What are the "cheap" seats?

I was reading the, how do you feel about "cheap" seats? thread and it got me thinking about what people consider cheap. So what do you think of as a cheap carseat?
I'm really curious to what everyone thinks. I hope it's okay to ask...

jay_bee said:

I was reading the, how do you feel about "cheap" seats? thread and it got me thinking about what people consider cheap. So what do you think of as a cheap carseat? I'm really curious to what everyone thinks. I hope it's okay to ask...

Click to expand...

Foonf

Lol, joking.

A Costo Scenera?
Evenflo Maestro?

Cosco Scenera
Cosco Harness Booster seat (the one that has top slots that are about as high as the second slots on any convertible)
Cosco Pronto
Cosco High Rise

So, basically anything branded Cosco. I would use them no probably, but they are pretty much the cheapest seats available in each category. They don't have nice add on features, the covers are cute, but usually not great fabric, next to no padding, and no energy management foam.

Thanks! I was thinking along those lines. I have an Evenflo Maestro and it is the most expensive seat I've had.

In Canada? Anything under $150

Generally, I think of cheap seats as more bare bones models without plush padding or extra features. Scenera, Tribute, Maestro/Chase, etc.

In my mind, any thing under $100 is an inexpensive seat. I consider something "cheap" if it's hard to use right, hard to install correctly, etc. So from my definition, I could consider a Radian to be a "cheap" seat because it can be so hard to install right, but yeah, I'm not sure where I'm trying to go with this.

For me 'cheap' is anything under $100. You're generally looking at lower limits, cheaper fabric and materials, fewer features, and less likely to be user friendly. There are exceptions though, of course this is true in any price range.

I tend to think 100 or less... or anything with those hook-y latch connectors. so the myride feels like a cheap seat to me though it doesn't meet the price requirment

For me, cheap is less about the cost and more about the design, thought and workmanship. For example, one of my all-time favorites is the True Fit, because that seat is SOLID. Thick plastic, enough EPP foam to float a warship, premium LATCH, steel headrest connections, etc. It is usually about $200 here.

I also really like the SureRide/Titan65. It is $99 here, has thin plastic (which could be a safety/energy management feature, who knows), very little EPS foam, regular LATCH, but I think it is awesome.

Least favorite, BabyTrend Flex Loc. It seems like they designed it more for looks than functionality. The slots are oodles too high for most newborns, the headrest has so much stuffing that it pushes their head forward, the release mechanism for the harness adjustment sucks, re threading it is next to impossible without the piece of plastic they give you (god forbid you loose that), the handle has to be down and locked in the vehicle, making it 1,000 ft long, the belt path on the base is angled weird so I usually end up with the recline foot stowed and pool noodles used to get the proper angle for a solid install, the LATCH connectors are huge and the puzzle buckle is frustrating. It's not a cheap seat, either. Around $250-$300 here, with the travel system. I would put a child in it who fit properly without a second thought, and it works great for some people, it's a perfectly safe seat, but it's not my favorite, not by a long shot.

Rant over.

My list of "cheap" seats:
Evenflo Nurture/Discovery
Graco Snugride 22, rear adjust
Baby Trend, lowest model
Cosco Comfy Carry
Cosco Designer 22

Cosco Scenera
Evenflo Tribute
Evenflo Titan
Safety 1st Guide

Cosco HBB
Evenflo Chase
Safety 1st Summit

All Cosco boosters (not safety 1st)
All evenflo boosters
Graco turbo

All backless boosters under $20

(And I'd trust them all, provided they were used correctly and child fit at the appropriate age)

My Maestro was $22 I'd call that cheap.

Rear adjust infant seats
Seats that lack padding/foam
Seats you have to fight with to install correctly
Seats that will be outgrown before most others in their category- like the Cosco harnessed booster.

Another seat that I really like which is usually considered "cheap" is the Comfy Carry Elite (front adjust). It fits tiny newborns quite well and is very light. I sometimes need a pool noodle to achieve correct install angle, but it's easy to get it in solid after that.

The Harmony Defender is cheap, and I love it. I had a bunch of money from the insurance company to replace my car seats, and bought two defenders to replace radians (for forward facers) even though I could have afforded much more expensive seats. I think there's a difference between "cheap" and "cheapie"