Combi Savvy Travel v Savvy DX v Aprica Quantum Royale

[jacobmatias]

I need a lightweight (under 15 lbs) stroller for my 2 year old, 23 lbs daughter. Will be used for daily walks to school (about 0.8 miles) on paved sidewalks and occasional shopping and vacations. I am trying to decide among Combi Savvy Travel, Combi Savvy DX and Aprica Quantum Royale. Will purchase online and could not try any of these around here. Any advice and suggestions?

[american_mama]

Hi, I owned an Aprica Windsor, which is a step below the Quantum but very similar. One difference is that on the Windsor, the seatback stays flat when fully reclined rather. On the Quantum that you are considering, the top few inches of the back pop up to form a little head guard when fully reclined, making a little enclosure good for an infat.

I was not super happy with my Aprica and suspect that you won't be either. It is a heavier than you are looking for, maybe 19 or 20 pounds. (If you have read something different, it is because Aprica usually advertises net weight, which is weight of frame only, not including seat fabric, basket, etc. I think it's a trick to make the stroller seem lighter.) When my very average height daughter was about 15 months old, her head would almost touch the canopy when she was sitting up, so I think that may be a problem for you with a 2 year old. If you plan to use the reversible handle so baby is facing you, you may have the same problem I did with my feet kicking the wheels. (I am only 5'2".) Sometimes I felt I had to slightly shorten my stride even when pushing the stroller with baby facing out. I also didn't really like the steering on the stroller - the handle shimmied slightly side to side, so I always felt that first push went every so slightly left, right, then straight.

On the plus side, the seat is really nice, roomy, well padded, smooth, breathable fabric like a high quality sheet. *I* wanted to cosy up in that seat! It has a full recline, although remember that the seat will become a little shorter on the Quantum because the top few inches will pop up to make that head guard. But you could avoid that be putting it into only a 3/4 recline. The canopy is also nice, super big, and very adjustable. The stroller folds very easily. The basket is strong (you can't see it, but there is something that feels like a lightweight plywood sheet providing bottom support) but the basket is not very big.

I haven't owned any Combis, but the major complaint about them is that they are NOT good outdoors due to small wheels. Are your sidewalks pretty new and smooth? Otherwise, if they are bumpy, you may find the Combis running into a dead stop against the ruts. I haven't looked at any in over a year, but I think the Combis are pretty narrow - you may consider it too small for your toddler. If you can see the Graco CitiLite stroller in person in your town, I believe they are similar to the Combis in size and looks.

I just looked at strollers4less.com, which has descriptions of all three strollers on the home page. For the price, I'd get the Savvy DX over the Travel. $10 more gets you a super convenient parent organizer tray (called a stroller pack, see http://www.combistrollers.com/products/toysaccess.htm for a photo), a cupholder for your child, bigger canopy, and lighter weight.

Finally, I am usually a regular reader of the stroller board on the Baby Bargains folder. That board gets a lot more traffic. You might post your request there, along with a price range if you desire, and see what all the stroller experts recommend. I bet you will get 5 answers within a day.

Feel free to email me directly with more questions.

Karen

[jacobmatias]

Karen:

Thanks a lot. I had no idea that Aprica's weight is not the actual one. I definetely do not want a 20lb stroller. I think I will go with DX, but will wait a little to see if somebody has comments about it.

Inna