If your iCandy Raspberry broke for the fourth time....

[ACatCalledFang]

....which pushchair would you replace it with and why?

As the title suggests, we have had a year of bad luck with our iCandy Raspberry and the brake has just gone for the third time. We've had enough of having to sort the pushchair out every three months and are planning to ask John Lewis to replace it with something else, or for a partial refund.

DS is 18 months, we're not planning a second any time soon so buggy board, etc, not a consideration. We need something less than 60 cm wide, preferably lightweight, with a big basket and a compact fold (freestanding for preference). A one-handed push would be good, and an activity bar would be a bonus. We are urban types and do a lot of walking (pavements) plus public transport.

So far, the Out and About Nipper looks quite good, as does the Mountain Buggy Nano. Or should we be looking at Maclarens? (Eg Quest or Triumph)

Or should we try to get money out of John Lewis and buy a second-hand Bee or a cheapo Maclaren, as we might only need it for another 18 months or so?

Baby jogger city mini

Thanks - any other thoughts?

Mamas & Papas Armadillo Flip XT

It's lightweight and good for using around town. It's really easy to fold and unfold, compact and freestanding when folded. I haven't been using it for long but very pleased with it so far.

Looked at the iCandy (can't remember if it was the Raspberry or Strawberry we considered) but wasn't too impressed.

Other options to consider:
www.madeformums.com/reviews-and-shopping/10-of-the-most-compact-folding-buggies/8237.html

I love out n about. I honestly think they are indestructible. We had a double when our older kids were small, they're now 11 and 9 and I still see that pushchair most days being pushed by it's 3rd owner. Then we had the single for our youngest, uses it daily for 3 years and it's now sold on to someone else who still uses it every day.
It is quite long though and would take up more space on a bus than a mclaren or something like that.
Steers one handed like a dream though.

I've found that strollers are great for folding etc but most of them are crap to push compared to a proper pushchair.

I quite often still use my bigger quinny for comfort with my 18 month old instead of the expensive strolled I bought.

Another vote for armadillo flip xt- literally fits all your criteria.

Thanks, this is really helpful, especially the link from NameChange30 above.

We actually looked at the Armadillo Flip first time round, sounds as though partial refund and looking at that again might be a good idea. The ones I named above were ones I saw on the John Lewis website which I thought might meet our criteria for an exchange.

Any thoughts on the Mountain Nano? It looked quite a good fit.

I'd go for a nipper - but then, I have one so am biased. I bought the double after DC2 was born and it was amazing, great for snow and sand, really easy to steer and a good large basket plus additional seat back storage. Used it for DC2 & 3 together then, when we switched back to a single, I replaced my silver cross with a single nipper as it was so good. Paid £80 for a second hand one and it's still going strong now with DC4. And I can get it into the back of a Ford galaxy with all 7 seats up and still have boot space.

There is a fb group for the nipper 360 full of similarly smitten/obsessed souls who have plenty of tips for pimping up - also a very good source of Nearly New buggies.

Brake went on my raspberry today after 7 months of light usage. So annoyed! I will be seeing what John Lewis can do for me. Hoping I can change it for something else too.

The nano is good but not much protection from wind as back is mesh

AntagonyAunt, I'm really sorry it's not just us. The brake is apparently a known fault on the Raspberry as it is controlled by a thin wire with no coating - or at least, this is what one of the John Lewis assistants told me. The same assistant said that iCandy had rectified this on the newer model of the Raspberry but I don't think they gave us that as the same thing happened to us again.

Based on my experience, John Lewis will want you to take it into a store, and will then say it has to go away for repair. They can provide a loan pushchair, though not necessarily the same one. If it's not easy for you to get to a store, push back and they will collect the broken one from your home.

Thanks again to other posters - we are currently waiting to see what John Lewis come back with before making a decision. Such a shame, as the Raspberry is a great pushchair in so many ways and ticked all our boxes, but we can't spend a few weeks every three months sorting repairs out.

Thanks Cat
I was going to go there today to try out some other pushchairs so I'll give them a call to see if I can arrange to collect a loan one.
If they won't allow me to change the Raspberry for another pushchair altogether I will just swallow my losses and sell it on once it's repaired. The front wheels also stick intermittently and I have to pull it back on itself to get it moving again.
I agree, it is a good pushchair in lots of ways but considering the price of the thing these faults have just made me feel robbed.

I feel the same about the Raspberry and I swear for the first nine months I was its biggest fan - the sleekness, the push, the basket size, etc. But now feel I've been sold a turkey. The brake goes every three months like clockwork and we just can't face getting it sorted again.

So turns out I didn't buy it from John Lewis, I bought it from Mothercare. God knows why! I've got no chance of anything other than a repair
They've given me a Mothercare Orb to use while it's being repaired. Hate it BUT I have been converted to larger, chunkier wheels. Feels lovely and smooth to push outdoors, unlike the Raspberry which is a dream indoors but feels like a shopping trolley outside.

Mothercare sell the Armadillo Flip XT - Just saying

Ha, we just went to Mothercare today as well - and apparently the Raspberry is being discontinued!

Didn't like the Mountain Buggy Nano as much as I'd expected, but the Baby Jogger City Tour is nice - very sleek and pushes well. Only downside is that it has a tiny basket. Quite liked the Graco Metro but not freestanding.

If we get a full refund, we'll definitely consider the Armadillo Flip - but not convinced we want to spend that amount on a new pushchair at 19 months!

I'd push for a refund if I were you, or at least a partial one if they won't refund in full.

You can get the Armadillo in black or petrol blue for £195, but I'm not sure whether it's the same as the Armadillo Flip XT (and if different, whether it's as good).

I had a feeling it was being discontinued as I saw a package deal on the iCandy website last summer, which they STILL say is out of stock so I suspected that they just weren't making anymore. I went to Mothercare today too and where they previously displayed the Raspberry was just an empty space.
Hopefully the demand outweighs the supply and bunks up the value for the secondhand market (doubtful)

As I read your op I instantly thought armadillo flip, I loved ours, if you can buy it from anywhere apart from mamas and papas directly then do it, the customer service is shocking

Mamas & Papas do sell "As New" pushchairs which are a bit cheaper - the Armadillo Flip (Not XT) in black or teal is £249:
www.mamasandpapas.com/en-gb/c/reconditioned-as-new/?q=%3AtopRated%3Amodel%3AArmadillo+Flip%3Amodel%3AArmadillo+Flip+XT%3AinStock%3AinStock&text=#

NameChange30, thank you so much for that link! The good news is John Lewis have offered to refund us in full, so we will go and try a few out tomorrow and make a decision - but that link you posted definitely means the Flip is now an option .

You're welcome!

Just to warn you, when I wanted to look at the Armadillo Flip / Flip XT, it wasn't in any of the shops near me (although Mothercare sell it on their website, they don't have it in (m)any of their shops, it turns out). I had to go to my nearest Mamas & Papas shop which was an hour's drive. Worth it though because they had a special event so we got some bargains

Thanks for the warning - I think they do have it in our Mothercare as it's massive, but will bear that in mind in case we need a trip elsewhere

Ah that's good - happy shopping!