gatorgirlie's Full Review: Britax Forerunner - Oxford Standard Stroller
UPDATE: I guess I could've called this one. They have discontinued the Britax Forerunner Stroller. I wondered when they took it off their website, but now online stores have been dumping them for as low as $85. It must have been such a disappointment, such a dismal failure that Britax just couldn't continue with product a whopping 6 months after introducing them.
Now that's staying power.
UPDATE: Actually, now the price is $69.99. Nice.
Review:
::sigh::
Inevitably, this once sane and logical human being was swept up in the whirlwind shopping spree called baby. I believe manufacturing companies prey on the emotional irrationality that a pregnant woman experiences by marketing towards their nerosis. Evil, evil companies.
Bur anyway, during my period of complete and utter lunacy I decided in my head that I absolutely HAD TO HAVE the Britax Companion Carseat. In my mind, if I had bought another carseat... my beloved son would have perished if someone struck me from behind at 5 mph. This is relevant, I promise...
Because I HAD TO HAVE that certain carseat, there were only two stroller options for me -- the Forerunner and the Preview. Through comparison shopping, I decided on the Forerunner (it was the shinier, newer and more loaded model to my less than rational mind). My parents scoffed and laughed as they paid $160 for their Graco Travel System (which has one of the top-rated carseats on the market and a heck of a better stroller), but I (in my smugness) smirked as I shelled out $190 for the carseat and $170 for the stroller. Afterall, I was getting the best of the best... and only that would do for my little boy.
Of course, flashforward to now. My son is four months old and after numerous trips out with my parents (jealously eyeing their Graco stroller, reviewed here), I realize that I was suckered in. This stroller isn't the best of the best -- it isn't even average... it stinks like one of my son's diapers.
**Weight: 16.5 lbs
**Compatible with the Companion Infant Carseat
**Quick Zip parent bag with "bottle" holder
**3 position back rest
**5 point harness
**Removeable hood with zip open air vent
**"EZE fold" system -- states it folds up to parent, but it's wrong
**One touch dual rear brakes
**Removeable child tray
**Locking front wheels
**All Wheel suspenion with 8" front and 9" back wheels
**Height adjustible handle
**Large basket
**Stain resistant fabrics
**Children up to 40 lbs
My Opinion
I violated a cardinal rule of shopping in buying this stroller. Before you buy ANYTHING, you should always look at it... fool around with it... try it out... However, due to manufacturing problems (ahem, yes I'm an idiot) the shipment had been delayed for almost a year. Not only were stores unable to carry the darn thing, no store in my general vicinity carried Britax strollers anyway. There was no way to try it out, but I really REALLY had my heart set on the Companion carseat...
Now I'm kicking myself. First off, this thing was a pain in my rear end to put together (especially with my csection pain).. the wheels were especially difficult to lock on correctly. After they attempted to detach themselves a few times during walks, my husband finally had to pound on them with his fist to get them to lock into place. But oh no, that isn't all.
Let's go over what this stroller DOESN'T have... I remember thinking "Hey, it doesn't say cupholders, eh... no big deal." YES BIG DEAL. Have you tried to walk around the mall with a lemonade, coffee, soda or whatever balanced in your hand while trying to push a stroller, carrying a diaper bag and trying to entertain an infant? It sucks, a cupholder is a necessity. While you can buy cupholders that attach to strollers at Babies R Us, for $170 the stroller should come with a stupid cupholder. One thing that COULD have helped is a one-handed push option. My father's Graco model has this option -- basically you only need one hand to stear his stroller -- however if you try this with the Britax Forerunner, you will plow into a wall. You absolutely need two hands to push this bad boy.
You know what else would have been nice? A one-handed fold. This thing claims to have an "EZE-Fold locking system," but it doesn't. It also claims to "fold up to the parent" -- the only way this is happening is if you have a second person fold it up to you. You need to use two hands to push down two levers, then push it into the ground to lock it. Have you ever tried doing this with a baby in your hands? It sucks, and it's impossible. It's not easy to fold when you have two hands free, and it's impossible to do one-handed.
Ok, now that I've gotten that out of my system... we'll work on the stroller's deficiencies.
It does have a rather large basket, but it's almost impossible to access. I have a huge diaper bag that I can store in the aforementioned Graco stroller, but it can't fit in my basket because of where it's positioned. Heck, I can barely fit the small cooler bag down there when the carseat is locked in... but it is large, and it does have a way to flip the front down so it's easier to access... but it still gets low marks.
It is heavy, and bulky, but it does fit in my trunk (Nissan Maxima GLE). I can pick it up and shove it in, but smaller women might have a hard time hauling 16.5 pounds of stroller into a small trunk. Now... I will update with this... The Graco I'm using comes in at approximately 10 lbs heavier than my Britax and a bit bulkier, so maybe I was a bit harsh in this area.
Hey, what about those wheels? They are cheap plastic wheels -- yes, you heard me right... hard plastic. Not rubber, which I had assumed strollers wheels would be. Actually, let's be honest... I had thought this plastic was standard until I stole my parent's Graco stroller and realized their wheels were rubber. I have such stroller envy.
Another issue I have is with the "height adjustible handle." I assumed this meant you could move it up or down... but you can't, you can only adjust it's tilt. Again, works for me, but my husband is 5'11'' and it barely works for him... so tall men beware! This is actually kind of weird... now that I've been using the previously mentioned Graco, I realized that even though they don't have a height-adjustable handle... it still works better than the Britax. It could just be the angle and the way the basket is positioned beneath... but I can't explain why.
The removeable parent bag is useless. I can't even fit one of my bottles (Playtex Nurser System) into the "bottle holder." Sometimes I'll throw my keys in there, but it's only secured by velcro, so anything heavier might cause it to detach from the stroller.
I really can't find a ton of nice things to say about the stroller... The fabric is stain-resistant, but what infant stroller doesn't have that? Plus, why is it only attached by velcro? How cheap does that seem? Here I am thinking that all strollers have their fabrics attached with velcro, but then I realized...nope... just the crappy Forerunner. In addition, it only comes in the Oxford pattern which is black/gray/blue -- very boyish. That might turn some people off who have girls (not me, I hate girly stuff). The suspension seems fine -- don't take it jogging or even walking at a brisk pace... UPDATE: Actually, the suspension isn't as good as I would have hoped. When you push down on the handle bars, the stroller bounces up and down like the seat is on springs. That's usually a sign of a bad suspension system because of shot shocks. When you compare the ride of the Forerunner to the ride of the Graco, the jarring nature of the Forerunner is really brought into focus. The wheel locks work fine -- but again, what stroller doesn't have those?
It is moderately easy to secure the carseat into the stroller, but it takes some practice, and it is very simple to remove the carseat from the stroller. It also is relatively easy to stear with two hands, and it can make a u-turn easily. I haven't had a chance to test the harness or the back rest becuase Aidan is still in the car seat, but I'm finding I don't use the stroller a ton anymore. I tote him in my Baby Bjorn carrier so I don't have to lug the stroller around anymore... so I'm not sure if I'll ever use those features.
So Jen, tell us what you really think
Actually, I didn't realize how much I hated my stroller until I started writing this review.. It's horrible. A complete waste of $170 (especially considering you can get a great travel system from Graco for that price). It is missing quite a few convenience options (which at that price, it should have), it has many problems with the options it does have, and finally, Britax Forerunner is just a basic stroller at a premium price. What stroller doesn't have a 5 point harness for safety purposes? But anyway... my advice? Don't buy this, don't even look at it.
If you are like me and HAVE TO HAVE the Britax Companion carseat, maybe you should check out the Preview.
PS: I've just noticed that Britax doesn't even list the Forerunner on its website anymore -- maybe it's an even bigger disaster than I thought!
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 169.99
Age Range of Child: 0 to 12 Months
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