Joie i-Spin Safe - the holy grail of rotating car seats?

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After doing extensive research, I had decided on the Joie i-Spin 360 i-Size which has an impressive ADAC rating of 1.8 but not Plus Test which I felt was mainly due to the fact that it has the option to rotate to FF after 15 months. It just had the edge on the Britax Swingfix due to price.

(Rotating is a feature we will really value so I focused my research on that type.)

Just as I had made my choice, I stumbled upon the new Joie i-Spin Safe which appears to be essentially the same seat but it can only rotate 90° so no option for FF. And it has the Plus Test! It doesn't have an ADAC rating yet but I imagine it will be around 1.8 like the 360.

I live abroad so Joie is pretty expensive here but I've managed to find a UK supplier that does international deliveries which would save me €150!

So, before I take the plunge,
@bertiebotts
@teaandlotusbiscoff
(and anyone else!) I'd love to hear your thoughts as you were so helpful on my other thread!

The Joie i-spin is actually one of my favourite car seats. But worth bearing in mind, while you can use the regular spin-safe up until DC physically outgrows it weight wise, whereas you have to stop using this one once DC reaches 105 cm (and the regular Joie 360 spin tends to be outgrown at 110 cm). There’s also the fact the the spin-safe is £50 cheaper, and does have improved side impact compared to the regular 360. The main difference is that you HAVE to stop using the I-spin safe at 105cm, while the spin-safe can be used right up to 18kg.

If your DC is tall, I personally think you’d be better of with the regular spin-safe, but if not then the I-spin safe is a really good seat.

Sorry if I added to any confusion but these are my thoughts.

This video highlights the differences between the spin-safe and I-spin safe so could help you make a final choice

Excellent information! Thank you, @teaandlotusbiscoff And that video is extremely informative.

I had ruled out the regular Spin Safe because it met the ECE R44/44 regulation as opposed to the newer i-Size one which made me feel it may not have been as rigorously tested. However, the video says it also has the Plus Test so it must be very safe. Your explanation of height vs weight limit makes perfect sense.

Now to decide whether to go for the Spin or i-Spin...

Yes. I agree to go for the Spin Safe instead of the i-Spin Safe.

They have added the same side impact pop outs to the Spin Safe (which were missing on the 360 Spin) and so I think the side impact protection would be comparable anyway. There isn't memory foam in the headrest so you might lose a bit of side impact protection this way but to be honest I doubt it makes a huge amount of difference.

I think you get a tiny bit more room in the R44 one than the R129, and as many children can fit in typically until they are 108-110cm tall, it makes sense to avoid the one with the height limit of 105cm.

However, I don't think it's a holy grail. What it is is an excellent price-performance ratio, but these are my downsides to the Joie spin seats (applies to all 4 in the range).

• The install tends to be a bit wobbly in some cars. This doesn't affect safety, but it does look a bit alarming when you go around a corner and the whole car seat moves from side to side! We have just changed car and it's poor in our new car, the fit was solid in our old one. I don't mind but it bothers some people.

• The harness can be tricky, it tends to get caught on the child's shoulders as you tighten it and go into a V shape rather than being parallel vertical lines down their chest. IME this is totally preventable if you loosen the harness fully every time, and then position the pads correctly and hold the shoulder straps together as you tighten. I get it perfect doing this but if DH or DS1 ever does up the car seat we end up with a V and it annoys me :o Saying that, it seems a bit better now DS2 is over 2.

• The inserts can be a bit of a pain, especially when using with a child between 6-18 months. They tend to push the child's body out in a way many people find alarming and it means the buckle is right up under the child's crotch and can be difficult to fasten. Actually the i-Spin wedge is much shallower and so doesn't do this quite as much, which is another point towards i-Spin.

• Once inserts are all out, the harness sits away from the child's body and creates a huge gap which is really tempting for escapees! So far we've been OK with distraction but will wait and see on this.

• The harness twists quite a lot. It's easy to fix but slightly annoying.

• There is very little leg room in this seat for rear facing past 13kg or so. This doesn't matter for safety, and many children will just rest their legs off the side of the seat or up the back of the chair, but it really bothers some parents and some older children might object to it.

• You can't lock the isofix leg when uninstalled, so when you're changing cars it constantly falls down and whacks you in the shins

• (Same for any rotating seat) You can only use these seats up to 18kg / 105cm which is approx 4 years on average centiles, approx 3 years on higher centiles or approx 4.5 for lower centiles. If you didn't then want to use a high backed booster at that point you would need to purchase a further rear facing or harnessed seat for example Joie Bold or Britax Max Way, both of which are about as expensive as the Joie Spin.

FWIW, none of these have been reason enough for me not to buy the seat, and I do think it is the best you will get for the price. We have the Joie 360 Spin GT, which is a version they released in Germany for some reason which is similar to the original, but has side impact wings and a lock against turning it FF by accident.

Plus points compared with other spinning seats:

• Recline is great. (i-Spin's recline is slightly better, Spin's wedge is deeper to make up for this).

• Can rotate seat also when reclined.

• Rotate function is easy to access and use.

• Inserts are more flexible than some other seats.

• Headrest goes up lovely and high, seat will last a long time.

• Incredibly compact install - 74-79cm required.

• Joie very happy to offer remote support with fitting, inserts, harness position etc.

It is worth noting that the "Safe" / Plus tested versions are exactly the same seat, manufacturing wise, as the 360 degree versions, so in essence you can get the same plus tested safety simply by buying the 360 version and never turning it forwards.

If you like, the whole argument about cost being related to user experience features rather than safety DOES apply when you look at seats in a similar class ie made by manufacturers who design for safety rather than just price. This is among the lowest in that class, and does have fewer user experience features for that reason.

The differences between R44 and R129 are honestly absolutely minimal - the only thing it adds is a side impact test and they use the newer dummies.

It only really makes a difference to the absolutely cheapest seats and possibly some older seats which don't have side impact protection built in.

Do you know where in the car your isofix point sit? Eg are they under the seat or on top? I only ask as we had the bold and while in one car it was very secure it felt less secure in the second car! (Pics attached to show. White car is new one)

Also worth bearing in mind, I have heard about the spin rattling sometimes in the car when the child isn’t in it. (We had this problem with our bold too )

It seems from my experience that it matters less where the isofix points sit, and more whether you can get a solid fit with the leg.

In our old car it was possible to jiggle it around and get a completely flush tight fit on the seat itself. It seems like our current car is between two of the slots on the leg so if we push it down so it's flush to the vehicle seat, the leg doesn't connect to the floor properly and if we extend the leg one so that that's green, there is a slight gap under the child seat and you could push your hand under the car seat, between that and the seat it's installed on. This is fine it just means that it moves.

It doesn't rattle in our car even though it moves around :)

Ah yes that makes sense! Forgot about how the leg would add extra stability on the spin

@BertieBotts I can't thank you enough for taking the time to share such helpful information! Those are exactly the things that are so good to know before buying especially as I'm having it sent from abroad and don't want to go to the expense and hassle of returning it.

I'd agree that none of those cons are deal breakers for us but you've saved lots of potential worrying now that we know what to expect. Last night I kept going back and forth between the regular Spin and i-Spin and I even threw the i-360 back in the mix but decided I don't want the temptation of FF further down the line.

Both DH and I are below average height so we expect DS to be more of a Tom Cruise than a Will Smith. Therefore, we've gone for the i-Spin as we prefer the automatic side impact thingies (technical term) and the side rotating handles opposed to the front one.

Let's hope we can get a flush fit for minimal wobbling and rattling.

I'm sure I'll be back when DS outgrows it to ask for advice on the next size up Thanks again to you both!

:) You're very welcome.