Britax Marathon vs Decathlon vs Radian vs FP Safe Voyage

My DD will be 9 months soon and is long and light (29" 17lbs). With jackets now being used we need to get her out of the SnugRide very soon, as the shoulder straps are completely snug now at the highest setting.

All along we thought we'd be buying a Britax Roundabout for the main car (2006 Nissan Murano) and either another one or something cheaper but still safe for the 2nd car (2000 Toyota Solara). My, how things change after reading up here....


I think the RA is out now, because I realized that DD could grow out of that pretty quick. She'd be too young for a booster at that point, so we'd end up having to buy another convert seat, just a bigger one this time! So the decision for the main car seems to now be either a Britax Marathon or Decathlon. The question is which one to go with. Price doesn't seem to be the only variable here, as I've read pros and cons to both regardless to price, such as:

Adjuster:
MA = lever adjuster (not as easy to use, but DD most likely won't be able to adjust it herself)
DA = push button adjuster (ideally easier to use, but have read complaints about it sticking, and better chance of DD adjusting it herself)

Harness Height Adjuster:
MA = must remove and rethread straps
DA = adjustable knob (seems much easier)

Crotch Strap:
MA = one position
DA = three positions

LATCH Connectors:
MA = two separate straps (not sure which is better!)
DA = single strap (not sure which is better!)

The infant padding isn't an issue (I don't think) as she is past that stage, and the next DC will be in the SnugRide for that stage too. So what are your opinions on the different features and their importance?


Now for the 2nd car... I thought of getting a cheaper convert car seat like the Evenflo Titan to save money (good rating, but skimpy cushioning). But we realized even though my car is the family car, the ratio of car usage is actually pretty close since we share daily daycare duty, probably 60/40% split. That is pretty significant, so we don't want to skimp on the second seat (at least not too much).

There are two other seats that I would consider for the 2nd car. The Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe is one of those. It is a Britax Marathon (right, not a Decathlon?) but stripped down some and therefore much cheaper. It is a shame the 2 colors available for this model are pretty lame. I'm a black and grey (Onyx) guy myself. So the questions for the FP SV are these:
-Should this be considered?
-Are the missing features worth the reduced price?
-And if so, then why not also get this for the primary car too?

The other possible seat I stumbled upon here for the 2nd car is the Sunshine Kids Radian. I had never heard of this seat until browsing this forum. I looked at their website and the seat looks very promising. It seems to have gotten a good response here. Some have said they had installation issues. But other than that, it seems to have every important feature the Britaxes have. Plus, it is thinner and can fold up. I think that is a very cool feature that could come in handy for airplane travel in the future. Convenience is a great thing as long as safety isn't hindered, but I haven't read anything about the Radian's safety record (good or bad). It looks like it might not be as plush as the Britaxes, but not that bad I don't think. Another positive is the price, as they are considerably less than the Britaxes, actually priced similar to the FP SV. The problem is I haven't seen these in any stores, and hate buying things like this sight unseen. I know Target has them online, and I can return to a store if I don't like it. So my questions for the Radian are:
-Is this comparable in safety and features to the Britaxes?
-Any people out there have the Radian and can report pros/cons and what type of cars they used?
-Anyone know of any stores in the Philly/NJ/DE area that carries them in store?
-With the cheaper price and seemingly similar features to the Britaxes, why wouldn't I want this for both cars?


Just to throw another wrinkle in there, should I be considering the Britax Boulevard too? Why or why not?


This forum has been great. I, like the majority of parents out there, would have been ready to turn m DD forward facing at the one year mark for perceived convenience and ability to see/interact with DD. But after reading about this (without even seeking out this info) I am so glad I stumbled upon this issue. We will be keeping her RFing as long as she can based on the seat standards. If you aren't sure why I am mentioning this, do a search on this issue and watch the video comparisons. FYI, I'm not trying to hijack my own thread here! :) If you want more info about this, please search on here about this issue, you'll be glad you did. In the meantime, please help me make an informed decision on which convertible car seats I should buy! Thanks a million!

Take care,

[vickimaggie]

Good for you for doing so much research already!! I wish I had been so informed when I bought my first convertible. We did go with the Roundabout and I wish I had gotten something bigger at the time.

OK so on to your questions. Between the Marathon and Decathalon I would go with the Marathon, but I am actually a big fan of the Boulevards and prefer them to both the Marathon and Decathalon because they have added side impact protection and the harness adjuster knob. You mentioned that the Decathalon had the harness adjuster knob for height and it actually does not, you have to rethread the straps, the only one that has this is the Boulevard. The issue with the harness adjusters sticking on the Decathalons just sounds like a huge PITA and until that is 100% resolved I'd go with the Marathon.

As far as the second car I think the FP Safe Voyage Deluxe would be great! We have one for my Mom's car and its a great seat just missing some bells and whistles. It still installs great and is easy to use. I'm very confident in its safety so I wouldn't hesitate to go that route.

On another note you mentioned your DD is wearing a coat. Just be aware that they aren't supposed to wear anything bulkier than a fleece coat while in their carseat because big bulky coats can compress in an accident and then the harness would be too loose to work properly. So no bulky coats or parkas! You may know this already, but I just thought I'd mention it just in case.

Good Luck on your decision.

[o_mom]

I'm going to repoly with quoting because I want to make sure to address everything here.

>My DD will be 9 months soon and is long and light (29"
>17lbs). With jackets now being used we need to get her out of
>the SnugRide very soon, as the shoulder straps are completely
>snug now at the highest setting.

Have you moved the straps to the second set of loops? On the back where the splitter plate is, the straps will have two sets of loops. Shorter ones for smaller kids, longer ones for the bigger/older kids. Just want to make sure. As long as her head is at least an inch below the top of the plastic shell and she is less than 22 lbs, you can still use the seat. Also, make sure the jacket is thin, like the PP said.

>
>Adjuster:
>MA = lever adjuster (not as easy to use, but DD most likely
>won't be able to adjust it herself)
>DA = push button adjuster (ideally easier to use, but have
>read complaints about it sticking, and better chance of DD
>adjusting it herself)


I'm not sure what you mean by adjusting it herself? Are you talking about her releasing the harness? If so, then reverse these. The DC is impossible for a child to release. The MA is the one that kids occasionally learn to release. I have sent my DC back twice for the adjuster, and they have actually replaced the whole seat now. I wouldn't say the new one is 100% better, but I can at least work with it now.

>Harness Height Adjuster:
>MA = must remove and rethread straps
>DA = adjustable knob (seems much easier)

Both the MA and DC have the same adjustment where you rethread the harness. The Boulevard is the one with the adjustable height knob.

>Crotch Strap:
>MA = one position
>DA = three positions

The DC gives about an inch more room. I find it very nice, but wouldn't be a deal breaker. Most kids will never have a problem with it.

>LATCH Connectors:
>MA = two separate straps (not sure which is better!)
>DA = single strap (not sure which is better!)

I don't think either one is better. I personally prefer the single strap (I have both a MA and a DC), especially for a seatbelt install. Since most cars LATCH only goes to 40 or 48 lbs and cannot be used in the center, there is a good chance you will have to install with the seatbelt at some point.

>
>Now for the 2nd car... I thought of getting a cheaper convert
>car seat like the Evenflo Titan to save money (good rating,
>but skimpy cushioning). But we realized even though my car is
>the family car, the ratio of car usage is actually pretty
>close since we share daily daycare duty, probably 60/40%
>split. That is pretty significant, so we don't want to skimp
>on the second seat (at least not too much).
>

Skip the Titan - it is hard to install and use and all around not a great seat. They were actually going to discontinue it until consumer reports rated it highly. For an inexpensive second seat, the Cosco Scenera is a great seat for the price. Only $40-50, has a has a high back an high harness setting so it will last a long time for the price.

>There are two other seats that I would consider for the 2nd
>car. The Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe is one of those. It
>is a Britax Marathon (right, not a Decathlon?) but stripped
>down some and therefore much cheaper. It is a shame the 2
>colors available for this model are pretty lame. I'm a black
>and grey (Onyx) guy myself. So the questions for the FP SV
>are these:
>-Should this be considered?
>-Are the missing features worth the reduced price?
>-And if so, then why not also get this for the primary car
>too?

This is also a great seat. Some of the things that are missing:

RF tether - For me, this is an important feature, but it is not a deal breaker.

Briax LATCH connectors - these make instalation a breeze, but again, could live without.

55 lb weight limit - not even an issue, since a 95% girl will not reach 55 lbs until age 5 or later.

No built in lockoffs - this one could be a pain, especially for a rear-facing install with a lap-soulder belt. You would probably need a locking clip to prevent tipping.

Overall, any one feature is not a big thing, but put together, I think the MA is worth the extra money for the primary car.


On the color choices, Onyx is not the best on some seats. The center portion is a nylon, kind of plasticky fabric on some models, not the plush like other Britax seats. I think there are only three patterns for the FP seat - Circus Dots, Circus Plaid (Red, black, grey) and the BRU one (brown, tan w/red piping).

>The other possible seat I stumbled upon here for the 2nd car
>is the Sunshine Kids Radian. I had never heard of this seat
>until browsing this forum. I looked at their website and the
>seat looks very promising. It seems to have gotten a good
>response here. Some have said they had installation issues.
>But other than that, it seems to have every important feature
>the Britaxes have. Plus, it is thinner and can fold up. I
>think that is a very cool feature that could come in handy for
>airplane travel in the future. Convenience is a great thing
>as long as safety isn't hindered, but I haven't read anything
>about the Radian's safety record (good or bad). It looks like
>it might not be as plush as the Britaxes, but not that bad I
>don't think. Another positive is the price, as they are
>considerably less than the Britaxes, actually priced similar
>to the FP SV. The problem is I haven't seen these in any
>stores, and hate buying things like this sight unseen. I know
>Target has them online, and I can return to a store if I don't
>like it. So my questions for the Radian are:
>-Is this comparable in safety and features to the Britaxes?
>-Any people out there have the Radian and can report pros/cons
>and what type of cars they used?
>-Anyone know of any stores in the Philly/NJ/DE area that
>carries them in store?
>-With the cheaper price and seemingly similar features to the
>Britaxes, why wouldn't I want this for both cars?

I'm not sure where you can see it. The Right Start has them on their website, so you may call their NJ or PA store and see if they have them in store. I do know that some people do have trouble with seatbelt installations. LATCH installations do not seem to be an issue.

>Just to throw another wrinkle in there, should I be
>considering the Britax Boulevard too? Why or why not?

Well, yes. It has the harness height that adjusts with a knob and the side impact protection wings. If you are getting a full price Marathon, it is not much more to get a Boulevard. The difference is greater compared to a clearance Marathon, though.


HTH! Good Luck!

Thanks for the reply Vicki. It is my curse that I must research everything until I'm blue in the face before making just about any purchase.

Many people have mentioned the SIP of the BV. Isn't that just extra padding for newborns? Like the wings things, that would be removed once DC is at the infant to toddler stage? Or is that (and any other SIP) there permanently and supposed to be used throughout the life of the seat?

As far as the harness adjusters between the MA and DC, I got the info from this forum. Either I'm confusing two things, or I dind't read it correctly. To illustrate my confusion, I'm not totally following something you wrote:

"You mentioned that the Decathalon had the harness adjuster knob for height and it actually does not, you have to rethread the straps, the only one that has this is the Boulevard. The issue with the harness adjusters sticking on the Decathalons just sounds like a huge PITA and until that is 100% resolved I'd go with the Marathon."

If the DC doesn't have a knob, then how does it get stuck? Are you talking about the button for adjusting the straps? I thought the DC has a button and the MA has a lever for adjusting the straps, and the BV also has a knob for adjust the strap height. Please relieve my confusion! (I'll go the Britax website later today after football!) :)

Thanks for mentioning the coat, but yes, I am aware of that issue as well. I remember reading it in the Baby Bargains book. The jackets she's been wearing so far are only jean jackets or sweater zip ups types.

[vickimaggie]

>Many people have mentioned the SIP of the BV. Isn't that just
>extra padding for newborns? Like the wings things, that would
>be removed once DC is at the infant to toddler stage? Or is
>that (and any other SIP) there permanently and supposed to be
>used throughout the life of the seat?

No - the side impact protection is a permanent part of the seat that cannot be removed. If you look at my siggy you can see the black headwings by my daughters head, she's 2.

>As far as the harness adjusters between the MA and DC, I got
>the info from this forum. Either I'm confusing two things, or
>I dind't read it correctly. To illustrate my confusion, I'm
>not totally following something you wrote:
>
>"You mentioned that the Decathalon had the harness adjuster
>knob for height and it actually does not, you have to rethread
>the straps, the only one that has this is the Boulevard. The
>issue with the harness adjusters sticking on the Decathalons
>just sounds like a huge PITA and until that is 100% resolved
>I'd go with the Marathon."

>If the DC doesn't have a knob, then how does it get stuck?
>Are you talking about the button for adjusting the straps? I
>thought the DC has a button and the MA has a lever for
>adjusting the straps, and the BV also has a knob for adjust
>the strap height. Please relieve my confusion! (I'll go the
>Britax website later today after football!) :)

First there is the harness adjuster that adjusts the tension of the harness. All seats have them. On the Marathon and Boulevard there is a lever to release the harness and you pull the strap to tighten. On the Decathalon there is a button you push to release instad of a lever and it is that button that sticks.

The harness adjuster knob that I referred to on the Boulevard adjusts the height of the top of the harness (where it is in relation to your childs shoulders). Both the Decathalon and Marathon (and most other seats) have several slots, once your child gets too tall for one set you have to manually remove the harness and rethread it through the next set of slots. With the Boulevard there is a knob on the side of the seat and when you turn it the top of the harness and the sip headwings move up and down so you never have to remove and rethread the harness.

I hope that clears it up, it is really confusing if you haven't seen the seats in person. If there is one near you, I'd encourage you to go to Babies R Us so you can see all the seats in person, better understand the features and try them out yourself. That's what I always do, then I buy online because its cheaper;) They will even let you take them out to your car and try to install them to make sure they fit if you'd like.

[vickimaggie]

Here's the bigger pic of my daughter in the Boulevard. It shows the SIP better than my siggy http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v3...Anch=imgAnch13

Thanks for replying O Mom. I'm not quite sure what you're talking about with the "2nd set of loops" in the SnugRide. On the back/front there are two sets of slots that the straps can go through. We moved the straps to the second (highest) set of slots months ago. I just looked, there weren't any other loops or slots to speak of. I think we are talking about the same thing though.

Yes, I was talking about DD figuring out how to release the adjuster herself. So is it the lever or the button that kids figure out?

The second car doesn't have LATCH (and will definitely be in the center). So should I be putting more importance on the RF tether? Isn't the tether the safest and/or easiest option?

As far as color goes... I thought the other fabrics looked like they'd be too hot. Now I've read that the Onyx might actually be hotter because cotton breathes better. I didn't realize though that the Onyx would be less plush or cushy though. I just thought the Onyx would look much more sleek in the interior of my Murano. And the FP choices are all too cartoonish!

I asked this of the 1st person to reply also: Are the SIP wings of the BV only for newborns and then removed once they are older? Or do they stay in there throughout the life of the carseat?

Thanks for all the insight.

Does anyone have personal impressions on the Sunshine Kids Radian?

Thanks Vicki, that clears it up. And thanks for the pic!

FYI to you and O Mom, I asked her the same question about the SIP wings as you were replying to me.

[o_mom]

The loops are not the higher slots. It is the actual shoulder straps that have two sets of loops where they attach to the splitter plate, assuming you have a front adjusting model.

Here is a link to the pdf of the Snugride owner's manual.
http://www.gracobaby.com/assets/pdfs.../ISPC089BA.pdf
On page 30 of the manual you can see an illustration of the two sets of loops on the shoulder straps and how to adjust them.

The lever is the one that kids figure out. With the lever style adjuster, they just have to hook a finger under it and then pull with their whole arm to release the straps. The Marathon and Boulevard have this kind of adjuster. With the button style, the angle and the distance they would have to push the button make it impossible for a small child to release it from within the seat. They just won't have the finger strength to push it far enough in at that angle. It is possible that an older child, say 4-5 years could theoretically do it, but at that age they are old enough to know better. It is the 1.5-3 year olds that you really worry about, because they just can't understand that they shouldn't do something like that.

Without LATCH, the rear-facing tether and built in lock-offs will make installation much easier. No pool noodles needed and no locking clip needed.

With the Onyx, I'm not sure which models have the plush and which are the slick fabric, I just know that some are different. The Speedway fabric is similar, with the slick fabric in the center. I have a Denim Roundabout, a Tribecca and Cappucino Decathlon and an Arcadia Grass Marathon. All but the denim are the plush fabrics and I have never noticed any of them being too hot.

The SIP wings on the Boulevard stay in for the life of the seat. They are integrated in the headrest that moves with the straps. They are far enough apart that kids don't even seem to notice them.

I got it! :) Thanks for explaining the strap thing on the SnugRide and showing me in the manual. I never would've thought to look under the seat again. That gives DD some more shoulder/chest room, about 2.5 inches or so. However, she is close to the 1" from top edge limit, so we have to get her out of there regardless.

Thanks also for the comments on the adjuster and LATCH, etc.