ETFA Sandbox vs. new ETFA DLX vs. TF/TFP

jujumum · Dec 17, 2009

I played with some of the seats at BRU the other day

eek

, and was really impressed by the latest ETFA DLX. The sides and back seemed almost as high as the MR and the leg room seemed about the same. It was a heavy and solid seat that was labeld 'Made in the USA'.:thumbsup:

The LX version seemed fairly flat in comparison, and didn't seem to have the height around the sides of the head (which I really prefer).

The BRU didn't have the sandbox cover, but I remember seeing it and loving it in the past. The Sandbox is currently on closeout at albeebaby for only $119.

Could anyone tell me if the design of the sandbox is like the new DLX versions or is it like the LX versions?

Also, for a child that is of average height and weight, what would the TF offer over the ETFA? Why isn't the ETFA recommended much anymore vs. the TF? I do love the anti-rebound bar of the TFP and have been coveting one.

This is for DS2, btw, who has suddenly started to sprout legs and is looking squished in the DC. His legs are froggy in it and I would really like him to have more leg room. He has been fighting me about not wanting to get in the seat for a month. I'm hoping it is just an age related temporary thing, but hey, any excuse for a new seat......

My other option is the MR or CA (don't like the CA's 40" limit -yes I know I can ignore it, but don't want to). My dd outgrew the height of the MR & weight of the TF at the exact same time, so I don't know if the extra 5 lbs would matter that much for my skinny kids.

TIA

NannyMom · Dec 17, 2009

I prefer the MR to the TF. But... that's just me. THe TF is taller than the EFTA. I think all the EFTAs are the same shell, it's just cover and pillow differences. Though as Sofi gets bigger, I'm feeling better with her being in seats that have some rebound control.

jujumum · Dec 18, 2009

That's a good point.

How are you liking the cranberry, by the way?

Which do you think would work the best with a seatbelt only install?

NannyMom · Dec 18, 2009

jujumum said:
That's a good point.

How are you liking the cranberry, by the way?

Which do you think would work the best with a seatbelt only install?

The cranberry I like. It's the cranberry with brown I don't

It is growing on me though. I did PM someone looking for a cranberry TFP and suggest she buy the pink/brown one coming out and trade with me

Turns out she's local to me too, lol.

I think the TF/TFP would be great with a seatbelt install because of the lockoffs. And I like the TF lockoffs better than the Britax ones. Though... if you have really long buckle stalks, it could be a problem (won't work RF center in my Dad's CRV).

jujumum · Dec 18, 2009

What do you think about the front to back space of the TFP vs. the MA vs. the MR vs. the ETFA.

With my van (2000 MPV) there is limited space. The MA/MR fit about the same and just perfectly. I don't think I'd be able to fit the TFP at the same recline that you have for Sofi - I think that it would need to be more upright. Is it possible and/or allowed to install the TFP at a more upright angle than in your siggy?

TechnoGranola · Dec 18, 2009

jujumum said:
What do you think about the front to back space of the TFP vs. the MA vs. the MR vs. the ETFA.

The TF can be installed as upright as 35° and I believe that the toddler recline angle on the TFP is 35°. My regular TF installed at 35° (checked by a digital angle finder) took up the same amount of space as the MA installed at 30°. So, same space but greater angle which worked well for us as I hated how my toddler's head flopped when she slept in the MA at 30°. :thumbsup: I'd have to double check our MR angle but I believe it's around 34°-35° and takes up a smidge LESS room than the TF did, which means it also takes up less space than the MA did in our vehicle (and again, get a greater install angle in that space).[/QUOTE]

joolsplus3 · Dec 18, 2009

The Triumphs are all the same, the same seat shell. It's likely that the padding made it 'appear' to look deeper than the other one. The difference is the infant padding and the Premier version (no longer at BRU) had nicer LATCH connectors. They are all very deep and probably just fine in a side impact. The TFP is super nice, too (not up on a base, might be easier to climb a kid into it as they get bigger...)

jujumum · Dec 18, 2009

How is the angle of this TF:

Is this ok? If it needs to be more reclined, I don't think I could fit it in my van.

One thing that I'm not overly crazy about with the TF is that it seems to have a lot of space for the child to move from left to right in the seat vs. the MR/MA/CA/ETFA.

These pics show the difference of interior width (TF & MA) for my skinny dd when she was 3.5 yo.

NannyMom · Dec 18, 2009

interior room- If the child is buckled in properly, it shouldn't be an issue. Sofi's head falls to the side a bit more because of it, but that's it. And Sofi's skinny too.

Angle- I'm bot good at guessing the angle when it's more upright. I want to say my siggy pic is as upright as it can be (according to the TFP level), but I've just realized it may not have been on level ground (duh).

newbiema · Dec 18, 2009

jujumum said:
I played with some of the seats at BRU the other day eek, and was really impressed by the latest ETFA DLX. The sides and back seemed almost as high as the MR and the leg room seemed about the same. It was a heavy and solid seat that was labeld 'Made in the USA'.:thumbsup:

I thougth the same thing when I was checking out carseats in BRU! When I had asked for suggestions on the board, pretty much everyone said that the MR had a taller shell than the EFTA, but after examining both seats, the shell height looked nearly identical! I ended up going with the EFTA DLX because the sides seemed a bit more padded than the other seats they had in stock, and not gonna lie, I liked the color

The Radians and TF were pretty much out of the running as an option for my DH's car, given that the backseat is a bit crammed, although I may be getting one for my new set of wheel

TechnoGranola · Dec 18, 2009

Not sure if this helps because this pic may not be level and it's not taken straight on, but this is a TF at exactly 35°:

and here is 30°:

You can see in the 30° pic that DH's seat is touching the TF and I cried when I found out it was only at 35° as we had no more room than that. But, I got him to lessen the recline of his seat AND then he moved the seat bottom back further which gave him the same room for his legs, but he sits more upright now and that gave me the room I needed to install the TF at 35°.

To check the angle, I removed the seat cover and laid my digital angle finder against a solid, flat part of the seat back where the child's back lays. IIRC it was flat against some of the hard EPS foam as doing it against the compressible foam or the cover gave differing angles depening on how much and where you compressed.

Is that pic in your van? is that how much room you have? The seat is very upright already so you can't gain any space that way, but it looks like there's room between the TF and the front seat still which may give a tad more space to recline it a bit more. We got it so I could just fit my palm between the TF and the front headrest if I flipped my hand on its side.

arly1983 · Dec 18, 2009

I am going to say that the MR and EFTA come pretty darn close to having the same shell height at least with the same kiddo in it. The EFTA is shaped sorta like a bowl so its a little harder to measure the shell height. Kids just seem to slide 'into' the bottom of the bowl and have more room than you think they would.

jujumum · Dec 18, 2009

I think that TF angle in the second pic looks about the same as mine.

The pic of the TF was in my dh's MPV 2003 van, which is the same essentially as my van, but he has a plastic bar sticking out along the back of the drivers seat back that creates even less room than mine front to back for the carseat. We had bought the Monet in the pic for dd to use ff, but I snapped some pics of it out it might look rf (before I returned it and bought a GN).

I have a side airbag in my driver seat, and can't have the car seat wedged into it, so the front to back room is really important.

Why doesn't the ETFA get a lot of love vs. the TF when they rf to the same weight?

TechnoGranola · Dec 18, 2009

jujumum said:
I think that TF angle in the second pic looks about the same as mine.

Do you know if that pic is level to the ground? If so, I actually think it might be around 33°-34°. I am only basing that on the red line though which is sometime NOT straight when they put them on.

I had to realign mine withe the raised line that is permanently in the plastic on the seat.

jujumum said:
I have a side airbag in my driver seat, and can't have the car seat wedged into it, so the front to back room is really important.

The way the TF is, and if you have an even slightly greater recline to the front passenger seat than in your pic, the TF will touch the headrest, not likely to wedge into the rest of the seat (that being said, I believe Learning Curve said not to have the TF touching the front seat) and that's not going to affect your side torso air bags. Of course though, follow your vehicle manual and if it says not to have anything touching, then don't have anything touching! (mine only says it for the passenger side where there are sensors to determine if a passenger is sleeping against the door)

snowbird25ca · Dec 18, 2009

arly1983 said:
I am going to say that the MR and EFTA come pretty darn close to having the same shell height at least with the same kiddo in it. The EFTA is shaped sorta like a bowl so its a little harder to measure the shell height. Kids just seem to slide 'into' the bottom of the bowl and have more room than you think they would.

I find the MR offers about 1" more growing room than the EFTA in terms of rf'ing shell height. In terms of harness height once ff'ing, the EFTA wins out by probably about 3/4".

The TF shell is miles taller in comparison to those 2, so for a tall torso'd kid it would be the way to go.

I've had the TF in a 2004(?) MPV with LATCH and the driver seat was still completely usable - I was able to slide it all the way back.

Jujumum - I think the angle is fine. But I'm also not one to worry about a few degrees here and there. I'm pretty good at looking at a seat and knowing if it's ok or not, and your's falls in to the realm of ok assuming it's on level ground. I wouldn't install it more upright than that, but wouldn't worry about it being where it is. :thumbsup:

eta: Like Julie said, all the EFTA are identical. The difference between LX and DLX is that the DLX has memory foam in the bum, a more substantial infant insert, and push-on LATCH connectors instead of hooks. Everything else is the same. :thumbsup:

TechnoGranola · Dec 18, 2009

snowbird25ca said:
Jujumum - I think the angle is fine. But I'm also not one to worry about a few degrees here and there. I'm pretty good at looking at a seat and knowing if it's ok or not, and your's falls in to the realm of ok assuming it's on level ground. I wouldn't install it more upright than that, but wouldn't worry about it being where it is. :thumbsup:

I should add that I agree with Trudy. The only reason that I was checking mine with a fine toothed comb (okay not with a comb, but with a digital angle finder!) was because I was interested in how much space and angle it was taking up compared to the MA and also because it was at the time when everyone had *just* found out the TF could be installed more upright than 45°.

And remember that a child's weight increases the angle as well. So, agreed, you're likely good to go.

jujumum · Dec 18, 2009

TechnoGranola said:
Do you know if that pic is level to the ground? If so, I actually think it might be around 33°-34°. I am only basing that on the red line though which is sometime NOT straight when they put them on. I had to realign mine withe the raised line that is permanently in the plastic on the seat.

The way the TF is, and if you have an even slightly greater recline to the front passenger seat than in your pic, the TF will touch the headrest, not likely to wedge into the rest of the seat (that being said, I believe Learning Curve said not to have the TF touching the front seat) and that's not going to affect your side torso air bags. Of course though, follow your vehicle manual and if it says not to have anything touching, then don't have anything touching! (mine only says it for the passenger side where there are sensors to determine if a passenger is sleeping against the door)

The pic is level to the ground. The manual doesn't say anything about anything touching the seat, but we found out by accident that it wasn't a good idea. My dh drove my van and moved the seat all the way back which squished the top of the rf MA into the headrest. The car sat for 2 days before I drove it and discovered that he moved the seat.

The airbag light started blinking twice - a code that means the airbag sensor has issues and needs to be addressed. The dealer wanted $500 to install a new one (parts & labor) but fortunately after a few days of not having a seat pressed against the headrest the light went off. The light comes on for 30 secons when the car starts, which is the only time that it is supposed to come on. Dh promised to NEVER do that again.

snowbird25ca said:
I find the MR offers about 1" more growing room than the EFTA in terms of rf'ing shell height. In terms of harness height once ff'ing, the EFTA wins out by probably about 3/4".

The TF shell is miles taller in comparison to those 2, so for a tall torso'd kid it would be the way to go.

I've had the TF in a 2004(?) MPV with LATCH and the driver seat was still completely usable - I was able to slide it all the way back.

Jujumum - I think the angle is fine. But I'm also not one to worry about a few degrees here and there. I'm pretty good at looking at a seat and knowing if it's ok or not, and your's falls in to the realm of ok assuming it's on level ground. I wouldn't install it more upright than that, but wouldn't worry about it being where it is. :thumbsup:

eta: Like Julie said, all the EFTA are identical. The difference between LX and DLX is that the DLX has memory foam in the bum, a more substantial infant insert, and push-on LATCH connectors instead of hooks. Everything else is the same. :thumbsup:

Thanks! I'm going to head to BRU next week and play with seats again. I just wish they had a TF or TFP. I can't find any store with one to play with again in person.

ETFA Sandbox vs. new ETFA DLX vs. TF/TFP

jujumum

Well-known member

NannyMom

Well-known member

jujumum

Well-known member

NannyMom

Well-known member

jujumum

Well-known member

TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

jujumum

Well-known member

NannyMom

Well-known member

newbiema

New member

TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador

arly1983

New member

jujumum

Well-known member

TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor

TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador

jujumum

Well-known member

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Sponsors

Forum statistics