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Pushchairs

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Questions about Mutsy Evo / Mutsy 4rider light - and opinions sought!

22 replies

saladcravings · 20/06/2012 19:53

I'm getting a new pushchair for dc 3. I saw the Uppababy Vista in a shop the other day, and liked it, but it's too much - our absolute max budget is £500, but ideally I'd like to spend less.

I've seen really good things about the Mutsy Evo, and the Mutsy 4rider light, but I can't get to the nearest showroom to try them out - it's too far - and baby's due in 6 weeks, so I'm kind of under a time pressure as well! They both seem to tick most of my boxes, and the 4rider is pretty easy to find info on, but I have some questions about the evo - has anyone got / seen one?

  1. I don't need a carrycot - happy with just the Evo seat, if it really is flat enough for a newborn? What sort of insert / soft carrycot type thing would be best to put in the seat for the baby?
  1. Does anyone know if you can buy just the Evo chassis and seat without the carrycot bit? I can only find bundled deals...
  1. How would the Evo be on bumpy ground? I thought the Vista looked like it would cope pretty well, but the Oyster looks as if it would struggle (I'm only talking grass, gravel, woodland paths etc - not proper offroading). How do you think the Evo would do? At the moment I have an old style Bugaboo Bee which is AWFUL even up and down kerbs, let alone on rough ground. I want something sturdier!
  1. I don't care how small it folds, but I do want it not to be too massive in shops, cafes etc. Everyone seems to say the 4rider is BIG - is the Evo smaller?
  1. I really liked how high the baby was in the Vista (again, so different from my Bee!). Do eiethr the 4 rider or Evo have that slightly higher seating position?

SOrry, so many questions! Basically, I need parent facing, from birth (preferably in the seat unit rather than a carrycot), small enough to go round shops, and sturdy enough for mild offroading and to take a buggy board. Evo or 4rider Light? HELP! I need to order it SOON!!

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saladcravings · 20/06/2012 21:44

Does ANYONE own eiethr of these? I know Mutsy is not a huge brand in the UK, but surely SOMEONE has one, or has seen one....
?????
PLease?

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Tiggywunkle · 21/06/2012 01:45

Yes, yes, yes!! I have had the Evo but not the 4rider.

Yes you can buy the Evo without the carrycot - hmmm...I think its Discount Baby Equipment that is selling each part separately.

Yes it is flat enough for a newborn. There's tons of photos here under the green "reviews and information" button. But TBH by the time you have bought a cocoon or insert you may as well have had the carrycot. But a pile of blankets would do the job as well!!

The Evo would certainly stand up to being pushed across the average path, gravel, rough footpath etc. Its nothing like the Bee!!!

The Evo is quite neat to be honest. Its a bit wider than say the Oyster (which is narrow anyway) and the handle sticks out a long way. But I used to drop the handle every time we "parked" up and it makes the Evo then a neat package and tucks out of the way.

I haven't tried but I suspect the Evo would take a buggy board really well. I know Mutsy have one and the big handle space, I suspect would allow a child to stand really easily on a board and not get in your way. The Evo is one pushchair I dont think I would mind having a board on!

The Evo seat isn't as high as the Vista one - but I think its a little higher than the Bee one. I think the Bee seat slopes down a bit. I dont know if this might help. Scroll right down to the very bottom and wait for the pictures to appear. This is the Vista and Evo one which shows you the height difference.

I have to say I really liked the Evo. I think its a good all round pushchair. I did have to get used to packing the basket well so that things didn't fall out of the front. The handle can feel a bit long, but putting it in the higher settings made it feel shorter. The seating positions are great for children of different ages. The Mutsy name does bring quality and the Evo had good fabrics etc. I would recommend it.

saladcravings · 21/06/2012 09:55

Excellent, thanks tiggy! I had already looked at best buggy, but it's so much easier to hear from someone who has one. Is best buggy your site btw? It's great!
Apart from the lower seat, the evo looks like the best bet - plus cheaper. I'm tempted by avoiding the carrycot. Partly I won't have to store it. Partly using the seat means if my toddler gets tired when we're out I can sling the baby and put him in the seat...
With my bee, I never had the cocoon, I used a large size kaiser footmuff which has drawstrings around the head to make it sort of cocoon shaped, then I could loosen it to be a normal footmuff when my toddler wanted to sit in the buggy. Do you think that would work?

Does anyone happen to know if there is a wait for the evo?

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Tiggywunkle · 21/06/2012 16:17

I would think you could use anything you want that fits :) I have no idea re waiting times. Give a retailer a call :)

saladcravings · 22/06/2012 17:05

Right, so I bit the bullet and ordered a Mutsy Evo chassis and seat unit today. It came to £270, and the carrycot is £130, so if I change my mind and decide I need it after all, it will not cost me any more than if I had bought them all in a bundle!

Now I'm all excited/nervous...I hope I like it! I have never bought a pram I havn't seen inn real life before, but it does feel like it will tick every box... Now i just have to choose a lovely snuggly footmuff or soft carrycot for it. Woo!

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Tiggywunkle · 22/06/2012 17:46

Thats good. I hope you like it :)

giraffe213 · 25/06/2012 23:15

saladcravings, how long was the waiting time for the Evo you ordered? Just out of interest - I might get one later in the year.

saladcravings · 26/06/2012 08:06

I ordered from Oxford Pram Centre and they had some colours in stock, (I got black chassis and black seat - both in). So in theory the wait should be nil! Their website says next day delivery, so I was secretly hoping it might get here yesterday, but to be fair I ordered it online at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon, so I forgive them. Better be here today though! I'll report back first impressions...

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SpottyTeacakes · 26/06/2012 08:11

I'll be watching this, Tiggy has convinced me to get the Mutsy Evo Smile

saladcravings · 26/06/2012 12:09

According to the delivery company text message, it will be here by 12:55 today. Very excited!

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SpottyTeacakes · 26/06/2012 12:41

Have you got it yet?!

Tiggywunkle · 26/06/2012 12:44

I hope you like it when you get it :)

saladcravings · 26/06/2012 13:41

Hooray, it arrived 45 min ago :0)

Initial impressions (bearing in mind I am used to my titchy, bumpy, old-style Bugaboo Bee...)

The wheels and suspension are great - the 'small' front wheels are twice the size of the bee wheels, and the back suspension feels really good. There does not seem to be suspension on the front wheels, but hopefully the larger size wheels all round will make it ok on rough ground. The steering is fab - easily turning 360 degrees with my 2.5 yr old in it using one hand and no effort.

The fold is easy peasy, and all the buttons etc to fold, turn the seat, recline, are really easy to use. Barely needed the manual. A LOT more user-friendly than the bee. It folds very compact condsidering the size of it.

The seat unit is really nice, like the recline, like the upright seating position. It does not feel as sturdy as the frame though - I'm glad I can replace just the seat unit if it breaks with my hefty kids climbing all over it! Lying fully reclined, parent facing, with footrest up and a snuggly baby nest thing in it - it will make a perfectly good pram, and I'm glad I did not order the carrycot.

The hood is not as good as the bee's, and when it is lying flat, the hood does not come that far over the baby. I'll be using my rayshade this summer! But I like the fabric, and the mesh peephole at the back.

The raincover is way better quality than the bee's, easy to fold, comes in a nice pouch, and has a hole at the back so you can recline the seat while the cover is on - genius! Downside is it has ventilation holes opposite where the childs face is - so if the seat is fully reclined the raid will drip through the holes onto the sleeping child!

The frame is very sturdy and well made. The handle - is too long for me really. It's fine at a lower setting, but that makes the whole pram very long to manover. I prefer the Bee's sliding up and down handle. However, the plus sides outweigh it. When the handle is completly folded down the buggy is really compact. It's easy to hang a nice bag from it and there will be loads of space for my toddler on his buggy board. The down side is it makes the buggy look bigger than it is. The back wheels are wide, but not stupidly so.

The basket is a great size, but the wierd low back will take some getting used to.

Overall? The chassis and seat cost me £270, raincover included. For that price, I think it's better than anything else I've seen. I like it as much as the Uppababy Vista - so I've just saved myself about £300. Ace!

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SpottyTeacakes · 26/06/2012 13:49

Yay Smile

Tiggywunkle · 26/06/2012 14:43

Thats good. The handle is probably the main thing I would change. It does feel long when the handle is in one of the two lowest settings but its not as bad if you put the handle inline ie the higher settings. I dont like the low back on the basket either but I got good at stacking from the front backwards! What a pain re the raincover. I rarely use a raincover. You should feed that back to Mutsy because I think its good feedback.
I will be interested to hear how you get on with the buggy board because I think the Evo will be more suited than most pushchairs to having a toddler on a buggy board because of the large space between the seat and handle. But I haven't tried it IRL so look forward to hearing how you get on.

saladcravings · 26/06/2012 15:00

I'll dig my lascal maxi board out of the loft and see how it fits tonight. Just looking at the frame / handle, I think it will work really well. The Mutsy board fits according to their website, so if I have trouble with the lascal I can spend £45 of the £300 I saved But I can't see it being a problem.

Just put the infant footmuff and changing bag I got yesterday into the pushchair, and it looks fabulous. Yay! Unfortunatly will have to wait until tomorrow to try it out wit my toddler as he's in a stroppy mood and won't get in it... :)

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SpottyTeacakes · 26/06/2012 15:15

I want to buy mine now!! Only another twenty odd weeks to go....

saladcravings · 26/06/2012 19:00

Aargh! I think it might have a fault! One of the front wheels seems a little looser than the other where it clicks into the chassis, and as a result it's kinda rattley and shimmying when I'm pushing it on a (slightly uneven) pavement. Tiggy, were your front wheels rattly at all? D'you reckon it's a design fault (ie that's how it is) or a manufacturing fault? And should I contact Mutsy directly or Oxford Pram Centre?
Taking out for another stroll with DH now, in case it's all in my head.

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saladcravings · 26/06/2012 19:09

Nope, one front wheel is really rattley. :(
Dh says maybe I've just chosen a buggy that rattles? But I reckon a reasonably priced pushchair should not rattle, right? I can't see anything wrong with the wheel / fitting, but when I swapped the wheels over the rattle swapped sides as well. So dissapointed :(

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Tiggywunkle · 26/06/2012 20:15

It sounds like a rattly wheel then :(
Give OPC a call tomorrow as your warranty lies with them rather than Mutsy. I didnt have any rattles and it sounds like your rattle is just on one wheel?

saladcravings · 27/06/2012 13:29

I emailed OPC last night, and they e mailed back this morning, saying Mutsy will send me a new wheel, and just double checking which one it is that's faulty. Great service, hope it arrives quickly!

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Cookiesandcream06 · 08/07/2012 21:13

If you have any extra comments to add I would be most grateful. I have been looking at a mutsy Evo and think its a great price - I would go for the carry cot as well having a winter baby this time. I'm having troubles finding many reviews.. But even more importantly a stockist?! I'm in the south (west) and can't seem to find anywhere to try it out?!
It seems to fit what I'm looking for and isn't anywhere near as expensive as the iCandy which is what I originally wanted.

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