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Century EZ-LATCH Retrofit Kit
I purchased a Century EZ LATCH retrofit kit at Babies R Us for $24.99. This kit claims to retrofit any Century carseat made after 9/1/97. This includes infant seats, convertibles and booster seats (even while belt-positioning). This kit should be available online and at Century's website, soon. See:
EZ-LATCH Kit
I also purchased a new Century NextStep DX, which I like quite a bit so far. My review is here, though you might have to be a registered Epinions user to see it:
Review of NextStep DX
The EZ-LATCH kit is as expected. A single strap with sturdy LATCH clamps with push-button release on each end. The strap simply feeds through the regular seatbelt routing path on the car seat. With the NextStep at least, this was a breeze. You then clamp each end to the LATCH anchors and pull the loop on the slack end to tighten the belt. While kneeling on the seat, it is fairly easy to tighten the straps.
To release, you need to pivot the tensioning buckle to almost 90 degrees. This can take a little force if you have it very tight. With the nice clamps Century uses, I would have liked a push-button release buckle, as found on the LATCH belt for the Cosco Triad.
Overall, it's a nice retrofit. Still, the installation will depend a lot on the beltpath of the carseat. I was able to get the NextStep DX in fairly tight in our 2001 Honda Odyssey, but not quite as solid as our Triad (also using LATCH).
Much like the Triad, we can still move or remove the captains chair with the carseat still attached, and don't have to fiddle with the seatbelts. The belts also don't obstruct access to the 3rd row seats. Overall, it's a great (but pricey) upgrade to newer Century seats if your vehicle has LATCH/ISOFIX.
I purchased a Century EZ LATCH retrofit kit at Babies R Us for $24.99. This kit claims to retrofit any Century carseat made after 9/1/97. This includes infant seats, convertibles and booster seats (even while belt-positioning). This kit should be available online and at Century's website, soon. See:
EZ-LATCH Kit
I also purchased a new Century NextStep DX, which I like quite a bit so far. My review is here, though you might have to be a registered Epinions user to see it:
Review of NextStep DX
The EZ-LATCH kit is as expected. A single strap with sturdy LATCH clamps with push-button release on each end. The strap simply feeds through the regular seatbelt routing path on the car seat. With the NextStep at least, this was a breeze. You then clamp each end to the LATCH anchors and pull the loop on the slack end to tighten the belt. While kneeling on the seat, it is fairly easy to tighten the straps.
To release, you need to pivot the tensioning buckle to almost 90 degrees. This can take a little force if you have it very tight. With the nice clamps Century uses, I would have liked a push-button release buckle, as found on the LATCH belt for the Cosco Triad.
Overall, it's a nice retrofit. Still, the installation will depend a lot on the beltpath of the carseat. I was able to get the NextStep DX in fairly tight in our 2001 Honda Odyssey, but not quite as solid as our Triad (also using LATCH).
Much like the Triad, we can still move or remove the captains chair with the carseat still attached, and don't have to fiddle with the seatbelts. The belts also don't obstruct access to the 3rd row seats. Overall, it's a great (but pricey) upgrade to newer Century seats if your vehicle has LATCH/ISOFIX.
