Recaro Start $289 free shipping?

[Defrost]

I'm just window-shopping online and found this:
http://www.healthchecksystems.com/product_list/product.cfm?idProduct=4144

Anyone heard of this place before? I'm loathe to buy right now (long story) but that's a really good price...

[domandpedro75]

Not sure about that site but the Start is cheaper here $276.00 free shipping and no tax: http://carseats.babycatalog.com/booster-car-seats/start-booster/380447.html

HTH

[joolsplus3]

Yeah, healthchecksystems is fine, babycatalog is fine. Both will probably have older seats (I bought mine for $199 from somehwere in fall of 2005 and it had a DOM in 2003... they claim the Starts don't expire, so I didn't mind :whistle:)

[mom23boys]

Does anyone have any comments they would like to share about this seat? I am interested in it!

[joolsplus3]

We really love ours. My 10 yo has a couple inches to grow in it, and it's so narrow I can easily put them outboard in my minivan's third row and have room for a boosterless kid to sit in the middle. They are super comfy, mainly for the beanpole kids (high limit of 80 pounds, and the butt area isn't very roomy), good SIP that the kids don't lean out of. Deep thigh support, good sleep support. Optional lock on the shoulderbelt (mandatory for kids 30-40 pounds, though), has a top tether to prevent the heavy seat from loading weight onto the kiddo (it's like 23 pounds?). The kids love the built in speakers in the headrests.

Here it is 'naked' http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/ANakedRecaro/photo#5207642765130004642 (on top of that goes very dense comfort foam and a high quality cover--EPS foam is under the covers that I left on the seat, they are a pain to take off to wash so I left them on).
And here they are in my van.. http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/StartsAndCenterBeltGuide (I found the footrest to be cumbersome and couldn't really figure it out in that car, so I sold it.. .the 'belt guide' in the middle was just something I was playing around with).
Hmm...time for pictures of actual children in those seats, eh? (my ds chooses it over the backless booster in the middle of the middle row, I guess it's pretty comfy!)

Oh, the belts going through the belt guide CAN get stuck (the lockoff will flip into locked position too easily), it can be worse depending on the height of the backrest and the way it comes out of the car... so that's kind of an annoyance...right now for my DS it's not getting stuck at all, but dd's is shorter and it gets stuck more often.

[mom23boys]

Thanks Jools, I was not aware of the 80 lb weight limit. Our ds2 in only 70 lbs so he could get some use out of it but ds3 who is not even 5 is already 53 lbs so I may not be able to pass it on. Still thinking about it! It looks so well made.

[Defrost]

Well, I'm still working on convincing my dh. :whistle:

I want one because while my kids all have safe solutions in our Mazda 5 now, with a Recaro Start I could put a boostered kid in the 3rd row again, and Thomas would be SO much more comfortable in the 2nd row. Plus, we have a gate on our property, so at certain times of the year when it's closed, it would be nice to have the only kid strong enough to handle the gate in a position where he can actually get out of the vehicle.

So, the Start is luxury item for us. Not necessary, but it sure would make things easier!

[Judi]

I tried one at lifesavers, but there wasn't a rep there to talk it up. Jenny helped me though. How tall does the belt guide go on that one?

[Defrost]

DUDE DUDE DUDE I FINALLY TALKED HIM INTO IT!!!!!!! :D

Gypsy found me a few more places that had it on sale; I even found one in Midnight Flash! (To match my CAR omg I feel like such a total dork!)

$279, free shipping (http://www.strollerdepot.com/moreinfo.php?SKU=11206)

I :love: my husband SO MUCH!

Dude, I have to change my siggy now....

[joolsplus3]

LOL Debbie! I hope you like it... we really didn't like our first one (my fault for putting a 3 yo in a booster, anyway...), but it's grown on us and we can handle it's quirks :)

[scatterbunny]

We :love: ours, too! It's just a bear to adjust (takes two hands, sometimes two people if you aren't familiar with it, or strong :p ), definitely not a quick-to-adjust seat, and it sits up taller than many boosters in the vehicle. It's got awesome wings, awesome adjustability (LOVE that seat depth adjustment), soooo soft cover, and it tethers (I like boosters that secure to the vehicle in some way), and has no expiration.

Unfortunately, used outboard in my Focus, it is only a hair away from touching the roof of the car, so I don't think we'll be able to use it outboard on the highest setting. :( We haven't tried it in the center yet.

[Defrost]

Unfortunately, used outboard in my Focus, it is only a hair away from touching the roof of the car, so I don't think we'll be able to use it outboard on the highest setting. :( We haven't tried it in the center yet.

Shh... don't spoil my fantasy just yet... ;)

[joolsplus3]

Mines fine in the tallest in the back of my van, it's better than the PW. There, does that help keep the fantasy alive? :love:

[scatterbunny]

LOL, not wanting to spoil your fantasy, in your car it'll probably be just fine. :p The roof slopes down quite a bit on the sides in the back of theFocus.

[remken]

I tried one at lifesavers, but there wasn't a rep there to talk it up. Jenny helped me though. How tall does the belt guide go on that one?

I get about 22 inches when I measure.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v481/remken/car%20seat%20pics%201/starthmeasurement.jpg

If it wasn't for the 80 pd. weight limit I think my dd would've had more time in the start, then in the body guard.

[scatterbunny]

The measurement is a bit tricky, because H has more than an inch extra height room in the Start than in the Parkway, for example (which is measured at 21 inches). I'll try to get some better pics of H in the Start soon to compare. When I did my booster comparison thread a few months ago I remember that I was blown away with how much more height room dd had in the Start compared to other boosters.

[Judi]

I waaaaaannnnttt

[safeinthecar]

Why does my darn 6 yo have to be 70#????


Whahhh!

[Defrost]

Thank jools & Wendy! I'm fully prepared for the possibility that this won't be the answer to all my prayers :rolleyes: but of course it's rather become an obsession at this point. ;)

Fighter will be the one using it, and as he's pretty much followed Thomas' growth pattern, it should work for him for at least a couple of years. At which point I can re-assess the whole situation - hopefully Thomas will have taken up weight lifting and have a barrel-chest by then? :D Or I'll just trade this car in for something else, hopefully a newer Mazda5 that's had this issue FIXED!

[PHaley]

Can you compare this to the SR/C? I'm ordering a FR but if my DGS-7 doesnt fit I'll have to put him in a bpb and we already have a SR/C but I like that this can lock. He rides in other peoples car w/ no seat at all :( but MD is changing their law to 8yrs/65lbs/4'9" minimum on June 30th and I'm hoping to be able to use this to convince his folks& gparents to put him back in a seat :rolleyes: Would love to know what you think before I order a nearly $300 booster yikes

[joolsplus3]

Absolutely the most opposite to the SR/C you can get, which is why I bought it when my ds was three and the SRC was the ONLY other decent choice... it's a huge, heavy, solid, tether-mandatory, built in shoulderbelt lockoff seat...the SRC is like... a flimsier version of the Turbo that's harder to adjust ;)

The Recaro is a good booster for people who welcome a challenge... for the more faint of heart I'd go with something simpler to work with... like a Parkway or Monterey or...just something relatively basic and easy to move.

(yay for new booster laws! woo hoo!)

[scatterbunny]

ITA with Julie! I think for someone not wanting to bother with appropriate restraint to begin with, the Start might be overkill, it might be too complicated and heavy for them to deal with. It's a fabulous booster, but so heavy and different from most other boosters on the market that it could be overwhelming for them to use.

[PHaley]

Thanks ladies :thumbsup: I have been so immersed in the world of ERF and EH that boosters are new but fun also :) I would be the one using the Start and probably let them hold the SR/C or like you said go get him a Turbo if they promise to use it. I was wondering in comparison more like how high (tallest setting) how much leg room puzzling in 3 across situation stuff like that. You ladies are so encouraging on this stuff lol

[scatterbunny]

Oh, if YOU will be using it, then it might be just fine. ;) The Start adjusts REALLY tall, it's hard to measure correctly because of the style of headwings and belt guides, but I have comparison pics of my dd in different boosters that might help you judge the height on the Start. I'll go dig up that link in a second.

The Start has great leg room/leg support. It is depth-adjustable. My dd uses it on the deepest setting but has plenty of room to grow. The angle of the seat makes it super-supportive, too (not perfectly flat like most boosters). I don't think it's great for three-across, at least IME it's not. :p

[scatterbunny]

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=36519&highlight=big+lots+boosters

That's my booster comparison page. :)

[joolsplus3]

LOL, well, spoil yourself, for sure!
I like that my kids rarely ever lean out of the headwings on these seats (unless they are trying to both see the same gameboy...). My leggy almost 11 yo has several inches to grow in it (he's wearing 10-12 shirts for comparison, and really 'almost' passing the 5 step test now).

[Defrost]

Sorry, just have to vent my obsession somewhere...

The Midnight Flash is out-of-stock, so I'm getting plain 'ol black instead. *sigh*

On a happier note, though - it's shipped, and it's in TOLEDO now!!

(Yes, package tracking is very bad for my sanity.)

[lovinwaves]

w00t!!! Now don't attack the nice package carrier man okay Debbie?


BTW, this is where I am going to order my Recaro Young Sports http://www.studentmarket.com/Recaro-380.00.MM11-RCR1375.html They ship directly from Recaro, so I am hopefully guaranteed a newer DOM. :D

[joolsplus3]

Oooooh the covers are only 95 on that site... I might need some microfiber ones, huh? (I have 'Volcano' print, which is cottony)

[lovinwaves]

I just got off the phone with Recaro and they did verify they do drop ship for studentmarket.com, and they are an okay online company to purchase from :thumbsup:

And btw, that websites customer service was fabulous :)

[Defrost]

Yep, mine's shipping directly from Recaro, too, which is why I didn't cancel my order when they said they didn't have Midnight Flash. If Recaro is out, I seriously doubt I'm going to find it anywhere else, regardless of whether or not their website says they have it, and almost certainly not at that price!