First off congrats on launching PH shop! Just a bit of feedback, my first inclination was to try and find more information on this umbrella somewhere on the page, kind of like how amazon has some really fleshed out product pages. Clicking "website" just takes me to a checkout form. A little hesitant to drop 80 bones based off of a handful of pictures.
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@wuss Agreed, not a lot here to tell me why I should buy an $80 umbrella.
I've been lucky enough to spend the last 12 years at GE Global Research working on a wide variety of technologies that solve important problems for Aviation, Power, and Oil & Gas. In the Composites Design and Analysis Lab where I work, we focus primarily on delivering amazing new composite material technologies for aircraft engines and wind turbines which allow our customers to fly and generate power more efficiently and at lower cost. But I'm only one proud member of a much larger community who creates solutions for what the world needs.
So, why am I here talking about an Umbrella? I was inspired by the way Greig and Blunt approached the problem of terrible weather by using his engineering background and a splash of ingenuity to re-invent the umbrella. Though the applications of aircraft engine fan blades and umbrellas are quite different, it was amazing to see the similarities in the composite material design challenges. In either case, we pursue the lightest possible design that is capable of withstanding events like hail storms, high aerodynamic loads and even large impacts. So because of that shared ethos, we asked Blunt to craft the Octobrella, inspired by our latest video, as a symbol for how we build solutions to whatever the world calls for. To be clear, this isn’t a GE product, but something that allows us to apply our philosophical approach to any challenge.
We are so excited to partner with Product Hunt and help the world’s brightest makers, creators, and technologists--like Blunt--get their products out into the world as fast as they can.
Hello Product Hunt--Greig from Blunt here. We’re humbled to introduce the Octobrella to the PH community today! We wanted to make this product exclusively available for purchase on Product Hunt because we knew your lot would appreciate it most: after all, you spend your time building products too. We’ll be here to answer any questions—especially the nerdy engineering and material related questions.
OMG, hailing from the east coast... I have used (and broken) a LOT of umbrellas. This looks 💯. I am extremely curious about what it's made from... and if it'll be coming in a more compact form in the future @greig_brebner@todd_anderson?
I think this'll make a perfect father's day gift too 🎁 since my dad golf in rain, sleet or snow (literally).
@jsneedles@todd_anderson Hey @jsneedles. These umbrellas are made from carbon ribs, aluminium shaft and high tension pongee polyester to tolerate the unique radial tension system that we have invented. This particular octobrella product in collaboration with GE only comes in our classic street umbrella size - the product we selected for best performance.
Hi @corleyh, I love the opportunity that composite materials provide to enable elegant lightweight solutions for super strong structures - whether they be for next generation aircraft engine fan blades or incredibly long but robust wind turbine blades – and how that impacts overall energy efficiency and lower cost renewable power. My interest in composites actually began as a kid… where I was tinkering, modifying (and repairing!) my own wood/composite snowboards and bike parts. Aerospace composites were a logical next step as it provided a great opportunity to push the boundaries of composite design. Though those applications may all seem quite different, the design challenges are similar, where the focus is on finding a balance of strength, stiffness and weight to provide an ideal solution. The GE fan blade is a great example, with the details of that history here: http://www.gereports.com/the-art...
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Very innovative & inspirational product!
Here is where hail storms occur most and where you may see a surge in sales as your great tech will the save lives of people caught in hail storms!:
Hail occurs most frequently within continental interiors at mid-latitudes and is less common in the tropics, despite a much higher frequency of thunderstorms than in the mid-latitudes.
Hail is also much more common along mountain ranges because mountains force horizontal winds upwards (known as orographic lifting), thereby intensifying the updrafts within thunderstorms and making hail more likely.
The higher elevations also result in there being less time available for hail to melt before reaching the ground. One of the more common regions for large hail is across mountainous northern India, which reported one of the highest hail-related death tolls on record in 1888.
China also experiences significant hailstorms
Central Europe and southern Australia also experience a lot of hailstorms.
Popular regions for hailstorms are southern and western Germany, northern and eastern France and southern and eastern Benelux. In south-eastern Europe, Croatia and Serbia experience frequent occurrences of hail.
In North America, hail is most common in the area where Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming meet, known as "Hail Alley".
Hail in this region occurs between the months of March and October during the afternoon and evening hours, with the bulk of the occurrences from May through September. Cheyenne, Wyoming is North America's most hail-prone city with an average of nine to ten hailstorms per season
As per: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail
I really hope to see your product do some beneficial impact on this issue!
Thanks for reading & please discuss!
Jaswinder Brar
@jay_bee12345 thank you for the intel, this is awesome. Sounds like we need to get some Octobrellas to Cheyenne, Wyoming asap. Check out the following link with some hail storm testing we simulated
I've been thinking about moving to Chicago, but no matter what I sure visit often enough! This umbrella is the perfect solution to the crazy weather that I'm sure to face.
@katesegrin thanks for your comment. This umbrella was created with cities like Chicago in mind. In New Zealand our testing ground is Wellington which receives similar crazy weather to the Windy City!
Gulp
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Octobrella by GE + BLUNT
Octobrella by GE + BLUNT
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Octobrella by GE + BLUNT
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Octobrella by GE + BLUNT
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Octobrella by GE + BLUNT
Octobrella by GE + BLUNT
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Octobrella by GE + BLUNT