The Self-Defense Umbrella
As reported in Wired, apparently it is really.
It slices watermelons, and beats up the heavy bag.
(The video there is quite nice and sedate, even when he demonstrates the physical sturdiness of the umbrella.)

And no weapon detector will complain

Joel

I liked when he STOOD on the damn thing while it was suspended between the two chairs. He looks to be in the 180 to 200 lbs category.

Add in Eskrima, the Filipino martial art, which uses a stick that's about, hey, the size of those umbrellas!

Wonder if the Gurkhas are going to start carrying them around London. They'd certainly fit in. (Of course, they'd still have their Kukris.).

Played a character with a "John Steed" schtick a while ago, had a brolly like this. It had a sprung dikoted (pre-SR4) blade at the tip, a densiplast handle which had a shotgun shell in it that would fire on contact. The web was bullet"proof".

He never used it. A gun always seemed more appropriate and was definitely more effective with his skill/'ware set.

The melon smashing thing isn't that impressive. I reckon I could achieve it with my current (golfing-sized) brolly. The handle would shear if I gripped it that way, but holding it a bit higher up, it's got the hitting power of a shinai, with steel ribs and a fibreglass central shaft... After brutalising someone with it I'd probably have to throw it away, but hey, it just defended me against a knife... I believe Jo technique would be the most appropriate style I know with a stick that is about 40" and rather fatter and slower than your typical Escrima cane.

Edit: I believe John Steed had a sword concealed in his brolly, a la sword cane, rather than actually using it, furled, much.

I should say you could use it much in the style of Shinai, blunt force is unpleasant to say the least, and its probably quite emasculating to be pounded away on by someone with a brolly

Could be worse. I remember one movie (Wish I could remember it's name) about two spies that had a child, retired, and had an adventure with the baby in tow.

A couple of street punks got their hoops handed to them by Daddy with a folded up baby carriage in one hand, and the kid in the other.

"What are you doing, bringing our child into a knife fight?" "It was a fair fight, there was two of them, there were two of us!"

I vaguely remember that, I'll see if it comes to me

I want one.

undercover blues

Thank you!

Now, to find on DVD!

While Escrima could be used there is so much more style in saying that you use Bartitsu. Technically its meant for walking sticks, but an Umbrella is close enough.

And the main point is:
It's not a weapon, legally - at all. It'st just a very sturdy umbrella.

Like those very sturdy fiberglass walking canes with a stainless steel knob.

And it's not concealed unless you put it under a longcoat. You're holding it openly. Which is entirely legal in a lot of places.

I'd prefer an umbrella that shoots poison gas that turns people into mutant penguins. Or one with a telescopic stock and detachable drum magazine.

What the hell is that umbrella made from? I'm pretty sure that if I hit someone with my umbrella it would break after only a few good strikes.

Have a PC bodyguard with a brolly of doom for his client. Advanced Kevlar cloth and a short sword as the stem.
Looks like he is going to have to upgrade.

Some kind of solid, fibre-reinforved plastics most likely.

That is awesome.

My issue is that it's not really concealed. It's obviously an umbrella of some sort and quite usable for a good bonking. The blade? I don't that it really adds much as the assailants, if they're smart at all, are already accounting for the potential of getting thrashed but the umbrella itself. The good news is that your typical criminal isn't smart but the bad news is that anyone smart will take the potentials afforded by such an item into account.

Good for grannies walking home at night, not so good for 'runners who's assailants will be wondering why they carry that umbrella around...

Because, you know, it might rain.

I'm reminded of Rosmertas umbrella from Black Lagoon - which was some sort of solid slug auto shotgun/elephant gun, with a kevlar fabric - and only looked like an umbrella when closed.

Speaking of umbrellas and such - was anyone else a tad disappointed by the gun-cane in Arsenal being a reprint?
With the whole Sakura Fubuki/MetalStorm thing, I was hoping for a high caliber, high clip semiauto version similar to Pierrot la Fou's (not that it's hard to change - just the reprinted stuff stands out as very dated and mostly crap).

In fact, the Sakura Fubuki was introduced as a single weapon from a new line... just Arsenal doesn't offer any weapons of that line, at all.

Unless you're in Seattle, then it WILL rain!

Anyhow, this is Cyberpunk. It's always raining, and that annoying, sharp rain that stings and doesn't clean a damn thing. Polluted, acid rain at that!

Cyberpunk film is just sci-fi + film noir. Of course there's going to be rain.

My point exactly. Which is why Seattle is so perfect for Shadowrun and Cyberpunk in General.

Vancouver works as well.

From what I've heard, walking around Seattle with an umbrella will make you stick out. The locals just wear hooded jackets.

In Singapore, it's the other way round.

MORTY!

Got the DVD!

This would work great for a human face in negotiatons. Imagine a three peace kevlar suit, hard bowler, telephone shoes, and this umbrella. It just might work fine in a pinch.

I imagine London it'll work just fine also...
Plus as Skipper said, if you're dressed nicely, then the umbrella does not seem out of place at all.