Silver Cross Micro or Britax Esprit?

southpawboston

New member
albee baby has these on sale for $70 and $50, respectively. seems like a great price for each, but it's impossible to find a store near me to see either one IRL.

we're looking for a lightweight umbrella for under $100 for shuttling between the car and a two-flight walk up to our apartment. both of these seem to fit the bill. the silver cross does not recline (not important), but is 3 lbs lighter (important). both have bigger baskets than the maclarens (important). the maclaren volo is the only maclaren we can find under $100, and frankly, we were not impressed with that bare-bones model.

if anyone has either of these, i'd like to hear what you think of it in terms of ease of use, durability, child comfort, etc... also if you can recommend another lightweight umbrella stroller if you have one that you totally love...
 
ADS

Morganthe

New member
My experience isn't quite what you're asking for, but it might help you decide :)
I've owned the Silver Cross Mini in the Ascot pattern (the larger version of the Micro) for over 2 years. It's about 12lbs vs. the 9 for the Micro. I debated long and hard before choosing between the 2 since I was ordering sight unseen. I wanted a lightweight stroller to keep in car, travel on subways, up stairs, & just be versatile enough for a fast growing toddler. Oh & have tall enough handlebars for my 6'3 spouse. The wheels are set so we don't smack them as we walk & every Maclaren we tried, we'd trip over the slightly narrower width.

I bought the Mini through an EBAY retailer for about $90 which included shipping to my mother in law who sent it along to us overseas.
There's a review at http://strollers.baby-gaga.com/silver-cross-mini/review2.html that gives a bit more of the specs on it. They say that the only way to stand it up once its folded is to sit it on the handlebars -- not true -- just engage the rear brakes and it props up quite well :rolleyes:

After reading experiences from owners in the past, I don't think the Micro would have held up to the beating we've given the Mini. It's been in airplane holds. I've crammed it with around 20lbs of shopping & gear (just 3 weeks ago at the mall in fact) + a 35lb daughter with all her clothes. The cover has a pocket in it which is really nice to hold keys & I also have an aftermarket German cloth stroller bag attached to the handlebar adds much more carrying space. I've also placed velcro straps around the sturdy metal fram that holds shopping bag handles or my walking stick when I needed extra support not pushing a stroller.

If the cover is off, access to the basket is made even easier. The most annoying & difficult place to reach is directly under the thigh area, but there is side area accessability. The seat back reclines or pushes forward providing more space to access the storage area. It folds smoothly & the front wheels popping off makes it even smaller to stuff into places like a crowded vehicle packed for a vacation. :D

I've also appreciated the non-typical patterned fabric and can find it immediately in stroller storage lots such as Sea World -- I did lock it to make sure no one would walk off with it. :cool:

I'm sorry I couldn't tell you more about the Micro. Personally, I think it might be too lightweight and flimsy for your needs. When I was researching 2 years ago, there were a lot of complaints about bending or breakage. Silver Cross USA also was going through an administrative change. It was being dissolved and absorbed back into Silver Cross UK which did not make the Micro or Mini. (Much to the UK parents displeasure and who wanted one) So I'm not sure if they're back in production again or that there is still stock out on the market for sale.

Good luck on your stroller search. It is a very hard choice sometimes :D
 

southpawboston

New member
thanks. i did read about the SC corporate changes and have no way of knowing if the one available from elbee baby hails from china or...?

i'm finding that stroller shopping is harder than carseat shopping. there just isn't that *perfect* one, kwim?

i may look into the mini. what i like about both the britax and the SC micro, but forgot to metion above, is that they both have 6.5" wheels, as opposed to the maclaren 4.5" wheels. i live in an old neighborhood with a lot of uneven sidewalks, and we have things like curbs and uneven brick walkways to deal with. i know that everyone raves about how easily the maclarens "roll", but i don't know about on rough urban terrain. our graco metrolite with 8" wheels does fabulously in that regard, but it's just too bulky and heavy to shuttle in and out of the car constantly (especially with a small car like ours).
 

Lys

Senior Community Member
We had a Mac Volo for Ian. ANd what got me to buy it over the SC or Britax was it holds up to 55lbs as opposed to the other 2 that only hold 40lbs.
I strolled Ian all around Brookline when we visited my sister in the Volo and never had any problems with the wheels on the street or curbs.
I absolutely adored that stroller over all the other ones we've owned. (Zapp,Quest, TechnoXT, Graco,Jogging stroller)
 

Morganthe

New member
FYI: The mini also has the 6.5" wheels, but I don't really think size makes a difference vs quality. Having a slightly more rubber tread instead the more plasticky material probably is more a vital ingredient. I had a friend who was thrilled about how her MacLaren handled rough brick cobblestones. Personally, I thought she was nuts, if I needed heavy duty shock absorbers + easy push tires, I'd use the Quinny. Even with good suspension on the Mini, it bothered my wrists to have to deal with the rough surface.

I heard there was a Graco umbrella stroller that once had air-filled tires and I found raves about that, but haven't recently come across any. I think it was older and in very limited production.

Nope, there is no such thing as the perfect stroller for ALL situations. That's how I ended up with the Quinny Speedi (for countryside & distance) & the Silver Cross Mini (daily use & close quarters). I'm very content with how each fill a necessary function for my family's lifestyle. :D
 

LuvBug

New member
if you join the yahoo group strollerswap you can find a bunch of great deals on nice strollers and some great advice too!

I dont know anything about the first stroller, but was told by the group the britax wasnt so good. I ended up getting a maclaren vogue after testing a mac volo, mac triumph, and mac quest. We LOOOOOOOOVE our volo!!!! DS is 40lbs and I can still push it with 1 hand like he is 20lbs, and the handles are so tall! Macs are good about that. Ive noticed the farther up in price the higher the handles seem to get and for us tall handles are a must(the shortest of people who push DS are 5'10 lol!)
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
The Graco with the air-filled tires was not an umbrella, it's the Air 6, found only as part of the travel system in 2002-2003.
That said, it's the one I got when pregnant with Joyjoy and until about 6 months ago I LOVED it. So what happened? The booger grew. :p The older Gracos all have a 40 lb weight limit, and after about 35 lbs even their brest strollers get hard to push. (although they CAN handle the larger weight, it's just a pain to push and steer.)

I would not be adverse to selling mine, but I have to have a replacement first, unfortunately.
 

super_grape

Active member
I have a Micro and I don't reccomend it.
The wheels are funny and will flip sideways while you're pushing forward
so the stroller ends up sliding instead of rolling, the seat is super slumpy
and my DD always looked so uncomfortable, the steering is good...for a while
and then it goes south, and it just dosen't hold up well. We lost a screw/bolt on the leg rendering the stroller unusable, it just fell out...just like that.
I wish I could say it was just a lemon but we had 2 and they were both the same, also I have heard complaints from others as well.

The Volo is a MUCH better stroller all around...the wheels might be small but they are sturdy, the seat is more supportive and the push is always good...there's really not that much difference in the basket size.
I always regretted not buying the Volo, in fact it'll probably be my next stroller:) !
Dosen't Magic Beans have a stroller obstacle coarse or won't they let you try it outside?? It seems like I read that somewhere before...maybe:eek: .
Good luck and HTH....it really is hard trying to decide!!!

Holly
 

LuvBug

New member
my target has the volo instock for 99 and also check out TJ Maxx and places like that(ROSS, ect...) and see if they have any strollers. I found a mac and peg for 50 and 100 or more less than retail. I was torn between the volo at target, mac at my local TJ Maxx, and the vogue on strollerswap since I could get them all for the same price. But I had it narrowed down to the mac after seeing and trying some IRL. Im so glad we went with the vogue! they are now sold as the techno classic and they are nice a roomy! I just love it!

So check out target, TJ Maxx(and like), and BRU(TRU?) and see if you can try a few out IRL. Ive also heard of costco having some namebrand strollers as well(recently mac and zooper).
 

southpawboston

New member
thanks for all the advice. it looks like we will have to look more closely at maclaren... and pay more it seems. hardly anyone says anything bad about maclarens...

magic beans doesn't have an "obstacle course" per se, but their store is "wicked crouded" (as the locals would say ;) ) so just getting through the store is somewhat of an obstacle course. i'll have to go back there and check out their maclarens.
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
Check Ebay for "last year's" model. The $200 Mac Quest is going for less than $150 shipped, a volo should be easy to come by (although I personally MUST have the reclining seat. My DD still sleeps in the stroller occasionally.)
 

southpawboston

New member
yeah, i noticed that older model years go for less... and maclaren has this annoying habit of changing the model names from year to year even if the stroller remains unchanged (except for color scheme). for example, the 2006 rally twin (we're also looking at doubles in addition to a single) is the identical stroller, mechanically, to the 2007 triumph twin... man, this is difficult.

i also noticed that from year to year, there can be mechanical/structural differences, but not necessarily. for example, the 2005 rally twin weighs 26 lbs, while the 2006 rally twin weighs 22...:confused: this is all very confusing!
 

LuvBug

New member
if you are looking for a twin I have heard good things about the inglesina twin savvy. there is a thread about one on here somewhere.
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
The Quest and the Volo haven't changed much at all in several years (there are minor changes, but mostly they're the same.) Mostly the differences are in fabric and things like addding a basket and canopy, ect.
 

lunita

New member
I have had a Silver Cross Mini for two years, and until yesterday I would have told you that I LOVED my stroller. It was just the right combination of lightweight portability and convenient features. It was easy to maneuver, it reclines enough to make a sleepy baby comfortable, and the basket is big enough to carry my necessities, Yesterday, though, a bolt popped out of it and it collapsed/broke. Ironically, it happened in the parking lot of the store where I bought it two years ago (I was there buying carseats.) There was an Esprit on display there that caught my eye, and I was considering buying it if I can't get some kind of repair/replacement part to fix my Mini. I'm sorry to hear it doesn't get good reviews.
 

southpawboston

New member
at this point we're leaning toward either the britax esprit (can't beat the price!) or a maclaren triumph, which we can get for about $125 shipped. i can't find the silver cross minis anywhere (are they discontinued?).
 

LuvBug

New member
did you check to see if you have any stores like TJ Maxx. I found the triumph(or quest?? I cant keep it straight lol!) for 99.99 at mine a month ago. I should swing by there again to see if they have anything new.
 

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