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The steering, oh, the steering! Beautifully built, June 12, 2005
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Reviewer: boys2enough from Chicago, IL
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boys2enough
saw things this way
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Overall Grade
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(9) |
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Pros:
One-finger steering, compact when folded, roomy when open
Cons:
Does not lock when closed; bit heavier for a travel stroller
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My son is almost out of his strollers now. I expected an upward battle in pursuading my husband to purchase the Quinny Zapp, all the way from the Netherlands nonetheless. One look at their website demo (with the techno music in the background), my husband was convinced that this has got to be the COOLEST stroller on the block, "They must be built by engineers!" So there, we've got to have it. When we first received the Zapp, I did not have time to read through the menual in order to find out how to open/fold it. Honestly, I was intimidated because it was not intuitive. (To be fair though, for a lot of folks, the open/fold for a Peg Perego or a Maclaren is not intuitive either). After such a long wait, I surprised myself by setting the box aside and decided to wait for the next day to try out the new "toy." But the Zapp disappeared the next day: my husband brought it to work with him to show his engineer buddies! They all agreed that the steering and the structure is an engineering feat and were duly impressed. Engineer talk aside, the pros and cons of the Zapp for me are:1. Cool factor: I will come right out and admit that I do enjoy pushing a stroller that attracts lots of attention wherever we go, esp. when we fold it up.  2. Wonderful wonderful dreamy steering: Turns on a dime. I can push/steer it with my 7 yo in it with one finger (on smooth surface). Caution: When it's windy outside, it tends to roll away on its own!3. Adequate and easy-to-use brake: you step on this big triangle to lock the stroller, step on another triangle to unlock it. Easy and adequate.4. Roomy seating: My rider is almost 3 yo and is tall for his age. He still has room to grow in this stroller. In addition, Zapp is surprisingly roomy once you open it up. The seat is WIDE, and my son seems to be comfortable in it. In fact, he loves his orange 'troller.' The straps also have lots of room to grow and they look sturdy and secure. 5. Compact fold: This feature should come in handy for folks needing extra trunk space. I have a Hundai Elantra but for some reason, trunk space is never an issue, therefore I have yet to enjoy the benefit of this feature. If the Zapp were lighter, the combination of compact fold and light weight would have made it the perfect travel stroller. This being said, the following are the things that I wish were different, (sigh, I did hope that this would be THE perfect stroller, alas...)1. Heavier than I expected: its weight makes it extremely sturdy, and I can see it being a very safe vehicle for the infant carseat carrier. However, I intended to use it as a travel stroller. Weighing as much as a peg perego (or at least that's how I feel) does not a good travel stroller make.2. Does not lock when folded: Zapp does come with a nice carry bag. Again, I intended to use the stroller at the airport and thought I could treat it as a carry-on. Won't that be something? Pull one over the flight attendants! Reality then set in: I did not have the luxury of extra arms to carry the Zapp bag in addition to everything I had to carry when travelling with 2 kids, AND to shove the Zapp inside its snug-fitting bag right before boarding. Moreover, since it does not "lock" to stay closed when folded, I was afraid to gate check it. Who knows what's going to happen to it? There goes my dream of bring the Zapp on board with me. The inability to "lock" also makes it very awkward to try to carry the folded Zapp. I ended up cradling it like a baby when I had to walk around with it folded. Now some sort of carry strap or handle would be great. (I sure hope those Dutch engineers are reading the board!)3. Complicated fold that I have to "bend towards the ground": I did eventually read the manual and learned the fold. It is not difficult once you get the hang of it. But it does not ever become "simple." Sometimes in order not to open/fold the Zapp "towards the ground," I held it up in mid air in order to open/fold it. I must have looked ridiculous. 4. No storage. I knew this when I bought it. I really shouldn't complain.5. Too wide for crowded stores. Am I hard to please or what? First I praised it for the roomy seat, and now I am complaining about the width? Just thought I should point this out: Zapp is wider than most of the umbrella strollers. I bumped into clothing racks in the stores often and even ran over people's feet a few times...  All in all I do like this stroller because of its uniqueness and the wonderful steering. But I have to be honest and admit that I don't know HOW, or rather, WHEN to use it. For travel and stores, I have my Maclaren which is lighter; for day trips such as zoo visits, I have the Peg Perego P3 which is more comfortable, with a great share and a decent basket. I would recommend the Zapp to people with toddlers that are tall/big for their age, and I would recommend the Zapp to dads who want the latest gadgets. I wish the Zapp were lighter, could lock in place, and came with a carry handle/strap and a small basket. If so, it would be (close to) perfect.I still give the Zapp a high rating because the above complaints are due to my own expectations. They are not any inherent flaws, e.g. not quality issues. In fact, the whole stroller is well made of high quality workmanship.
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