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Confused about car seat regulations? Find baby car seat advice here.

Car seats

Help with another RF Group 1 car seat please!

16 replies

dreamfeeder · 10/09/2011 20:36

DD (12 months yesterday!) sits in her BeSafe iZi Combi x3 in our car and loves it. However I go back to work in 5 weeks, and need a non-isofix RF car seat to fit in both my mum and my dads cars (fiesta and chevrolet beast of a car) as they are splitting childcare one day a week for DD. The only supplier selling RF car seats near us only has the Britax Multi Tech, (for a belted ERF- do have BeSafe and Recaro Polaric, but they're both isofix) and the Britax multi tech gets a Don't Buy award in the Which? reviews which i just paid to view to check out it's review. The reason it gets a Don't Buy is both the complicated fitting which they believe causes such a high risk of incorrect fitting that it is thought unsafe, and due to its rubbish side impact protection (can't remember if it even passed their 18mph side impact crash test, but think it didn't). So clearly I won't be buying that one- I need to be able to put this seat into whichever grandparent is taking DD's car before i go to work (probably in the rain, running late etc etc) so really need something easy to fit.

Which? don't review the britax Two Way Elite, or Klippan KISS, which are the 2 i'm considering now. Or even the belted version of the iZi combi?

Does anyone have any of these and can give any advice, or have any advice for me on what else to get?? I will not be able to try this seat it seems, which worried me a lot but I cannot find a local supplier for either (looking within a 100mile radius)

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thisisyesterday · 10/09/2011 22:08

um, i think you should stop looking at Which?

i thought that the multi-tech had pretty good SIP actually? I certainly wouldn't take Which?'s word for it that it isn't a good seat. If it's correctly fitted then it isn't a problem surely???

anyway, the klippan always seems to get good reviews and looks like a nice seat.
the belted besafe has a good safety record in sweden etc, just as the isofix version has
the britax 2 way elite is an excellent seat, is very lightweight and really easy to fit and thus switch between cars... but i would say it's SIP is probably no better than the multi-tech (i say that just on visual comparison rather than test results though)...

maybe give the in-car safety centre in milton keynes a ring and see what they reckon? they've very knowledgeable

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dreamfeeder · 10/09/2011 22:22

Thanks! I think which? was useful though, as I will be swapping this seat car to car every week, and I don't want to mess it up. I don't trust myself not to be a moron fitting it, especially if I'm late for work, and rushing, etc etc.

The retailer I bought my BeSafe from did inform me the Multi-tech offered much lower side impact protection (in fact, the lady said she personally wouldn't use it), so that backs up the which? crash test results.

I just looked up the Klippan on the in-car safety centre website, and it says it can be used from birth, so maybe I'm best to just get that, as I'm already 8 weeks pg with number 2.... I just wish I could try one!!!

A slim fat chance, but I don't suppose anyone in the North West has one they'd let me have a look at in their car?!?!?!?!

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thisisyesterday · 10/09/2011 22:32

nicm (on here) has one, but i can't remember where she is based now...

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thisisyesterday · 10/09/2011 22:32

ahh you could also ask on the rearfacing.co.uk forum?

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nicm · 10/09/2011 23:03

hi, sorry i'm in ni!! a wee bit far! i had a KISS, it was very quick to fit with the isofix and seatbelt and was tight fitting with the seat belt too and there are no tether straps to worry about.

i would look at the hi-way 2 for small cars and it has passed the swedish + test or the twe for quick fitting. out of the 3 seats to move the twe would be the quickest.

:)

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onetwothreefourfive · 11/09/2011 10:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

dreamfeeder · 11/09/2011 11:47

Thank you all for your comments. Yes, ni a little far!! I'll go and google the hi-way 2 and ring our local stockist with some begging to see if they can get it in...

And I'll post this on the rearfacing forum in case too.

The heaviness and bulkiness is what really puts me off the belted verson of the BeSafe too...

Thanks all, I'm slightly calmer that there is a solution now!

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aswellasyou · 11/09/2011 12:17

I've got both a belted BeSafe and a Klippan Kiss 2. Both of them seemed complicated to fit the first time I did it but are simple wehn you know how! However, both of them are a bit heavy. I love the fact that you can take the infant carrier part out of the Kiss and wheel it around the supermarket. I also like that it has both isofix and seatbelt fixing.

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dreamfeeder · 11/09/2011 12:41

oh, aswellasyou, is there a lot of difference in leg room between the two makes? It looks like the Klippan fits a lot more closley to the back seat. I am tempted though, it looks like it would be good for DC2 when they arrive. DD is tall, DH is 6'4".

With the Kiss, did you have it fitted the first time or work it out yourself? I'm really torn between the TWE and KISS. or Hi-Way 2.

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aswellasyou · 11/09/2011 14:34

I did both of them myself and hadn't been shown how to fit them. The Kiss does have a tiny bit less legroom I think-I always have it in one of the reclined positions though so it's hard to say exactly. It would be a good seat to use straight from birth.

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dreamfeeder · 12/09/2011 19:06

One final thing, I forgot to ask the very well informed lady from the In Car Safety Centre when I rang about TWE and KISS today- does anyone have any experience of having a BeSafe iZi combi in backseat with either of these in front seat? I'm guessing neither would fit....

decided against the hi-way 2- the nice lady said it will sit exactly the same as the multi-tech in our car, which was bolt upright almost to the point of sl forward leaning, and I hated it!!!

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aswellasyou · 12/09/2011 22:54

The Kiss is about the same length as the BeSafe so you could see how it would fit lengthwise by fitting the BeSafe in the front. I'm not sure how much you'd be able to see the wing mirror though.
I'm surprised about the Hi-Way 2 sitting as upright as the Multi-Tech. It's got 4 recline settings I think so I would have thought it would be OK. I've never seen it fitted though so I don't actually know!

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nicm · 13/09/2011 14:28

noy sure why she said that, the hi-way is reclined, think it has 3 reclines and the in car safety centre also sell wedge block things that goes under the front part of the seat to recline it even more.

:)

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nicm · 13/09/2011 14:32

oh and the hi-way is a from birth seat too

:)

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dreamfeeder · 13/09/2011 19:22

I'm not sure why, but I think because we have a space issus, she was saying it would take more room to recline the hi-way 2 with the block- she did say about buying the block. She said it was similar to the multi-tech in how it would sit in a ford focus?! She does seem very knowledgable. And seems to think our only option for getting two RF's in a focus with a 6'4" DH is the TWE in the front seat in front of the BeSafe. She says she wouldn't put money on it going in though, and thinks we're in for a car change!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Carseatcrazy · 23/09/2011 22:10

I've got a focus estate and a besafe and KISS. I'm 6' and can drive with these two set up in the back, but I would find it hard if I was any taller to be honest. Occassionaly I try to put my 6'4 father in the passenger seat in front of one of them, and he can just about physically get in, but his knees are tight on the dash....not sure this helps much, but just thought I'd share in case it does..... I'm in the Southwest so prob not much help to you, but happy to show anyone that would like to try these seats out. I love both of them- both have great features and slightly different advantages.. Good luck with finding the solution :)