"infinite adjustment" on new triumph

atthehip

New member
I just checked out this new seat at Sears a couple of days ago. We are coming up on an expiry date on our Graco Platinum Cargo and I'm looking at our options for this seat and also for baby #4 coming in June...

The tightening mechanism with the knobs on both sides seemed easy enough. Dh and I's concern came with the "infinite adjustment" feature. Yes it was extremely easy to move up and down by hand, but even after tightening the harness afterward, the height adjustment did not seem to lock in place and was still just as moveable? This just doesn't seem incredibly secure, especially compared to what I'm used to, straps fixed in the slots.

Can anyone enlighten me as to whether this is a safety risk, now or later?
Thanks!
Cindy
 
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skaterbabs

Well-known member
It will always lock in place if the harness is tight enough, but it takes a bit more effort to get the harness tight enough.
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
The harness doesn't "lock" in place in the traditional sense of the word - if you forced it enough it would pull slack from the hip straps in order to move it up or down.

How it works, is that when the straps are tightened down the shoulders hold the straps from moving further downward, and they can't go further up because there is no slack in the harness unless of course the hip straps still have slack in them...

My ds rides in the Triumph Advance and I really love the harness and adjustment on it. I have zero concern about the lack of a physical locking mechanism because the straps aren't going to slide up or down in a crash unless the harness isn't tightened properly - or if they did it'd be such a minute amount that it wouldn't affect the performance of the seat. It's just physically impossible because the harness is at a fixed length, so the only way the height can change is if the harness isn't tightened enough and there's room for it to shift on the child.
 

atthehip

New member
I think I was picturing that if the harness was set to a fixed length and tightened properly, but slid down into a lower position (as in the event of a crash?), it could introduce slack into the seatbelt. Is this not correct?

How does the adjustment for the crotch strap work? Is it similar?

I'm really torn on what seat to go for at this point. I could very likely have a 10-lb'er this time around as the last two were close to that. But I've been able to keep them rearfacing to at lst 2 yrs since they have a big slowdown once they are mobile. My near 5yo *just* moved into the cargo last month as she hit 40lbs, but hadn't outgrown the FPSE by height. The first two girls didn't outgrow the 47/48 lb seats until 6.5-7yrs, and only by weight, not height.

I had been thinking about the Safeseat for our newest due in June...and we are planning our last (#5) to be born around 2 yrs later. In that event I'd just buy the extra base for gma's car. I'm thinking that *might* be the best if it will actually last that long? The bucket feature to carry baby around in isn't the issue since I sling them almost all the time.

I'm leaning towards the Radian for my near-5yo to replace her platinum cargo (to ensure enough space in the 3rd seat of the van once we have #5). So maybe the question is more of, will the safeseat actually last me 2 years or close to it, or do I need to consider getting the triumphs? I have big babies and her weight will be up there, but they have never outgrown a seat by height other than the low-weight infant seats at 3-4 mo.
 

Synchro246

New member
I think I was picturing that if the harness was set to a fixed length and tightened properly, but slid down into a lower position (as in the event of a crash?), it could introduce slack into the seatbelt. Is this not correct?

I don't think a tightened harness would slide down at all in the event of a crash and I don't think it would affect the harness or seatbelt. Sure, the harness (and seatbelt) will strech in a crash, as they are supposed to, but I don't think the harness height mechanism on the EFTA would change anything significantly when compared to other seats.
 

Synchro246

New member
I had been thinking about the Safeseat for our newest due in June...and we are planning our last (#5) to be born around 2 yrs later. In that event I'd just buy the extra base for gma's car. I'm thinking that *might* be the best if it will actually last that long? The bucket feature to carry baby around in isn't the issue since I sling them almost all the time.
So maybe the question is more of, will the safeseat actually last me 2 years or close to it, or do I need to consider getting the triumphs? I have big babies and her weight will be up there, but they have never outgrown a seat by height other than the low-weight infant seats at 3-4 mo.

Well, I personally think that even though the Triumph is a larger seat it doesn't take as much room front to back as the SS1 (at least in my vehicles--the SS1 will hit the seatback in front of it and the EFTA won't). The earliest I've heard of the SS1 being outgrown is 14mos, and it seems a lot of people say they last until about 18 months. I have both seats and if I were to do it over again I'd skip the SS1, but that's me.
 

atthehip

New member
OK so we went back to Sears and took a closer look. We put my 4.5yo in it and were really impressed. I think it really is an awesome value and we will likely get this seat for our baby on the way in June...

I do have another question though: assuming that I buy from Sears (which I likely will because their car seats go on sale pretty often!), will there be a difference in manufacturing date if I buy it now, or if I wait 2 months? I'd love to hear your honest opinion on that. Since they are brand new and they obviously just started stocking them, I wonder if it wouldn't make a difference at all...if not I will pick it up sooner rather than later at the next sale and play with the configurations in our van...

Thanks for all of your help!
 

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