Safety 1st Apex Car Seat - Finally, Something Better than a Britax Marathon!
Written: Jan 25 '06 (Updated Sep 13 '06)
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Pros: Harness to 65 lbs and booster to 100 lbs, low price
Cons: None for us
The Bottom Line: A great low-priced car seat to keep children harnessed to 65 lbs.
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| mmcphee's Full Review: Cosco Juvenile Apex 65 Booster Car Seat - 22531 |
I have to admit that I have been waiting for an excuse to buy a Cosco Safety 1st Apex Car Seat. The Little Guy just barely fits in his infant car seat. We decided to move him into our 2 ½ year old’s Evenflo Triumph and buy the "hand-me-down kid" a new car seat. I did not hesitate to select the Cosco Safety 1st Apex.
The Basics
The Cosco Safety 1st Apex is a forward facing car seat and belt positioning booster seat. The 5-point harness can be used for children 22-65 lbs who are 34"-52" and then as a booster seat for children 40-100 lbs and 43"-57". This seat has three head rest heights, four harness heights and three crotch strap position. The arm rests are fixed and there is a removable cup holder. The seat is LATCH equipped and FAA approved for use on aircraft when used with the 5-point harness. The seat cover is removable for hand-washing only.
Set-Up
The manual is stored in the back of the car seat and written in English only. There are line drawings and text describing the use of the car seat. The instructions are reasonably well laid out and easy to follow. Of course you should read all of the instructions before installing and using this seat to secure your child. The instruction booklet was not easy to find, in fact I had to call the parent company Dorel to find out where the instructions were hiding under the seat cover.
While still in the house, I adjusted the seat to fit my daughter. Both the harness and crotch strap need to be rethreaded to adjust their position. The headrest is easily adjustable and locks into position with the knob in the back of the headrest. The harness covers are optional and can be removed by unthreading the harness. The harness length is adjusted with a small lever on the bases of the seat between the child’s legs. This adjustor is position to make it difficult for a child to play with it.
To use as a booster seat the crotch strap and harness straps must be removed. The headrest provides an "open loop" style belt positioning system to ensure the seat belts are positioned at the right height for the child. Adjusting the height of the headrest adjusts the position of the car’s seat belt across the child. The "open loop" design ensure the seat belt can retract properly in the event of an accident.
Installation
When used with the 5-point harness this car seat can be installed using either the car’s seat belts or LATCH connectors. LATCH connectors can only be used for children up to 48 lbs, after that it must be installed with the car’s seat belts. The seat is very easy to install with the LATCH connects. The hole to pass the car’s seat belt through is a little small for an adult hand but not impossible. The tether strap that anchors the top of the car seat is very easy to adjust and clip for a tight fit. I had no trouble getting a secure fit with a shoulder and lap belt or the LATCH connectors in our van. When the LATCH connectors are not in use, according to an updated set of directions tied to the connectors, they should be hooked in the back.
It is also important to note that this car seat needs to be installed in position with a high back to the car seat. Your top of your child's ears need to be below the car head rest, not the car seat shell. This is not an issue in the captain's chairs of our van.
I opted not to install the cup holder, which can be put on either side of the seat. We generally do not take drinks in the car so it isn’t something that we needed. The cup holder is at the base of the seat so when a child is secured by the 5-point harness they would not be able to reach it anyway. Since the seat is installed next to a chest height built-in cup holder if we ever needed one we would use that one.
Fit and Comfort
For my average sized 2 ½ year old the harness height needed to be set to the middle position and the crotch strap moved to the position furthest out. By comparison my very large 4 year old would need the straps up one more position still giving her several inches to grow before she would be too tall for the harness of this seat. I also had my 4 year old test the seat as a booster. The headrest needed to be in the lowest position for the seatbelt to fit her properly. The seat was definitely wide enough so she was comfortable and would be for several more years.
My 2 ½ year old was eager to try out her new car seat once it was installed, so we decided to take a ride to grandma’s house so she could show it off. She fell asleep at some point during our 6 minute ride home. She seemed comfortable and the small "wings" on the side of the seat supported her head comfortable. The seat has a lightly padded cover as well as an optional soft and seemingly comfortable body pillow. She even seems to like the harness covers at her neck, they are soft and small so I left them on.
Our Experience
I am thrilled with my purchase. I do not particularly care for our Britax Marathon so I waited patiently for this seat to be released, almost 9 months after I first read about it. It was worth the wait. After having only installed this seat twice, I already find it easier to install than the Marathon, which I have installed more times than I care to count. I do get a nice tight fit with both car seats, but the Apex makes it easier. It is a bit wide for an airplane seat, but I was comfortable sitting between it and our Evenflo Triumph.
Buckling the harness properly is easy. Each buckle locks independently into the crotch strap. This is great if you have a child throwing a fit about getting into the seat. You don’t have try and hold one buckle in place while snap in the other buckle all while trying to keep your child in the seat. I have always disliked our Marathon because both buckles need to be inserted before it locks in place.
My complaints are minor. The arms rest are stationary and rather low to be useful. Since this seat is installed in the back row of our van and the seat directly in front of it has been removed not being able to lift up the arm rests is not an issue for us since my daughter climbs straight in. However, if you child needs to climb in from the side having the arm rest fixed may make it more difficult. Aesthetically, I’m not crazy about the chest-clip design. The plastic feels light-weight and flimsy compared to all of our other car seats.
Cleaning
I am usually not concerned about cleaning the covers on car seats. We don’t let the kids eat or drink in the car so the seats can usually be cleaned with a quick vacuum. However eating while in their car seats on a plane at lunch time is a whole different story. All three kids managed to make a huge mess in their car seats, so much so that the covers needed to be washed when we got to our room.
The cover and body pillow were easy to remove. Even though the directions imply that hand washing is necessary I put the Apex cover in with the other two covers on gentle cycle with cold water, I then hung all three to dry outside. The cover dried overnight with no fading or shrinking. In the future I will probably hand wash the cover, but on vacation I needed the washer to spin the covers out quickly so they would dry overnight.
Comparison
Deciding between car seats can be a difficult process. After all, there must be some reason that a $200 car seat is better than a $50 car seat. Well, the answer is yes and no. Manufacturers want you to believe that their car seat is "safer" than all of the other car seats on the market. In reality when the US government gives its stamp of approval for safety it is either pass or fail. There is no information readily available to the general public to assess that one car seat is "safer" than another. What the US government provides are ratings for is ease of use features. What sets a $200 car seat apart from a $50 car seat are the features, that you may or may not be willing to pay for. So, here is a summary of the differences of the major features that mattered to me between the Cosco Safety 1st Apex and the Britax Marathon
Britax Marathon
Price: $260
Rear Facing Weight Limit: 5-33 lbs
Front Facing Weight Limit: 65 lbs
Front Facing Height Limit: 49”
Booster Weight Limit: N/A - cannot be used as a booster
Harness Top Slot Height From Seat: 18" (approximately)
Seat Belt Installation: Difficult, slot too narrow for my hand, sharp edges
Crotch Buckle: Both buckles must be in place before either one locks
Crotch Buckle Position: One
Comfort Padding: Very well padded cover
Customer Service: Barely better than abysmal
Best fit: Good for tall/big children or for parents who want to keep their child in a 5-point harness beyond the standard 40 lbs
Cosco Safety 1st Apex
Price: $120
Rear Facing Weight Limit: N/A - forward facing car seat only
Front Facing Weight Limit: 65 lbs
Front Facing Height Limit: 52”
Booster Weight Limit: 100 lbs
Harness Top Slot Height From Seat: 17 1/2" (approximately)
Seat Belt Installation: Hard, slot a little narrow for my hand
Crotch Buckle: Each buckle locks in place independently
Crotch Buckle Positions: Three
Comfort Padding: Padded cover, very well padded body pillow
Customer Service: Very good
Best fit: Budget conscious parents who want to keep their child in a 5-point harness beyond the standard 40 lbs and then use the seat as a booster.
Should the Cosco Safety 1st Apex be Your Next Car Seat?
For a long time Britax car seats were your only option for keeping your child secured in a 5-point harness beyond the 40 lbs weight limit of a typical convertible car seat. Now with the Cosco Safety 1st Apex you can keep your child harnessed to 65 lbs at half the price of the Britax Marathon. Because this car seat converts to a belt positioning booster you can continue to use it once your child has outgrown the harness. This car seat is safe, easy to use and a great value at less than half the price of the Britax Marathon!
Although not an issue for us, it may not be possible to move your child directly from an infant carrier to the Cosco Safety 1st Apex. Children must be at least 1 year old to ride facing forward, and multiple studies have shown that it is best to have children ride in the rear facing position for as long as possible. It is quite likely that you will have to use a convertible car seat between the infant seat and the Apex. That may make the Britax Marathon a better value. However, if like us, you are simply shifting children around in seats the Safety 1st Apex could not be a better value. Car seats can generally be used for 6 years and there is no doubt that we will get our full use out of this seat, not only with the 5-point harness but as a booster seat as well.
My Other Car Seat Reviews
Graco Turbo Booster Safe Seat
Britax Regent
Britax Marathon
Evenflo Triumph
Graco Comfort Sport
Evenflo Comet Booster
Cosco Opus 35
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 120
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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mmcphee
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Member: Mary Ellen
Location: Nutmeg State
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