Combi Shuttle Old vs New w/photos

christineka

New member
I played with my new shuttle 33 today. (An investment seat.) I've had a couple shuttle 22s in the past (investment seats), but unfortunately not at the same time.

To start off with the good. The shuttle 33 is tall. It is outgrown by height when the child's head is 1 inch from the top of the movable headrest. From the bottom to the top of the highest position, the interior height measures 21.5 inches. The top harness position is at 14.5 inches. My 20 pound 18 month old's shoulders were over an inch below the top slots and she had tons of headrest above her head.
shuttle33hight.jpg


shuttle33A.jpg


The 22 as tall as it gets.
combipapaya1.jpg


One problem with this super tall headrest position is that it sticks out beyond the seat shell. If you have the canopy up, there's no putting it down. If the canopy is down, it's stuck until you adjust the headrest.
shuttle33headrest2.jpg


I stuck my baby in the shuttle 22 (at 12 months). Unfortunately, I did not take any photos of her in the seat or even measure it. She is small for her age and had room then, but the 33 is definitely taller.

The 22 had the easy slide adjuster. You press the red button and move the headrest up. There's only one set of slots for the harness.
combipapaya3.jpg


The 33's adjuster is difficult. You rotate the dial, while holding it rotated, shove with all your might whichever way you want the headrest to move. If you want to change the harness slots, you have to line up the slots on the headrest with the one set of slots on the back, so you are pushing and shoving that headrest up and down. The harness has two sets of loops to make it smaller on an infant.
shuttle33back.jpg


Continuing in the next post
 
Last edited:
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christineka

New member
This seat is not for tiny babies, despite the tighter harness. The newborn insert is hardly anything. The bottom harness position is about 8.5 inches.
shuttle33lowest.jpg


I thought (though can't say for sure) that the 22's position is lower.

The button to release the harness is a pain for both seats. It's a little, round button underneath the marked spot on the cover. It's like trying to press the hidden button inside the stuffed animal, but doesn't work quite as well.
shuttle33presshere.jpg


The 33's base is pretty nice. It has a belt guide to keep your belt in place. It's got some levers to make the foot come out. It also has the alligator latch. I like the bubble leveler on both sides.

shuttle33base.jpg


The 22's base seemed cheap.
combipapaya2.jpg

combipapaya6.jpg


I never installed the 22, though. The 33's base installed great with latch. It didn't work with my seatbelt, though. It holds the shoulderbelt under the base and since my belt locks at the retractor, I could not feed the shoulder belt in enough to have the base safely installed. The instruction manual actually does not make mention of locking the seatbelt, but rather putting the seatbelt into the lockoff, but I'm not sure it is a lockoff. It seemed like a stationary plastic thing to me. I'm sure the seatbelt install would work if it locked at the latchplate or you used a locking clip.

shuttle33baseinstalled.jpg


It installed easily baseless, but you have to unbutton and push the cover down to expose the belt guides.
shuttle33beltguides.jpg

shuttle33baseless.jpg


Overall, the seat is really tall, but a pain in the patootie. It is not the seat I would choose- even for the low amount I paid for it.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Here's my issue with it. This is my 16% for weight baby in it. NOT a fat child.

5147426773_ce4f6c02e5.jpg


She couldn't get herself in. I didn't put her in this seat. She climbed in and sat there while I took this picture. Happy as could be. Regardless of whatever room was above her head, she couldn't put her arms anywhere near her side.

Wendy
 

christineka

New member
Also, the 22's manual stated not to use the seat more than 7 years past the date of manufacture. I have searched through the 33's manual and can find nothing regarding an expiration. There's none on the seat either.
 

icnee

New member
The seat looks nice but yeah it seams to be a pain. and I too tryed to put my lo in it I just wanted to see where his head would be and it was the same as Wendys baby he couldnt even get in it I thought he was just playing so I tried to put him in and it wasnt happening.
 

WhatAboutPuppy

New member
I've had ample time with this seat... I love it. It is by far my favorite infant bucket.
In Wendy's picture the headrest is not all the way up... that's why she doesn't fit, the headrest sides are pushing in at her shoulders and they should be up at her head. You can see in christineka's picture of the headrest all the way up you can't have the canopy up at all.

And christineka, the blue things are belt lock-offs. exactly like on the keyfit... they are very secure and work wonderfully with ALR/ELR belts because you don't lock the belt and it prevents the wonderful seat lean that happens when you do lock the retractor.

Just my two cents.

ETA: I don't know if Judi still has the pictures but I have since lost the phone that the pictures were on but I sent them to her. I have pictures of a 16 or 17 month old little girl from my preschool sitting in the seat with room to grow, she was about 25 pounds and at least average in height. She had room to move. And got pretty upset when I told her it was time to get out.
 

christineka

New member
And christineka, the blue things are belt lock-offs. exactly like on the keyfit... they are very secure and work wonderfully with ALR/ELR belts because you don't lock the belt and it prevents the wonderful seat lean that happens when you do lock the retractor.

Oh! Now I see them. I think the manual is lacking. In the master car seat spreadsheet it says the seat does not have lockoffs. I'll have to get that changed. Tomorrow I'll go out and try those lockoffs.

And I was wondering why my baby fit so great in the seat! I actually took some pictures with her in the seat, thinking the headrest was all the way up, but when I looked on the back, I saw that it had two more positions to move up.
 

WhatAboutPuppy

New member
Oh! Now I see them. I think the manual is lacking. In the master car seat spreadsheet it says the seat does not have lockoffs. I'll have to get that changed. Tomorrow I'll go out and try those lockoffs.

And I was wondering why my baby fit so great in the seat! I actually took some pictures with her in the seat, thinking the headrest was all the way up, but when I looked on the back, I saw that it had two more positions to move up.

the last 2 positions are like the hidden levels on super mario bros. You have to know they're there and you have to work a little for them, but they are wonderful once you find them!

ETA: Don't forget that the carry handle has to be up in the car... meaning, don't use those top positions and get your kiddo all strapped in and then realize the handle is down... uh yeah. PITA.
 

WhatAboutPuppy

New member
Thanks! It says 6 years in the database. I wondered why it would be 6 years while every other combi seat was good for 7.

lol
My friend bought this seat after talking to me about infant buckets, it was delivered to the center so I got to play with it with lots of toddlers. lol And then she was in an accident with her 2 month old in it so now I have it and she bought a new 33. It isn't as fluid as I would like but I like all the features... the height, the adjustment of the height instead of rethreading. The rebound bar, the lock-offs and latch and 2 weight levelers and spring loaded foot... yeah. I don't like the puzzle buckle (not fluid) and the adjuster isn't fluid, either is the height adjuster.

I hope you like the lock-off... it's definitely a tight fit.
 

Kobain's Mommy

Well-known member
How small of baby do you think would fit? I'm thinking if I have a winter baby I may need to get this seat. LO was born 3 weeks early at 10lbs 9oz and 21". DH's family tends to have large babies, so I'm guessing the next would be the same.
 
How does this compare to the SR32? Alexis is almost out of that but now that I have the Combi stroller, if it will last several more months I might just try the 33. She's a huge sleeper in the car (every ride...:rolleyes:) and I really like being able to take her in and out undisturbed when bringing the other kids to various activities. It's nice to leave her napping in the corner of the Karate room than running wild and grumpy becase she was woken :whistle:

Do we know if they're making the 33 in the Lilly pattern that I have the Cosmo in? it's pink and brown.

Thanks :)
 

LuvMyCharlie

New member
I loved my S33 but I just couldn't get past the tiny puzzle buckle and short crotch strap. My big, fat hand+cloth diaper=gigantic fail on that part. So anyway, I sold mine the other day. And I will beg to differ that it does not fit tiny babies well. The lady I sold it to had her baby a month early. Baby weighed less than five lbs. but was healthy and going home from the hospital. She had bought a SR for baby, but they're only rated to 5 lbs. which baby was not at yet. But since the S33 is rated from BIRTH, it was fine. The 8" bottom harness was not an issue. Granted, this little girl could've had a long torso, but I spoke with the nurses at the hospital(since I couldn't go down with them to try the seat out) and they all said her shoulders met the bottom slots!
 

Kobain's Mommy

Well-known member
I was just talking to DH and if #2 comes along soon I am thinking I may just sell my SS1s and SR32 to get a Shuttle 33. Today I noticed LO is just below the 1" rule in his buckets.
 

christineka

New member
Out of curiousity, tonight I stuck my 32 pound "will-be-four-in-a-week" ds in the shuttle. He fits with over an inch above his head. His shoulders were below the top slots. If I put the headrest down a position, his head would be even with the top. He could technically ride in the shuttle, with the harness in the second slots, but headrest in the top position.
 

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