Feelings around here on the Evenflo Triumph?!

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midwestmeg

New member

• Mar 19, 2010

• #1

My gf is looking for a convertible seat and the guy at Babies R Us told her his favorite was the Evenflo. She asked what I used and said 'I love my Britaxes!'

The salesman told her the Triumph would be better b/c of the adjustable straps that don't require uninstalling. And that paying for a Britax wasn't worth it.

Whatever, I love my cushy matching seats and the hours my children have spent sleeping/traveling/riding safely in them is PRICELESS!

But that doesn't mean you have to have a Britax.

So what are the general feelings on the Evenflo Triumph Advance around here?! Just curious.

For the record, my gf could be swayed towards a different seat if I tried to sell her on one. I didn't, but since she and her dh both drive small Toyota's and are planning on two kids, I would almost try to sell her on a Radian. What do you think?

 

firemomof3

New member

• Mar 19, 2010

• #2

I like the EFTA but for just about the same $ I like the MyRide better.

 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants

• Mar 19, 2010

• #3

I'd take a Triumph Advance over a Britax any day.

 

birdflippin'

New member

• Mar 19, 2010

• #4

I have both a Triumph Advance and a Radian. I love both but for different reasons.

I love the ETA for the ease of strap adjustment, instalation, and comfy lookiness of it. I don't like it for it's big bulky size, it created a huge blind spot for me.

The Radian I love for it's long life span, rear facing limits, slim low profile. I don't like it for it's tougher to install, more recline than DS1 needs, and rethreading needed to change harness height.

 

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SusanMae

Senior Community Member

• Mar 19, 2010

• #5

It's a good seat. Personally, I don't care for the adjustment knobs. I recommend testing in the car to see if she can easily access them while RF. If it's a PITA, she might be tempted to turn FF too early.

Susan

 

Shaunam

New member

• Mar 19, 2010

• #6

I love the triumph. I also love the graco my ride. They will last about the same amount of time rear-facing by height, but the my ride gets you 5 more lbs. The triumph lasts a little longer forward-facing by height, though the my ride has a higher weight limit (50 lbs is more than sufficient on the triumph though). For a lighter child, I'd chose the EFTA, for a chunky kiddo I'd choose the my ride. I like the slide harness on the EFTA, but don't consider it necessary unless I'm using it for more than one kiddo, in which case that would be a deciding factor.

I prefer both to any britax seat. If she does love britax though, I'd choose a roundabout 50 over a marathon or boulevard. The roundabout 50 is like a bare-bones version of the marathon and it only goes to 50 lbs ff'ing (but more than sufficient for most kids, my son outgrew those seats by 40 lbs).

 

Qarin

New member

• Mar 19, 2010

• #7

How old/tall/heavy is the child it'll be used for?

 

steph_s

New member

• Mar 19, 2010

• #8

I love the EFTA more than any of the Britax convertibles. I don't think Britax is "top of the line" or even near "top of the line" anymore and defiantly not worth the money they want for those seats! Don't get me wrong, I have owned and loved Britax convertibles in the past, but that was when they lasted longer rf than other seats, and had higher ff weight limits. This is no longer the case. The efta will last longer both rf and ff in overall height than the Britax convertibles. The efta also has more rf leg room than the Britax convertibles do.

Why sell her on a Radian if she is only having 2 kids? Most people get Radian's for higher rf limits and because they need 3 across. With 2 kids you can put each child outboard and not have to worry about the width of the seat.

 

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Michael9

New member

• Mar 19, 2010

• #9

My son loves his EFTA. It's very comfy and he loves the sound the knobs make when I tighten down his harness. It's made in the USA too. But so is the My Ride 65.

 

macmomma

New member

• Mar 19, 2010

• #10

I had the seat and hated it. The knobs were pretty much useless rfing since it was almost impossible to turn and the little red tabs on the harness cut into his neck.
I just did not like it

 

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NVMBR02

New member

• Mar 19, 2010

• #11

zookeeper68 said:

I had the seat and hated it. The knobs were pretty much useless rfing since it was almost impossible to turn and the little red tabs on the harness cut into his neck.
I just did not like it

Click to expand...

The knobs depend on the car. They have redesigned the tabs though and they are smaller so it isn't an issue like it was before.

OP, I like the seat well enough. It isn't my favorite but it fits a wide range of kids and is fairly user friendly.

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Mar 19, 2010

• #12

You can't replace the harness on the Triumph. Not that most people need to, but one severe puke accident coupled with instructions to 'spot clean' and a lot of people would rather just buy a new harness.
Otherwise, it's ok, as long as the knobs are workable when rearfacing.
I prefer the Roundabout 50 or Marathon because they are simpler and the harness is less twisty, IME (I spend a fair amount of time untwisting EFTA harnesses on my floor models )

 

msg221

Well-known member

• Mar 19, 2010

• #13

Just yesterday I helped my friend re-install her EFTA after her husband removed it to have their car detailed. I didn't like that the LATCH straps only tighten on one side and how hard we had to work to get it tight enough so the seat wouldn't move. I love that Britax has a LATCH strap on each side that tighten indpendently. I also am not a fan of the knobs to tighten the harness on the EFTA either. I prefer having the strap to pull. She is now looking to replace the EFTA for something with a narrower profile since her second baby is due next month and she still wants one outboard seat empty for any other passengers so I've been helping her research new seats.

I do like my Britax seats for the ease of installation and how comfortable the babies are in them. They are very sturdy and I always get rock solid installations with them no matter which vehicle I've put them in.

 

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SusanMae

Senior Community Member

• Mar 19, 2010

• #14

I don't think all Britax seats have a LATCH strap on both sides...just the ones with the bars---Marathon and BLVD--I know do. Not sure of the others.

Susan

 

Mommy2Marcus

New member

• Mar 20, 2010

• #15

chickabiddy said:

I'd take a Triumph Advance over a Britax any day.

Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

I have owned both a Britax Marathon (MA) & a Evenflo Triumph Advance (EFTA). While the MA is a VERY nice seat with alot of bells & whistles, for me I would pick, & have, the EFTA any day of the week. It has been my most absolute favorite seat that I have ever owned & I have owned my fair share of them. It is super easy to install, super easy to use, comfy, offers alot of leg room, decent shell, nice & sturdy & just a good seat for the price. I also love the knobs on it to. My son has rode from AL to TN, which is easily a 3-3 1/2 hour ride, & vise versa many many times over in this seat & always slept pretty much the entire ride.

In close second is the Graco My Ride 65. I love it for alot of the same reasons. Ease of installation, ease of use, leg room, comfy & nice seat for the price. My son rode over night, 9 hours, to FL last summer & slept for 7-8 of those hours in this seat.

 

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midwestmeg

New member

• Mar 20, 2010

• #16

Awesome!! It's so fun to read the variety of responses, love it!

I guess I use Britax b/c I did my research a few years ago when dd was little and a PP pointed out that Britax isn't the only dog in town anymore- so true! But those seats have served me well so I guess I am loyal. Oh but my Britax loyalty only extends to the Roundabout and Marathon. I'm not crazy about their other seats.

I was thinking Radians b/c both their rigs are very small. Well, I guess everything is small to me now that I drive a van. haha.

So the EFTA is a solid seat?! And another rec would be the Graco My Ride?

Her baby is 3 months old and in a Graco baby seat... I'm sure he'll be good in there for at least 6 more months, just guessing.

I guess the next part would be seeing which seats fit in her car well, rearfacing?

 

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midwestmeg

New member

• Mar 20, 2010

• #17

Oh super cool that the EFTA is made in the USA!

 

Pixels

New member

• Mar 20, 2010

• #18

Yup, see what fits well. A PP mentioned the knobs. Some people love them, some people hate them. And they don't really work with some vehicles.

The MyRide is up on a base, it doesn't work well outboard in my car because of the small doors and where it sits, there's not really room to get the kid in.

The Radian takes up a lot of room front to back when rear facing. It can be a pain to install.

All seats have their pros and cons. See what works well with that vehicle and that baby and that momma.

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Mar 20, 2010

• #19

I had a mom today with a wiggly 2 yo who came in saying she HATED the EFTA, the straps kept falling down too far and her kid could pull his arms right out of them. I mentioned something about making sure the harness was tight enough, she swore it was, and when she put him in the BV, *properly tightened with no prompting from me* I believed her Told her she also oughta call Evenflo and complain, it might be a defect. She got the BV CS, thought the HUGS might help keep her kid contained better. I pointed out the Nautilus had a harness that's harder for a kid to loosen, but she really had her heart set on the Britax
Anyway, I thought of this thread... I'd never heard of that problem with that seat before...

 

Babywearing Meghan

New member

• Mar 20, 2010

• #20

We are bit EFTA fans here, I am waffling even on selling ours, I can not get a good ffing install with it, and I know there are higher weight seats all around, but I love it for some reason...I mean I discovered today, that my 4 year old 41 inch tall daughter (32 lbs) could actually still rear face in it!

Hmmm makes me think I should keep it!!