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(Review ID: 1384)
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2 of
2 people found the following review helpful:
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Versatile - all the features saved us money in the end, May 25, 2007
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Reviewer: holly122591 from Boston, MA
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holly122591
saw things this way
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Overall Grade
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(10) |
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Pros:
Smooth ride and maneuverability. The baby loves to ride.
Cons:
the price and the small carrier basket.
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WE LOVE THIS STROLLER. Our baby is always happy to hop in. We paid $695 for our green gecko, but we have used it in multiple incarnations, and I have no regrets about the money, having seen friends pass through many strollers. It has survived a year and a half of city life and frequent travel without a hitch. We live in Boston and the wheel suspension is a godsend on brick and cobblestone sidewalks. It is equally good on grass to get out to her cousin's baseball games in the suburbs. The trapedoidal wheel structure makes it easy to steer with one hand, making in-and-out of stores and shopping malls a breeze. It folds down readily, so that it can be easily stowed when we decide to head out to dinner with her.First we used the bassinet, not only to walk her about, but at the bedside in our cozy condo as her bed for the first 6 months or so. I like the Gecko, with side carry handles, rather than the bar handle of the Frog and Chameleon. The open style made the bassinet truly a bed I could reach in and out of in the dark to nurse her. Now that she is 15 months, it makes the stroller nice because she can climb in and out herself, and I do not have to lift her over a bar.The air mattress on the bassinet was easy to clean and always looked new, even after a dozen washings. We spent an additional $40 for the car seat adapter for our Graco Snugride, which we used for airline travel each month, as well as for walks. It made a great "click&go" stroller, and ensured that we always has the carseat, no matter who picked her up at daycare. It is awesome to be able to have her face in or out, so that when she was tiny and then went through stranger anxiety, we could have her face us, but as she got older, we turned her to see the world in the stroller seat. The wheels are durable - I bounce her up and down the 8 steps to our brownstone several times a day. It is nice that I don't have to lift the stroller as she has gotten heavy, and the wheels are just the right size to roll on the stairs.The attention to detail is what makes this stroller great. I am grateful for the safety lasso on the push handle. I believe it saved her life once by keeping her from rolling out into traffic. I keep my thumb in it by habit, and one day, a big gust of wind caught the sunshade and pulled the stroller handle out of my grasp. I was waiting to cross a busy street, but the safety tether kept her within 6 inches of my hand. I don't even want to imagine what might have happened otherwise.The sunshade itself seems large, but is positioned just right, so that she is well protected from the sun at nearly every angle, but she can still see out easily from the stroller seat. I recently purchased the mesh sun shade ($30) so I can see what she is up to. Before I had that, I'd pop her shade forward a bit so I could look in at her. I've seen Chameleons with a mesh window in the sunshade. I'm not sure if that is additional on those, but is a nice feature. We also got the muff ($160?) which is so soft and warm. The included rain cover made her oblivious to wind and rain, and the included bug cover is perfect for evening walks. It was wonderful to be able to switch it to "2-wheel" mode for snow and sandy adventures. We also added the boogy board ($79) for her big sister, which is incredibly stable and also has a suspension action. It took me some doing to figure it out, but once I did, this is a snap to get on and off. This board made DisneyWorld a true joy for the whole family! The board is perfect for her 4 year old sister, and even does duty when the 7 year old gets tired, although she is well above the recommended weight limit. The heavy child just makes it a little hard to push and steer, but it doesn't seem to make it any less stable.The stroller is very lightweight but sturdy. It is easy to pick up with one hand, and folds down compactly. It is a bit bulkier for travel with the stroller seat, but still packs into a truck with other goodies quite easily.The nylon fabric cleans up so well - easy to wipe down, or to snap the velcro off the frame for a washing.The five-point harness is easy to use - some strollers and seats seem hard to get the bottom out - as if you're always pulling it out from under the child's bum. This one always seems to be easy to access to click her in.My husband and I are 5 foot 10 and 5 foot 6, respectively. We both find the push handle to be a comfortable height. I don't think the adjustable handle of the Chameleon is necessary unless someone is quite tall.Overall, I can't say enough about how happy we are with our Bugaboo.
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(Review ID: 1028)
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1 of
1 people found the following review helpful:
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Great stroller, especially for the first 6 months, September 5, 2006
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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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(9) |
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Pros:
Reversible handle, bassinet, VERY SMOOTH RIDE
Cons:
Not convenent for napping once baby outgrows bassinet
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I've got the Gecko in a specialty store as a floor model
for $600 ($80 off regular price). It's only about $100 more than Valco with bassinet, however Gecko is much lighter (17 lb). We wanted reversible handle, which limited the choice of strollers significantly. Gecko's best feature is the bassinet. Our baby went to sleep almost immediately when put in this bassinet on wheels. Gecko fits effortlessly into the trunk of a Nissan Altima. We felt that extra features of Cameleon (padding, colors, nap bar) were not worth extra $280 (all other Bugaboo accessories very overpriced too)
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