Evenflo Triumph vs Britax Roundabout

[stayathomemom]

I am looking to get a new car seat for my 7 month old daughter. I was considering the triumph or the roundabout. I saw that some people recommended the roundabout without the latch to save a few dollars. I was curious if anyone has any experience with the triumph and how they feel it compares to the britax. You hear so much about how much safer the Britax is compared to other seats. The Evenflo seems to have similar features. I had been casually looking at various seats and am now out of time. My daughter is too long for her infant seat.
Thanks for the advice.

[Momof3Labs]

I'd recommend doing some searches on the board - there is a lot of information in the history about the Triumph and Roundabout, and you can see a lot of parents singing the praises of the Roundabout!

Personally, I didn't even look at other car seats. Yes, the Britax is expensive, but considering that we will be using it umteen times a day for the next several years, it doesn't seem worth it to try to save a few bucks and sacrifice comfort and convenience. Plus, we plan to have a second baby, so we'll use the seat for a few more years!

Lori & Colin 9/28/02

P.S. I'm jealous that you got 7 months out of the infant seat! Colin is 26" at 3 months, so we have another two months (maybe) in our FP SIV (29" limit), but we'd be out of most infant seats by now!

[joodyjr]

Britax isn't necessarily the safest seat. Any seat that is installed correctly is safe. Britax is what it is because the manufacturers pay alot of attention to small details. That's why they are so pricey. Convenience features that make a big difference. Like the previous post, I didn't really bother checking other seats. At least not until I had to find a secondary seat. Then I looked into other seats. I really liked the Triumph and almost got it for DH's truck, but Britax was offering a discontinued seat (King) for $120. I couldn't pass it up.

I have to buckle a child into a seat several times a day, I'm going to at least be able to do it with ease. Plus Britax seats offer more cushion than the majority of seats out there. On a long car ride, that could make a big difference.

I really think between these two seats, it comes down to price. If you've got $200 that you can spend on a car seat, than get the Roundabout. Otherwise the Triumph is a good second choice.

[Tondi G]

BUY the Britax!!! I went for the FP Safe Embrace because they were discontinued and at a great price when I needed a convertible cause DS was outgrowing the Infant seat. We figured it was good enough and didn't get around to getting the britax we had planned on. When I found that the non-latch RA was discounted at the right start I jumped on it... just picked it up today... the last Cow print seat cover left in my local stores (the website has 4 or 5 patterns, cow,big cat,sandstone, denim and one other?)... I am so glad I went for it cause at 139.99+tax = 151 bucks it really can't be beat! When we decide to go for #2 I know he or she will have a comfortable / safe / easy to use converible from the start! Don't get me wrong our current seat is good but the RA is so much more cushioned... our FPSE only has cushioning in the seat cover under his butt and I didn't really think anything of it till I noticed how DS would slouch and squirm trying to get comfortable after a short distance in the car (compared to the seats we sit in his feels like a rock!). I'm hoping he'll be more comfortable in the RA and be able to drive longer than 45 minutes before he gets crabby with the padding the RA offers.... I have yet to use it but so look forward to it. I think he's really going to enjoy the seat... not only does it seem more comfortable but it's also higher up so he'll be able to see out the window much better!

Good Luck on your decision.... honestly if you think about it... it's worth getting the best seat you can buy... for your childs comfort and safety... they do spend an awful lot of time in the car!

~Tondi and Mason 7/8/01!

[stayathomemom]

I too just went and bought the roundabout from The Right Start. It seemed like a great deal. My current car doesn't have a latch system. My husband worried that when we get a new car, we will wish we had the latch.

Does anyone have any experience with installing non-latch Britax? That was the one selling point that had him looking at the evenflo triumph.

[SASM]

Here's my two cents...

I have not had my baby yet so I cannot comment on both seats from using them. I bought a Roundabout due to the praises it received from the posts, the Fields, and Toby. I am really looking forward to using it. Note: I have not tried installing or using it yet.

That being said, I will say something for the Triumph. It is a seat that is highly regarded by New York State. The State gives out a lot of these car seats through several programs. I do not believe that the State would give out a below-par car seat. When I played with it, it was extremely easy to adjust the straps, change the harness settings, and reposition from rear- to forward-facing. I was also impressed with how the State stands behind the seat for use with a newborn above 5 pounds! I am glad that we will have this in our second car :-)

I hope this helps.

Sharyn
EDD #1 01.21.03
(2 weeks to go!!)

[joodyjr]

I have installed 3 Britax seats in two different vehicles.. super solid fit! They are super easy to install. 1 rear facing, two forward facing.

[VA Mom of 1]

I have some advice on this topic. I have a 6 mo old son who outgrew his infant seat a month ago. I did ALOT of research looking for the best carseat for my car and 2nd/3rd (and hopefully cheaper) options for my husbands' and mother's cars. After all the shopping around, I decided on a Britax RA (latch-even though my current car isn't latch-ready) for my car (as my baby's in my car 99% of the time)...it really is safer, especially if you have the seat positioned on one of the sides of the back seat instead of the middle (the middle was not an option anymore in my Volvo with a seat that big). The sides of the seat have EPS foam for any side-impact crashes...other seats don't typically have that. The Evenflo Triumph 5 did also have the side-EPS, however, and that made my decision for me for the 2nd and 3rd seats...big mistake. I've used the Triumphs for over a month now and absolutely hate them. I can't wait to return them to BRU. They are so difficult to strap my baby in, especially now in the winter when he wears different thickness of clothing/jackets depending on the weather each day. The shoulder straps a doubled over, so you have to adjust the under-layered strap and the top-layer strap so they are of equal length...what a pain and so time consuming... especially when it's freezing outside and you've got the car door open trying to buckled in your poor frozen child! Anyway, as others mentioned (and thanks for the tip), some Zany Brainy and Right Start stores are closing and have the Britax RA (non-latch) for an incredible price of $97.99. I just went there today and bought 3 of them for less than $300. I will be returning my $230 latch RA and both $120 Evenflo Triumph 5's to BRU. I've now got 3 great, safe seats for a low, low price. And, for that price I didn't mind sacrificing the latch on my car seat (even though we're ready to buy a new car that's latch-ready). But, honestly, I never take my car seat out anyway. We've been successfully using the RA with the seatbelt attachment so far and it's so snug. The latch is just to make installation easier...not to make the seat safer or better. If you're worried about your installation job, just take the seat to a local firehouse and have a certified carseat inspector check it for you...they'll teach you how to do it right for future reference, too.

Hope this helps :+

[tabytha77]

I don't have my book in front of me, but if I remember correctly didn't Evenflo get a D?

[natividad]

Hi Va Mom of 1,

I have called some of the Zany Brainy stores in Northern Va and they only seem to have the Britax RA non-latch for $139.99. I have not found any for $97.99. Where did you find this deal...just curious. TIA!

Naty (March 03)

[natividad]

Ooops, you can disregard this message, Va Mom of 1. I just read your other message where you say that you got this deal at the Springfield store.

Naty (March 03)

[colleenfs]

We LOVE our Evenflo Triumph! I was all set to buy an RA, but I took Julia to the store and tried her in both seats. She was clearly much more comfortable in the Triumph. I am very happy that we purchased this seat.

Colleen and Julia 1-10-02
Many thanks,
Colleen and Julia 1-10-02

[babe1201]

I just posted a long comment about my experiences with the Triumph and the RA under the topic entitled "Am I the only person that doesn't like Britax seats?" Please take a look if you haven't made your decision yet.