snowbird25ca
Moderator - CPST Instructor
How does it make sense that a car seat manufacturer can also make and market after market products that are damaging and dangerous? 
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Hmmmm, skjp makes mighty-tite and radian?
- Thread starter snowbird25ca
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southpawboston
New member
because there are profits to be made, and many companies don't make their products because of an underlying philosophy or passion, it's just a piece of market share... isn't graco is the same way? don't they make accessories that should not be used with carseats? welcome to the world of bizness.
honestly though, that's interesting... i didn't know SK make the MT. i know they make that sunshade that someone else linked to recently... so they're definitely in the accessories market as well.
honestly though, that's interesting... i didn't know SK make the MT. i know they make that sunshade that someone else linked to recently... so they're definitely in the accessories market as well.
joolsplus3
Admin - CPS Technician
How does it make sense that a car seat manufacturer can also make and market after market products that are damaging and dangerous?
The MT was their flagship product like, 5-6 years ago. Then they started making other little gems of aftermarket brilliance...then the inventor of the Radian couldn't find anyone else to produce his seat in a factory, except Sunshine Kids...so that's how SKJP makes the Radian
. Splash, Russ told someone the MT is ok on the RN.... it's not? That would probably fix all of it's installation issues, lol...if only cars allowed it and it were, say, legal in all states (it's not).
AdventureMom
Senior Community Member
How can Russ approve the use of an aftermarket product for use on his seat??? Especially when we're telling folks not to use it? It's the device that's worrisome, not the device/seat compatibility. It seems like I've seen him say some odd things are okay that were either not in the manual or stated differently in the manual... I'm not sure that I'd believe the MT was okay...
Anyway, I had the same concern about a company making/selling both products. I posted about it a month or two ago and got the same response: profit. Still doesn't sit right with me (I guess that's why I'm in the "people" field and not the "business" field...) , but - since the seat was impossible to install in FOUR vehicles I tried, then it's not an issue for us anyway.
It seems like I've seen him say some odd things are okay that were either not in the manual or stated differently in the manual... I'm not sure that I'd believe the MT was okay...Anyway, I had the same concern about a company making/selling both products. I posted about it a month or two ago and got the same response: profit. Still doesn't sit right with me (I guess that's why I'm in the "people" field and not the "business" field...
) , but - since the seat was impossible to install in FOUR vehicles I tried, then it's not an issue for us anyway.
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You guys are making me scared. I have the radian in a Honda CRV FF and it rocksolid (I think it is because of those recling seats) We are supposed to get a van in the next few months. I can see DH now when I am trying to install the radian in every van we look at "But Honey, we can't get this one, the carseat will not fit"
That bothers me if Russ says things that go against the manual. I would get that in writing and noterized.
That bothers me if Russ says things that go against the manual. I would get that in writing and noterized.
joolsplus3
Admin - CPS Technician
How can Russ approve the use of an aftermarket product for use on his seat??? Especially when we're telling folks not to use it? It's the device that's worrisome, not the device/seat compatibility.
Anyway, I had the same concern about a company making/selling both products. I posted about it a month or two ago and got the same response: profit. Still doesn't sit right with me (I guess that's why I'm in the "people" field and not the "business" field...
How could he NOT say it's ok, since the same company sells both, though? Graco has all manner of aftermarket stuff they have crash tested (and while there's no rules for testing the products, the seat itself still does fine).
There's a whole new movement afoot not to make techs say all aftermarket products are bad, and to find a way to get NHTSA to approve them or at least have some kind of standard. Seriously, seat mats and mylar mirrors and mighty tites are really not dangerous (yes, I said that out loud), unless they cloud up the real issue which is the loosely installed seats and floppy loose harnesses and kids in the wrong size seat for their age and weight. Now, seatbelt adjusters instead of boosters? Eeee-villl, and any company selling those gut crushers needs to be stopped, I don't know how they can be on the market...
snowbird25ca
Moderator - CPST Instructor
I thought mighty tite was bad because of the stress it put on the seatbelt from over-tightening? Or is that just it - people over tighten to try and get a solid install with a seat that otherwise wouldn't install well in a car?
AdventureMom
Senior Community Member
snowbird25ca said:
We used a MT for a couple of years and loved it. But when I was convinced it was dangerous, we took it out. When going through my CPS Tech class, I had the fire chief check out our seatbelt that had had the MT on it: he said the webbing was totally shocked...
He showed it to the other CPS Tech students to show them the damage a MT can do to the belt...So now when we put Nolan in our Wrangler, we have to put him on the other side behind the driver...
joolsplus3
Admin - CPS Technician
If you use a mighty tite properly it isn't *really* supposed to stress everything all to heck...people just get all addicted to that ratcheted down feeling and it's so easy to overdo it (I own one, I know how fun it is to *crank* that belt down...muahahaha, the power... lol). But it's a simple ratchet mechanism that people have been using to tie down much heavier things safely for decades (longer?) it's really not going to cause a carseat to fail a crash test catastrophically (again when used properly.. all bets are off if people don't use a locking clip or belt shortening clip when necessary and instead use an MT...)
lynsgirl
New member
Yes, and Dorel (cough) has no shortage of after-market "accessories," either. The travel accessories baby aisles at WM and Target are excellent exhibits of this
. And I do agree that the seatbelt adjustors are awful and I wish they could all just be burned - ugh.
Starlight
Senior Community Member
I'm almost positive that in my other inbox, I have an email from SKJP authorizing the use of their baby headrest, mighty-tite, under mat protector, etc with the Radian.
I'll have to find the email. But like I said, I'm almost positive.
It bugs me. I love my Radian, but I hate supporting such a company.
I'll have to find the email. But like I said, I'm almost positive.
It bugs me. I love my Radian, but I hate supporting such a company.
mommy4girls
Senior Community Member
Same here. I adore my Radian and so does Ilana (and Kendra for that matter on the off chance we don't have Ilana
). But I don't like supporting the company that makes the Mighty Tite. I've had the unfortunate task of trying to take a super ratchetted one off a seatbelt and it was HORRIBLE (and our local super car seat instructor hero - AKA Jim - managed to get it off). The seatbelt was RUINED and it was all the Mighty Tite. BUT... on the other hand I like the Radian
broken4u05
New member
I always kinda questioned them. I just does not seem like a good thing to use. I am glad i didnt use it. And i love my radian
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