Here at GadgetHead we love a world’s first, so we had to get our hands-on e-Motion Umbrella from ShedRain the world's first fully-motorised, rechargeable compact umbrella. Many of you might be wondering if it is really that difficult to open and close an umbrella that we need a motorised version in the world - well yes - if nothing more than to avoid nipping your cold fingertips in the mechanism, my personal pet hate, it is great for people with manoeuvrability issues, situations when your hands are of full of shopping, young children or times when you just don’t want to get your hands wet by pushing it closed.

The e-Motion comes in one classic black with black polka dot design, it is suitable for all occasions, the material has been treated with a Teflon coating to repel the rain water, the spokes are a strong fibreglass and its large 58inch canopy is suitable for two, or one with lots of bags and it has a large handle with a comfortable grip. Due to the inbuilt automatic mechanism the e-Motion is a little heavier than your average manual umbrella, it also comes with its own mains charger which is a bit of a pain, if it had a micro USB port it would work with all the chargers I have at home, work and in the car, rather than having to remember to take the charger with you. However if you do run out of juice you can still open the umbrella manually but it is much stiffer than a regular brolly. As you would expect it is super easy to use, the directional buttons clearly indicate which you need to press to open or close it and it move with a smooth motion, it also comes with an attractive and durable case, with a zip access when it’s not in use. At 38 inches long when not closed you aren’t going to be able to pop it in your pocket or handbag when not in use but it will fit in a larger bag or backpack quite easily. The e-Motion is a great idea and with a slightly more compact design and USB charging port it could be the perfect rainy-day companion. RRP $99

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4.3 out of 5

Pros

Fully motorised open and close

Classic design

Strong construction

One hand operation

Teflon coating

Large canopy

Comfortable hand grip

Cons

Heavy

Long

Not a universal charger