CR's latest convertible ratings

[crunchierthanthou]

I'm posting this so we'll be prepared when we get a rash of posts from unhappy new Zeus Turn and ComfortSport owners. :rolleyes:

ratings are out of 100.

40 lb. forward-facing harness capacity
Britax Diplomat = 68
Cosco Scenera = 64, CU Best Buy
Graco ComfortSport = 58, CU Recommended
Maxi-Cosi Priori = 53, CU Recommended
Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite = 52
Combi Zeus Turn = 46, CU Recommended
Safety 1st All-in-One = 46
Evenflo Tribute V = 45

Greater than 40 lb. forward-facing harness capacity
Evenflo Triumph Advance Premier = 70, CU Best Buy
Evenflo Triumph Advance LX/DLX = 70, CU Best Buy
Britax Boulevard = 65
The First Years True Fit = 63
Britax Marathon = 61
Orbit Toddler Car Seat = 59
Sunshine Kids Radian80 = 40, CU Recommended
Recaro Signo = 30

[christineka]

I'm a bit confused. (Not a CR reader.) If the ratings are out of 100, then why are lower ranked seats recommended or Best Buys?

I'm glad they've rated 40+ pound harnessing seats. Now all those fans will at least now there are many choices available.

[murphydog77]

What issue is this from?

[An Aurora]

I'm a bit confused. (Not a CR reader.) If the ratings are out of 100, then why are lower ranked seats recommended or Best Buys?


Because they take price into consideration, and rank more expensive seats lower because of it. :mad:

[chickabiddy]

I'm a bit confused. (Not a CR reader.) If the ratings are out of 100, then why are lower ranked seats recommended or Best Buys?

I'm glad they've rated 40+ pound harnessing seats. Now all those fans will at least now there are many choices available.

IIRC, the points are strictly on "quality" (what they test for). Best Buy takes into account price and tries to point out items that give bang for the buck. Recommended takes into account reliability and the like.

[BookMama]

Combi Zeus Turn = 46, CU Recommended

What?!? Based on WHAT criteria? :confused: :thumbsdown:

[crunchierthanthou]

What issue is this from?

it was on their baby products blog (http://blogs.consumerreports.org/baby/2009/06/new-convertible-car-seat-ratings.html) today. I only subscribe online, but that entry says "just posted".

I'm a bit confused. (Not a CR reader.) If the ratings are out of 100, then why are lower ranked seats recommended or Best Buys?

I'm glad they've rated 40+ pound harnessing seats. Now all those fans will at least now there are many choices available.

I'm not sure how the ratings work. The Radian80 has a very good* for crash protection (so do a dozen other seats), but it is only fair or poor for fit to vehicle and use. I'm not sure how it got the recommendation. The ZT was only good (average) in all boxes. again, recommended?

Interestingly, only the Cosco Scenera has an excellent rating for crash protection. The Zeus Turn and Signo rated the lowest at good. As I mentioned, the bulk were rated very good. I know that doesn't mean a whole lot, but there might be a few posts from that.

*the CR rating system has 5 levels - Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor.

[murphydog77]

Ah, thanks. We only get the magazine. I wonder if they'll publish it in next month's issue.

[joolsplus3]

Wow, I'm so glad CR has cleared this all up for me. I was really confused before. :o:rolleyes:

[CPSDarren]

Egads the mysterious "Crash Protection" rating rears its head again. The Recaro Signo owners will not be happy either. Funny thing is with infant seats they went to pass/fail, but now they regressed again. Perhaps they have finally correlated their crash testing to real world risk of injury, as the NHTSA does with its automotive crash tests. One can only hope!

Here is some commentary updated after they created a lot of unnecessary hysteria with their infant seat testing a few years back.

http://www.car-safety.org/guide.html#cr

Offhand, this new convertible seat review doesn't seem as questionable as some previous ratings, but they still provide no useful information on what their base scores actually mean.

[bubbaray]

Yes, the Baby Bargains book (obviously, they don't crash test) still recommends the Crapp-O-Sport. It just makes me want.to.scream.

Then again, I have two of them. Sigh.

Long story -- bought the first one because the Baby Bargains book recommended it. Long after I'd realized it was a piece of junk and moved onto the greener pastures of Britaxes and Radians, I was using the CS as a daycare/backup seat. There was a piece that came off and, ultimately, Transport Canada "persuaded" Graco Canada to give me a new seat. All I wanted was the 50cent clip, but ended up with yet another CS.

FWIW, the new CS *is* nicely padded. If it had a higher top slot, all harness slots could be used for both RFg and FFg, and it had higher weight limits, I might actually like the seat. We've found it easy to install and its pretty light for travel.

[bubbaray]

Do they just toss the seats down a flight of stairs and rate them that way -- seat that lands closest to the top of the stairs gets the highest rating?

We actually didn't renew our CR magazine subscription. We had made a number of purchases based on their ratings and found them completely wrong.

Anyone want a piece of junk Kenmore canister vacuum????? DH will never let me live that purchase down. And, because it WAS highly rated, that vacuum will last forever. Sigh.

[WhatAboutPuppy]

Anyone want a piece of junk Kenmore canister vacuum????? DH will never let me live that purchase down. And, because it WAS highly rated, that vacuum will last forever. Sigh.

:ROTFLMAO:

oh gosh, this made me laugh... hard!

[LISmama810]

I hope the next thing they rate is what they're smoking, because I want some!

Is this the new Zeus that RFs to 30 (33?) or the current/old one that only goes to 22?

Can't wait for the fallout from this one...

[ketchupqueen]

I hope the next thing they rate is what they're smoking, because I want some!



:ROTFLMAO:

Okay, seriously, they make no sense. Do the people who rate them even have kids? Or, you know, cars?

[crunchierthanthou]

I hope the next thing they rate is what they're smoking, because I want some!

Is this the new Zeus that RFs to 30 (33?) or the current/old one that only goes to 22?

Can't wait for the fallout from this one...

old. here are the ZT stats they list-

Basic Specs

Rear facing weight range (lbs.)
5-22
Forward facing weight range (lbs.)
20-40
Height range (in.)
19-40
Seat weight (lbs.)
30
Base width (in.)
17
Overall width (in.)
17
Shell height (in.)
22
Overall height (in.)
28

it weighs 30 lbs?! how did I never realize that? I figured it would be heavy because of then nature of the base, but I think that's more than any other seat out there. YS, Regent, Frontier... none of those break 25 lbs.

[An Aurora]

it weighs 30 lbs?! how did I never realize that? I figured it would be heavy because of then nature of the base, but I think that's more than any other seat out there. YS, Regent, Frontier... none of those break 25 lbs.

:eek::eek::eek:

[mommy-medic]

Yeah but look at the money it saves mommy on those pesky gym memberships! Her biceps have never been so toned! :D

[CPSDarren]

I submitted a comment on Saturday but they apparently would not post it. I emailed customer service and they suggested I might need to re-send it. So, I just did.

I hope their blog comments aren't censored as strictly as posts on their forums. If they are, they seem to be completely missing one of the main purposes of a blog.

[CPSDarren]

As it turns out, they just posted my comment. Sadly, though their comment form includes a spot for your URL, they don't actually link your username to the URL, as most blogs do.

[brightredmtn]

Well I'm looking on the brighter side and these new recs are much much better than last time :shrug-shoulders:

[CPSDarren]

Other than the mysterious crash protection scores, I would agree that they don't seem unreasonable. Granted, I suspect many advocates may disagree about the relative placement of some models, given their experience with real world ease of use and fit to vehicle issues.

[Gypsy]

I'm surprised they didn't test the Frontier - they always seem to test everything Britax.

[CPSDarren]

Convertibles only this time. Perhaps combo seats will be done by the time it goes to print?