've found myself in storm conditions with the Maglia. It's never blown inside out on me - even though the wind has caught under it a few times I've always been able to get it under control and close it before it's been damaged.... but I still wouldn't deliberately take it out as my go-to brolly if it's really blowing...

 

[TimothyF]

i’m english, so british steel is something i somewhat naturally use as my benchmark. there were british steel umbrella frames until around the time maglia switched to chinese. some high end makers use old stock frames of high quality; heurtault does.

other than this, most mass produced cheap umbrellas will be chinese manufacture. if i’m paying a lot of money, i see no more explanation than they’re using chinese parts, i can only tar them with the same brush. if you ask questions of makers, you’ll get evasive and selective answers, if you’re lucky. i’ve tried with english makers like brigg, fox and one or two others iirc.

why pay a fortune when you don’t have to, and it’s not necessarily any better? it’s another failing of how items with a high asking price are not fully described.

Thank you for the write up. I agree the circumstantial evidence is strong that Chinese steel is weaker than British steel (writ large) due to the makers' evasion. But fair to say little to none direct evidence that British is better than Chinese steel frames? Or that there could be higher and lower-end Chinese frames, and (hopefully) the quality makers are selecting higher-end, which (hopefully again) may rival or beat the British steel

Also are there any British umbrella frames being made currently? Otherwise we are relying on this tiny pool of NOS, which will dry up soon

I've had a Maglia solid stick (navy with red zigzag stripes), which was a present from a client, for about 8 years. I try not to use it in severe weather, but over those years there have been a few times when the weather has turned and I've found myself in storm conditions with the Maglia. It's never blown inside out on me - even though the wind has caught under it a few times I've always been able to get it under control and close it before it's been damaged.... but I still wouldn't deliberately take it out as my go-to brolly if it's really blowing...

When you consider the strongest umbrellas you have/know of, are they the solid sticks, or some type which sacrifices looks for more industrial strength?

 

[logboy]

Thank you for the write up. I agree the circumstantial evidence is strong that Chinese steel is weaker than British steel (writ large) due to the makers' evasion. But fair to say little to none direct evidence that British is better than Chinese steel frames? Or that there could be higher and lower-end Chinese frames, and (hopefully) the quality makers are selecting higher-end, which (hopefully again) may rival or beat the British steel

Also are there any British umbrella frames being made currently? Otherwise we are relying on this tiny pool of NOS, which will dry up soon

cheap Chinese steel is considered to have all but destroyed the british steel industry. The evidence would be within press reports and other such evidence I’m unlikely to look for or keep track of.

Afaik, there are no British steel frames as of 20 years ago, as I’ve said already.

Stock of old quality frames are there, but to what extent I do not know. Their usage and rarity will be reflected in part of the price for heurtault and others that may use them.

I do not know who (if anyone) has British frames stocked. I believe heurtault has Japanese and maybe Italian or French ones.

 

[clee1982]

Think the guy is asking is there some test out that actually shows there are no Chinese frame out there that’s as good or better than the old British frame

 

[logboy]

Think the guy is asking is there some test out that actually shows there are no Chinese frame out there that’s as good or better than the old British frame

there is no test.

cheap crap chinese steel has destroyed competing comparable industries across the world iirc.

my point is somewhat general - if they won't be detailed and open about what you're getting, put a pin in it until you check elsewhere.

afaik, only heurtault manages to properly and openly describe the qualities of the frames they use.

heurtault are just spectacular to handle, beyond any possible expectation i could have had, but .... their packaging / handling of the product, prevention of damage (frame on stick), and poor customer service were big issues for me personally.

i've looked at many makers, and tried to ask questions of the handful that most appeal to me. it didn't take long to find obfuscation and spin, resistance. i like english solid stick umbrellas the most, but there are lots out there across the world if you go looking for them.

 

[Lucy J]

Thank you for the write up. I agree the circumstantial evidence is strong that Chinese steel is weaker than British steel (writ large) due to the makers' evasion. But fair to say little to none direct evidence that British is better than Chinese steel frames? Or that there could be higher and lower-end Chinese frames, and (hopefully) the quality makers are selecting higher-end, which (hopefully again) may rival or beat the British steel

Also are there any British umbrella frames being made currently? Otherwise we are relying on this tiny pool of NOS, which will dry up soon



When you consider the strongest umbrellas you have/know of, are they the solid sticks, or some type which sacrifices looks for more industrial strength?

First up - no umbrella is indestructible. In a battle between stormy wind and an umbrella, eventually the wind will always win.

Second - the bigger the umbrella, the more strength it takes to keep hold of it when the wind starts blowing. Some days (don't forget I'm a girl!) I choose to take a walking length umbrella rather than a golf brolly because I think I have a better chance of keeping the walking brolly under control. Of course I'm discounting folding brollies because generally they are just too weak to handle anything more than a medium breeze. Living in a place like Brighton (which was a real umbrella graveyard today) you get to learn how big a brolly you can keep control of in different wind strengths.

That said, I've been very happy with my high-end umbrellas (2 Brigg walkers and 2 Brigg golfers, one solid stick Fox, one Maglia, two Longchamp solid stick walkers and a "swiss frame" walking umbrella from James Smith and sons in London)(James Smith don't do the Swiss frame any more but it's 10 ribs and when I bought it, the guy in the shop said it was the strongest frame they had ever seen). If you asked me to choose which brolly I would stake my life on in a storm (and assuming I could keep hold of it in the wind) I'd go for a Brigg golf brolly. The thick metal shaft and the double ribs give it extra resistance. Among the non-golfers I'd say they are all pretty much the same with maybe the Fox being the sturdiest. Don't forget that when a brolly is damaged it's usually the frame rather than the shaft which fails, although I do know a couple of girls who have had metal-shafted Fox walking length brollies where, when the brolly has blown out in storm condition, the metal shaft of the brolly has also been badly bent as a result of the wind beating the umbrella cover whilst it was inside out.

If you want a cheaper golf brolly that you are more prepared to risk in high winds then I also have a 68 inch Gustbuster - costs about £50. It's much more flexible than the metal-ribbed umbrellas because the frame is fibreglass, plus it has wind-resistant vents which try to let the wind out so that the brolly doesn't blow out. These work some of the time but my Gustbuster has been inside out dozens of times. The good thing is that it hasn't broken whereas a metal-ribbed brolly may well break if it gets blown out....

Thats quite an essay but I hope it helps based on nearly 20 years fighting (and inevitably losing the battle against) the weather in Brighton

lucy

 

[coloRLOw]

get a zegna couture solid

made in italy, but not Maglia or Talarico i think because the details are no match.

anyone know its maker? hope it is not pasotti which i have bad experience.

below are Maglia and Talarico

nails are different too

 

[jonathanS]

get a zegna couture solid
View attachment 2077553
View attachment 2077555

made in italy, but not Maglia or Talarico i think because the details are no match.

anyone know its maker? hope it is not pasotti which i have bad experience.
View attachment 2077557

below are Maglia and Talarico
View attachment 2077559
View attachment 2077561

nails are different too
View attachment 2077563
View attachment 2077565

I don’t have my Maglias in front of me. But my guess would be maglia given their location & proximity to Zegna in north Italy. I think we’d need more photos comparing side by side.

But my initial guess would start with maglia & go from there.

 

[Scuppers]

First up - no umbrella is indestructible. In a battle between stormy wind and an umbrella, eventually the wind will always win.

Second - the bigger the umbrella, the more strength it takes to keep hold of it when the wind starts blowing. Some days (don't forget I'm a girl!) I choose to take a walking length umbrella rather than a golf brolly because I think I have a better chance of keeping the walking brolly under control. Of course I'm discounting folding brollies because generally they are just too weak to handle anything more than a medium breeze. Living in a place like Brighton (which was a real umbrella graveyard today) you get to learn how big a brolly you can keep control of in different wind strengths.

That said, I've been very happy with my high-end umbrellas (2 Brigg walkers and 2 Brigg golfers, one solid stick Fox, one Maglia, two Longchamp solid stick walkers and a "swiss frame" walking umbrella from James Smith and sons in London)(James Smith don't do the Swiss frame any more but it's 10 ribs and when I bought it, the guy in the shop said it was the strongest frame they had ever seen). If you asked me to choose which brolly I would stake my life on in a storm (and assuming I could keep hold of it in the wind) I'd go for a Brigg golf brolly. The thick metal shaft and the double ribs give it extra resistance. Among the non-golfers I'd say they are all pretty much the same with maybe the Fox being the sturdiest. Don't forget that when a brolly is damaged it's usually the frame rather than the shaft which fails, although I do know a couple of girls who have had metal-shafted Fox walking length brollies where, when the brolly has blown out in storm condition, the metal shaft of the brolly has also been badly bent as a result of the wind beating the umbrella cover whilst it was inside out.

If you want a cheaper golf brolly that you are more prepared to risk in high winds then I also have a 68 inch Gustbuster - costs about £50. It's much more flexible than the metal-ribbed umbrellas because the frame is fibreglass, plus it has wind-resistant vents which try to let the wind out so that the brolly doesn't blow out. These work some of the time but my Gustbuster has been inside out dozens of times. The good thing is that it hasn't broken whereas a metal-ribbed brolly may well break if it gets blown out....

Thats quite an essay but I hope it helps based on nearly 20 years fighting (and inevitably losing the battle against) the weather in Brighton

lucy

Brighton sounds exciting!
Moving to Mayfair in February, may drop down to exercise my umbrellas!

 

[DorianGreen]

i’m english, so british steel is something i somewhat naturally use as my benchmark. there were british steel umbrella frames until around the time maglia switched to chinese. some high end makers use old stock frames of high quality; heurtault does.

other than this, most mass produced cheap umbrellas will be chinese manufacture. if i’m paying a lot of money, i see no more explanation than they’re using chinese parts, i can only tar them with the same brush. if you ask questions of makers, you’ll get evasive and selective answers, if you’re lucky. i’ve tried with english makers like brigg, fox and one or two others iirc.

why pay a fortune when you don’t have to, and it’s not necessarily any better? it’s another failing of how items with a high asking price are not fully described.

I never heard of Hertault before, it seems that they make great umbrellas. Considering to commission one to them.

 

[logboy]

I never heard of Hertault before, it seems that they make great umbrellas. Considering to commission one to them.

nothing could have prepared me for how well judged heurtault feel to hold - hard to explain.

i will give my warning though : be very sure of having set every criteria you can as clearly as possible. the horn tip colour, the canopy material and colour, the stick if possible, and so on. they're all things they may or may not remember to be sure you're absolutely happy with.

also, demand, without hesitation, the stick be securely and completely protected from the metal frame (especially tips) during making and shipping.

don't hesitate to return it if they get something wrong or it arrives damaged.

mine did, it took moments to decide to not accept it. it was only their indifference to my disatisfaction and quick dismissal of having messed up that stopped it going further.

i would buy one if a heartbeat if the attention to detail was in those aspects, and the customer service, as the skill in every other department is quite breathtaking to me.

 

[DorianGreen]

nothing could have prepared me for how well judged heurtault feel to hold - hard to explain.

i will give my warning though : be very sure of having set every criteria you can as clearly as possible. the horn tip colour, the canopy material and colour, the stick if possible, and so on. they're all things they may or may not remember to be sure you're absolutely happy with.

also, demand, without hesitation, the stick be securely and completely protected from the metal frame (especially tips) during making and shipping.

don't hesitate to return it if they get something wrong or it arrives damaged.

mine did, it took moments to decide to not accept it. it was only their indifference to my disatisfaction and quick dismissal of having messed up that stopped it going further.

i would buy one if a heartbeat if the attention to detail was in those aspects, and the customer service, as the skill in every other department is quite breathtaking to me.

Now I'm perplexed, not very encouraging, what you say.