Question argos VS pioneer/frontier VS Alpha Elite 65

athuyghe

New member
I plan on purchasing one of the seats below. I hope to be able to use it in harness mode for quite some time. I am specifically looking for opinions/experience with these seats being installed with the car seat belt (as opposed to LATCH). Specifically, can the child feel the belt on their back (through the padding) of the car seat? (When I switched my DD's Recaro ProSport install from LATCH to seat belt, she complained about feeling the belt behind her. I also don't like how the shoulder belt is "in the way" of the harness.) Also, please share any positive or negative opinions regarding comfort and/or ease of use. EG: How do you like the Frontier's Clicktight vs Pioneers "regular" install? Any opinions on the non-slip "coated" harness pads on the Argos 80 vs the "regular" harness pads on the Argos 65? Any opinions on the headrest/harness adjustment, recline, harness buckle, tightening, loosening on any of the seats?.....
Thanks in advance!

Graco Argos 65 or 80
Britax Pioneer or Frontier
Safety 1st Alpha Elite 65
 
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Dorothy

New member
I do not have personal experience with the Gracos, but they are generally well-liked seats. I can tell you the Britax Pioneer has an "open" belt path very similar to the ProSport's. So, that may not be a good option for you. I hear lots of raves about the new Frontier with ClickTight.

I'd cross the Safety 1st off your list. It simply will not have the longevity of the other options and has had issues with improper belt positioning as a booster.
 

AllieK

New member
We have a Frontier and a Nautilus (which is very similar to the Argos from what I understand). The Frontier click tight is a dream. There is no way anyone could feel the seatbelt in there. With the Nautilus you can feel the seatbelt through the seat padding but it's slight and my son has never complained about it. I always make sure the seatbelt lays flat so it's not much of an issue for us.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say the shoulder belt is in the way of the harness...? In both my vehicles (Chevy Malibu and Ford F150) it's pretty far off to the side of the car seat.

I've never installed either seat using LATCH so I can't comment there.

The Frontier is a bit difficult to tighten the harness. I have to tighten, then readjust the harness, then tighten again, then readjust, etc. The Nautilus makes my son's head slump terribly when he sleeps in it - the head slump isn't as bad in the Frontier for some reason. I had a terrible time moving the crotch buckle to the outer most slot on the Nautilus and Graco customer service wasn't helpful so that annoyed me but overall, at this point, I like the Nautilus better.
 

henrietta

Well-known member
It's my understanding that the ProSport's belt path is a little different from all other seats out there. It's a pretty simple process with most seats to keep the belt from being a bother with car seats (keep it flat), but the ProSport has the shoulder belt going at an odd angle. This shouldn't be a problem with the other seats you're looking at. Some seats don't even have the belt going running under the padding behind the child--the belt path is separate. ;)

Edited to add: I looked up the manual for the ProSport, so I could see a picture of the install with the seatbelt...not unlike the "long belt path" of the Regent and Frontiers (Britax), the shoulder belt portion goes up over the top edge of the car seat, so it can interfere with the shoulder harness and can be uncomfortable for a child. It's a fairly common complaint, but it usually doesn't stop people from loving and using their seat. It was the major reason (besides price at the time for us) that I did not purchase one..the kiddo that needed a new seat would have been very bothered, but I'm not sure most kids would be. (-;

And I'd totally skip the Safety First Alpha Elite...the top harness slots on that are about 16-17" (quite a bit shorter than the other seats on your list)..and I would never use one as a booster. Very poor belt fit and VERY short lived.
 
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