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Zooper Bolero
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Submit a Review
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Average Rating based on
1
Review
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Overall Grade
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(8.00)
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Compared to averages for similar items
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Overall Grade
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(8.55)
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Last Update:
October
22, 2008
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Displaying Reviews:
1 - 1
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(Review ID: 1656)
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4 of
4 people found the following review helpful:
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Loaded stroller with some flaws, April 25, 2008
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Reviewer: rcmagic1 from Hyde Park, NY
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rcmagic1
saw things this way
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Overall Grade
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(8) |
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Pros:
lots of accessories, umbrella fold w/ single handle bar, quality fabric, stylish, handling
Cons:
inaccessible cargo basket
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My wife and I purchased a red 2007 Zooper Bolero in July 2007 for $192 on sale (retail price was approx $300) for our beautiful baby girl. We have been using this stroller for 8 months now, most of the time in a travel system configuration carrying our Graco Snugride. We were drawn to the Zooper brand after reading about it in the Baby Bargains book. Our primary stroller criteria at the time were: 1. compatibility with Graco Snugride, 2. compact fold for traveling, 3. single handle/push bar for maneuvering, 4. full seat recline. Originally we were very interested in the Zooper Waltz and after having test driven it in store we were very impressed. Then we learned of the Bolero which seemed to have all the features of the Waltz, but with the benefits of a more compact umbrella-type fold and nicer fabric at the cost of a little added weight and unusable storage basket so we decided to go with the Bolero. We had to buy the Bolero sight-unseen because we couldn't find a baby store that carried them for a test drive. Zooper's website and customer service were really good as giving us all the information we needed to make a decision. Here are our impressions:Pros: * Folding Mechanism: The folding mechanism seems to have the best of both worlds, combining a more compact umbrella fold (like the Peg Perego Pliko P3) but with a single handle/push bar (like the Waltz) making it more maneuverable. Basically you push a button under the handle bar hinge to unlock the stroller, fold this handle bar in half, and then pull up on the other handle just above the storage basket until it auto locks on one the right side, pretty easy. This is easily our favorite feature.* Lots of Accessories: Like other Zoopers the Bolero comes with a rain cover, UV shield and leg boot for free, although we haven't had occasion to use any of these yet* Seat and Fabric: The seat has a 5-point harness with full recline. The fabric appears to be high quality and comfortable for the baby. It has lots of storage pockets, ventilation and viewing windows. It's also a good looking in red and some of the other colors.* Graco Snugride Compatible: This stroller accepts the Snugride quite easily, just recline the stroller seat, drop in the Snugride, and buckle the Snugride in with the included car seat strap.* Great Handling: The Bolero's small footprint and single handle bar make it very maneuverable in tight spaces. The wheels/shocks perform nicely.Cons:* Unusable Storage Basket: In our opinion the biggest flaw with this stroller is the lack of access to the storage basket under the stroller. The price you have to pay for the umbrella folding mechanism is that it prevents any reasonable access to the storage basket despite. The storage basket is a decent size but the only way to put anything in it, like a small diaper bag or jacket is to detach it from the stroller, put stuff in, reattach which isn't something you want to do on a regular basis. I was hoping the basket access would be similar to the P3 with some access from the side and front but it's a lot worse, to the point that tossing in a magazine requires some effort. We ended up having to hang our diaper bag over the handle which can pose a tipping hazard.* Front bar: The Bolero like other Zoopers "only" has a bar that goes across the front of the stroller instead of a tray if that matters to you. Also since this bar is used to partial support the Snugride when in travel-system mode but since it has hinges to allow for the umbrella fold it seems to be strained under the weight of the Snugride. Not sure if this is a possible safety issue but I'll just say that I'm glad we're done using the Snugride and that I always used the car seat strap.Issues:Recently the seat recline mechanism on our Bolero broke (a cable snapped) and we had a less than satisfactory customer service experience with Zooper. To make a long story short after going a month without a stroller and spending numerous house attempting to repair our stroller using various defective replacement frames/strollers send to use by Zooper we ended up with a hybrid Bolero using a frame from a black bolero and our original red fabric. If we never had the seat recline mechanism break and never had to go through this experience we would still be enthusiastic Zooper evangelicals, but this experience had led us to be a little more suspect of this stroller's quality compared to more popular and high volume strollers as Graco, Peg Perego, even the Zooper Waltz for that mater. It might explain how such a glaring design flaw as a nearly useless storage basket or the undo stress caused by a Snugride could make it to final product.2008 Model Changes:At the time of this writing is appears the 2008 Bolero has just come out new for April 2008. I have not spoken to Zooper directly about the differences but from what I can tell on their website it appears to be the same as the 2007 except that it has a different color scheme (most notably the canopy and frame are now white), adds shoulder harness pads, and infant head pillow.Conclusion:I would recommend highly this stroller with the caveat that the storage basket useless which for some people could be a deal breaker. Aside from our warranty service disappointment mentioned earlier the customer service at Zooper seems to be top notch.
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