My initial reaction to the Signo

My initial reaction to the Signo *update with pics*

Well I received my Signo today. I haven't had alot of time to spend with it but here are a few initial reactions. I stress the word reactions. This is NOT a well thought out, objective review.

1) The box was fairly beat up & I had the feeling it had been opened more than once before - I almost wondered if I was getting a demo model or something, but like SPB my manufacture date is 9/10/07. But it left me feeling a bit suspect.

2) Love the microfiber cover, very soft.

3) Like SPB I noticed the "belly pad" doesn't seem right. It doesn't even stay on if you wanted to use it. It comes off by itself every time I reach for buckle. Again like SPB I question the length of the buckle. On a quick fitting (DD was VERY angry) it seemed the chest buckle was basically sitting directly on top of the crotch buckle. We'll take the time to do a more thorough fitting though.

4) I have a BV to compare headwing space with - the BV appears to give a solid extra inch of headroom. This could be good or bad depending on your child, etc.

5) I don't really notice that there is more room "butt to leg" which I thought I'd read in a few threads. I did a quick measure & they are about equal (with the BV). I do like the fact that there is less of an incline towards the front of the seat bottom. In other words DD's legs sit higher in the BV than the Signo - I think she looks more comfortable in the Signo.

6) Very smooth reclining mechanism.

7) It doesn't appear to be any more diffcult to manuveur DD into the Signo vs the BV. I was worried that the depth of the seat may impact getting her in & out.

8) I haven't measured but the base seems substantially deeper than the BV base which could be a factor for certain cars.

9) It seems it's going to take a lot more height from a noodle or towel to get the base level in my car as compared to the BV - this seems slightly annoying but once taken care of no biggie I'm sure.



10) I'm still a little tentative & worried about the fit in my car so DH may be "getting" to use it in his car.

11) For what's it's worth my mom thinks it's the best thing she's ever seen & that it blows the BV out of the water

More to come with pics!

** UPDATE**
I did a very quick side by side install of the the Signo & Blvd today to decide which vehicle each seat worked best in.
First off my install comments on the Signo.

1) The seat comes "prepped" for FF LATCH install so I "got" to try out the LATCH swivel. Let's just say my experience wasn't nearly as easy or as quick as SPB. I would recommend switching the LATCH belt position while still in the comfort of your home. I attempted to do this with the seat in the car & after a half hour came inside, turned it upside down & it was then a 10 second job.
I found the LATCH belt adjuster to be really stiff & almost impossible to loosen - the Blvd is much smoother in this category.
I was able to get a ROCK SOLID install very quickly.

2) I agree with SPB that the heigth of the Signo gives the seat in front a little more room to move back, but I find it to be a bit obstructive of the driver's view.

3) I really am not crazy about the Signo's crotch buckle.

4) Leg room seems roomier with the Blvd. in the RF position.

5) It's a little harder to get DD fed into the Signo than the Blvd.

Gotta run now but here are the pics. May update again.













I made comments on the pics but they didn't come thru. I'll fix that later.

Darn it, why can't they use a normal crotch strap??? That's the ONLY thing that's keeping me on the fence between the Signo and BLVD. Although, DS may outgrow his RA before the stinking Signo gets here so the decision might be made for me....

I hear ya! I have a second BV on backorder from the recent sale that I haven't cancelled yet. There is something in the back of my mind that's considering returning/ selling the Signo & getting the 2nd BV. Probably because of fit more than anything. But like I said above we haven't really spent enough time with it to make a sound judgement.

thanks for your comments, katiebug!! i just posted my installation review, and i'll comment on point #9 here. i used the famous tilt-nudge-tighten, tilt-nudge-tighten technique that i learned here for the britaxes. loosen the LATCH straps, pull carseat away from seat bight, tilt manually while pulling front edge upward, then nudge back into seat. tighten strap. repeat. i managed a decent recline angle without a pool noodle. of course, all vehicle seats are different and in some cars there will be no other option than a pool noodle.

Well, right now I'm trying to install it center with the belt. So maybe it would be worth trying it in an outboard seat with the LATCH? :question:

OK, I just read SPB's install review & it seems I'll be much happier after trying the outboard install. THANKS SPB! You've saved the day again

The belly pad kept coming off on our MA, and I ended up adding a couple extra stitches around both sides of it and the buckle, so now it CANNOT come off, unless I rip out those stitches.

updated, but briefly. I have a ton of family in town so this is the best I could do for now.