Fav and Least Fav Car Seat Installs

cpstimedic · Sep 4, 2010

Just out of sheer fun and curiosity...

What was your favorite and least favorite seats to install that are not available anymore?

What are your current favorite and least favorite seats to install?

Not available anymore:

My favorite would have to be the Evenflo Scout (hands down, the simplest, easiest, most narrow seat on the market - we even got one in a 1930's hearse!...don't ask)

Least favorite...ahhh, so many, The entire Breverra series, Evenflo On My Way, the Cosco high back boosters that had the harness you had to criss cross in the back and it always came into a checkpoint twisted with years of juice built up on it, ugh..that was a good hour just trying to get the straps on right. But I'd have to say the Century Stupidmove, I mean Smartmove. That seat was the biggest, bulkiest, PITA seat to install, we used to run the other way when one of those came into a check. Hey, but CR rated it number one so it must have been good!

Available now:

My favorite infant seat is a toss up between the Key Fit and SS2/SR35/32...so nice and easy. Convertible, I still favor the new AOE and Sceneras, and the Myride is a pretty sweet install, although I don't care for the shell height.

Least favorite has got to be the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio, the most expensive and worst installing infant seat on the market IMO.

ketchupqueen · Sep 4, 2010

Least favorite has got to be the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio, the most expensive and worst installing infant seat on the market IMO.

Yes. Guess what I get to teach parents to do in 2 cars tomorrow? Oh, and just the dad, mom's on bedrest. Grrrr.

Also? The guy who had one and couldn't put it in his Audi (LEAST car seat friendly late-model car I have EVER encountered and I do NOT say that lightly) and was AT THE HOSPITAL WAITING TO TAKE THE BABY HOME. AAAAAH! (Two. Hours. Not counting the drive.)

I do a happy dance when a Keyfit comes in.

My least favorite discontinued seat, I have no clue, haven't been doing this long enough.

My favorite discontinued seat, SafeGuard Child Seat. LOVE my SGCSs. So easy in most vehicles.

cpstimedic · Sep 4, 2010

Audi's...ick! I usually tell people the more expensive their car is and the more expensive their car seat is, the worse the combination. So, don't bring me a Peg Perego in a Porsche Cayenne please!

I never got the chance to install a SafeGuard Child Seat, played with one at a conference and it was pretty cool. But I love the GO, and the STAR for buses, so I'm sure it was a great seat

mykidsmylife · Sep 4, 2010

I hated the Century Brevera. Could be I was installing it for a 25lbs 2 yr old. Well at least I knew it had to be tight.

I loved my Evenflo Ultra that was 12 yr olds when I used it. Again could get it tight but shouldn't have been using it. I also like my Evenflo shield seat. I cannot remember the name of it, but it would have expired 2 yrs ago.

Current seat I love installing are the Chicco Keyfit, Britax Marathon, Blvd etc...

I cringe when I see a Frontier, 3-in-1 and Scenera.

glockchick · Sep 4, 2010

My favorite was the Fisher Price Safe Embrace (I think that was the name). My car didn't have a locking belt and the metal built in belt locks where wonderful. The belt even slipped through the Britax built in locking clips, but the FP ones held tight.

I love the install of my Britax seats in any vehicles with locking belts.

My least favorite would have to the the Radian because I have yet to get a successful install in my current vehicle. I'm dying to try it again, but I'm too scared of the install to order another one.

Carrie_R · Sep 4, 2010

Huh. My first set of seats included the Century SmartMove, Breverra, and NextStep. Since those installs (in three-across) were the "standard" for me, maybe that's why I don't find too many installs "difficult"? LOL. I also had an Evenflo Express, it was my favorite seat ever until I got into CPS last year.

All of my votes are recent/current for this reason.

Least favorite: dang blased AOE, RF with LATCH install. Or maybe it's just the Caravan I'm constantly trying to wrestle it into. Also, the Coccoro and I are NOT friends. I know -- it's supposed to be easy -- and in some seats, it is. In others, not so much. Oh, and I HATE the TF! Putting it RF outboard in my van was the biggest PITA ever; it took myself (pre-certification) and two c.s-o techs probably 45 minutes to get it in!

Favorites: MyRide & Nautilus. For whatever reason, I get on great with the Graco seats. LOL!

a_js · Sep 4, 2010

I haven't installed nearly as many as most people, but..

Favorite: Britax convertibles. Literally never had one not work.

Least: Alpha Omega. Evil, evil, evil.

Judi · Sep 4, 2010

Least Favorite: Evenflo Portabout - now THAT was a low belt path

Most Favorite: Marathon FFing with latch. Key Fit with latch.

canadiangie · Sep 4, 2010

Worst: designer 22 or peg with locking clip. Can't decide which is worse. ETA: must add Mico to list. Just a ridiculous seat no matter what.

Fave: hmmmm. Don't think I have one. It's so vehicle dependent. Britax is easy of course... but lots are easy.. it really is the vehicle that makes such a difference.

Old school: worst was the SmartMove. best was FP convertible -- um the blue one with the purple and baby blue colour coding with the lock-offs. that and the Evenflo convertibles like Medallion, Ultara and all the other cousins.

msg221 · Sep 4, 2010

I have only been dealing with car seats for the past two years but in that time I've had a Graco SafeSeat 1, Britax Boulevard, Britax Advocate, SK Radian XTSL, True Fit and True Fit Premiere, and a My Ride. I would say the easiest would be the Graco SafeSeat (with the base), the Britaxes and the My Ride. Those I could have installed in under a minute in any of the vehicles I have tried them in.

My least favorite was the Radian. A total PIA.

I have bought and sold several of these seats. Now I am down to two TFP's and one My Ride, which I think I will be parting with soon. I will use the SS1 when I am babysitting the noob because I like the convenience of the bucket seat.

Jeanum · Sep 4, 2010

Least: Tie between the discontinued Evenflo Cozy Carry and its similar infant seat successor sibling, the Evenflo Portabout. :thumbsdown:

Most: I would probably have said a Britax Marathon, or Graco SS1, or Baby Trend LatchLoc installed with LATCH if I had replied to this yesterday. After test installing a Nautilus this morning in harnessed mode using the vehicle seatbelt in several seating positions in two different vehicles, I'm leaning toward the Nautilus.

Cognito* · Sep 4, 2010

I'm not a tech, but have had 13 seats in less than 4yrs.

Least- Radian 65 (seatbelt)

Favorite- Nautilus (seatbelt), SS1 with base (seatbelt)

Other seats I currently own & don't mind installing are 2 Regents, Boulevard, Avenue & ETA.
Seats I used to have & were ok to install were the Scenera, Apex, AOE, EB 3 in 1 & EB Comfort Infant.

emtb79 · Sep 4, 2010

Least Favorite Not available: Century Beverra series those were annoying. Old britax seat with the puzzle buckle(not fun with a screaming toddler.
Favorite not available: Evenflo OHS love them(definite no-no but that is before I kneww better).

Current
Favorite: Britax (hands down) my mom can even install right as long as she has the MA not the RA for the dual latch straps, Nautilus,

Key fit of its easy instal( would never get it because of shade)

Least Fav: Any convertible without a rear facing recline foot like the evenflo convertibles have.

Sarah62008 · Sep 4, 2010

Best and worst not available anymore....hmm..

Worst: I'm not sure...Most of the stuff I've done is still available.

Best: Britax Companion....Oh how I love this seat(really it's just an older Chaperone but I still

the Companion. My cousin was just given one by one of her friends who was done with it. It's only good for about 2 more years and then I get it for a demo seat.

Best and worst now would have to be:

Worst: AOEs or TF with ELR seatbelt. I can never get the TF tight enough RF with the ELR belts. I just don't have the weight or enough hands to hold the seatbelt tight, put pressure on the seat, and clip the lockoffs closed.

Best: Graco MyRide or Nautilus. Graco plays nice with me.

munchkin · Sep 4, 2010

I love to install the regent/frontier LBP. It just feels so secure to me and has to be my favorite install. Now the Marathon or Keyfit are the easiest with LATCh.

The worst for me is the AOE/clones. I can never figure out how to get the base off or on, and it seems like I always need it the other way.

mommyfrog · Sep 4, 2010

I haven't been a tech for long, but i've certainly been around car seats for a while!! The best old seats I had were Renolux. Easy tight install. Then our car got stolen and I had to replace the Renolux with something. I got Century Breveras. Yep, those were my least favorite for sure. I had a Century Smart Move and didn't mind it at all. Or any of the infant seats I had, two different Fisher Price models, a Graco and some Cosco thing. All pretty easy.

Current favorites...Regent, Frontier 85 (I played with one at my class and loved it), Marathon, Graco Safe Seat, Radian. All easy for me. Least favorites...rf Scenera for sure. And anything in the third row of my sister's Tahoe. I have yet to get anything tight back there.

joolsplus3 · Sep 4, 2010

cpstimedic, you're as old as me, at least, I remember all those

Breverras were bad...bad bad bad (at least on leather, in a BMW... ).
My Evenflo Medallion was actually easy peasy, I loved it.

Among modern seats, my classic Britaxes have never given me much trouble (Ok, ok, I love love loved my Marathon, never had a hard time installing that sweetie anywhere I tried to put it, except FF in a 90's toyota coupe with super sculpted seats). I really hate my Scenera RF

amelia222 · Sep 5, 2010

I haven't been doing this long enough to have encountered discontinued seats, but my current faves are the myride and pretty much anything britax. I've yet to come across a car I cannot get the myride installed in easily.

I hate hate hate dorel 3-in-1s.....I have one installed in my car right now. Biggest PITA ever, I come out with bloody knuckles every time I deal with one of these. And I have an issue with radians, just because they will not fit in so many cars.

cpsaddict · Sep 5, 2010

I once tangled with a Breverra Classic and an Explorer. OMG. That is all. When I took my tech class, I was excited to see a Century SmartMove, since I had heard how awful they were. Um, it was pretty easy, actually. Granted, it wouldn't fit in much other than a huge van or something, but it did install decently. I hate, hate, hate AOEs and clones with the base on. Without the base is marginally better, but not much. Oh and I loathe installing the Radian. What a pain.

amy&girls · Sep 5, 2010

I hated installing my Evenflo Cozy Carry. I was extremely happy when my cat puked on the cover (destroying it) and called to find out about a replacement seat and found out it had been recalled (years before, learned a lesson there, ALWAYS mail in those registration cards!) and then had a reason to get a new infant seat.

Anything I'm installing in my husbands car is a PITA b/c he has leather seats.

Currently, I love putting in my safeseat1, its a breeze. As is my Scenera, Nautilus, and about to expire Evenflo Titan

( I'm going to miss that seat!) The one I hate installing is my EFTA rear-facing, its frustrating to get in (or out for what its worth).

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