Question ETA vs Symphony

mlohry

New member
I again went and looked at convertibles for DD. I have somewhat narrowed down what I am interested in. I decided against the My Ride because even at BRU, I could tell it would be tough to adjust the harness RF and I could also see the cover coming off issues. I have tried the CA, but I am not so crazy about the fabric choices, I don't like mesh. I do like that the harness adjuster is easy to use. I am not going Britax this time because of the price point and a personal issue that they have really not done much to extend their RF limits. I tried a Radian, but had a hard time with the adjuster and that is a deal breaker for me and also the price point. I went to look at the ETA and Symphony today and got a very helpful rep. I really like the ETA the best, I like the idea of the harness adjuster that you turn the nob, had a little trouble loosening the harness with the red button. I also like the fabric options and no issues with dealing with mesh. I also like that this seat is a reasonable price. I also tried the Symphony, this was the seat recommended by the BRU employee. It looked easy to install, and the harness adjuster seemed OK, but at least at this store the only fabric options were mesh. I do not want mesh because my boys have GNs and they are tore up from velcro shoes. I want to go with a reasonably priced seat because I like to get the newest seat and then I don't feel so guilty if I get a new one in 2 years when there are even better options.

FYI it will be installed in an 05 Odyssey. My DD just turned one and is about 19 lbs and 29 inches. She will be little I think. My DS is 5 and just turned 40 lbs and I think is 44 inches.

Thanks for any help you can provide!
 
ADS

mlohry

New member
Thanks Wendy. I saw that last night. I am also looking for some personal opinions. Likes, dislikes about each.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
My personal experience/opinion:

Both seats are fairly good installs in most cars with seatbelt.

The Symphony's LATCH connectors are trouble in a lot of vehicles. The EFTA is pretty simple with LATCH. I much prefer the LATCH STORAGE on the EFTA as well.

Both have the same rear-facing limit. The Symphony has a bit taller shell IIRC. The EFTA has a 50 lb. limit which is pretty realistic for average kids. The Symphony is 65 which is not as realistic but some kids may make it past 50. The Symphony turns into a booster which will actually position the belt pretty well for many kids. It wouldn't last long once the harness was outgrown, but would at least give some time to shop for/save for a new booster at that point.

The knobs on the EFTA bug the life out of me, but some people like them. In some cars they cause issues because they dig into deeply contoured seats.

Both are nice seats. If you can get a good deal on either I'd say either is worth your money. :)
 

Michael9

New member
We have three ETAs. We are using only one right now and will "deploy" the others later. We bought ours from Walmart.com for about $122 total. I like the ETA that is in use now a lot and so does my son. The harness is very cool and so practical. The fabric is nice and the padding very ample. I had no problem installing it. And it is Made in the USA (in Ohio). I never looked at the Symphony in person but online it looks like a great seat too. I will say though that the ETA is one of the best selling car seats on the market right now. Evenflo has been making it for years and years and that means that very likely all of the problems have been worked out.
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
Personally, I don't like the "tabs" on the seats, that you pull up and down to adjust the infinite harness. They rub and bother my dd's neck. Since I would have no way of knowing , if I were buying the seat for a 1 year old, if this would become an issue later for any particular child, I have a hard time recommending these seats without careful discussion of this issue. That being said, My sister uses an EFTA and seriously loves it for my nephew. I personally like the knobs....as does she, however, some people HATE them. This would be a very important thing to find out before you buy the seat, LOL!
The new symphony 65 has some really great features, good harness height, and all around i like it. The EFTA is a simpler seat with no adjustable headrest and stuff but still a nice economical choice, comfy and with very good limits for the price.
you mentioned why you discounted the britax and graco seats, but how about the dorel ones? The new 50-lb Alpha Omega seat and the Complete air seat, are REALLY nice seats. They have 35-40 lb RFing limits and 50 lb FF limits, with nice tall top slots, tall shells, and the adjuster is positioned so it doesn't get buried in most vehicles. i feel they are worth serious consideration.
 

Zappa

New member
My DD has been in an ETA since she was 9 months old and we both LOVE it. The knobs were always a huge plus for me, but there was a small learning curve early on. The harness slack tightens over the thighs as opposed to over the shoulders like most other seats. I love this feature because then I do not have to adjust the chest clip every single time. I have found that turning the knob and depressing the red button while pulling up on the harness where it comes out of the seat at the childs leg/side is the easiest way to loosen it. It installs easily in my '05 Sienna and I never had an issue with the knobs rubbing the seat back when it was RF.

My only complaint would be that after 2.5 years of use, the cover is very flattened, and my DD has recently started to complain about her back hurting due to lack of padding. I have only seen the Symphony in stores, so I cannot really compare the two, but the ETA gets a huge thumbs up from me. I am considering skipping a bucket seat for my second child due this summer and putting him/her right in the ETA (while my oldest moves to a GN).
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Ooh, I forgot the tab issue, and the back padding issue. Some posters' kids have complained/screamed in the EFTA because the foam stops abruptly, haven't they? It makes like a bump that can hurt a kid's back. Some kids don't seem to mind, some do. I think it's maybe more an issue with the cheaper versions with thinner covers for obvious reasons.
 

Michael9

New member
Yes, there's definitely an abupt ending of the eps foam right in the lumbar region (it's where the belt path is). The cover padding does a great job of softening that "bump" but I could see how a sensitive kid would not like it. It hasn't posed a problem for my son so far.
 

mlohry

New member
Lots of good info, thanks! I did try the CA, but I don't like the mesh seats. I have had lousy luck with mesh, our boys have the GNs and my one sons is torn in the corner because of velcro shoes. I would like to try to stay away from the mesh seats. That is a big factor with the Symphony, all the ones I saw had mesh seats too. We have a Odyssey, so I don't think there would be an issue at getting at the knob. I will have to check out the lumbar foam area. We really want a comfy seat for DD.
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
Lots of good info, thanks! I did try the CA, but I don't like the mesh seats. I have had lousy luck with mesh, our boys have the GNs and my one sons is torn in the corner because of velcro shoes. I would like to try to stay away from the mesh seats. That is a big factor with the Symphony, all the ones I saw had mesh seats too. We have a Odyssey, so I don't think there would be an issue at getting at the knob. I will have to check out the lumbar foam area. We really want a comfy seat for DD.

I'm not sure what you consider "mesh" to be, exactly? The CA's come in a number of plush, non-meshy covers, unless you and i just have completely different ideas of what "mesh" is????

The AOe is also one of the plushest, over-padded comfy seats out there....very soft, plush fabrics.
 

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