Britax Roundabout - roundabout the best carseat you can buy
Written: Feb 10 '05 (Updated Apr 05 '05)
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Pros: SAFE, easy to clean, versatile
Cons: pain to install, pricey
The Bottom Line: The Britax Roundabout has the highest safety ratings. It is tough to argue with that.
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| some_guy5's Full Review: Britax Roundabout Convertible Car Seat - Puma |
The Britax Roundabout is one of the most popular car seats on the market. Although I think the reputation is deserved, that doesn't stop me from having a few suggestions for improvement. My overall experience has been a positive one and I plan to purchase the Britax Marathon (higher length and weight maximums) in the next week since my daughter is outgrowing her infant seat.
INSTALLATION
I have installed this carseat one way only, rear facing using seat belts. Neither of my cars have LATCH, much to my dismay. I did notice the LATCH anchors in a bag attached to the back of the Roundabout. The overall installation process was pretty much a big pain. Obviously it gets easier with practice but if you are installing this seat in the same manner as me then don't count on easily transferring it between vehicles. I drive an Audi S4. The back seat is quite small and putting this car seat in rear facing caused me to have to move the passenger seat up considerably. The car seat causes less than optimal leg room for the passenger seat but not to the point where it is very uncomfortable. So when I was ready to install the car seat I located the instruction manual. It is strapped to the car seat itself on an elastic strap. That way you can never lose it and won't have to risk installing it improperly from memory. It also prevents you from using it. Rather than cutting it free I opted to print a separate set of directions off of the internet so I could leave an emergency set attached to the seat. To install rear facing you recline the roundabout all the way. The base fit well in my bucket, slightly reclined, back seat. Now the hard part. There is a slot in the side where the seat belt slides in. Next to the slot is a little clip that you fold over the belts. More about this in a minute. Once the belts (lap and shoulder I mean) are in the slot you have to strap them over the seat, so you have to feed belt into the slot, take the belts over the seat, down and out the slot on the other side. According to the directions when you strap the belts over the seat you can have them pass over or under the cover. I opted to run them under the seat cover, out of site and where they wouldn't irritate little legs or anything. That made the process all that much more awkward. Now, I mentioned clips near the slots. You are supposed to close those over the belts. Good luck. I had to heave and heave and finally just closed it over the lap belt. They said the should belt was optional. I don't think it was designed to close over two. That would be my recommendation to Britax. Either fix the clips, or restate the directions so people aren't back there fuming. Next step, tighten the heck out of the seat belt and you are pretty much home. Make sure it is level and so on, as with all car seats.
SAFETY AND SPECS
I guess most people buy the Britax Roundabout because of safety ratings and reviews. Basically that is what caused me to spend $200 when I could have spent about a third as much on the Evenflo Triumph. I want my girl to be as safe as possible. This seat is billed as being about the safest you can buy. I can be used rear facing for children from 5 to 30 pounds and forward facing for children from 20 to 40 pounds. (The Britax Marathon costs about $20 more but has a maximum weight of 65 pounds. Ah, hindsight.) The seat itself weighs 14 pounds and measures 25" high by 18.25" wide by 23.5" deep. The seat features EPS impact foam around the head and torso which is advertised as increasing both comfort and safety. The Roundabout also offers "Versa-Tether" technology to help keep the seat from sliding forward or backward during impact. The fabric cover to the Roundabout is removable and washable. Can't get any better than that right? The Roundabout comes in several different fabric patterns. I chose gray, with like a waffle printed texture. Honestly, I just wanted something neutral but you can get pretty individual if you want a pattern like "topcat".
5 POINT HARNESS
I have a lot to say about the harness so I thought it should get its own section. I thought the harness was a bit of a headache when compared to that of my Peg Perego Prima Viaggio. I have since revised my opinion and I think the differences just took a bit of getting used to. My other 5 point harnesses all have clips that have to lock in at the same place. This makes them confusing and a bit if a pain. This harness has a clip that locks across the chest. These pieces adjust along the belt and simply connect to each other, and not to any other pieces. On those same two belts are two other clips that snap in between the legs. This configuration is safe, but doesn't cause the confusing belts and clips everywhere situation that can be frustrating until you get used to it. The first few days I felt like the belts were constantly in my way. That was my fault actually since the belts have velcro and can attach to the seat to make sure they stay out of the way. There is a push button at the base of the seat that releases the belts. To put my baby in, I push the button and get some slack in the belts, put her in, strap her in, and then tighten them again. To tighten the belts you just pull a strap located under the button at the foot of the seat. There are also slots in the back, so you can adjust where the belts come through the back of the seat. That helps the seat grow with your child.
CONCLUSION
There is really only one major con with this item. The price tag. The roundabout has great safety ratings, great reviews, and great word of mouth. It is flexible in that it accommodates your child from 5 to 40 pounds. So in that sense, you could argue that you are getting two seats for the price of, well.... two seats. I am happy with the overall quality, happy with the safe feeling and happy with its ease of use. My child is comfortable in it, but I am looking forward to the day when we can flip it around to forward facing and reclaim the lost legroom. Overall a great seat. I recommend it.
You can also see my review of the Peg Perego Prima Viaggio infant seat at
http://www.epinions.com/content_159694098052
or the Britax Marathon at
http://www.epinions.com/content_178835197572
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 200
Age Range of Child: 0 to 12 Months
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some_guy5
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