Anybody tried this kinderzeat knockoff?

[s_gosney]

I saw this on ebay: http://tinyurl.com/2eurhe

Wonder how it measures up? Anybody tried it?

[julieakc]

Wow - it looks exactly like the kinderzeat. It doesn't mention a weight limit, which I would like to know, but other than that it looks great and even the buy it now price is awesome.

[kcimato]

Looks exactly like the Kinderzeat to me too.

[kayte]

I have wondered the same thing, it is so much cheaper. I have visited their site

http://www.hipposmile.com/

The company appears to be Canadian company. They have lots more information on the website. There are no US stores that carry it --just online. I would love to hear form someone who has seen one in person--even better someone who has seen both chairs.


ETA-
I read the feedback on eBay and Amazon. Plus here are a few sites I found reviews.

http://www.tracone.com/shop/us/B000L9NXBI/Hipposmile_Happy_Hippo_High_Chair-Teak.html

http://www.toiletology.com/shop.php?c=013&n=166793011&i=B000L9DI2M&x=Hipposmile_Happy_Hippo_High_Chair_Light_Brown

HTH

[tarynsmum]

It sounds like the one negative review was written by the same person. There aren't very many reviews though, so I wonder...

one of the BBB mamas needs to get one, so we can hear the real scoop!

[juliasmom05]

On the hipposmile website under specifications, it says that the capacity is 300 lbs.

Marci

[curiouzity]

I just received this chair on Friday. I have an older Stokke brought to the States from Europe that I purchased from someone about 1 year ago. The Stokke has the wooden baby bar and is about 16 years old. I use that one for my 2 1/2 year old (almost 3, but haven't used the bar in a long time). I bought the Hipposmile for my 16 month old and I have to say they are identical except the Hipposmile doesn't have the bar and has the harness which the Stokke doesn't. The quality is very good on this new chair. I hesitated to buy sight unseen, but went by the few reviews and I have to say I was not dissappointed at all and my little one is very happy to have his own big boy chair just like his brother's. The used Stokke I paid $90.00 for and this one I won for the $95.00 and then had to pay the shipping. I bought the Teak and it is slightly darker than the Stokke, but very similiar in color except the Stokke had a shiny finish and the new one is a matte finish. I wish I could have used the whitewash since that one is even cheaper, but it wouldn't go in my kitchen. Shipping was fast coming from Canada. I am very pleased with this chair and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a Kinderzeat.

[kcimato]

Thanks for the review.

[kayte]

Fabulous! Thanks for your review!

We are just about to buy a chair and I think I am going to go for the Hippo!

Thanks again!

[katydid1971]

Thanks for the heads up. I wonder when the new colors listed on their website will be available? Super cute. I was thinking I want to get one of these for DS's 2nd b day this summer and this is a great price!!!! Thanks also for the review.

[tarynsmum]

Thanks for the review! I'm going to bookmark the Hippo for later (once DD grows out of her booster)

[Jenn98]

Thanks for the review and welcome to the boards. I hope you post more than just this once!! :)

[curiouzity]

Actually I have lurked here for quite awhile now. I haven't posted about anything, but knew I had to post about this chair. I came on that morning to specifically post about this new chair and saw this thread about it. Having been looking on the boards before I bought it I had been surprised that there weren't any reviews about it before mine. This board has been a wonderful help in many of my purchases for the past 3 years. It has also cost me quite a bit of money, but very well spent. I'm glad I could finally be one of the first to have an opinion on something and hopefully save some money for others.

[martycw]

do you think this seat could be painted?

[JasonsMom]

Does look just like my Kinderzeat. I wonder how they get past the trademark?

[curiouzity]

My chair is stained. The box lists other colors and so does their website-hipposmile.com, but says coming soon. As a do it yourselfer you could sand and or strip the stain and restain, but I wouldn't recommend painting over the stain. You could prime it first with a stain kill primer, but I think the grooves the seat and footrest sit in would get too filled with primer and paint and I think it would tend to chip. I have refinished furniture and for the extra money I would buy a Kinderzeat in the color that you want. By the time you put all of the work into it and materials I don't think it would be worth what you would save by buying this chair instead of a Kinderzeat. You have to remember there are alot of grooves on each chair leg that would have to be stripped or sanded and then finished which is time consuming and tedious. And if sanded the seat and footrest may not sit properly in them after you are finished. If you go to their site there is a number to contact them or an email address maybe they could tell you when their colors will be available.

[juliasmom05]

We took the plunge and ordered the Hipposmile and got it yesterday. Thought I would post in case anyone was considering buying this chair. Although, I can't directly compare it to the Kinderzeat and we have only had it a day :-), I am very impressed with the quality. It is very well built with all the edges being really smooth. No rough or unfinished edges at all. It is a solid and stable piece of furniture. So, I am very happy with the purchase and totally worth the +$50 that we saved.

Best of all, DD is absolutely thrilled with the chair :-).

Marci

[mariza]

I followed in your footsteps and ordered the Hipposmile (I had $48 in "free" money from stuff I sold on Ebay in my Paypal account) I decided to order after the last few crazy days here. DD gets upset when I put DS in her highchair, then she gets upset when I try to put her in...I can't win!
Are you still liking the chair? Did it come assembled or did you have to assemble it yourself? What color did you get?
I got whitewash. Our kitchen table is a pedestal table with a white base and natural top, chairs are also white & natural so I thought it would coordinate ok.
Please give me an update
Mariza
Mommy to my "Thing 1" DD 1/05
and "Thing 2" DS 9/06

[mariza]

I followed in your footsteps and ordered the Hipposmile (I had $48 in "free" money from stuff I sold on Ebay in my Paypal account) I decided to order after the last few crazy days here. DD gets upset when I put DS in her highchair, then she gets upset when I try to put her in...I can't win!
Are you still liking the chair? Did it come assembled or did you have to assemble it yourself? What color did you get?
I got whitewash. Our kitchen table is a pedestal table with a white base and natural top, chairs are also white & natural so I thought it would coordinate ok.
Please give me an update
Mariza
Mommy to my "Thing 1" DD 1/05
and "Thing 2" DS 9/06

[juliasmom05]

Mariza,

I am still liking the chair and best of all DD loves the chair. It came unassembled, but was very easy to put together. It only has 10 screws and connectors (?) to put in with an allen wrench. I think it took about 15 minutes to put together even with me putting two of the pieces on backwards :-). We went with teak. It doesn't really look like the teak table we have downstairs, but it goes nicely with our cherry table. So I'm still pleased. I hope you like yours.

Marci

[juliasmom05]

Mariza,

I am still liking the chair and best of all DD loves the chair. It came unassembled, but was very easy to put together. It only has 10 screws and connectors (?) to put in with an allen wrench. I think it took about 15 minutes to put together even with me putting two of the pieces on backwards :-). We went with teak. It doesn't really look like the teak table we have downstairs, but it goes nicely with our cherry table. So I'm still pleased. I hope you like yours.

Marci

[tg_canada]

>I have wondered the same thing, it is so much cheaper. I have
>visited their site
>
>http://www.hipposmile.com/
>
>The company appears to be Canadian company. They have lots
>more information on the website. There are no US stores that
>carry it --just online. I would love to hear form someone who
>has seen one in person--even better someone who has seen both
>chairs.

What's really funny, is that in Canada you can't buy it online. The only stores they have that carry it are in Ontario, which is a 3 day drive from me! If I wanted to order online, I'd have to order from the U.S. which would just be plain silly. :) I guess I could go through the list of retail stores in Ontario and see if someone would ship it, but that takes time.

I wonder if the Stokke baby rail would work on this chair?

[mariza]

On amazon there is a review from a woman in Hawaii who said she called Hipposmile directly because of having it shipping to Hawaii. I bet they could ship it to you right from the manufacturer.
Can you order it on Ebay like we did?
Here is the Amazon link, it's the 3rd review down:
http://www.amazon.com/Hipposmile-Happy-Hippo-High-Chair/dp/B000L9NXBI/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-2564647-1580602?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1173171203&sr=8-1

Mariza
Mommy to my "Thing 1" DD 1/05
and "Thing 2" DS 9/06

[curiouzity]

The baby rail wouldn't work on this chair unless you cut a groove for it in the upper 2 legs. I have an older European Stokke with the baby rail and the Hippo chair and that is the only difference between them. I honestly only used the baby rail for a short time. My 16 month son sits fine with just the harness on the Hippo. I used a booster for him up until I received the Hippo chair and only used the harness on that since he was an infant. Once you pull the chair up to the table the harness is plenty to keep them on the chair. On the older Stokke it didn't have a harness and I had to add a strap to keep my older son tied into it when I used the baby rail on it.

[tg_canada]

Thanks so much for the info! I decided to go for a Svan since DD is only 6 months old. She isn't eating solids yet, but loves to sit at the table with us. I like that the Svan can hold her in nicely with the infant kit and that she'll have a place for her feet. The HippoSmile is really nice but I really wanted something that works now and later.

[dylansnan]

Correct me if i am wrong, but I think that the new American Tripp-Trapps don't have the groove for the rail, that the new plastic baby bar fits differently than the European version with the wood baby bar. anyone know?