Evenflo Vs. Britax

I believe we have an Evenflo Triumph for my 3 yo. It seems to be good. Rated well. A bit big, as I think all car seats are. It is a bit of a pain to move, as I think most car seats are. I heard that the Britax is pretty easy. But so much more expensive.

Good luck!

I bought a Marathon for my daughter and TOTALLY love it. It is mainly in my van but from time to time I will switch it over to my husbands car and it fits in there just fine. The switching between vechiles is not a problem either. I am VERY happy with the carseat.

We have to take the carseat in and out of a car twice daily due to our family driving/child care arrangements. I consulted the book "Baby Bargains" because they do such a good job of comparing and contrasting all the items available for child care. Britax was their top pick, so we went with that one. It is super easy to move from car to car, whether it be rear-facing or forward-facing (we had to do both).

We have both and hands down would buy the Britax again. I know it is a lot more money, however, we have been using it for 3 years now and it still looks brand new. It comes really clean, and the biggest thing is that the straps have never twisted or tangled up. It is a cinch to loosen or tighten the straps, and very comfy. We have the Roundabout, and if I were you I would look into the Marathon. I believe it can be used for a longer period of time. I have tall children and could have used the Marathon. Hope this helps=)

We have 2 different Evenflos. Both go up to 50 pounds but one is to 50 inches (DLX I think) and the other is a bit smaller at 47 inches. I love both of them but I have the bigger one in my car and it fits great. My son is comfortable in it and the straps are SO easy to adjust. We got both for cheaper than a Britax and leave one in each car. I can't say for ease of installation but I know it didn't take my husband long to install either. The bigger one would probably be a bit of a pain to move back and forth though, which is why I went for the smaller second seat instead of 2 of the bigger ones. They are both great though so I think for the price and weight you can't go wrong. My son is 25 pounds, 16 months and has been using them for 7+ months now.

We have the Britax Marathon and it is SUPER easy to move from car to car. The company repairs them w/ no question, either. Love it & getting the same one for kiddo #2!!!

We just purchased and installed the Evenflo Triumph Premier and the Fisher Price Safe Voyage (it is a Britax Marathon under the Fisher Price label--the tags and product registry information confirm this). My husband was able to install the F/P (Marathon) perfectly on the first try. The inspector didn't have to adjust anything. The inspector had to reinstall the Evenflo, but it is in there nice and tight now. The Evenflo is larger and more plush than the F/P, but our daughter seems comfortable in both. Both also have excellent safety ratings...I think the Marathon is significantly more expensive, but may be slightly smaller, easier to install and reinstall and has maybe a 5 lb. higher weight limit...Good luck on your decision!

We have the Deluxe Eveflo and do REALLY love it. We have one for each car. A small car and a van and fits nicely in both however after buying the next car seat up b/c she seemed to be getting too big for the Evenflo, I would recommend the Britax b/c you end up spending the same amount of money on two vs. one. The Britax will get you further weight wise and it is supposedly a safter/better seat. They are pretty cute too!

I have the Britax roundabout in my car and love it (fits great in my Ford Escape). The roundabout only goes up to 40 lbs though. My son is 2 1/2, 30 lbs. and tall. I just purchased the Marathon which is a little bigger and holds up to 65 lbs. My husband has the Evenflow Triumph LX in his smaller car. It's a good 2nd seat, but the straps tangle a lot. It's about the same size as the roundabout but the quality isn't as good. Britax car seats are on the expensive side, but well worth it considereing it's for your childs safety.

We have the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe Convertible Car Seat in Black. It was recommended by a M. on mama source. The seat was discontinued last year due to not being a hot seller (it only came in black or red). The seat has a fisher price cover on it but it is made by Britix. the warrenty is from Britix as well. We got the seat after buying many seats and my son LOVES it. We got it on line at:
http://www.albeebaby.com/fiprsavodeco1.html

I know it is hard to but a seat with out seeing it but it was worth the 130 i payed for it!
GOOD LUCK
N.

Hi, I don't have any experience with the Britax, but I love our Evenflo. And I picked it because Consumer Reports rated very highly...higher then the Britax I think. My sister has the Evenflo in her Honda Civic and likes it a lot.

I think my head would be spinning reading all of the differing opinions in the responses that you have... but here's one more... I have the Britax Roundabout in my Honda Civic. I chose this seat because my son outgrew his infant seat at 6 months so I wanted a durable, safe seat and the Marathon or any of those that have a higher weight limit are bigger (taller) and bulkier. It took a little practice getting my son in and out -- and again once we moved the seat to forward-facing (sometimes his little head gets bonked) but overall I like it. My husband has always done the installation and moving of the seat. Once he got the hang of it all, it was very easy for him - but he did say that if you use the seat-belt installation and not the LATCH, it becomes more difficult and maybe not as safe (moving it from car to car) because it takes some strength to tighten it up each time and get it secure. Hope that helps!

First, i dunno why a police officer would tell you to use the seat belt at 40lbs, you should keep them 5 pt harnessed as long as possible. Just wanted to say that Britax's new seat Frontier is coming out soon. It 5pts harnesses to 80lbs like the Regent but has the side protection like the Boulevard. You can look at it on their website.

Beatrice,

First- don't look at Consumer Reports for carseats they don't do a great job testing...the only Evenflo worth it would be TRIUMPH ADVANCE it harnesses to 50 pounds and has higher harness slots...the older Evenflo's will not last as long as your child needs to be in a harness....that is why the Britax Marathon is so widely recommended...and it can be found for 220 online...(no tax, free shipping)....that's a great deal considering it will last a long time....my almost 5 year old is still in hers....it is very easy to get a great install, one of Britax's feature is their easy latch connectors- much better than others....the seat is not that big...no bigger really than any of the other convertible seats...if you're moving it back and forth it would be easy....and you definitely want to harness well past 40 pounds! The Marathon's straps are also wonderful when it comes to not twisting...and there are a lot of fabric choices which may seem silly but it's nice to have that option on top of the wonderful safety features and I do not agree with the earlier person who said the Britax seats didn't fit well in many vehicles...on the carseat board over at www.windsorpeak.com (go to the Baby 411 forums) I've never heard this mentioned.

Good luck in your search!

B.

I am a police officer and I am also trained as a child safety seat installer. I see that alot of people are suggesting one of the Britax seats on Mamasource. Britax is a great brand and is always highly recommended by Consumer Reports, but they are expensive seats and don't always fit in every car. They are large and bulky. There are a lot of great seats out there, but the besy one for you is going to be the one that fits your child the best as well as fits in your vehicle the best. There are alot of seats out there these days that have a wide range of weights of the child that they will fit. You may like the convenience of a convertible seat that has a 5-point harness that is usually used for up to 40 pounds and then you can take the straps out and use it as a booster with the seatbelt in your car. So, my advice is to take your time and choose a seat that fits your child and your car. Most stores will let you test one with the child in the seat and should let you see if it fits in your car too, you just have to ask them! Good Luck. You can even have your local police or fire department ensure that the seat is properly installed after you purchase it!

Hello Beatrice,
Another vote for Britax here. I love both of my Britax seats and for the safety, its the best one out there. They are so easy to install. In the last 4 1/2 years between my husbands car, mine, my parents cars (I think that between all of us, we have put the seats in about 8 different types of vehicles) and it is always very easy to install. With my older child, we had another brand as a back up and it wasn't easy to install and never fit in tight. With the Britax, its in there TIGHT with NO wiggle room. I cannot say enough good things about this seat!

And for the response who suggested to put your child in a seat belt/booster at 40lbs, you may want to rethink that advice. That is NOT the safest option for your child.

Best of Luck with your decison!
B.

We have two Britax Marathon Seats...one for 2 years and the other for 3.5. They are ever bit worth the money invested. Comfortable for the kids , Easy to install, easy to clean and most importantly the highest safety rating.

We figured for safety, comfort and the fact that the kids would have them for at least 4 years...it was worth it! (and I like the soft velety flowers! :)

I have an Evenflo Triumph, and I'd give it a mixed review. The harness straps adjust tension at the shoulder, so when the seat's in the rear-facing position and the belts are BELOW the baby's shoulders, they can be hard to tighten because the baby's body is pressing against the straps. That makes it hard for them to move. Now that my child is facing forward and the belts are at or ABOVE his shoulders, I've had no problem adjusting the straps.

Secondly, the seat is rather wide. It's fine for my car, but it may not fit as well in your compact car. Personally, I think the seat's more comfortable that way, though. I also had looked at the Britax Roundabout, and it seemed like an older child would find it a bit narrow.

Thirdly, you have to unscrew the back cover to be able to remove the seat cushion. That's a big pain if you ever need to wash it.

Some people found the tension control knobs difficult to access while in the rear-facing position, but I didn't have any problem with them.

On the positive side, it received the highest crash test rating in the latest Consumer Reports review on convertible car seats. The Britax Roundabout had a crash test rating just below the Triumph, though it was higher in a couple of different areas. It's also a lot cheaper, but I don't think you're getting cheaper quality. I've had no problem moving it from one car to another. It's also very easy to move the harness straps on the Triumph because you can do so without rethreading the belts (or removing it from the car).

I think the only difference between the LX and DLX is the amount of extra seat padding and accessories. The essential seat is the same.

Good luck! I debated the same two car seats (I didn't look at the Marathon).