Am I a snob?

Wreckgoddess

New member
I have 3 Britax seats for my son. But he is getting super close to outgrowing the height RF in the 70 model in my car and so I went ahead and bought a Diono Radian RXT for my car to use when he outgrows the one in my car RF to keep him RF longer. (The other 2 Britax seats are the 65 model not the 70 and he has a little more height left in the shell for some reason.)

I was soo excited to play with a new seat!

I have never installed a radian, and have never seen one in person. I am a newbie CPST.

When I opened the box last night I couldn't help but be dissapointed. I am not in love with the giant plastic chest clip or the "comfort" level of the Radian compared to the Britax Advocates I am spoiled to.

My son is 2.5 and about 35-36 inches tall. 12.5 inches from butt to shoulder seated.

I don't know.. am I the only one that feels this way? It does seem like he will be a little easier to get in and out due to the lower sides. But I am super nervous about the step down in side impact protection if riding outboard. I realize remaining RF longer is better, so I will do it in this seat no matter what. But....
 
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Jessica61624

New member
I found our radian was much more comfortable for my son. He has so much more leg room in the radian. The chest clip is big but I like it because my son has learned to buckle it on his own. I don't buy into the side impact stuff with the advocate so I won't comment there. But give it a chance, you might find you really like it!
 

skylinphoto

New member
Jessica61624 said:
I found our radian was much more comfortable for my son. He has so much more leg room in the radian. The chest clip is big but I like it because my son has learned to buckle it on his own. I don't buy into the side impact stuff with the advocate so I won't comment there. But give it a chance, you might find you really like it!

Yeah that. I've had both a britax and a radian. The radian is, by far, more practical. At least IMO. Try it out!
 

Phineasmama

New member
IMO the Radian seems way more comfortable. It has memory foam padding under the cover wheras the Britax seats just have a plush cover on top of hard plastic/foam.

I do like Britax seats but I think the Diono seats are at LEAST equally well made/solid/comfortable.
 

Keeanh

Well-known member
The only thing that Britax should spoil you on is the install, oh and possibly the harness adjuster. A RF Radian can be a pain sometimes, LOL! But otherwise, I think the Radian is more comfortable & practical.

I'm amazed that your child is outgrowing the Britax with only a 12.5" torso! I knew those seats were short, but didn't realize they were that short.
 

jjordan

Moderator
I have two radians (for narrowness) and I definitely like my Britax seats better. Different people have different preferences, that's all. Doesn't mean you're a snob. :)

The only thing that Britax should spoil you on is the install, oh and possibly the harness adjuster. A RF Radian can be a pain sometimes, LOL! But otherwise, I think the Radian is more comfortable & practical.

I'm amazed that your child is outgrowing the Britax with only a 12.5" torso! I knew those seats were short, but didn't realize they were that short.

That sounds very early to be outgrowing the seat to me too. Does he have a huge head? ;) Can you post a photo?
 

Wreckgoddess

New member
Lol, yeah he has a large head : )
He has about two inches left at the top of the shell.
I was just trying to be proactive about him outgrowing it.. I had some extra $ from tax return so thought I would buy it now and have it if he grew fast : )
He is a WEED!!
 

bnsnyde

New member
We are using both right now.
I like the harness adjuster of my Britax Advocate much better, but overall the Radian is much easier to use. (Note, not to install). But I've installed them so much now it's like second nature anyway. :)

The 1-year-old is in the Britax but my 2, 4 and 5-year-old are all in Radians. It's pretty much the only one with a great fit for them RF (though the 5-year-old has to be FF now since he outgrew anything RF).

The steel frame should do a lot to ease any worries about the Radian. I'd prefer a little capsule, too. But I have yet to come across one except a proto-type in Europe. I think they are determining how to even safely remove a child when it envelopes them 100% in a crash!
 

Brianna

New member
Wreckgoddess said:
I will try to post a photo, but I am new to this board. Gotta figure it out : )

If you have a photo bucket or similar account you can copy and paste the img link

Sent from my DROID4 using Car-Seat.Org
 

Kac

Ambassador - CPS Technician
I love my Radian. I had a Radian 80SL and sold it to buy a MA70. I love the harness adjust on the MA70, but the install for the Radian is just as easy for me. I ended up selling my MA70 for a RXT. I love the RXT. It's my favorite convertible, hands down.

I don't think having seats that work for your child and your car make you a snob. (General you).
 

Little Ps Mama

New member
I own a RXT and a FR85. I think the RXT is nicer all around in construction and (perceived) comfort. :shrug:

Sent from my iPhone using Car-Seat.Org
 

Phineasmama

New member
I don't think it's snobbish at all to not like a particular seat. For example I am just not a huge fan of the MyRide at all. I don't like the Nautilus either.
But I don't think comfort is a good reason not to like the Radian. And I do think it's extremely solid and well made.
 

Syllieann

New member
I like the radian for its erf capacity and its narrowness in some situations. I think for older rf-ers it's a lot more comfortable than the britax because it has more leg room. It's a pain to install though, the harness adjuster is annoying, it's incompatible in a lot of vehicles, and for younger kids I really don't like how much space is between their head and the inside of the shell. I also don't like how upright is is for ff so when ds outgrows it rf he will be going into a fr85 and DD will rf in the radian when she starts getting squished in the bv70. For me, it's a rf seat for 2-4 years old and that's probably all it will be used for.
 

Phineasmama

New member
Yeah I bought an RXT for the baby for each of our vehicles, but she will rear face in them until about 4 years old and then I'll buy a FR85 for her to FF in. They install nicely FFing in my van with LATCH but I haven't been able to get a good FFing seat belt install, which is a concern for when they get older and over 48 lbs. I am not sure how comfortable I am with the super latch.

But I think for an ERF seat it's great, and I don't mind just using it for that purpose and then buying a FR85 later. After they outgrow the FR85 they can use a cheap NBB anyways.
 

Jan06twinmom

New member
I think I had a similar opinion about the Radians when I first bought ours. We had the Britax Decathlons, but needed extra seats and ended up with 2 Radians. But the Radians grew on me and I ended up liking them more than the Britax seats.

My twins actually preferred the Radians to the Britax convertible seats too. My DS was uncomfortable in the Britax seat when he was 4yo and we switched him to the Radian. My DD also preferred the Radian, but she didn't get to sit in them for a while because DS was using them in both of our cars.

Melanie
 

jnamommy

New member
I am another one in the camp of I loved my Roundabout, and was less than impressed with the appearance of the Radian. I hated the Radian after installing and trying to tighten the harness. But after using it for a while and getting used to some of the quirks, I now like my Radians. And my kids love them, and there is so much more leg room RFing. dd likes to hang her legs over the sides or sit cross legged, which is much easier in the Radian.
 

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