Why Britax?

[ARon]

I've done a little bit of research through the forums (obviously can't read everything, though I'd love to!), and I've noticed that a lot of people currently use or have tried Britax car seats. I don't have any kids yet (starting my research early), so I don't have any experience to speak from. From what I've seen here and elsewhere, Britax has very high quality car seats, no denying that. But what I'm wondering is why everyone seems to use them, when I've heard the following complaints:

• the convertibles don't have low enough harness slots for newborns
• they are monsterously large and sit high up off the seat
• most children outgrow the height limit before they reach the weight limit
• the height limit is shorter than for other, comparable seats
• they tend to be rather expensive

Are they just that much better than other seats for the time they do work (from fitting in lowest harness to highest)? Did they come out with the higher limit seats before everyone else, thus having a legacy? I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, just looking for some answers. TIA!

 

[carseatcoach]

Yes, they were the one of the first (not sure if they were THE first) companies to introduce higher-weight harnessing seats -- for a while, if you wanted to harness past 40#, you bought a Britax.

They are very cute and cushy seats. Some people are willing and able to pay for that. The convertibles (not so much the dedicated FF seats) are also super-easy to install, so if someone has to install frequently, it's nice to have a seat that goes in quickly and tightly just about every time.

But what you write is accurate (although to be honest, most children outgrow MOST seats by height rather than weight).

There is no "best" seat. The best seat is one that fits your child, your car, your budget, and which you can use correctly every single time. For some folks, that's a Britax seat. For others, it isn't.

 

[Pixels]

Pretty much what Chickabiddy said.

Some people like the fact that the seat is up on a base. Parents want their kids to be able to see out the windows. Britax says it's a safety feature (the base crumples in a crash). Another manfacturer says it's safer to NOT be up high on a base, so who knows who is right on that account.

I think at one point, Britax was leading the way and was very innovative. Now, other companies have caught up to them, making seats that are as good or better, often for much less money. But Britax still does have that name brand.

I should clarify one thing. When I say seats that are as good or better, I'm not referring to safety. All seats pass the same test in order to be sold. We don't know if one seat is any safer than another. I'm referring to things like the range of size of children the seat will fit, convenience things like built in lockoffs, etc.

 

[purple826]

* the convertibles don't have low enough harness slots for newborns - most people like to use an infant seat for at least a few months, so the fact that Britax convertibles don't fit newborns doesn't matter personally to most people.
* they are monsterously large and sit high up off the seat - Many people have them in a captains chair of a mini van. Their size is really only an issue when you want to fit 3 people (with or without carseats) in the back of a car.
* most children outgrow the height limit before they reach the weight limit - that's true for almost every seat on the market.
* the height limit is shorter than for other, comparable seats - not by much, some of the other features override this fact.
* they tend to be rather expensive - not always, you can find a Marathon for $179 right now, granted, it's a girly pattern, but it's there.

Britax is one of only two brands that allows the top tether to be used while the seat is rear-facing. This helps prevent cocooning in an accident. People are willing to pay extra for that.

Britax also has rubber hugs on the harness that are supposed to distribute crash forces more evenly. They have velcro to keep the harness out of the way while putting in the child. They have built-in lock offs to make seatbelt installation easy (though other companies are beginning to include these as well). They have a style of LATCH clip that is easy to use and a separate LATCH strap for each side of the seat to make them easy to tighten.

That said, I don't own one. I own a similar seat though that was discontinued a while ago. Britax isn't THE right seat for everyone but they have seats (the Marathon and the Blouvard) that are well-designed and last (most) kids until they are big enough for a booster.

Hope that helped a bit

 

[snowbird25ca]

Are they just that much better than other seats for the time they do work (from fitting in lowest harness to highest)? Did they come out with the higher limit seats before everyone else, thus having a legacy? I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, just looking for some answers. TIA!

That part I underlined hits the nail right on the head. Britax IMO is much more reputation than actual delivery in today's selection of seats. There are tons of options, many offering more features. I will say though, that if you read one of the threads in the CDN forum we are more harsh there because Britax is falling to bottom of the pile between the crazy price increase and them having lower limits than major competitors. The whole height and weight thing doesn't apply in the US, so if some of the comments came from the CDN forum it may not be an accurate comparison in the US.

Britax seats do still have the easy to install going for them, and they still do last most kids a good length of time. But what they do have left doesn't set them far above the rest of the competition in my honest opinion.

 

[snowbird25ca]

Pretty much what Chickabiddy said.

Some people like the fact that the seat is up on a base. Parents want their kids to be able to see out the windows. Britax says it's a safety feature (the base crumples in a crash). Another manfacturer says it's safer to NOT be up high on a base, so who knows who is right on that account.

Source? I've never heard this before.

eta: Base crumpling in a crash would be a problem in terms of meeting CMVSS standards. I'm not intimately familiar with FMVSS, but the comment just doesn't make sense to me given what I know of standards.

 

[carseatcoach]

Britax isn't THE right seat for everyone but they have seats (the Marathon and the Blouvard) that are well-designed and last (most) kids until they are big enough for a booster.

I don't know if that's a fair claim to make. A lot of kids outgrow the seat about age 4-5ish. Not all kids that age are booster-ready. Some are, of course, but I am not comfortable with "most". More than a few parents have found themselves needing another harnessed seat after a Britax convertible.

 

[Pixels]

Source? I've never heard this before.

eta: Base crumpling in a crash would be a problem in terms of meeting CMVSS standards. I'm not intimately familiar with FMVSS, but the comment just doesn't make sense to me given what I know of standards.

Britax's website.

The protective shell around the child doesn't crumple, only the base. As long as that shell is intact, and no piece completely detach (come flying off), it's okay as far as FMVSS goes.

 

[An Aurora]

I didn't get "crumpling" out of anything I just read on Britax's website.

 

[Pixels]

Britax used the word "crush." I used a similar word. I have "crumple" at the forefront of my mind following my recent crash, where I was rear ended, and my vehicle's crumple zone crumpled.

 

[SafeDad]

I didn't get "crumpling" out of anything I just read on Britax's website.

I didn't, either. Energy absorbing doesn't necessarily mean the physical structure has to crumple in the normal sense of the word. I suppose you could call bending of the metal rod shown in the picture as "crumpling", though not in the sense that a vehicle frame would crumple (i.e. be visibly smashed) to absorb energy in a crash.

 

[carseatcoach]

Britax states that the base will "deform", which may look very different than a crumple.

 

[SafeDad]

Did they come out with the higher limit seats before everyone else, thus having a legacy? I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, just looking for some answers. TIA!

Back in the late 90s when Britax introduced the Roundabout, there was nothing else like it. It had a nice push-button front-harness adjuster at a time many competitors had no front adjustment at all. To this day, it's easier to use than the A-lock mechanism found on most other seats, even those made by Britax. The Roundabout also had a great design with built-in lockoffs that helped it install well, even in difficult vehicles. Every one of its harness slots was re-inforced for front-facing use, unlike many other models at the time. It really was a Rolls Royce in a field of economy cars.

Since then, the gap has closed considerably. Britax still does release innovative models, usually in terms of weight limits or safety features. It seems the competition catches up quicker these days, though. There are certainly many very good models on the market from which to choose. If you find something less expensive and you find it fits your child and vehicle well and is easy for you to use correctly each trip, then by all means call it a bargain and buy it;-)

 

[SafeDad]

Britax states that the base will "deform", which may look very different than a crumple.

Indeed; probably a matter of semantics.

 

[o_mom]

Britax's website.

The protective shell around the child doesn't crumple, only the base. As long as that shell is intact, and no piece completely detach (come flying off), it's okay as far as FMVSS goes.

That's not completely accurate either. The BV recall was because the seat changed from upright to reclined and that is considered a pinch hazzard, so even though the shell was intact and nothing came flying off (and the test results were actually better according to their petition in the FR), it failed FMVSS.

 

[ARon]

Thanks for the input everyone!

 

[jujumum]

I'm a former lurker, and this is my first post.

I am a big fan of the Britax seats from way back (my older 2 children are 10 & 12) and used a Starriser. My 3.5 year old dd is in Decathlon and a Shannon Blvd, and my 20 month old ds moving out of his RAs to a FPSVD (Britax made) and an Aqua Blvd. What I about Britax is:

- They seem to have a good track record (I have no hard data to base this on, though, it's just my opinion). I love the rear facing tether;

- Their car seats usually have a simple design where the children sit, and don't have a lot of gadgets, gizmos, or openings where kids can access the padding (to rip out or to shove in cookies, etc.);

- They are made in the USA (not that there is anything wrong with a non-USA seat, but for me personally, I like the idea);

- I find them fairly straight forwad to install in my van - lockoffs are such a help;

- Finally, they have awesome covers in tons of patterns with soft/strong fabrics (except for the Frontier). My Big Cat Roundabout looks brand new after 3 years (we call it the 'Pimp My Baby' car seat.

This being said, I'm strongly considering a Malibu RadianXT when DD outgrows her BLVD/DC. I'm not feeling the Frontier love. Maybe if they make Frontiers with more interesting fabrics/patterns like all their other seats......

 

[cpsaddict]

I am a diehard Britax fan. I love the ease of use of the seats, I love how they look and even if they are outgrown before the child is ready for a booster, there are some good seats out there that do convert to boosters, like the Frontier. I like the quality of the cover, the quality of the other parts, the rf tether, etc. I tried a Radian and it was fine. Nothing spectacular, IMO. I also like the Evenflo Triumph Advance, but it will never be a Marathon. I have one MA now, which is in use by my nephew and when my LO is ready for a convertible, it will be a Marathon. In MY mind, there is no other option for us. I love them that much.

 

[ZephyrBlue]

Britax also does voluntary recalls when they discover, through testing after their products go to market, that there is a problem. Some other companies have been known not to issue recalls even when they know that there are serious flaws with their seats until there is an injury or a death.

That in itself makes me more confident in Britax than many other manufacturers.

 

[xursusmaritimusx]

I'm one of those who didn't understand all the hype about having a Britax until I owned one! I always thought it was just an overpriced seat and if people had the money to buy it, that was fine, but I'd pass.

I received a marathon as a gift from my sister and fell in love!!!!

I had only used Graco seats before (safe seat & nautilus). I'm still a fan of Graco but I love my marathon more!

My daughter is extremely comfortable RF at 2.5 and has lots of growing room (RF and FF)

The seat installs like a dream with both a seatbelt and LATCH.

Their customer service is wonderful.

Even though it does seem like a big seat, i don't feel it is. It fits extremely well in my smaller economy car.

Overall I was just pleasantly surprised and very happy with my Britax seat!