Easywalker Duo or Mountain Buggy Duet or Duo?

[SuperSue77]

Hi, can anyone help? I'm expecting twins in March and looking for a side by side doubke buggy, suitable from birth that will take the maxi cosi cabriofix carseats. I looked at the Duet on Saturday and was sold on it until I read some bad reviews online the next day. I'm worried that as it's so new (thinnest chassis of a side by side double on the market) that it hasn't been tested in anger yet, and now that it is people are finding problems with it. Does anyone have any experience of them, good or bad?
Also, I decided that maybe I should go for a wider buggy instead, something more tried and tested and am looking at the Easywalker Duo and the MB Duo, but I can't find anywhere that stocks them for me to go and have a look!! Does anyone have any experience of the Easywalker Duo?
The idea of a 63cm buggy is so tempting (I don't mind that it will be wider with the carseats on) that I'm wondering whether to ignore the rest of the bad reviews I've read and go for it anyway, but I don't want to end up regreting that decision. So maybe I should go for tried and tested and put up with some restrictions due to the slightly larger width. Can anyone offer any advice or share with me their experience of any one of these buggies?
Thanks! Sue

[Tiggywunkle]

For me, there is no question out of those three - go with the Easywalker. I had a Duet and found the quality so poor, that I promptly went out and bought myself an Easywalker to remind myself that there are good quality pushchairs out there - and the Easywalker is fab quality. I even went back to a shop to look at a Duo and found similar niggles eg bunching up of fabric behind the childrens heads post recline on that too. The shop had neatened the fabric up to the point where it was nearly impossible to recline it at all even without children in the seats! The Duet handle looks high, but it's actually very low. The poppers kept coming off the back of the seats every time I folded or reclined the Duet. I found because the widest part of the Duet is in the middle that I kept knocking things off displays and my daughter could reach out for things easily. However it's definitely better for twins than siblings as siblings give you other issues eg leg space, interconnecting hoods which are fun to fling up and down etc. I bought the Duet and think there are far far far better doubles out there for similar money. Have a look also at the Baby Jogger Elite / City Mini (or the new GT but these wont take car seats) and the TFK Twinner Twist Duo. I also have just got a TwinGo / Stroll Air which would importing but so far I am very impressed and suggest you have a look at it too. All these other suggestions should fit through a standard doorway.

[aswellasyou]

I'd agree with the Easywalker-they make beautiful quality pushchairs. The Duet sounds pretty rubbish for the price. Are you against the idea of a tandem then? I decided I prefered having a tandem for being in shops and cafes but side by sides are easier to push.

[thisisyesterday]

i would go with an OLD mountain buggy.
the build quality on them, pre p&t takeover, was fantastic. my double terrain was second hand when I got it, was ancient and has done my 3 kids and has now gone on to someone else. still looks fab and works without a single problem

so yeh, ebay for an old MB would be my choice

[SuperSue77]

Thanks for the replies - I did compose a response yesterday, but now I've logged back in it has disappeared!! I'll try again.
Tiggywunkle - do you have the Easywalker Duo 2011? I rang a number of shops to see if they stocked Easywalker and they all said that they no longer did because it was too big and clunky. But the dimensions for the 2011 say it's 75cm wide, which is good for a side by side. I don't care if the rest of it is big, as long as I can squeeze through a 75cm space. Do you have the car seat adaptors for it? These look easier to use than the ones for the MB, but I can't tell for sure as have not seen either in use.
Aswellasyou - thanks for the advice. I don't want to go for a tandem as although it would be easier to push about, I want my twins to be able to both look out at the same view. I'd not be against a tandem for a baby and a toddler, but for two children of the same age I really want a side by side, and have been advised to do so by other mums of twins.
Thisisyesterday - thanks for advice re: MB. Do the pre P&T buggies take the carseats? I've looked at a few on ebay since reading your comments, but I get the impression they didn't take the carseat back then?
Thanks everyone. Sue

[Tiggywunkle]

No, the older MBs don't take car seats. The new ones only take up to 9kgs which is worth bearing in mind (my son was 10 months at 9kgs) but it would get you through the worst. The Easywalker I bought was a single but I did borrow a double for a while. I think mine was the old Easywalker - but it was a new one this year from a shop so could well have been the new one - I didn't ask which it was! I tried the car seat adaptors but they are a little odd because they don't fix until the car seat drops into place. I had no instructions so had a quick play and gave up until I got some (which I never got!). The Easywalker has got a sturdy frame and chunky wheels but it's no bad thing. I only appreciated how lovely the Easywalker was after the Duet. The only negative for me is the zip reclines - it's hard to get your hands into the middle zips and they are a bit noisy to undo if your baby is asleep. The sun visors on mine kept falling down annoyingly but my Qtro has toggles to keep the visor in place when not being used so hopefully the new easywalker Duo has them too. The fold is nice and neat. I bought the Qtro after being impressed with the Duo.
BTW Easywalker is shipping direct to the UK at present - some retailers say they can't get them but twinsstore can definitely get them.

[thisisyesterday]

yes, the old MB's had a kind of hammock attachment that you could sit a car seat in with a strap around it

[thisisyesterday]

are you sure you wiull need to put the car seats on it though? I've had 3 kids and never felt a need to have the car seat attach to a pushchair although I realise some people use them lots.

[Melindaaa]

This doesn't answer your question at all but thought I'd give you my experience of twin pushchairs.

We started off with both an icandy pear, and a mountain buggy urban double. I adored them both. I used the MB for walking with the double carrycot, and the icandy for the car to use with car seats. It was honestly invaluable to have the icandy and it was worth every single penny. We bought it used, and sold it for the same price we paid when it had served it's purpose.

Once the babies were older we bought a Baby Jogger City Mini Double and have found it great. It folds up sooooo small and is really, really light for lifting in and out of the car.

Bad buys included a Jane Powertwin Pro, a nipper 360 double, a Hauck Roadster Duo and a Maclaren twin.

Remember that all the pushchairs you have listed are colossal, and very very heavy for lifting and will take up your whole boot space.

[Tiggywunkle]

I have to say we wouldn't have coped without a pushchair that takes car seats. They are an essential for me.
Like the PP we have / have had 'walking' pushchairs - usually side by sides, up and ready to walk straight out of the house with, and then car pushchairs - always a tandem with car seat taking ability. If we were knowingly going off road then we would take the best for off roading which may be the side by side.
If you have the space, you may well be better having a tandem chassis for the car seats - pick up a second hand Pear or Peach chassis for example - and then use the side by side for longer outings. But it does all depend on your lifestyle and what you do. For example if I take the side by side to the local shops then I am restricted to which I can go into. I often make two shopping trips a week and take the side by side to do a supermarket run, and then a tandem to the smaller shops. On a recent visit to York, I would have been scuppered if I had taken a side by side as the tandem could barely fit through one alleyway. But the side by side is fab for going to the park etc. I know many twin mums who ave two pushchairs for different reasons. If you buy well, you will recoup most, if not all, your money back.

[SuperSue77]

Thanks again so much for your advice and comments. I have been totally convinced by the comments about getting two pushchairs, a tandem for the carseats and a side by side for trips to the park etc. I've been looking on ebay and think I can get a second hand icandy pear and either a used side by side or new city mini double for about the same price as a new MB or Easywalker. Discussed it with dh and he agrees. Just got to decide on the side by side, might go for the city mini double, though I'm not keen on the look - anyone know if it's good for off roading? Quite like the MB urban double, but worried about the quality of it, as lots of people saying their quality has dropped. Suex

[Tiggywunkle]

I think you do right to be honest buying two pushchairs. Just a word of caution re Pears, check the front wheels are very fluid to move and if you do ever want to use the seat units then buy as new a Pear as possible as the older harnesses are masssssive - way too big for even my eldest with no way to shorten them. This has been apparently fixed on newer models.
For off road I would get a Baby Jogger Elite. It's a superb pushchair and I can't think of any issues with it at all. It's worth the extra money. The wheels pop off really easily making a flat package to store. They hold their value well too. Or even consider an older Baby Jogger Classic? The City Mini is really an urban pushchair but could handle your average park fine.