I can't GIVE away True Fits!

unityco

Ambassador - CPS Technician
I like the True Fit (despite having never really owned one myself. :eek:) I'm sure I would have got one if it had been available when I needed one. I'm so sold on it, I keep trying to convince my family to get one for their kids. So far, only one other person has felt the love. :scratcheshead: I've told my two sisters and a cousin that I would buy their convertible as a gift, but let them choose (from my approved list. ;)) So far, everyone loves and has chosen the EFTA. :shrug-shoulders: I doubt any of these families will ERF to any great extent, so the 30lb RF limit (Canada) will be sufficient for their needs, but really? No takers on the TF? The common response has been, "it looks too complicated," while the EFTA apparently looks easy to use.

What comments do you commonly hear from un-obsessed parents? (Besides the fashion ones, of course. ;))
 
ADS

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I actually see quite a few takers. Not as many as for the "cheap" seats or the Britax seats, but quite a few think it looks "really nice and comfy" for their kids.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Ouch on the 'too complicated' comment, I wonder if they did any focus groups with normal people before they made it look like a giant spacey-toy-astronaut seat thing? I mean, they worked SO hard to make it intuitive and simple, ironic if they've failed :eek:

The only comment I get on it is, "Why don't you have it at Babies R Us? Where can I get one?" :p

I'd LOVE one...but noooooo...we have to have 7+ versions of the Alpha Omega on the floor at ALL times, even if we can barely sell them lately :p
 

unityco

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Ouch on the 'too complicated' comment...

They're NUTS ! The True Fit is *so* easy to use !

I know! I think it's the lock offs that scare them. All that yellow and red plastic under the cover with all the instructions looks to be too much. My one sister actually bought one and tried to install it in their truck (I wasn't around.) They had such a hard time, they returned it and took the EFTA instead.

I don't get it. *I* think the TF is a superior seat, but I'm not the one using it.
 

AtTheSouthDam

New member
Only comment I have received on it was today and that "that looks heavy." (I was carrying on my back because my friend lives right next to the school and we were going to lunch after I dropped DD1 off at kindy.) No one I know is having babies so I have never gotten to buy anyone a seat :( BTW, it wasn't so bad to carry like a back pack. If I can carry that way a mile to the school then I could do that through the airport ;)
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
BTW, it wasn't so bad to carry like a back pack. If I can carry that way a mile to the school then I could do that through the airport ;)

When you say this, do you mean you wore it on your back with your arms through the harness straps, or what? Because that is actually not a good idea.
 

AtTheSouthDam

New member
When you say this, do you mean you wore it on your back with your arms through the harness straps, or what? Because that is actually not a good idea.

:eek: NO! I put together the two radian shoulder straps, looped them through the carry handle at the top then took them through the FF belt path and connected them together there. The majority of the seats weight was supported through the that top handle. Please tell me that is okay :eek:
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Oh! Phew. That sounds fine. Good to clarify for anyone reading, though-- don't carry your seat by the harness straps. :) (I've actually seen this a lot.)
 

Minnesota

CPST Instructor
I do think that ease-of-use is a huge consideration for parents, and they can get intimidated looking at something that appears to have too many options. I can't tell you how appealing those turning knobs on the EFTA are to people!

Still, if you have a CPST telling you to pick what you want (from the approved list, of course :thumbsup:), and you know that you could get install help from that person if you get stuck, wouldn't you just take their word for what was the best on the list? I would just want to know "What would you pick for your own baby?" and then that's the one I would want.

:confused: People are strange :confused:
 

Rosey

New member
I spoke to a woman in Target who was about to buy a 3-in-1 for her 11month old/18lb child I overheard her phone conversation hashing out which seat/price point etc. I so wrote down this website and handed it to her. Even though I'm not a tech, I recommended the TF right then. She hadn't even considered it because it looked complicated. But I showed her the harness adjustment and told her I liked mine. She left without any seat and said she would check here. I haven't seen any posts from her but maybe she did a little reading.
 

arly1983

New member
My sister said the truefit looked big, bulky, and heavy too and said if she had to buy one she would rather get a nicer version of what was in mom's car (efta) but she would rather use my RA. She is still using that RA. My mom and her think the efta is the best thing since sliced bread.

They love it so much, I don't think you will ever see it on swap.

We will see about the truefit. I have never used one more than a day and I have one on the way.
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
We sell a lot of TF's at work and a lot of EFTA. I don't hear a lot of complicated comments, but I also usually show people the different features of a seat before they make a decision, so that could definitely be a factor.

I for one absolutely love the EFTA. I truly do. I like the TF - but I don't absolutely love it the way I love the EFTA. If it had an infinite adjust harness, I'd feel differently - I'm just a sucker for the harness always being at the perfect height in the EFTA.

I do think that the EFTA is easier to use and it's just so easy to install in pretty much any vehicle both directions (unless the knobs are a problem rf'ing,) that I feel good recommending it to someone that I know won't read the instructions.

And sometimes one seat just fits a child better than the other...

I think the TF is very simple once you play with it and get to know it, but can see how it may be intimidating for someone just looking at it from a distance and not having a manual to lead them through things.

No seat is right for everyone though... there could be a seat that I would buy 1000 times over and there'd still be people that didn't like it or found it hard to use or install. :shrug-shoulders:

It's too bad nobody has taken you up on your offer though so that you have a reason to play with one.
 

unityco

Ambassador - CPS Technician
It's too bad nobody has taken you up on your offer though so that you have a reason to play with one.

That's probably what's really bothering me, lol. ;)

I like the EFTA too - it's what I bought as the communal seat for my parents (with their and my sisters' input.) I don't like installing it RF though (but I can't compare it to the TF, I've never installed it RF.) The EFTA's short LATCH strap doesn't help matters either. :thumbsdown:

Oh well, guess I'll just have to have another baby or something so I can play with my own. :whistle:
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
I like the True Fit (despite having never really owned one myself. :eek:) I'm sure I would have got one if it had been available when I needed one. I'm so sold on it, I keep trying to convince my family to get one for their kids. So far, only one other person has felt the love. :scratcheshead: I've told my two sisters and a cousin that I would buy their convertible as a gift, but let them choose (from my approved list. ;)) So far, everyone loves and has chosen the EFTA. :shrug-shoulders: I doubt any of these families will ERF to any great extent, so the 30lb RF limit (Canada) will be sufficient for their needs, but really? No takers on the TF? The common response has been, "it looks too complicated," while the EFTA apparently looks easy to use.

What comments do you commonly hear from un-obsessed parents? (Besides the fashion ones, of course. ;))

I just wanted to say that I had the TF love until I owned one :eek: I drooled and lusted over it until I had it. And then didn't love it as much. I did like it, and I would use it...but I liked others (uh...including EFTA) better.
 

AtTheSouthDam

New member
I've never owned a EFTA and probably never will. Why? Because every time I stop to play with them at the store someone has tightened the harness as tight as it will go and no matter how I read those instructions and try to loosen it I can't. If I can't loosen it at the store than I am certainly not going to hope it works well at home.

I like my true fit. I don't love it, but for the price point it is a very nice seat. Plus it's not MA :duck: Everyone her has a MA and I like to be a bit different :D
 

unityco

Ambassador - CPS Technician
I just wanted to say that I had the TF love until I owned one :eek: I drooled and lusted over it until I had it. And then didn't love it as much. I did like it, and I would use it...but I liked others (uh...including EFTA) better.

You know, I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happened to me. Since we outgrew the Titan years ago, I've not had a seat with a continuous harness. I'm not sure I would get used to that feature again. :eek:
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
You know, I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happened to me. Since we outgrew the Titan years ago, I've not had a seat with a continuous harness. I'm not sure I would get used to that feature again. :eek:

LOL, that was actually what I liked about the seat :) That way I didn't have to loosen/tighten every time (which I do have to do with the Titan). I liked the height adjuster too. I didn't like the width or the overall look of the seat.
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
I've never owned a EFTA and probably never will. Why? Because every time I stop to play with them at the store someone has tightened the harness as tight as it will go and no matter how I read those instructions and try to loosen it I can't. If I can't loosen it at the store than I am certainly not going to hope it works well at home.

I like my true fit. I don't love it, but for the price point it is a very nice seat. Plus it's not MA :duck: Everyone her has a MA and I like to be a bit different :D

People do that with the display models at my work sometimes, and it drives me nuts. The important thing to remember is that the harness was never designed to be tightened as tight as it can go with no child in it. One of our displays at work the red tab actually broke on it from being overtightened so many times and pulling straight down on it - again, it's meant to go over a child's shoulder, so not something you'd encounter in real life use of the seat...

So while I understand the frustration of not being able to loosen it, it's just extremely hard to loosen when it gets overtightened like that - and when used properly it's a situation you'd never encounter. I think it happens because parents don't read instructions - especially in store, and try to figure it out for themselves... and by the time they realize they can't figure it out, they've tightened the heck out of it and it takes a lot of strength to loosen it. :rolleyes:
 

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