Britax Pavilion or Evenflo Symphony 65 e3

[calirobot]

I'm trying to decide between these two for my 7-month-old. We currently have a Blvd and a Symphony for my toddler (two cars), and I like both (although we sometimes have trouble with the Blvd straps not tightening easily). Anyone have any pros/cons for both? Is a Britax really worth the extra money, safety-wise? Or am I just paying for the name?

[jjordan]

No one knows if one seat is safer than another. The Pavilion will last longer than the Symphony, however (as a harnessed seat. but the booster part of the symphony is outgrown very early too, so I wouldn't get it just because it can be used as a booster.).

How old is your toddler and is he/she forward facing or rear facing? If he/she is forward facing and will stay that way, then pass down your convertible seats to the baby and get new forward facing seats for the toddler.

Also, if you have a boulevard 65 (vs a newer boulevard 70/70cs), then the strap tightening mechanism on the newer britax seats (including the pavilion) should be smoother than what you are used to.

[Joolsplus2]

:waving4:
If you utilize the extra safety feature of the rearfacing tether on the Britax, or also find that there is any other value to the ease of install (built in lockoffs, independent tightening LATCH connectors, etc) or ease of use of the seat, or the overall quality, then yes, Britax is worth the money, IMO. If you really don't have a problem with either of them, then meh, they all attach the kid to the car so the car can take most of the impact (that's a carseat's ultimate job, when you get right down to it :)).
If your older child is already forward facing, then I'd probably get combination seats like the Frontier or Evenflo Secure Kid 400 (first is excellent for comfort and sleep support, second is comfy, but cheaper, nicer to put in and out of a spare car, not as hot for sleep/leg support) Both have much taller top slots for longer harnessing than the seats you have/are looking at, and become boosters later. Also, the Pavilion isn't really worth the money, I don't personally think, because you are just paying for a 'click' noise when the harness is tight enough. Boulevard or Marathon are just as good, BV if you very much prefer the headwings.

[calirobot]

Wow, I hadn't even considered getting a combo-booster for my oldest. Shows how much I know! He'll be 3 this month, has been forward-facing, and is 35 lbs. Thanks for the tips...it totally makes sense to get him a booster and hand down the current Blvd. Going to check them out now!