Phil and Teds promenade vs Britax B-dual

[cairnterrier]

A while ago I promised that I'd post once I'd had a chance to see the Promenade in real life, anyway here goes.

I went to Kiddicare so a good range of doubles to choose from. The only two that I didn't really see are the Bugaboo Donkey and the iCandy duals but I've looked at those before in John Lewis and they were either a bit expensive or too big/heavy.

Phil and Teds Promenade
First off, yes it is expensive - I think about £830 for a dual kit and rain covers (I'm surprised that these aren't included in the seat price). It looked very smart though and was very easy to put up and down. You have to take the second seat off to fold it but this took literally seconds. There was enough room for our toddler (2.2) to sit in the top and bottom seat although the foot rest was already a little on the snug side but he is 97th centile for height.

It wasn't too heavy once the second seat was off for lifting into car boots etc. It handled very well and felt quite sturdy.

Downsides were only 3 handle positions, if the second seat is in lie-flat mode then there is no basket room at all and not much once the seat is more upright but this is the same with the other Phil and Teds. It only comes in black and I would prefer a few more brighter colours.

Britax B-dual

It looks huge! However, lots of room in both seats for DS. The second seat is positioned further back in the frame so there is still lots of room in the basket even when in lie flat mode, however DH is 6'3 and couldn't walk without kicking the bottom seat - v annoying and uncomfortable.

Again it feel very substantial with an easy fold. One advantage is that you don't have to take the second seat off to fold it. It is very wide though so I can see that it might be a problem in some narrower shops and doorways. It does come in some lovely bright colours and is much more affordable than the Promenade.

So overall we're going to go for the Promenade as it wins on looks, narrower and DH can actually push it! Next question, has anyone got any discount codes for any online pushchair retailers??

Have only used the B-Dual...don't have problems with doorways-goes through a standered door frame at home and fits no problem...it IS big but it uses the space in height rather then in length...the extra width is in the mudguards on the back wheels....but in all honesty I don't find it any wider then old P&T I've used

I absolutely bloody love it!

Thanks MilkNoSugar. I'm pretty sure that it just seems so big to me as we've currently got a Bugaboo Bee so everything seems big after that! I'm sure that I would get used to the size in the end but the real deal breaker was DH kicking the bottom seat every time he took a step.

PS Love the bright colours of the B-Dual though!

I would chose P&T over anything made by Britax. My first travel system was Britax (8 years ago!) and it was dreadful. I bought a Vigour 3+ about 2 years ago, and wished I hadn't, absolutely awful again. It is still in my loft waiting to be sold and I wouldn't consider it for this baby.

My P&T on the other hand was used and used and used and used some more... my 'babies' are now 8, 6 and 4 and I still get it out if we're going for a particularly long walk and all 3 of them happily pop in and out of it :)

I am the opposite. The chances of an issue with a Britax are minimal and their customer service has always been fab. I believe that every P&Ts apart from the Sport (and it's too early for the Promenade) has has a biggish issue or even a recall on it. Even die hard P&Ts fans on here swore they would never buy another after the irreparable Verve issues.

i am or should i say was a die hard p&t fan, but after the verve, never again, i had one of the first verves and it was so bad with issues, it went back and i was told it was unrepairable, mine was not a one off either i know of several others with the exact same issues, but yet no recall, they even went off sale for a while!!!! and i have noticed almost all the models made after the sport have been recalled/upgrade for one problem or an other, not a good track record really is it, i would avoid any new p&t to be honest, the b-dual is an excellent tandem which has rave reviews on here, if you really don't like the b-dual i would look again at the peach blossom, it will be worth it in the long run.

I didn't know that about the Verve - I had the original sport but always coveted the Verve... what happened to it??

The chassis creaked - it was mild at first but got louder as you walked until you started to wonder if it would all fall apart. There was a lot of sideways movement in the chassis too. Apparently there was no cure and those we know of got refunds.

P&T... I am disappointed in you! And to think how much I needed wanted a Verve!

I had a play with the Promenade at the weekend too and really liked it. I thought it was really clever how you could flip the seats from carrycot to seat mode & DD (whose 2.4 and on 50th centile for height & weight) looked comfy in either seat (& certainly comfier than in the B Dual where she didn't know what to do with her feet). However, it seemed to be a bit of a beast when folded & you had both seats alongside it (the lady who showed it to me, took of both seats to fold it). It also looked very large & cumbersome when in single mode compared to the B Dual or City Select which both, to me anyway, look like normal buggies when in single mode. It also has relatively few seating options compared to the B Dual.

Given the size & expense, I've ruled it out. However, if I was having twins or had a smaller age gap & so thought I'd be getting a lot of use out of it in double mode, it would be a winner.
By the way, I've literally only played with all of these in showrooms/tried out friends and only with DD in them as DC2 isn't due for another two months. I haven't used any of them in real life so my opinion is based on first impressions & what I remembered to ask at the time.

yes, as tiggy says, the frame creaked and got worse the further you went, the frame had major sideways movement to the extend i thought it was going to snap, this also got worse the further you went, at one point i asked my ds to get out and made himwalk, it also got difficult to push, i also got a full refund, oh and the wheels did this /.......\ , but hey other than that it was lovely

Murtette - that's interesting that she took off both seats to fold the Promenade, we just had to take off the bottom one which took seconds and then it folded easily with the top seat on.

It's interesting that you found the B-Dual looked like a normal buggy in single mode, whereas I found it the other way round - I found that the Promenade looked more normal but the B-Dual looked very bulky! I agree, I haven't seen either of them outside the showroom so my impressions are all based on having a play in the showroom whilst bribing DS with chocolate buttons to sit in the seats.

Hmmm, bit worrying about the Verve though........

DD was surprisingly compliant at trying out the pushchairs but then I noticed she kept turning around looking in the other seat and eventually realised that she was looking for the new baby (due in 8 weeks) as I'd told her we were going to go & try prams for her & the new baby! I had to explain that, no, the new baby wasn't going to miraculously appear in the pushchair which caused major disappointment.

The B-Dual is a great pushchair! :o It's so lovely to push, the seats are good sizes, the basket is massive even with legs in it, the hoods are huge and can be extended upwards, there are loads of seating options and folding in one piece and freestanding is very unusual for a tandem. I do think the Promenade looks good in theory, but it doesn't do what the B-Dual does in regards to space. I see the Promenade as a pushchair for people living in busy cities who use public transport a lot. But I wouldn't buy one without knowing people had got to at least a year of using it without any issues. Out n About seem to be producing very shoddy work recently.

I've got the promenade. Dc2 arrived 2.5 weeks ago so I've used it in double and single mode and love it so far. Wasn't aware of the issues with other models though.

Things I like:

The seats are spacious - plenty of room for 2.3yo
The baby is very close in single mode and the basket is huge
Both seats recline and sit up fully
It is a dream to push and kerbs are no problem
The seats convert to carrycots so no additional expense and makes it easy to switch to single mode

Downsides:

There is very little basket space when in doubles mode - with carrycot and seat
Hood of carrycot doesn't come very far over in doubles mode
Toddler doesn't have much head room when using car seat for new born
Have to adjust straps as toddler seat used in double mode is the one needed for single mode for baby. This also means have to clean and empty it of food crumbs and dirt from toddlers shoes before using for baby
It is not as pretty as an icandy!

Happy to answer any qs if anyone has any.