Rebellion against the toddlers: "saldo" tests pocket umbrellas
18.4.2025
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Patrick Vogt
Small, handy, weatherproof - the demands on a pocket umbrella are rather low. And yet, several models in the "saldo" test were unsuccessful. First and foremost the iconic Knirpse.
My favourite thing about pocket umbrellas is when I don't need them. When they're in the side pocket of my rucksack and give me the feeling that I'll always arrive at the office dry.
But which umbrella is useful? The classic Knirps? Or cheaper models? A current test by «saldo» clarifies this.
The dry test conditions
The Swiss consumer magazine sent 14 different pocket umbrellas with and without automatic opening to the testing institute Ipi in Stuttgart for the test. There they were tested according to various criteria with different weightings:
- Protection from rain (60 per cent)
- Resistance and robustness (20 per cent)
- Handling (10 per cent)
- Risk of injury (10 per cent)
The individual grades in these test categories lead to the overall grade according to the Swiss grading scale, from «Very good» to «Poor».
«Räge-, Rägetröpfli, es rägnet uf mis Chöpfli»
When I hear pocket umbrella, I immediately think of Knirps. No wonder, as the German brand has long been synonymous with small umbrellas. This is also reflected at Galaxus. If you search the shop for the best-selling pocket umbrellas, Knirps is omnipresent at the top of the list.
In view of this, I am all the more surprised that the original Knirps umbrellas in the «saldo» tested are not at all convincing. The model from the «US.050 Ultra Light» series fails the test for protection against rain: Score 3.7 and «Unsatisfactory». According to the experts at the Ipi test institute, this umbrella also bends even in medium crosswinds.
Another four pocket umbrellas from other manufacturers had to make do with «Unsatisfactory», whether due to a lack of protection against rain or insufficient resistance and robustness. Among them is the model from the Swiss umbrella manufacturer and Knirps co-owner Strotz.
Even the most expensive toddler fails
The Knirps «T.200» - the most expensive pocket umbrella tested - was completely blown away by the wind. Although it provides sufficient protection from the rain, it received the worst score of 2.3 for resistance and robustness. And so the overall verdict is: «Bad».
The first places
The Reisenthel pocket umbrella won the test: «Good» and a score of 5.1. This model provides good protection against rain and is very windproof, according to the experts in the laboratory. There are deductions for handling and for the fact that you can pinch your fingers relatively easily.
The pocket umbrellas from Ikea, Tchibo and Esprit follow behind. They all received the same score of 4.9 and therefore also scored «Good». You have to open the tested model from Esprit manually, here you can find it with automatic opening.
«Enough» - or ok(ay)
Migros, Happy Rain and Manor landed in the midfield with scores between 4.7 and 4.4. Just like my own pocket umbrella, which I once bought at a railway station kiosk out of sheer necessity. It's from the brand «ok», and the name says it all.
You can find the detailed and paid pocket umbrella test from «saldo» here.
Header image: Shutterstock / jef77
I'm a full-blooded dad and husband, part-time nerd and chicken farmer, cat tamer and animal lover. I would like to know everything and yet I know nothing. I know even less, but I learn something new every day. What I am good at is dealing with words, spoken and written. And I get to prove that here.
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