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(Review ID: 800)
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55 of
55 people found the following review helpful:
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And now for something totally different!!, April 8, 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:
handling, features, ease of use
Cons:
Cost, hard to find!
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When I first saw the Stokke Xplory in the store a few years ago I thought it was the strangest looking stroller I'd ever seen. Certainly this thing couldn't be worth it's price tag. I was wrong, very very wrong!I've recently gone through several strollers trying to find the right one for my daughter. I'd tried all the big names (many of them more than once) and nothing was working for us. I found our Xplory at a warehouse sale for a local baby store, I was a bit nervous about bringing it home given my previous thoughts on it but at the price ($299 including the diaper bag) they had them marked I couldn't say no!  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I love this stroller! Yes, it looks very modern and different. Yes, it has quite a bit of plastic - you don't notice it when pushing though. Yes, it gets a lot of attention - A LOT!!  But it is hands down my #1 pick for favorite stroller!The Xplory glides over most surfaces, one hand pushing is effortless. I have been able to balance a mocha in one had, a cell phone on my ear, bump open a door with my hip and swing the Xplory out - without so much as a bobble! I was concerned about it's stability with as high as the seat can be, but I have yet to encounter a situation where it's gotten the least bit tippy.I love how high up my daughter sits in it, recently she had a seizure while in the Xplory, because she was so high up I was able to reach her quickly and pull her out with little effort. The ER staff was in awe of the Xplory when I wheeled her in, we were able to squeeze through the crowded waiting room and my daughter stayed sleeping.The adjustable handle is amazing! It can be raised or lowered to every imaginable setting. With it’s open back it’s virtually impossible to kick anything, even for those of us with long strides. The fold can be done in one large piece or into two pieces depending on your need for space. Folding took a few tries to get it down, our first trip out with it I’d forgotten a step to the fold and couldn’t get it. The whole thing got tossed in the back of the van! Now it’s a quick and easy process. Setting it up does take a bit longer than most strollers and that is a minus at times. After a lot of practice I’ve got it down to about 30 seconds to fold and a minute to set up, but that’s with a lot of practice! Don’t let this deter you though; it makes up for it in so many other ways!The Xplory comes with the parcel bag, zip on rain cover, and a newborn insert. I haven’t used the insert as my daughter is too big, but the rest of the pieces have been fabulous! The parcel bag zips into a nice neat little package when not in use, but when it’s time to use it there is more room than you think. We were able to load it with a 10lbs bag of rice, two bags of groceries, my purse, two bottles of water, and a sippy cup with room to spare! The rain cover is quite interesting as it has zippers along the front to allow you to use while the seat is facing you, the cover has to go over the handle and then zip around it! I’ve found the diaper bag (an additional $99) to be a huge asset, it has ample space for necessities and attaches to the stroller and out of the way. We also have the footmuff which is not only cute but very functional, my daughter insists on using it, even when it’s warm outside! The footmuff is lined in the same soft fleece that’s found on the top of the seat unit and on the strap covers!If I had to do it all over again I would pay full price for this stroller. The versatility of it is amazing, I only wish I'd gotten one sooner and saved myself the months of agonizing over what stroller to try next! 
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(Review ID: 1266)
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20 of
20 people found the following review helpful:
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Stokke Xplory is worth the price, March 26, 2007
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Reviewer: Teddy_Ruxpin from Toronto, Canada
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Teddy_Ruxpin
saw things this way
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Overall Grade
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(9) |
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Pros:
Maneuvrability, seating positions, design, big shopping bag.
Cons:
High price. Weight and size make it awkward for air travel.
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Our first stroller was a Combi Strolee and Graco SnugRide infant seat used together as a travel system. As our daughter was reaching the limits of the travel system we had, we looked for a durable and versatile everyday stroller and decided on the Stokke Xplory. While the price was high, $769 US, we felt it was worth spending the money on one very good stroller rather than buying multiple cheaper strollers that so many other people we knew had done in the past.The cool design caught our attention to the Xplory at first, but after having used it for several months we have found the design to be quite practical, too. It is extremely easy to maneuver in downtown Toronto and handles curbs and uneven surfaces easily. The wheels are rubber with air bubbles, so they are compliant and we don't need to worry about a flat tire or tote around a pump. I can open doors with one hand and maneuver the stroller through the door with my other hand. The two-wheel mode required some practice to master, but now going up or down stairs and escalators is quite easy and often faster than queuing up for the elevator with all the other families with strollers. We love that we can have our daughter high up and facing us, too. The seat has three positions facing us and can be in a lie-flat position for sleeping. When positioned facing away, there are two positions and since the seat height is adjustable, it can be used as a high chair when we are out at a restaurant. The handle bar is also adjustable making it easy to transition from a tall person to a shorter person or vice versa. While most of the stroller is made of plastic, they seem to be high grade.The lack of a basket worried me at first, but the shopping bag expands to a surprisingly large size meaning it can hold more than the basket of our previous stroller and its location makes it easier to access than the basket in our travel system. The shopping bag can also be closed easily so that its contents are secured and safe from prying eyes and sticky fingers. The Xplory does have a learning curve when it comes to taking advantage of its many features, but now that we have learned how to use it, it really shines. We chose the turquoise color and also got the matching footmuff. The stroller comes with a hood, rain cover, mosquito net, and the shopping bag. The cons of this stroller are that it is expensive, weighs 12.5 kg (27.5 lbs), and is still somewhat large when folded down. It fits into the trunk of our Honda Civic easily, but it may be awkward to take with us when we travel by air with our daughter. We don't plan to buy another stroller since we spent so much on this one and it supports a weight of up to 45 lbs. Hopefully, our daughter will be prefer walking and running by the time she reaches that weight.
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(Review ID: 1664)
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12 of
12 people found the following review helpful:
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Higher IS better, but super-loaded features mean super heafty and super pricey, May 15, 2008
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Reviewer: Wondermom from Texas
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Wondermom
saw things this way
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Overall Grade
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(8) |
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Pros:
So many configurations, so many uses, so maneuverable, so sturdy, and sooooo stylish
Cons:
Very heavy, takes up a TON of trunk space as it won't fold much at all, and NO cup holder or basket
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This is one cool looking stroller, and you'll get plenty of uses out of its many configurations, but plan to have a second umbrella stroller. We got the Xplory complete--meaning it has a bassinet attachment, the front-or-back-facing stroller seat, plus every accessory made for it--sun and rain shades, umbrella, attaching backpack, storage bag, blanket. We also bought the Peg Perego car seat adapter to use with our Peg car seat. If we had paid full price, it would have set us back close to $1200. We're not the type to pay that kind of money for the latest and greatest baby gadgets, but if you're willing and are considering the comparably-priced Bugaboo, you should consider the Xplory.
THE GOOD: In the baby's first month of life, we used the stroller with the bassinet attachment, and that's where he slept. We could roll him from room to room (locking the wheels in between), and we couldn't have asked for a better arrangement. Later, we used the car-seat adapter whenever we went out. Now that he's 9 months, we use the stroller seat--either facing forward or backward, depending on his mood. We LOVE the sleek, single-shaft design, and the fact that we can adjust the seat to sit high up on this shaft and off the ground. Several times, we've used it as our "high chair" when a high chair wasn't available or convenient. Our baby loves sitting at our eye level when we're out; he never liked sitting in his car seat on ground-level. The stroller is very sturdy with solid rubber tires that turn on a dime. The handle height adjusts easily--which is good when my husband and I take turns with the stroller (I'm always lowering it, he's always raising it). It's such a stylish, eye-catching stroller, we hardly feel like we're pushing a stroller when we're out and about.
THE BAD: This thing is heavy and bulky. It does not fold much, and you have to take the seat off in order to make it fit in your trunk. We have a large SUV, and when this stroller plus the seat are stored in the back, we can only fit a few shopping bags back there--nothing else bulky. There's no basket storage. It comes with a molded bag that, when zipped up, looks like a cushion on the "footrest"-looking base at the bottom. When unzipped, it expands and has a drawstring closure to hold stuff inside. The stroller also comes with a molded backpack that attaches to the main shaft, but you have to take that off whenever you're raising or lowering any part of it, so we never use that one. We've used the drawstring bag some, but mostly, we attach a diaper bag to the handle. We know you're not supposed to do this on most strollers to keep them from tipping over, but this thing is so heavy, we've never seen it come close to tipping over when the diaper bag is hanging on the handle, even when the baby isn't in the stroller to weigh it down.
IN SUM: This stroller is multi-functional and works like a travel system if you also get the car-seat adapters (I believe they only make adapters for Peg and Graco car seats). Still, we can't imagine this being anybody's only stroller. You'll definitely want a lighter, smaller, umbrella-style stroller for travel or quick trips.
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