About two years ago I embarked on an intellectual conquest regarding the state of umbrella technology. Based upon the conclusion I had come to regarding the antiquity of most umbrella designs, I figured it was high time for something better. What I realized is that a simple thing like having a covering from the rain, is a dilemma that our brightest engineers seem to put little effort into. Honestly, the basic umbrella design has to be 250 years old. Other then new materials and some fancy springs, little has changed for 95% of the umbrellas available.
In some countries were it rains often, umbrellas are basically disposable goods. Take Japan for instance. While there I noticed that you can get umbrellas just about everywhere you go. They cost about $4.00 each, clearly a price for a disposable good considering everything else there is so expensive. But for someone like myself… I would be willing to pay a bit for an awesome umbrella, which is one of the reasons I got really excited when I learned about the Senz umbrella while ago.
Senz is based in the Netherlands and developed an umbrella design to do two major things. First, withstand the forces of wind, and second, to address the real way people actually hold umbrellas and maximize coverage. The first thing you’ll notice about the Senz umbrella is it’s unusual shape. This oblong design assists in two ways. First it makes it almost impossible for the umbrella to “flip” due to a high level of wind, and second it all assist in rain coverage. Think about how the normal person hold an umbrella. Unless the canopy is very large, most of their back is exposed, while they have too much front and side coverage. The teardrop shape of the Senz umbrella is much more ideal for water coverage given how people actually hold and use umbrellas.
In addition to that, the Senz provides a high quality of construction from materials to safety features, as well as ergonomics. I like the comfortable looking handles, and the “no poke” edges on the canopy. Somehow, they get the unique design to fold up in a small space. Senz umbrellas come in three sizes; Senz mini, Senz original, and Senz XL.
Overall these are amazing umbrellas in my opinion. Prices are not as high as you would think. They start at about $50 dollars and go up to $80 for the XL. Considering a “designer” umbrella will cost you at least as much, if not more, the Senz umbrellas represent an excellent value. These are certainly not disposable umbrellas, but I think you’d like them enough (along with them being strong enough), to be worth keeping around for a while.
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