I was going to wait a few more months to buy the GN for my hubby's car but I just couldn't do it. Checked the WM website for our area (Central Ohio) and it said that all stores that carried them were out of stock. Didn't trust it so I just called a WM near me and happened to get a girl who worked in the infant dept. She checked and had 2 in stock. YAY!!! I've tried calling stores before and not a single person could tell me anything.
So while DS was napping I opened the box. A VERY strong chemical smell filled our living room and almost made me sick. UGH! I'm sure it is whatever flame resistant chemical they use on the fabric. That sucker was heavy. It felt as heavy as our SafeGuard and that is VERT heavy!!
I was very nervous to try and assemble a car seat because I'm not good at reading instructions. The instructions were very clear and easy to understand though. I was immediately struck by the quality of this seat while putting it together. Everything snapped solidly together and felt very sturdy. (Not anything like the Apex IMO just for reference)
The harness is nice and thick and it is really easy to change harness height even if you do have to have the seat out of the car. The headwings also slide up and down very easly and are less wide than the SG headwings that actually touch my side airbags when installed outboard. Oh and the harness adjuster...so smooooooth. Love it! Even though the chest clip is very different than a Britax or SG chestclip, I didn't find it difficult to use at all. Same with the crotch buckle. (Wish there was a third crotch slot though) I haven't measured but I can see huskier kiddos needing a third slot.
Originally, I was holding out for a more padded version of this seat but the padding actually feels fine. The arm rests clicked in right away and are not going anywhere even if I put all of my weight down and PUSH HARD. No movement at all!! Cup holder is awesome and holds a variety of sized beverages (water bottle, taller sippy with straw, baby bottles, short sippy cups...) The little compartment is great for a snack bag, small stuffed animal or other small, soft toys.
My son just turned 4 and is 44" tall and 44lbs. His torso measures 17". His shoulders are just slightly (a hair) under the second to top harness slot. I didn't post pics because there are so many posted already. Also, our other seat is the SafeGuard and another poster already compared the two. In fact, DS fits almost exactly the same in both seats. It installs easily with latch and seatbelt although I took it out of our car so it can air out before we use it. This is my only complaint so far.
Honestly, I was leary. We had the Graco ComfortSport and hated that seat. After that, the Britax Decathalon which we loved. I think the quality of the GN rivals the Safeguard seat and that is a $400 seat!!! :thumbsup: So far, I highly recommend the seat.
The DOM is 11/07 but another difference I noticed with the box...mine doesn't have the picture of the little boy riding in the seat. Just the picture of the Nautilus seat and description. I thought that was a little odd.
Anyway, I hope this additional info helps someone trying to decide!!
So while DS was napping I opened the box. A VERY strong chemical smell filled our living room and almost made me sick. UGH! I'm sure it is whatever flame resistant chemical they use on the fabric. That sucker was heavy. It felt as heavy as our SafeGuard and that is VERT heavy!!
I was very nervous to try and assemble a car seat because I'm not good at reading instructions. The instructions were very clear and easy to understand though. I was immediately struck by the quality of this seat while putting it together. Everything snapped solidly together and felt very sturdy. (Not anything like the Apex IMO just for reference)
The harness is nice and thick and it is really easy to change harness height even if you do have to have the seat out of the car. The headwings also slide up and down very easly and are less wide than the SG headwings that actually touch my side airbags when installed outboard. Oh and the harness adjuster...so smooooooth. Love it! Even though the chest clip is very different than a Britax or SG chestclip, I didn't find it difficult to use at all. Same with the crotch buckle. (Wish there was a third crotch slot though) I haven't measured but I can see huskier kiddos needing a third slot.
Originally, I was holding out for a more padded version of this seat but the padding actually feels fine. The arm rests clicked in right away and are not going anywhere even if I put all of my weight down and PUSH HARD. No movement at all!! Cup holder is awesome and holds a variety of sized beverages (water bottle, taller sippy with straw, baby bottles, short sippy cups...) The little compartment is great for a snack bag, small stuffed animal or other small, soft toys.
My son just turned 4 and is 44" tall and 44lbs. His torso measures 17". His shoulders are just slightly (a hair) under the second to top harness slot. I didn't post pics because there are so many posted already. Also, our other seat is the SafeGuard and another poster already compared the two. In fact, DS fits almost exactly the same in both seats. It installs easily with latch and seatbelt although I took it out of our car so it can air out before we use it. This is my only complaint so far.
Honestly, I was leary. We had the Graco ComfortSport and hated that seat. After that, the Britax Decathalon which we loved. I think the quality of the GN rivals the Safeguard seat and that is a $400 seat!!! :thumbsup: So far, I highly recommend the seat.
The DOM is 11/07 but another difference I noticed with the box...mine doesn't have the picture of the little boy riding in the seat. Just the picture of the Nautilus seat and description. I thought that was a little odd.
Anyway, I hope this additional info helps someone trying to decide!!