Thoughts on the Combi lightweights?

[luckytwenty]

My older two are in Little League and it seems like the only stroller moms are putting the baby tag-along little sib in is the very small and lightweight Combi. Is this a good bet? I do want something I can throw in my car and whip out for things like baseball practice and in and out trips to run into stores, etc. It looks like I could get one from Albee Baby with the coupon for about $59...

[Multimama]

What is your budget?

From what I've gathered some people love their combis, but these people seem to have older models and it's generally agreed that the newer models are lower quality. Also, unless you are short, you may find the handle height too short for you. I very rarely see them recommended here and from what I've learned after a long time on this board is if they aren't recommended there is a reason.

But I've never owned one personally. If your budget is around $60 I'd be looking at the Maclaren Starck or Britax Blink on Albee instead, depending on the age of your child. (Starck has no recline, Blink has a great recline.)

[luckytwenty]

It's for a 4 month old...would prefer to spend less than $100. Thanks, I'll look into the Blink. I'm 5'4, so not tall, but my husband will use it, too.

[newg]

I have a combi and it's good, but it's not great. Are you going to be pushing it over grass and uneven ground? It takes two hands to fold, though it is a tight fold.

I have to go, but I"ll write more about it later. ..

[luckytwenty]

I'm thinking this is just going to be an in-and-out stroller for sidewalks and indoors. Easy fold, not hogging the trunk space and lightness matter most.

[Kaylee31]

I agree with MM about looking at the Blink. It has the most features for the price-- the recline and footrest that are nice for a younger child; decent canopy, suspension, etc. I think it's around 16 lbs (about the same as my BJCM, which I think is light).

http://www.albeebaby.com/britax-blink-stroller-double-dots.html?utm_source=Google_Products&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=GoogleProducts

Here is video review by BabyGizmo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e40usjw4SmU

The other stroller I would look at is a Triumph, some models which you can find for about $100 new, and often cheaper used on CL and Ebay. Both the Triumph and Blink are recommended for 6 (IIRC, I've heard 3 for the Triumph?) months & up, but the Blink is more appropriate, the Triumph doesn't have much of a recline. But it's about 11 lbs. and great for in & out of the car.

http://compare.ebay.com/like/280571130807?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&rvr_id=218474964350&crlp=1_263602_309572&UA=WXI7&GUID=91f99f3712e0a0aa12e13021fff656a3&itemid=280571130807&ff4=263602_309572

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H8f2JUKgbs

[Multimama]

The other stroller I would look at is a Triumph, some models which you can find for about $100 new, and often cheaper used on CL and Ebay. Both the Triumph and Blink are recommended for 6 (IIRC, I've heard 3 for the Triumph?) months & up, but the Blink is more appropriate, the Triumph doesn't have much of a recline. But it's about 11 lbs. and great for in & out of the car.

The Triumph is recommended for 3 months and the Blink for 6 months, but it's just a marketing slip-up on the part of Britax. (I assume this happened because in the UK, where they are both only rated to 6 months, you can't get a lower rating unless the recline is totally flat.) The Blink recline is *much* better than the Triumph recline and although I know some disagree I prefer a leg rest for a 4 month old. A Triumph could work though and the push and resale value will be better.

[bekahjean]

I have a 2008 Combi Flare that is my car stroller. I use it when I'm just making quick stops and it is OK for that. The recline isn't very deep, so Andy sometimes slumps to the side if he gets tired (he's 6 months). If you hang a diaper bag on the back, the recline is more limited and the stroller becomes tippy pretty quickly. The push is only OK, not great. I can steer it with one hand, which I like (and the bar handle was one of the reasons I picked it over a Mac). The basket is useless. It is a mesh fabric with elastic around the top of the mesh. It's a decent size basket (it won't hold your shopping bags or a medium size diaper bag), but it's very hard to access while the baby is in the seat. The canopy sucks. The plastic wheels are annoying to me, but that's because my other two strollers are air tires. I would not use it on grass or gravel because it is quite bumpy. I used it last weekend in Chattanooga (after DH complained over and over again about the double being too big) and it was very bumpy on the brick sidewalks. Also, it only has a three point harness instead of a five point harness.

With all that said, it's fine for quick trips in and out of the car (post office, quick mall trips, etc). Anything longer than that and I will use the double.

I hope that helps!