Lifesavers: PARKWAY + RADIAN (& APEX) info

Victorious4 · Mar 28, 2007

Britax only had the Monarch on display for a booster (amidst every other seat that they currently make) so I wondered why not the Parkway: their rep. asked her supervisor & it turns out they will be discontinuing the Parkway in approx. 18-24+ months

I pushed them to consider making it into the only truly [edit] *combination* seat on the market (next to Recaro Young Sport) & they promised to take my comment home for evaluation

Surprisingly, Leila seemed to have a bit more room in the Radian compared to the Safeguard Childseat -- I asked the rep. about the difference between the 65 vs. 80 (why the higher cost when I heard it's the same seat, just tested differently). The answer is that it's not the same: they added steel reinforcement bars! I forget the terminology now, but this also means that it's safe to use the harness when the top of the shoulders are up to 1.5" above the top slots

Sooooo if I needed narrow seat to keep a kid harnessed as long as possible I would choose the Radian in a heartbeat ... but then I'd scream if it didn't fit the vehicle @@

P.S. when I asked the Dorel Juvenile reps why they won't make the Apex safe for vehicles without headrests (since this would be the perfect grant seat to supply on Native American Reservations where the population has such a high obesity rate yet depressingly low income) their response was that the only solution would be to add steel reinforcement bars, but that would cost them too much

scatterbunny · Mar 28, 2007

papooses said:
Britax only had the Monarch on display for a booster (amidst every other seat that they currently make) so I wondered why not the Parkway: their rep. asked her supervisor & it turns out they will be discontinuing the Parkway in approx. 18-24+ months I pushed them to consider making it into the only truly dedicated booster seat on the market (next to Recaro Young Sport) & they promised to take my comment home for evaluation

Ugh--discontinuing the Parkway?!? :scratcheshead: I don't get it. That booster is one of only a couple boosters that have a chance of working in three-across situations in smaller vehicles.

papooses said:
Surprisingly, Leila seemed to have a bit more room in the Radian compared to the Safeguard Childseat

I've heard the Radian always seems to offer more height room when uninstalled, and that once it's in the vehicle, there's less growing room. Interesting, though, since I have heard from so many Safeguard child seat owners that it has 19 inch top slots.

papooses said:
I asked the rep. about the difference between the 65 vs. 80 (why the higher cost when I heard it's the same seat, just tested differently). The answer is that it's not the same: they added steel reinforcement bars! I forget the terminology now, but this also means that it's safe to use the harness when the top of the shoulders are up to 1.5" above the top slots Sooooo if I needed narrow seat to keep a kid harnessed as long as possible I would choose the Radian in a heartbeat ... but then I'd scream if it didn't fit the vehicle @@

Wow, now that's cool! :cool!: It may be something I should consider again? Wow, that opens a new door for us, with Mark's truck!

papooses said:
P.S. when I asked the Dorel Juvenile reps why they won't make the Apex safe for vehicles without headrests (since this would be the perfect grant seat to supply on Native American Reservations where the population has such a high obesity rate yet depressingly low income) their response was that the only solution would be to add steel reinforcement bars, but that would cost them too much

Oooohhhh, that burns me up! How freaking CHEAP can Dorel BE? :soapbox:

Victorious4 · Mar 28, 2007

scatterbunny said:
Ugh--discontinuing the Parkway?!? :scratcheshead: I don't get it. That booster is one of only a couple boosters that have a chance of working in three-across situations in smaller vehicles.

Yes & I stressed this point to each rep. at different times in different locations

I've heard the Radian always seems to offer more height room when uninstalled, and that once it's in the vehicle, there's less growing room.

I don't doubt that at all: the Regent top slots were over Leila's head though clearly not the case when it's installed....

Dorel sucks :crying:

Starlight · Mar 28, 2007

papooses said:
Dorel sucks :crying:

DOREL!

Are you listening?

You are cheap! And not in a good way!

Fix it!

:soapbox:

Victorious4 · Mar 29, 2007

Oh -- something else about the Radian....

Rebekah said she asked about testing to use installed with reverse belt path for buckles forward of the seatbight: they said the sides of the seat are not strong enough.

Perhaps if enough people write in they might reconsider doing something to make this happen?!

scatterbunny · Mar 29, 2007

I'll definitely write to them about it--that would be fabulous!

I need to play with a Radian. I really do. I can't see how the sides of it could be any less strong than the Fisher Price Futura, and it ONLY used the reverse belt path.

We really need more reverse belt path seats on the market.

TXDani · Mar 29, 2007

Ok I know this is horrible coming from a CPST but what is a reverse belt install? What seats have them? :question:

scatterbunny · Mar 29, 2007

Reverse belt path=long belt path, like the Regent can use with a lap/shoulder install.

The Futura ONLY allowed the reverse belt path. The Husky used to allow the reverse belt path with a lapbelt-only, then changed those rules and only allows the short path with a lapbelt. I had a huge problem with that, having forward-of-the-bight lapbelts in my van that only worked well with the reverse belt path.

So right now there are no reverse belt path options for lapbelts, and only one reverse belt path option for lap/shoulderbelts, the Regent.

TXDani · Mar 29, 2007

Ohhh, okay so long belt path and reverse belt path are one in the same? That makes sense since the lbp on the Regent is kind of reversed of the normal belt install on a seat. Thanks Jenny!!! Now I should go erase my question...hehe JK!

Victorious4 · Mar 29, 2007

:yeahthat:

Although the training curriculum states that the only way to help when the vehicle has seatbelt buckles forward of the seatbight is to install a top tether anchor ... in real world situations the best (easiest) method is to use a carseat that allows reverse (long) belt path installation -- however, the Regent is currently the only seat that allows this (& now only with lap/shoulder belts).

scatterbunny · Mar 29, 2007

Right--I rolled my eyes in class when we were taught that the "right answer" to the question of how to achieve a tighter install with forward-of-the-bight belts is to install a top tether anchor.

If it isn't tight at the belt path, tethering it isn't going to help that.

Victorious4 · Mar 29, 2007

If more seats gave this option & the seats were affordable, then I'm sure the curriculum would be updated to reflect this: however, it just isn't realistic to think that everyone can afford a Regent (I certainly haven't heard of it being provided through grant efforts, either!) -- yet only a relative few vehicles cannot be retrofit with top tether anchor ... which does at least limit head excursion *SHRUG*

scatterbunny · Mar 29, 2007

Oh, I agree-reverse belt path is so rare it shouldn't be taught as the "answer" to forward-of-the-bight belts; but tethering the seat isn't usually going to fix the problem, either. Those belts just suck.

remken · Mar 29, 2007

papooses said:
Oh -- something else about the Radian....

Rebekah said she asked about testing to use installed with reverse belt path for buckles forward of the seatbight: they said the sides of the seat are not strong enough.

Perhaps if enough people write in they might reconsider doing something to make this happen?!

That really sucks. Since I can get a rock solid install in my impala installing the radian with the reverse belt path, but can't installing it the regular way with the seat belt and I was hoping after he outgrew the latch limits I'd still be able to use the seat.

broken4u05 · Mar 29, 2007

papooses said:
Surprisingly, Leila seemed to have a bit more room in the Radian compared to the Safeguard Childseat -- I asked the rep. about the difference between the 65 vs. 80 (why the higher cost when I heard it's the same seat, just tested differently). The answer is that it's not the same: they added steel reinforcement bars! I forget the terminology now, but this also means that it's safe to use the harness when the top of the shoulders are up to 1.5" above the top slots Sooooo if I needed narrow seat to keep a kid harnessed as long as possible I would choose the Radian in a heartbeat ... but then I'd scream if it didn't fit the vehicle @@

is this only for the 80 than? or is it also for the 65

skaterbabs · Mar 29, 2007

The Britax rep told me that the reason they're discontinueing the PW is because the buyers are refusing to purchase a seat without armrests.:shrug-shoulders:
I explained that the buyers weren't consulting us or consumers then, because we keep telling parents who need 3-across to get a seat without armrests.

joolsplus3 · Mar 29, 2007

papooses said:
Britax only had the Monarch on display for a booster (amidst every other seat that they currently make) so I wondered why not the Parkway: their rep. asked her supervisor & it turns out they will be discontinuing the Parkway in approx. 18-24+ months I pushed them to consider making it into the only truly [edit] *combination* seat on the market (next to Recaro Young Sport) & they promised to take my comment home for evaluation

Surprisingly, Leila seemed to have a bit more room in the Radian compared to the Safeguard Childseat -- I asked the rep. about the difference between the 65 vs. 80 (why the higher cost when I heard it's the same seat, just tested differently). The answer is that it's not the same: they added steel reinforcement bars! I forget the terminology now, but this also means that it's safe to use the harness when the top of the shoulders are up to 1.5" above the top slots Sooooo if I needed narrow seat to keep a kid harnessed as long as possible I would choose the Radian in a heartbeat ... but then I'd scream if it didn't fit the vehicle @@

P.S. when I asked the Dorel Juvenile reps why they won't make the Apex safe for vehicles without headrests (since this would be the perfect grant seat to supply on Native American Reservations where the population has such a high obesity rate yet depressingly low income) their response was that the only solution would be to add steel reinforcement bars, but that would cost them too much

I bet if Britax is discontinuing the PW, they will introduce someting to replace it...don't give up up (and the Monarch is NARROW at the lapbelt path...I might have to get one and try...)

I predict (I'm not the first) that the Radian will have to take into account the spinal compression issue of a child being above the top slots FF and will stop allowing it, just like Britax is stopping allowing it. Shoving an 80 pound dummy into a seat is NOT the same as an 80 pound kid, KWIM? They didn't even know what I was talking about when I told them to test reverse belt path, so I gather they made up that 'sides aren't strong enough' malarky afterwards

(I got nothing nice to say about Dorel's headrests, I'll bite my tongue...)

skaterbabs · Mar 29, 2007

This is what Russ told me on the shuttle from the airport Saturday evening:

the seat exceeds ALL the biomechanicals even with the 10 yo dummy

the reverse beltpath hasn't been tested because the sides are not structurally integral to the seat, they're just not strong enough to withstand the force.

joolsplus3 · Mar 29, 2007

skaterbabscpst said:
This is what Russ told me on the shuttle from the airport Saturday evening:

the seat exceeds ALL the biomechanicals even with the 10 yo dummy

the reverse beltpath hasn't been tested because the sides are not structurally integral to the seat, they're just not strong enough to withstand the force.

Siiiigh...if they haven't tested it, how do they KNOW?????

skaterbabs · Mar 29, 2007

very good question!

Lifesavers: PARKWAY + RADIAN (& APEX) info

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