EFTA or MA?

kidzndogz · Jun 19, 2008

The 6 month old I'm watching is outgrowing her SR, so I'm trying to help her mom to get get a new seat. She rides in a MA in my car, so I convinced her mom to get one of those. I think she's a little hesitant on the price though. Would the EFTA be another option? She's 10 weeks pregnant now, so she won't have to do 3 across for awhile. She drives a new Nissan Sentra and she will ERF. The baby is 19.5lbs and not sure her length, but she's got about 1.5 inches above her head in the SR.

I have a personal vendetta against Evenflo, and I've never played with an EFTA in real life (although I did own an Orion for awhile) so I don't know how easy it will be for me to help her install it. Doesn't it have a much shorter shell than the MA?

Patriot201 · Jun 19, 2008

If a Radian will fit RF in her car, I might suggest that one. There are several reasons why:

It will allow the current baby to RF longer than most other seats on the market.
It will allow an adult to sit in the backseat with both children. This may not be a need on a regular basis, but what if you need to ride with the two kids, mom, and dad?
It works well with smaller babies, so it is a good seat to use with both this baby and the next (if needed).
It will work well as a FF seat.

IF that won't work, though, I would suggest a Marathon.

I am not a fan of the EFTA (I hate those damn knobs), so I have a hard time suggesting it. If, however, the mother is having a hard time stomaching the price, the EFTA would probably be fine. The regular Triumph has a much shorter shell than the MA, but the EFTA actually has a taller shell, if I recall correctly.

cryswilkins · Jun 19, 2008

I am not a fan of the EFTA, I hated the knobs and the tabs on the harness.

Heather98012 · Jun 19, 2008

I gotta stick up for Evenflo for a minute! I loved my old Triumphs, & never had the problems some did with the knobs (& we had one for each car).

But to answer your question, I'm 99% sure the shell is taller on the EFTA than the old version of the Triumph.

kidzndogz · Jun 19, 2008

I was thinking of recommending a Radian to her....the only problem is I'm worried about installation difficulties with the Radian. She had the SR all boogered up when I first met her a month ago....didn't know you had to retract the seatbelt. Also has a rear adjust harness that loosens on it's own, so it never is tight. She's not very detail oriented, so even though I keep reminding her, it would be nice to have a seat that is easy for her to use correctly every time without problems. At least with a MA I'm confident in helping her install it properly per the manual since I have MA's and know they are fairly easy peasy so she could do it on her own. I've also never installed the EFTA, so I don't know if I'd be comfortable helping her with it since I don't use one on a daily basis like I do the MA. My Orion was easy though, and it's identical to the original Triumphs.

I know the shell on the EFTA is taller than the original Triumph, but isn't it shorter than the MA?

arly1983 · Jun 19, 2008

kidzndogz said:
I know the shell on the EFTA is taller than the original Triumph, but isn't it shorter than the MA?

Nope, the same: 24 inches. http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=28537 Scroll to the bottom for more measurements.

I found the EFTA a breeze to install in a variety of vehicles (all with locking seatbelts) FFing or RFing.

I like it alot, knobs and tabs didn't bother me one bit. The harness folding over in the buckle tongue occaisionally ticked me off. My mom (she has this in her car) thinks it is awesome after about 6 months use and suprizingly, she has managed to install it acceptably after the first couple of attempts. My sister also likes it (her 7 month old has been using it since she was about 8 weeks in my mom's car).

Really, I would suggest the baby's mother go try out IRL since she will be the one to use it every day and its not that hard to find. Walmart, Kmart, and most ToysRUs's carry it in stock.

THe EFTA is nothing like your Orion.

Defrost · Jun 19, 2008

The Radian is actually very easy to use if you're installing with LATCH. If she's looking at 3-across at any point in the future, I'd recommend the Radian.

That said, the EFTA should be just fine, too, if she likes the knobs.

lorinick · Jun 19, 2008

My husband has the EFTA in his car. We installed in less than 5 mintues. It's easy. It only takes about 2 mins. on My Blvd. The Radian is nice. BRU didn't have that in store. But it's easy to use.

snowbird25ca · Jun 19, 2008

Heather98012 said:
I gotta stick up for Evenflo for a minute! I loved my old Triumphs, & never had the problems some did with the knobs (& we had one for each car).

But to answer your question, I'm 99% sure the shell is taller on the EFTA than the old version of the Triumph.

Definitely taller. The EFTA is just as tall as the MA, and the top harness height on the EFTA is taller than the MA.

I absolutely love my EFTA. It has been in constant use since I bought it in January - and considering that I have a MA and Radian to choose from, that says something.

It also has short enough harness height that it will fit newborns if need be. Honestly, rf'ing the EFTA is probably easier to install with seatbelt than the MA unless you have to use a locking clip - even then it's still not really hard.

Provided the knobs aren't hard to access when it's installed rf'ing, I would choose the EFTA every single time over the MA. It installs easily, the harness adjusts easily, and it will last longer than the MA unless kiddo is chunky and is going to need a 65lb limit seat. Most kids will get full use out of the seat with the 50lb limit though...

If you're worried about ease of installation, I definitely wouldn't get a Radian. Rf'ing it's usually not too difficult, but ff'ing it can be hard. And if you're looking for a seat that mom can install easily and correctly herself, it's just not going to do that all the time.

You could always consider a TF too, although I still very slightly prefer the EFTA. :thumbsup:

kidzndogz · Jun 19, 2008

Thanks!! I think I'll tell her the pros and cons of both seats and let her choose because it sounds like both are good candidates. I'm thinking with the price, the EFTA might win.

solmama · Jun 19, 2008

The TF is easier to install than the EFTA (my ds hated the red tabs, btw) because of the lockoffs. The harness height on the MA, TF, and EFTA are virtually the same...17". But, the shell of the TF is 27". It's the same width as a MA though. It costs less than the MA but more than the EFTA. We really like the TF...it's a very comfortable seat for our ds. It also takes up the same space rf, front to back, as the EFTA.

kidzndogz · Jun 20, 2008

solmama said:
The TF is easier to install than the EFTA (my ds hated the red tabs, btw) because of the lockoffs. The harness height on the MA, TF, and EFTA are virtually the same...17". But, the shell of the TF is 27". It's the same width as a MA though. It costs less than the MA but more than the EFTA. We really like the TF...it's a very comfortable seat for our ds. It also takes up the same space rf, front to back, as the EFTA.

Isn't it just *huge* though? It seems in pictures I've seen of it, it is this massive tanker of a seat...more so than the MA or EFTA. She has a small Nissan Sentra, will it block her view out her back window?

solmama · Jun 20, 2008

I don't think the TF is any bigger, height wise, than the EFTA because it doesn't sit up on a base. Here's a pic:

skaterbabs · Jun 20, 2008

For what it's worth, I would buy an EFTA over a MA if I were buying one TODAY as well. Better price, Joy has more room by height in the EFTA and more room by width in it as well.

snowbird25ca · Jun 20, 2008

solmama said:
I don't think the TF is any bigger, height wise, than the EFTA because it doesn't sit up on a base. Here's a pic:

I really don't think it's much bigger either - I think it's a tiny bit because the side wings are deeper, so depending on where it was in the car it might be more noticeable, but all 3 are going to be similar in how they affect view.

kidzndogz · Jun 20, 2008

snowbird25ca said:
I really don't think it's much bigger either - I think it's a tiny bit because the side wings are deeper, so depending on where it was in the car it might be more noticeable, but all 3 are going to be similar in how they affect view.

Hmm...okay thanks! I've never seen a TF in real life; the pictures I've seen on here just made it seem huge, like the Regent or something. I've got MA's in my car and the EFTA doesn't seem ridiculously huge to me so it must have just been camera angles or something for the TF. :thumbsup:

EFTA or MA?

kidzndogz

New member

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador

cryswilkins

New member

Heather98012

New member

kidzndogz

New member

arly1983

New member

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus

lorinick

New member

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor

kidzndogz

New member

solmama

Active member

kidzndogz

New member

solmama

Active member

skaterbabs

Well-known member

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor

kidzndogz

New member

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Sponsors

Forum statistics