THE WAVELOCK SUPER NUBROLLI FROM LEEDA Price: Around £ 60
FEATURES
Removable centre pole
Bell cap with integrated guy rope and pegs to easily secure the umbrella and Polythene foam seal between bell cap and cover to increase water resistance
Extra large reinforced deep welded tips
Rib hinge protective cap to prevent damage to cover
Rot-proof cord with welded cleat
User-friendly full hand size runner with push button. Tie-in wires with protective plastic housing
Die-cast top angle joint with improved locator and easy use quick thread system
Integrated anti-slip tilt hand lever
High quality set of ground pegs
Double security high frequency welded tacking to frame
Super Drive solid alloy threaded point for use in all types of ground as well as platforms
Improved specification harder aluminium frame
Spoilt for choice
Having my old umbrella torn to shreds during the last week of the river season has at least allowed me time to have a good look at most of the different brollies currently on sale.
The trouble was, as usual, trying to decide which was best for me.
With such a lot of brollies/shelters on offer at the moment, my first port of call for advice was the FM forum.
Pegging points for increased stability
I wanted something easy to carry and not too heavy, totally waterproof (as you’d expect), quick and easy to erect, stable in any sort of breeze and, if possible, not too expensive.
Lightweight?
I often have to walk a considerable distance to get to my favourite swims and to make things easier, try not to carry too much gear.
Tackle trolleys are out, as are those carp barrow things. Fine if you’re on a water surrounded by a pathway but I have to negotiate fences, stiles, gates and narrow footbridges. If I’m honest, I try to not even take a brolly at all if I can help it, such is my desire to be able to travel light, move from swim to swim with ease and avoid that long trudge back to the car after de-tackling, weighed down by a heavy and cumbersome brolly.
Easy to erect
Nevertheless, as I already mentioned, my old one was now in bits and needed renewing. I figured that if the weather was really bad, I could fish nearer to the car and at least enjoy being comfortable for the duration, even if this meant not being in the best swim!
Lifting the lid off!
Some suggested I look at the Relum Brotel as an alternative to a brolly. It’s a decent bit of kit I know, but having to peg the thing down put me off from the start.
Quality
Finally, after looking at around five different brollies, I decided on the Leeda Wavelok Super Nubrolli. Not cheap at around £ 60 (shop around and you’ll find it at less than that) but better than paying half that price and having to buy another in a couple of years time, so value for money still as far as I was concerned. The relatively heavy weight of this brolly was offset, to a degree, by the fact that it featured some nice extras, so I felt that most of my original criteria for deciding on which brolly to choose were met.
What really clinched the deal was the quality of the outer skin, 210-denier High Tenacity Nylon – really tough and totally waterproof.
Other features include a central pole that can be removed and repositioned tight to the rear of the brolly, increasing the amount of usable space underneath. With the brolly positioned in this way, you can insert the two pegs (supplied) through the two ‘tabs’ or pegging points for increased stability.
If the wind really picks-up, you can release the domed top and access the stout nylon cord and secure the brolly in the usual way. A nice touch that.
MY VERDICT
After four months and although having only used the brolly three times I can report that I have encountered two problems with my brolly.
Firstly, the screw thread fitting which allows the user to re-position the centre pole is a real pain to get ‘started’. Unless you align the pole exactly you’ll end up damaging the screw threads. A little practice helps and remember to have the pole right up against the fabric of the brolly before attempting to screw together.
Room for improvement?
The other problem concerns the attachment of the two “tabs” that allow the user to peg down the rear of the brolly.
After one trip, I inadvertently left one peg in the ground whilst trying to collapse the brolly… result – one torn-off tab.
I feel that a little more thought should be given by the manufacturers to the screw thread problem, perhaps a method by which the pole can be properly aligned before any attempt made to screw together.
The repaired pegging point
The torn-off tab or pegging point was my own stupid fault; although again, I would have expected a much more secure method of fixing to the outer membrane of the brolly.
Perhaps if the tabs were secured to the ends of the ribs instead of the material, this wouldn’t have happened. I’m just glad it didn’t happen during a gale!
Other than these two problems, the brolly is fine; a little reduction in its weight would be of benefit though, as long as its strength wasn’t compromised. Overall, I think that I’ll enjoy many seasons under my new brolly. It ain’t the lightest or the cheapest but it does what I want it to do, and that’s the main thing.
