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Big & hard to lock down but sleek, comfy, & easily cleaned, May 27, 2007
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Reviewer: Anonymous
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Anonymous
saw things this way
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Overall Grade
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(6) |
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Pros:
Neat, easy-to-clean fabrics and comfy ride
Cons:
Flimsy headrest that may not work in your vehicle
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Bought this seat as an economical way to keep fast growing toddler in 5-pt harness--only paid about $115 for it through Albee Baby (now named something else?) on eBay. Seat is very affordable, looks great, has easy to clean fabric and a cup holder, and DD loves to ride in it. However, the flaws are:1. It is wide. While it may not be significantly wider than the Marathon, the widest point is near the bottom, so it makes for cramped quarters in the hip area when two people need to ride in the back as well. 2. It takes forever to get this seat installed solidly where there is no more than 1" give. After five plus times, I still struggle with getting this thing in. I also have to release and turn the belt buckle once after getting it as snug as possible (thanks to Julie for this approved tip for making the seat fit better). I have tried the outboards using the latch, shoulder/lap belt, and the middle with just the lap belt--nothing works easily, especially not as easily as the Marathon. I think the roots of this problem lie in (1) the position of the feed through the back of the seat and (2) the length of our buckle latches. The buckle seems to come almost to the slot in the back of the seat, and this combination makes it almost impossible to tighten this seat. 3. You need headrests to use this seat for any length of time because the child's head must be supported by the vehicle seat at least as high as their ears (I think--my memory is not great and I haven't gotten to this point yet). However, be aware that your vehicle manual may tell you to remove and store the headrests when using a car seat. I called Ford to find out what to do about this, and they directed me to call the nearest dealer. The dealer said I could leave the headrests in as long as they did not interfere with the tether. Just sharing this in case your vehicle has odd instructions regarding your headrests. 4. There is no padding under the harness buckle, so you have to be really careful about pinching and burning legs. I wish I had not bought this seat. I think the Radian would have been a better purchase for $60 - $80 more.
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