Auto Open Versus Manual Open Umbrellas
The mechanism decision that quietly sets your replacement rate
Auto open looks like the premium choice and is usually specified without much thought. On a shared-use programme it is often the wrong one, because the spring mechanism is the component most likely to fail and the umbrella is being opened by hundreds of different people.
The Four Mechanisms
Manual open is opened by sliding the runner up the shaft by hand. Auto open uses a spring released by a button. Auto close collapses the canopy on the button. Full auto open and close does both, and is what makes a folding umbrella usable one-handed.
Where Manual Wins
Loan stock, club umbrellas, hotel umbrellas and any high-volume promotional run benefit from manual open. There is no spring to fail, unit cost is lower, and the failure that generates the most complaints simply cannot happen. Our Manual Open Golf Umbrella exists for exactly this reason.
Where Auto Wins
Folding umbrellas carried in a bag genuinely need auto open and close, because the alternative is fighting a three-section shaft one-handed in the rain. That is why our 3 Section model and the UV Silver Coating model both have it. Auto open is also right where staff hand out opened umbrellas at events.
What Auto Close Does Not Do
On a three-section umbrella the button collapses the canopy, but the telescopic sections still have to be pushed down by hand. Every auto close folding umbrella works this way. Buyers who expect the umbrella to retract into its folded length on the button are disappointed, so it is worth stating in your own catalogue copy.
Making The Call
Ask one question: does the same person keep this umbrella? If yes, auto is fine and often better. If the umbrella circulates between many users, specify manual and spend the saving on the frame instead.
The Models Discussed In This Guide
Golf UmbrellaManual Open Golf UmbrellaThe volume golf umbrella: all fibreglass, two sizes, one simple mechanismView specification →Folding Umbrella3 Section Auto Open Close Vented UmbrellaFull auto open and close with a vented double canopy in a 21 inch foldView specification →
Golf UmbrellaAuto Open Double Layer Golf UmbrellaFull fibreglass construction with a vented double canopy in three sizesView specification →Questions On This Topic
Does auto open cost more?
It adds a mechanism, so it adds cost. How much depends on the model and the quantity, and is quoted per order.
Can any model be supplied as manual instead of auto?
Not automatically. The mechanism is part of the construction. Tell us which model and which action you need and we will confirm what is buildable.
Which mechanism fails most often?
In shared use, the auto open spring. That is the whole argument for specifying manual open on loan and giveaway stock.
Put The Question To Someone Who Builds Them
If a specification decision is not clear after reading this, email us with the use case. We would rather answer it now than quote the wrong umbrella.