Fulton Raining Butterflies Birdcage Umbrella Review
Reviewed by Louise Totton
At the grand old age of 34, I can finally say that I feel like a proper adult. It wasn’t buying my first house or having my two kids that gave me this feeling of grownup-ness. It was finally owning a proper umbrella. Sad but true – I have never been organised enough to actually own an umbrella. I was always the adult walking through town with a Disney Princess umbrella that belongs to one of the kids, or buying a cheap, disposable umbrella in town if I was caught in the rain. The kind that invariably only last a couple of outings before they either blow inside-out, or the spokes bend just because you sneeze in its general direction.
That was until two weeks ago, when I took delivery of my very own ‘posh’ umbrella from Fulton Umbrellas (they supply umbrellas to the Queen, so they must be posh!). As I am not used to actual serious umbrellas, I chose a rather fun, funky and trendy umbrella from their website. The Raining Butterflies Birdcage walking umbrella is absolutely gorgeous. It arrived well packaged, directly from Fulton Umbrellas, and with a light powder coating to stop the plastic umbrella material sticking to itself.
The Raining Butterflies Birdcage umbrella is a long, walking umbrella, meaning it is not the type that can be folded into a handbag. Its clear plastic dome shape is not only very on trend at the moment, it is also incredibly practical and provides excellent visibility. The clear plastic is decorated with a shower of beautifully detailed butterflies that appear to cascade down the dome of the umbrella. They are more densely printed at the top of the umbrella, with fewer appearing towards the bottom, so as not to affect visibility.
The umbrella mechanism is very smooth to operate, and glides up and down in a single, fluid motion. The top, the handle and the spoke ends are all made from the same lovely pink plastic, but a very sturdy and good quality plastic. The deep hook shape of the handle means in can easily be hung on a coat stand or the back of a chair. When in use, it is in a completely different league to the kinds of brollies I have used before. The frame feels rigid but flexible, no doubt down to the fibreglass ribs. It doesn’t feel in any danger of blowing inside out, and I have had the opportunity to take it out in some pretty testing weather.
The most important thing is that I stayed completely dry. The dome shape mean that it protects my face as well as the top of my head from the rain, and the wide coverage (85cm) means that my two daughters can fit underneath it with me too.
I am absolutely delighted with this umbrella. I’m not sure I would ever previously have considered spending £22 on an umbrella, but I have to say that having used it and received lots of admiring comments about it, I think it’s a bit of a bargain, and well worth it just for the feeling of grownup-ness. An umbrella like this is a real treat and a luxury – I think it’d make a wonderful Christmas gift for a lady who already seems to have everything.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £22
For more information or to buy visit www.fultonumbrellas.com.
