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Light, easy fold, basket, carry strap, good steering, September 21, 2005
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Reviewer: carryingandstrolling from NYC area
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carryingandstrolling
saw things this way
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Overall Grade
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(9) |
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Pros:
Light, easy fold, basket, carry strap, good steering
Cons:
Tippy, small basket, wheels rust, customer service
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It took me a long time to finally end up with the Volo. Now I’m done.To me, nothing is important in a stroller except it being the lightest possible stroller available. I need to be able to put child in baby carrier and still carry stroller and bag. Whether encountering staircases, trains, beach sand, whatever, I need something light light light, easy fold and carry, just a bit more of a stroller than a freebie umbrella stroller, and with a basket. My personal experience with my kids is that they never sleep while out and about, unless they are beyond exhausted, at which point they would sleep anywhere and in anything, and that they are either happy in any stroller or furious to be confined at all. So recline wasn’t an issue for me.The BB boards are full of people wanting light umbrella strollers and other people recommending the Quest. A Quest would not have worked for me. If what you want is a light light stroller with a tight fold and a carry strap, don’t go for the Quest, choose the Volo. In my opinion, the added features such as recline can’t make up for it being about 5 lbs heavier and no carry strap. If you love features, look at the Quest. But if you want small and light, GO FOR THE VOLO!Also, I rejected the Triumph because one, it was 3lbs. heavier, and the recline didn’t seem worth the weight. Two, the seat seemed absurdly short. The Volo may have the same build but the mesh seat cradles the child while the Triumph’s cloth seat makes child seemed uncomfortably perched.My obsession with light weight started with the Evenflo travel system. My husband and I thought it was adorable that everything matched and that we had so many convenience features. It turned out to be inconvenient. When baby was 3 months old, I took the train alone with her to visit relatives. The train station didn’t have an elevator�just a big staircase. I couldn’t carry child and stroller (over 24lbs). So I had to walk under a car underpass and alongside a major road, skirting the train station, then walk around to the other side. Way unsafe. Got on train. Heard over loudspeaker that train extra long and front cars wouldn’t platform. Stroller too big to get through train aisle or between cars. Couldn’t fold stroller and carry baby through train. Had to get off at every single stop and quickly run with stroller to next car. Did this 4 times and was able to get to a car that would platform, but I might have missed my station over that stroller. Plus stroller took up a huge amount of space in car trunk. I found I carried baby rather than use that stroller.I kept buying strollers, going lighter and lighter until I came to the Volo.But I didn’t actually buy it.Tried to buy it at BabiesRUs. Salesman claimed they didn’t even keep them in store, just sold returns. Asked me why I’d want to spend $100 on a basic umbrella stroller. He said everyone returns them who buys them online.So went to Right Start.The saleswoman was disparaging of Volo. She recommended the Swift. She pointed out benefits over the Volo: bigger wheels, so better on rough surfaces. Recline. Bigger, easier to access basket. Nice fabric. Cheaper: $80ish. At 12lbs, Swift only 2.5lbs. Heavier, for so many more features. So with all those good reasons, I bought the Swift. Agghhhh!!!!! Four months later, I had to explain to DH why I still wanted to purchase a Volo, which looks nearly identical. The Swift is riddled with challenges. When folding, it doesn't self click closed. You have to hold child under arm, bend down to fold, then manually latch the stroller, like with a cheapy umbrella. I broke the first closing latch, since I closed stroller on it. Since it was within the 30 day return policy, original store swapped it out for a new Swift. Okay, I lost the 2nd latch. Inglesina customer service was non responsive. After much pursuit, they explained they were backordered and to try again. No success. Now closing it with velcro strap. Thanks Inglesina. Because it latches, it doesn't fold up nice and tight like the Volo. It takes up more room in the trunk and when you carry it. It steers horribly. If I want to drift to the side, I have to drag the wheels, since they won't swivel. I've even picked the think up and schlepped it through a turn. That's with my 25lb. child. If my 43 lb. child wants a ride, it barely pushes or steers at all. I don't see that given that it doesn't steer well, that the bigger wheels are any kind of advantage. They kind of bugged me in the car trunk, because they made the stroller just big enough that I got wheel muck on my other stuff. No shoulder strap. And the darn hood keeps popping off! The handles are positioned high and nearly vertical. To push, I kind of bend forward, and push with the muscles in my legs. Uncomfortable for arms, and makes stroller seem much heavier than 12 lbs. So I went back to Right Start to buy the Volo. Saleswoman insists I don't need the Volo because I have the Swift, which is better. She sure likes the Swift! Since she only had black in stock anyway... I bought the Volo online. I love it. It is lighter. It folds compactly on my shoulder or in the car. It has a carry strap. Basket small, but okay. I've even carried it by the strap, open, with my bag in the basket, and baby tucked under arm. Love mesh seat. It acts a bit like a recline. Easy to hose off and keep sparking clean. Self latch and lock--just push together. Also, it is rated to wheel a child up to 55lbs., which is higher than the Swift. I can push older child in it if she gets tired and carry the younger in a Sutemi, so really gives me an extra pair of hands. The handles are exactly where my hands are, so very comfy. Speaking of which, it really does steer one hand, which is good because...
My older child fell down on cement and got all bloody. I was able to carry her, while pushing younger child in Volo, one handed. Volo paid for itself that day. With the Swift, I would have been in quite a pickle. Speaking of pickles, we eat a lot of beach concession food (yeah, I know). With the one hand steer, I can balance tray of food on stroller handles and push along with my ribs (maybe not a pretty image, but convenient).
Drawbacks include easily rusting and squeaking wheels (which shouldn't happen in the first 6 months, but it did), lack of Maclaren customer service. They won't answer phone, email, letters, anything. Delta Discovery IV tray and BabyTrend LiteSport tray fit on Volo. That's the scoop, in my humble opinion, for what it is worth.
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