Britax Marathon, Decathlon, or Boulevard?

djm2424 · Apr 9, 2007

Hi-

I ordered a Sunshine Radian 65 for my Honday Odyssey van, but couldn't get a proper installation and couldn't tighten harness well (even after many short, hard tugs- even though I can smoothly tighten it without anyone in the carseat-- odd!)-

So, I'm planning on return it in hopes in buying a car seat that be easy to install and tighten its harness.

There are many different pros and cons on these Britax seats. I wonder if you could recommend one for my daughter who is 1 year old and 17 lbs (26 inches tall)? (What about TSIP? Should I even pay extra bucks for that feature?

Not sure since some folks complain about the new features of BV). Any suggestions? Recommendations? :thumbsdown: :thumbsup:

Thanks!

Dana

easterbun · Apr 9, 2007

I'd say if you can try all 3 out before deciding, that may help your decision - they are each just a little different from each other and having slightly different features. Personally I adore the harness adjuster knobs on the Boulevard - there's no second guessing which harness height to use, or having to re-thread it as your child grows, but the way the harness tightens is a bit annoying (it's not difficult for me though).

The TSIP wings aren't a problem for us at all.. DD tends to rest her head against them when she's tired (and sleeping) and I honestly think she will miss being able to do that when we move her out of it in a few months. Being RF, I don't think it bothers her much not to be able to look out the side windows easily - she has the entire back to see out of.

Likewise, the Marathon and Decathalon have some quirks of their own.. but I have to admit that when I bought my first Boulevard I was highly motivated by price - Amazon.com had it for only $10 more than the Marathon, so it wasn't a hard choice for me to make at the time

djm2424 · Apr 10, 2007

Thanks. Will try them out at a local store. I am leaning towards Marathon because I did try it out with my daughter at Target, and I really like the way I can tighten the harness. One smooth pull. However, I wonder if Boulevard is "safer," or are they equally as safe?

Dana

Cindy&Connor · Apr 10, 2007

Personally I would stay away from the Decathlon. Alot of people have had trouble adjusting the harness tight enough, including me. I would have to pull it tight before buckling it, buckle it and then if it wasn't tight enough unbuckle and do it all over again. It was a pain but I dealt with it for a long time. Then last week I pushed the button to loosen the harness and it wouldn't loosen. That was the last straw for me. I called Britax and they are replacing mine with the Marathon.

Stresch · Apr 10, 2007

I'd also stay away from the Decathlon. We had one and loved it, but on day it wouldn't tighten when buckled. Britax replaced it, and the new one wouldn't loosen. It's like the button just doesn't engage properly. We got a Marathon instead and really love it. So far. The DC does have a lot of nice features, but they don't matter if the harness doesn't work.

Britax Marathon, Decathlon, or Boulevard?

djm2424

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easterbun

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Cindy&Connor

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