Evenflo Triumph vs. Britax Roundabout

[sohobbes]

My son is outgrowing his Graco SnugRide and it's time to upgrade to a convertible. Most everyone I talk to recommends we get a Britax for the ease of use and safety ratings, but when I checked Consumer Reports, the Evenflo Triumph got the highest safety ratings, and it's much cheaper as well. Should I go with the Triumph, or is a Britax still worth the extra money?

Thanks!

[kellyotn]

CR's ratings are viewed dubiously by car seat experts. They don't reveal their testing methodology, they test on a bench rather than actual vehicle seats, they don't pay any attention to slot heights/longevity, they often test the SAME seat (no changes from year to year) in consecutive years and get very differing ratings, or they test the same seat with differing names and get different ratings, and they rank price into their formula (seemingly very heavily). So, a more expensive seat has a ding against it right there and that has nothing to do with "safety". I don't like the rankings, but that's my biggest beef. Tell me what The Best Seat is and let ME worry about how much I'm willing to pay, thankyouverymuch, don't muddle the waters b/c you rank your idea of "value" into it. ;) They also just don't pay attention to ease of use, longevity (slot heights, overall height, etc.)

Anyways, if you like the Triumph its a nice enough seat. Its heavy though and very wide overall. And, the adjuster knobs are really a love or hate thing. Its biggest strike though, is that it has the lowest RF weight limit (30 lbs) and its very short. My friend's average to small DS outgrew it by his second birthday. He did technically fit, but was just cramped and complaining - in the shoulder area, which was odd b/c it looks SO wide! She passed it down to the baby. Without the baby to pass it down to, it would have been pretty expensive for 1.5 years of use past the infant carrier.

The Roundabout is very nice. RF to 33 lbs and tall enough to do so, generally. Cushy, easy to use, high quality.

A better bang for the buck though is the Marathon (or Blvd or Decath). They RF to 33 and are very tall, no problem RF to the full 33 lbs. And, FF they last until 65 lbs in weight and are MUCH taller than other seats. Granted, a child will likely outgrow it by height before 65, but its nice to know its that strong. They are said to last most kids until 5-6 years. GREAT per year cost, really. A baby swing cost what, $50-80 and got used for a couple months? ;) CUTE covers, too. ;)

Or, the "budget" seat recommended often is the Cosco Scenera 5 point. Its $50. Its a great seat. Easy to use, lightweight, TALL. Its a 40 lbs seat, but tall enough that a kid will likely make it to 40 lbs vs. many that the kid is too tall long before 40 lbs is reached. Around here, its either a big Britax or a Scenera. Or both! Spend the bucks for the main car and get a Scenera for the other. The Scenera is wonderful for travel b/c of its lightweight. I have an MA and a Scenera for my 3.5 year old daughter. She's now too tall (where she gets her height, I don't know!) for the Scenera, and boy I wish I could morph it into another MA!

[Joolsplus2]

<ditto>

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx