A little info and pictures of the Recaro seats...

[oxeye]

I'm sure it will be a great seat and I love that it gives parents more choices for ERF and HWH.

I personally don't like the looks of it. I completely agree with a PP about the pink/grey looking like an elephant. That's all just a matter of personal taste, though.

 

[nisi]

Microfiber 101:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5546.html

One thing I've noticed about poly and nylon mf is that it really, really hangs on to odors. Probably not a show stopper for most, but it could be an issue if you have a puker. :twocents:

 

[Patriot201]

I like it!!!!!! Of course I want to see it in person, but this might be a good seat to add to my car.

I like this tan one:

 

[Knittingfor4]

I wish car seat manufacturers would make natural fabric cover options...

:yeahthat:
But having said that...two Cobalt Signos please It's not as streamlined looking as a MA, but what does that matter? Most seats are big and ugly and bulky looking and don't come in fabrics that I'd trip over myself to get to. But they aren't meant to be decor in your home. It's just vehicle upholstery. I love their tagline - don't get cute, get Recaro The limits on the seat blow the cover options out of the water for consideration. Especially with the $. I'll be posting comparison pics with the Regent and Radian as soon as I get my hot little hands on one!

 

[UlrikeDG]

Yeah, I was thinking cobalt is probably blue/black.

I'm almost positive that the Cobalt was their blue/black on the old Recaro Start. I'm wondering if the description is wrong.

 

[SwingMom]

Another thing to be concerned about with microfiber is what is called color crocking. Dyestuffs used on microfiber yarns in very saturated colors such as bright blue, red and black can rub off onto another surface through friction. That can happen when the fabric is dry (dry crocking) or, more commonly when the fabric is wet.

One would hope that Recaro will have done testing on this, but I wouldn't bet my money on it. I had to give up on the Signo anyway since DD wasn't going to stay in the Snugride until it is available. We love the MAs!

 

[southpawboston]

it looks like the shoulder pads are backwards on the tan demo model. shouldn't the hemmed edge face away from the child's neck?

ETA:

okay, i *think* i figured out the height issue!!!.

it appears there is only one set of harness slots, and they move with the headwings. this is how it works on the YS. when the headwings are all the way down, they fit snug inside the shell (like in the photo below), which by itself appears too short to support a tall kid (59/60", as recaro claims). however, the YS shell is also short, and when the head wings are adjusted up, they move way above the top of the shell. the moveable headwings on the YS have their own sturdy support (unlike the APEX, which has a limp neck connecting the headwings to the shell), and can safely extend way above the top of the shell. in that mode, the child's shoulders are supported by the top of the shell, while the head is supported by the headwings. this is how the relatively short YS can support a child up to 59". brilliant, actually. this way, the carseat doesn't take up needless space in the car (like a regent), blocking the driver's rearward field of vision, unless the headwings/harness are adjusted way up. i think in these photos, the headwing/harness are close to, if not all the way, at the bottom of their range.

see, in a conventional seat like a MA or DC, the child's head can't extend above the shell... since the shell itself provides the head AND torso SIP. on the recaro, the shell only provides the torso SIP, while the headwings are dedicated to providing head SIP. if the design works the way i think it does, the child's shoulders should be able to go right up near the top of the shell. the more closely i look at this seat, the more i am impressed.

does this make sense?

they are also using what they call a "toddler insert" pillow on the bottom for younger, narrower kids. as they grow, you remove the pillow, so they always have a good fit with the seat as they grow. :thumbsup: the YS has the same thing.

(as an aside, by looking more and more closely at these better pics, it's obvious this is a recaro design. a lot of the design elements are the same as on the YS).

patriot: keep those pics coming!!!!

 

[Morganthe]

I wonder what their policy on the chest clip will be. It looks as if the crotch buckle comes up as high as on my MC which makes the whole thing fit much better. The clip looks flimsy and (imo) almost unnecessary.
Personally, I'd love longer & more streamlined shoulder pads that are permanent unless they're completely slid off the straps, but we've been spoiled for years now.

If the material & padding is anything close to what I have on the Recaro Start, both dd & I will be very content. It's excellent material with almost a suade nap.

Hurry up and get here, please!!

I'm having to gear up for using the Start plus impact cushion since dd is now almost EQUAL on her harness slots Having great fun with Toyota attempting to locate an Anchor bolt. The Kit comes with spacers, bolts, and a REALLY REALLY FANCY heavy duty chrome locking clip... but no anchor bolt to hook the top tether

 

[Knittingfor4]

Oh that's a very clear description! Especailly for those who've never seen a Recaro! Thanks. So does the harness/headwing system work like the infinite slide Triumph? That would be super cool!

 

[Tara]

ETA:

okay, i *think* i figured out the height issue!!!.

it appears there is only one set of harness slots, and they move with the headwings. ...the moveable headwings on the YS have their own sturdy support (unlike the APEX, which has a limp neck connecting the headwings to the shell), and can safely extend way above the top of the shell. in that mode, the child's shoulders are supported by the top of the shell, while the head is supported by the headwings.
does this make sense?...

I totally get that from the pink/gray one. That makes sense. It's the infinite adjust one. So, the other one, the Como..it has the slots but does the headrest still move up the same? How would that work? I mean, how would it adjust..via knob or what? Not expecting you to know that from the picture or anything here LOL Just "thinking outloud"

Regardless of the final stats...I'm likely getting this seat. The Signo model. As long as our FPSE can install RF in the center, I'm good to go til the Recaro comes out. If I must, I may even put him outboard and swap the booster kid to the other side, the eternally folded down seat Just to get us by. I mean, for comparable price to a MA ?? I'll give it a shot.

Ok, I'm done now...been back to this thread toooo many times today. I am now...walking away...from the computer

 

[LuvBug]

the chestclip is just like the britax and old fisher price chest clips, they are pretty nice... IMO the best quality chestclips as far as ease of use, feel, and look. Chestclips are suppose to be pretty flimsy because they should break open in a crash. They are just a prepositioning device to make sure the straps are over the correct area.

And the headrest thing makes sense. Why would they want to put it in the top most position for the stock photo if it interupts the lines, kwim?

Also I noticed it has the rearfacing lockoffs very similar to the britax ones but I couldnt make out how the shoulderbelt lockoff closed.

 

[jn__]

can it be tethered rear facing?

 

[UlrikeDG]

The shoulder lock-off looks like the old style Roundabout shoulder lock-off. It's simply spring loaded. The tension from the seatbelt keeps it closed.

 

[Morganthe]

the chestclip is just like the britax and old fisher price chest clips, they are pretty nice... IMO the best quality chestclips as far as ease of use, feel, and look. Chestclips are suppose to be pretty flimsy because they should break open in a crash. They are just a prepositioning device to make sure the straps are over the correct area.

I only meant 'flimsy' in the best possible way I was thinking that if a child is comfortable with snug straps, using them might be optional :shrug-shoulders:
In direct comparison to the Radian chest clips, I believe all others are flimsy.
Ours is tough to clip and hard to release, but the straps are way too long and odd fitting for me to ever allow dd to not use the clip.

 

[southpawboston]

can it be tethered rear facing?

according, to information given to me and others, yes.

 

[Patriot201]

patriot: keep those pics coming!!!!

You got it!!

 

[Starlight]

If what Anton is saying about the headrest coming up, I'd venture to say that the Como, which is supposed to have "5 harness and headrest adjustment positions" could be similar to the AO, with the stupid metal bar thingy.

Okay, it's actually not a stupid metal bar, it really is a convenient design, provided it's used correctly.

I actually installed my first (and second!) AO's this week, during my class. I purposefully chose seats for my test installs that I was weak with. I did a RF AO (without base), and then a FF w/ base. The RF, without base, wasn't too difficult, but the FF one, it sucked. I told my instructor that it was evil.

I also installed the harnessed Recaro - Young Sport? Weird. Definitely Weird. I couldn't figure out where the belt would go for a seatbelt install, and I didn't have time to read the manual.

 

[southpawboston]

If what Anton is saying about the headrest coming up, I'd venture to say that the Como, which is supposed to have "5 harness and headrest adjustment positions" could be similar to the AO, with the stupid metal bar thingy

i haven't seen an AO, but that sounds identical to the YS. the headwings have 5 positions (lower three are for harnessed setup, upper two are booster only). then there is a metal bar behind the shell which pops into place at one of three positions, which control the harness height. you have to do the headwings and bar thingy separately, and make sure you match up the positions correctly. kind of confusing unless you read the manual. maybe they're using the identical setup in the como???

 

[Kellyr2]

OKay, with the headrest going up - my concern then, is a view out my back window.
Here's a pic of my van, looking from the drivers seat to the back -

The parkway was adjusted for my neice who was a little under 4 ft then. Obviously, I'll be losing out on my line of sight once I've got a tall kid in a booster anyway. But I'm thinking that the Recaro, even on a smaller base than the MA, would line up very similarly. (side by side installed, the MA is higher than the Regent, part of why i plan to keep them in Regents until they're outgrown!)
So, yeah, my concern is that the Recaro would be way too tall in some vehicles.

 

[skaterbabs]

My booster kids block way more of my sight than the MA does. I keep telling them to put their headrests all the way down when they get out of the car because it drives me nuts.