Cupbrella from DHDL: The umbrella with cup holder tested

Rain can be so beautiful when we are indulging in our favorite series on the couch in autumn and it patters on the windows from outside. And it can be so terribly annoying when we walk through it in the morning with our smartphone, coffee and umbrella in our hands. When in doubt, we pour the caffeine soup over our bibs while doing the balancing act and the day is over.

At least if our umbrella is not a Cupbrella, because it promises to solve the problem by integrating a cup holder into the handle. Founder Alexander Wolf presents his revolutionary umbrella in the “Lion’s Den” and demands a whopping 60,000 euros for 25 percent of their company shares. You can find out whether one of the lions bites tonight at 8:15 p.m. on Vox. We have that looked at it in more detail beforehand.

The first impression of the umbrella brings mixed feelings. On the one hand, it looks very high quality and well made, which is mainly due to the fiberglass that was installed on the pole and the skeleton of the umbrella. The material is also the reason why the umbrella is very light in the hand. However, there is some disillusionment at the handle of the wide because it is made of hard plastic, which looks a bit cheap compared to the rest of the umbrella.

It’s a shame, of course, that the Cupbrella feels cheap where we touch it, but it remains questionable which material is as flexible as plastic to place a cup holder in and feels better. We would still like to make a comparison: Anyone who buys a luxury car doesn’t want to feel any plastic on the doors, steering wheel, etc. The same applies to which at 30 euros for an umbrella is not cheap either.

Let’s move on to handling the umbrella cup holder. The first thing you notice is that the handle is massive, which is pleasant if your hands are large enough. There are two switches on the handle. One is used to open the umbrella. There’s no big fuss here: just press and the umbrella opens the way we expect and are used to from umbrellas.

There is a sliding device underneath that we have to press down so that the drink holder folds out. In our test, this doesn’t work very well with one hand, which is a shame because it would be quite advantageous to open the cup holder with just one hand.

But that’s not his only weakness. The cup holder consists of two rubber bands that are attached to a foldable plastic part. A clever design in itself. After opening and closing the cup holder several times, the rubber bands got a little tangled, so we had to untangle them with our free hand in order to drape the drink in them. If you fold the cup holder carelessly, you won’t be doing yourself any favors. This is especially true if we simulate a realistic scenario in which we hold the drink in our left hand and the umbrella in our right.

Because then we have to use our left hand to open the cup holder and, if necessary, untangle it. Here it is an advantage if it is a lockable container. With an open plastic beer cup, for example, there is a high risk of spilling the delicious cold drink when opened. Another disadvantage of the umbrella is that we can no longer fully grasp its handle when there is coffee or beer in its cup holder. In the test it was just uncomfortable, but not a major problem. But we don’t want to hold an umbrella like this for longer than 20 to a maximum of 30 minutes. We don’t do that either, as a beer is usually consumed more quickly.

Enough complaining, let’s come to the conclusion. Despite his minor weaknesses, he was able to convince. It is certainly not an umbrella for everyone and yes, it is a bit fiddly to handle. But who is it worth it for? Well, for all people who like to stand in the rain in bad weather with a drink and a snack. What immediately comes to mind are amateur sporting events without covered stands where we have to hold bratwurst, beer and an umbrella. The Cupbrella should also cut a good figure at the Christmas market. You will of course find out whether the deal goes through this evening Vox at 8:15 p.m.

Transparency note: Like Vox, stern is part of RTL Deutschland.