Nubrella Hands Free Umbrella

If you look at my hundreds of reviews you will see that I rarely write one star reviews. That is because I generally avoid products like this. However, my wife saw this on Shark Tank and ordered not one but two because she was convinced how great this would be. She was dead wrong. Here is why:

1. This product comes with minimalist instructions that do not tell you how to properly position it so you are not being hit in the head while you are wearing it. Amazingly, the company's website has no such information either. Hmmm. That made me suspicious. Eventually I did find a You Tube demo, but even when "properly adjusted" this still grazed my head and was not comfortable to wear. No wonder there is nothing on the website.

2. I tried this in a driving rain storm after I adjusted it. While it did keep my head and shoulders dry, my pants got soaked, which does not happen with a regular umbrella because when you hold it over your head, it does more than just protect your head and shoulders. In addition, visibility was nonexistent. It was like driving your car in a rainstorm with no windshield wipers on. In addition, while this is hands free, the trade off is that the handle is pressed into your stomach for support. Not very comfortable when walking.

3. If you open this in the house before you go outside, good luck fitting through the doorway. I barely made it.

4. My wife was led to believe that this would be great for bicycle riding and running in the rain. No way. I tried each, and it was virtually impossible to do either because with such vigorous movement this kept bumping into my head, and the handle kept pressing into my stomach. And of course I also could not see where I was going.

5. This is not something that you can easily stow on a crowded train or bus, and I seriously doubt that airport security would let you bring this on a plane. This is also not something that I would want to bring into a business meeting.

Bottom line: This product is expensive, cumbersome, and does not work as well as a regular umbrella to provide maximum protection. Hands free is nice--but not when I am getting soaked from the waist down, can't see where I am going, and have a handle being driven into my stomach. There is no way I would recommend it. I have read the positive review, and can say only that I vigorously disagree.

IMPORTANT: Getting a refund from this company is not simple. I returned the product via UPS with a cover letter including my cell phone and email address, but heard nothing. I then managed to speak to someone at the phone number listed on the website, and was promised a refund. However the company deducted over 25% of my purchase price for shipping (even though I paid shipping to return it) plus a restocking fee (none of which was mentioned at the time of purchase). These are the kind of companies that I try to avoid no matter what they sell. Fortunately after I disputed these deductions, my credit card company issued a full credit.

Update June 1, 2012: This product is no longer listed on Amazon. Out of curiosity I looked at the website to see if there were ANY positive testimonials from customers. You guessed it--not a single one! In fact there are NO customer testimonials of any kind. Just some slick infomercial style videos. That pretty much tells you what kind of product you are dealing with.

I've used this twice in the rain, and here's my review so far.

Ease of Use:

The Nubrella website (at the time of this review) doesn't clearly demonstrate HOW to wear it. In a TV interview, the inventor explains that the straps from the back go under your arms to lock the Nubrella into place.

It takes some getting used to. It didn't rain for almost a month after I received mine, so I wore it inside a lot to get a feel for the fit -- and to shoot and share pics. I immediately noticed two issues:

The fit - It rested on my head until I contacted Nubrella, and was informed about the strap placement (read above).

It collapsed - As soon as I began to walk, the handle in the front banged against my body, causing the Nubrella to collapse. I felt that there should be a locking mechanism.

But after adjusting the straps, then properly placing my arms in with the secondary straps (from the rear) underneath my arm pits, and the upper straps (with fabric/padding) on top of my shoulders, it finally fit properly.

So after a long wait, it finally rained!

Test One: Night/Light Rain/Times Square (NYC) heading West
I could not SEE well. Visibility at night lacked due to the raindrops sticking to the plastic. I got bumped into by one person, but that would have happened with my full-sized umbrella anyway, which is much less streamlined. I also had a backpack on which always gets soaked in the rain, but this time it remained dry!

Test One Conclusion -
Pros: My backpack stayed dry
Cons: I couldn't see well at night

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Test Two: Afternoon/Heavier Rain
This time I took my time and made sure that I was wearing the Nubrella properly. I walked around with it indoors, and it did NOT collapse. Good. Now the real test.

I went to the grocery store. You have to take time to put it on right. Once on, it's great. This time I could see clearly, as it was daytime. At a pedestrian light, I stopped and used my iPhone, which stayed completely dry under the Nubrella. Headphone use is also better/safer.

There were a few circumstances where in order to avoid puddles, I needed to fit between some tight spots. With a normal umbrella, I'd tilt or collapse it. The Nubrella has to be removed, as it IS something you WEAR. So that was inconvenient, but not a deal breaker.

The Nubrella allowed me to carry groceries with both hands. When I arrived at a corner that's always windy, I only noticed the wind because I saw someone else's umbrella blowing around. That's the corner where with my normal umbrella, I collapse it and get soaked or fight with it, despite it being one of those 'wind resistant' umbrellas.

As a New Yorker, I was a little put off by the fact that I had to walk SLOWER than normal with the Nubrella. It could be due to an improper fit (by my error, not Nubrella's), but if I walked at my normal fast speed that day, the Nubrella would bounce around a lot. When I walked slow (or what is probably a normal pace in other parts of the world), it was fine.

One of the straps kept falling down like a bra strap. I had to constantly re-adjust it. Any one-size-fits-all contraptions will not fit everyone perfectly. However, Nubrella is very quick to respond and sent new straps to me. I have yet to test it with those new straps, as once again, it just hasn't rained much in NYC.

The humiliation factor is what some worry about. Well, I can't lie and say I didn't notice people staring, but since I'm an adult -- who cares?! One guy loved it. A kid looked in awe. What matters to me is that I am kept drier than I would be with a normal umbrella, and I am. The Nubrella is also more streamlined, so it wasn't in the way. In the midst of a very crowded NYC street, I think any umbrella's in the way, so at that point I may wear a hooded jacket or get bumped around as I did in test one. But I'd rather get bumped than accidentally poke someone with a normal umbrella.

The final part is that the Nubrella opens wide so that it can drip dry easily in an open space.

Visibility from the rear was an issue simply because I chose the black one. If you buy this for biking or any related transportation purpose, you may opt for the clear one.

Test Two Conclusion -
Pros: Once it fits, it works. It kept me drier and warmer than a regular umbrella would have. I could use my iPhone under it. The company (inventor) is VERY responsive.
Cons: You can't quickly collapse it when you come upon something that it won't fit past. I suggest the clear one, as the ones with fabric in the rear obstruct your view.

Further testing in different weather conditions will determine my future updates to this review, but so far, so good. I actually look forward to stormy weather now!

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Test Three: Afternoon/Very heavy rain/Crowded weekday in NYC

This is likely my final review. It rained very hard this week, so I used my Nubrella, joyfully. In fact, I ran an errand that could have waited JUST to test it. This time I had the new adjusted straps from Nubrella. It worked perfectly. In fact, a co-worker saw mine, tried it, and ordered two!

I cannot imagine using any other umbrella in heavy rain. I have given this umbrella 5 well-deserved stars.

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Minus one star (Feb. 23, 2013) because after having owned it for years now, I find myself not using it that often due to the strap fit. The key benefit of this umbrella is that it's hands-free, but I find myself always using one hand to adjust the straps despite having the new straps that they released. It's very challenging to adjust those straps to a perfect fit. While walking the straps slip constantly, and when wearing a jacket it just doesn't fit (me) at all without a strap re-adjustment. I really wish the company could remedy that by addressing the fit because I believe in this product and stand by my earlier positive reviews. However, I want to simply put it on and go. The lack of the ability to do that makes me more prone to just grab my regular umbrella during normal rain. But again, during torrential rain, I do prefer the Nubrella.

Worst purchase I have made in years. Returned one of two and had to file complaint with my CC company to get refund. Would not return calls, could not get Nubrella to work and was totally disappointed. Have receipt they received product back but from that date have not got them to return a call, email or text. Real bad experience.
The directions included were not of any help, it showed you how to open and close the Nubrella but not how to adjust it. We never could get it adjusted and only thing they would say was to tighten strap 4" which did no good. No directions on putting the Nubrella back into the bag and that was a major chore. I tore my bag the first time I tried to put it back. Only goes one way I guess and I don't know if we ever really found that way.
Bought two and tried to be fair by only returning one because of the torn bag and I tried to get one to work. Have never used it and probably will never be able to. Wanted one for a wheelchair person but that was totally out of reality.
Oh Hum real bad experience.