What's the fuss about bugaboos ?

[MamanFlo]

Hello !
I am in the very long and painful process of buying a pram/pushchair and I see lots of young mums with Bugaboos (I live in Notting Hill !) ...they are definitely not cheap but they are supposed to be among the best...

can someone tell me why ?

thanks for your help !

Flo

Teaandcake, thanks a lot for your insight...I wish I had seen it before buying the Micralite, just to be sure of my choice. But anyhow for a very competitive price I have got a pram and a lightweight pushchair. I think that was the best choice considering my budget...

The quinny buzz looks interesting - it can forward face aswell and is cheaper than the bugaboo. Any one got one?

Our 3 wheeler (by Torck) weights just over 7.5kgs; our lightweight Volo buggy (not suitable for newbords) weighs just over 4kgs.

I like the look of the Stokke Xplory but that is not cheap at all!

Westcountrylass, our shop also has the Stokke Xplory. Generally unimpressed, very expensive, does not fold down to a very compact size, is awkward to fold and dosn't lie flat. Quite a few have been returned for repairs, mostly teething problems as it's a new product, Stokke only made furniture previously. However, it really is completely different from anything else out there, and a bit of a head turner. Not for everybody.

The Quinny Buzz: reasonably compact and light, it needs two hands to fold down but only one to put up. The seat has to be forward facing to fold down, so, if want the baby to face you, the seat has to be removed before folding. The seat is not flat it just tilts making it unsuitable for newborns, there is a carrycot but it is £130.00 which on top of the £300.00 for the Buzz makes it fairly highly priced. Looks good though.

Micralite: looks fab, folds to a very compact size, reasonably priced. I am slightly bothered about the seat. It does not recline (it has a recline feature, but the difference between upright and reclined is hardly noticable). A particular pet hate of mine is seeing children fast asleep in their buggy, sitting upright with a cricked neck, is looks so uncomfortable.

Phil & Ted: just about the only buggy to fit two children into the space of a single buggy. Works really well for lots of people and can be used as a single when the toddler outgrows it and takes to walking full time. Many teething problems, mostly ironed out now but we still see a few for repairs.

On the micralite, I discovered the lack of real reclining feature as I was unpacking the stuff..Had tried it before purchasing it with a friend, but didn't think about my little girl's sleep, if ever she needs it...however the package it still the best for me...I will have to live with it I guess...

Hi. I find this buggy thng soooooooooo confusing. t seems none is perfect. I live in london and will be using tube a bit so need something light to carry and easy to put up or down. Boot size is not a problem as have big 4x4 but i am concerned about the public transport thing as would like to be able to nip onto tube and go visit daddy in the city at lunchtimes at reasonably short notice. also, because there seems to be NO space anywhere in london i wanted something really nippy to manouvere when weaving through the streets...liked the feel of the quinny buzz but just started search so any tips for someting that will be as near to perfect as poss. i'm really petite too...thanks!!!

Teaandcake - I'm about to buy a Jane 3 wheeler - either a 360 or the new Slalom, but no one seems to be able to tell me what the difference is between these models - does the Slalom have less problems with the wheels etc? Is the extra cost justified?

Sorry to hijack

Charleypops have you checked out twoleftfeet They are Janes largest dealers, you could ring them if you wanted to ask about differences between models. Loubyuk the real problem with the buzz is that it is quite bulky compared to the bugaboo or mountain buggy at 12 kg I wouldn't like to deal with that on the bus or tube. I got the Urban buggy which is great but had to get something smaller for public transport I got a Jane rocket which is 4-5 kg and great for the bus & tube etc. The Bebeconfort Loola looks cute and is quite light for a 'from birth' pushchair and it has a three height handle which could be useful for you.
You could go nuts and get one of these!

I'm still wondering what the hoopla over Quinny Zapp was all about. I saw one and found it fugly.

(LOL at fugly - thought it was just me what said that )

Just wanted to give a shout for a Website called www.daddytypes.com - a blog / resource with comments / reviews for new dads with generous attention paid to buggyies. US centric. Quite funny.

Oh lordy how good is that site!!! I am so glad I am not alone finally, someone who shares my joy!It's like Top Gear for buggies! I was in hysterics reading it! And on a completely different tangent i.e fugly - check out this fug fest

teaand cake..if not tooooo boring, would like to know what teething probs there ha ve been with the E3. I love mine, but sent it back to the shop (as did my sister with hers) as when you fold it, the mechanism pokes through the seat fabric and makes a bloody big hole!
Got a new seat cover (after a few letters and phone calls) but the problem is not eradicated,as i still have to fold the chair fabric behind the hinge to prevent it happening again.
Must go to bed..

Dunno Lockets. It's red and black, bought march last year.

in guardian's G2 on friday quinny ?(zap) came out top, above bug etc

Charleypops, sorry I took so long to reply, been really busy and unable to get anywhere near my computer for days now. We have sold a few Jane Slaloms recently, however, I don't think any of them are in use yet (babies not born yet). As far as I can tell, the only difference between the Powertrack 360 and the Slalom is the syling and fabrics. The basic mechanics appear to be the same.

If it is a 3 wheeler that you really want, then I recommend the Mountain Buggy Urban. I know it looks unimpressive next to the Jane but it is so simple in design that there is less to actually go wrong (the less faff factor). The Jane has the 'Dad' factor with all its gadjets (front disc brake, sporty fabrics etc) but it just means there is more stuff to eventually go wrong.

I know it sounds like I have a real downer on Jane products but, Johnston Prams (Jane's company name) give very poor customer service. Sending back repairs is almost an ordeal, they are mostly uninteresed in anything we ask for. It seems like for every 3 we sell we get 2 back.

Moondog, I have not come across your problem with Phil & Ted before but will look out for it. The initial problems with the P&T were mostly with the basket underneath, the early ones would drag on the floor if you put anything in them or the zip which fastens the basket to the chassis would break. Mostly been sorted out now though.

Thanks jojo - I loved that 2 wheel thingy - how many ankles would you poke/people would you trip up with that?

Teaandcake, thank you for getting back! - The reasons I decided on a Jane was because it's important to me for him (after he arrives in June) to be able to lie flat in the car for the first few months as we will be doing a lot of driving over summer, so need a Matrix. Also I do a lot of "off roading" with my dog and It's light enough to get in and out of the car (I've an old back injury). The 360's have also seem to have come down in price a bit since the introduction of the Slalom. I actually got my hands on a 360 and a Slalom yesterday at a shop and so was able to compare them pretty well. Found the 360 more compact and easier to manuoever than the Slalom as it happens. Slightly lighter too. Gawd knows why they can't do a simple plain black though! I'm not impressed with their colourways.

I am concerned about about the wheels going wrong, though in the shop (baby-boom, Dorking) the salesguy swore they'd never had a faulty one back. And if I did need to bring it back for repairs (guaranteed for a year) they'd loan me a pushchair in the meantime (probably an old scruffy one). Don't know how long that'd take though after you said that about Johnson's... Do you know if a normal bike shop could fix them?

MamanFio - someone at the shop was buying a Micralite while I was there - they look so nippy and light - I'm sure you'll get a lot of use from yours

ive got the stokke xplory that was mentioned earlier. its not the most beautiful buggy ever, but it is really good. excellent for tall hubbys as the handle is adjustable from very low right the way to very high. it is also really nice to have your child up high, away from everyones feet (and dogs). your babe can sit facing you, or facing the front, can sit right up or lie right back. you can drag it upstairs as you can put 2 wheels away. more gadgetty than anything i have used before and simple to use if you use it every day .

it is a bit pricey, but we found a place where we bought it for £100 less than rrp online. its also quite heavy if you have to keep folding it up to put in the back of a car (i dont so its fine). really lovely to push about, but quite heavy and pricet (and a bit freaky looking). think thats a fairly rounded 'review'!!

pricey not pricet! sorry

can i put a vote in for the M&P pliko? good value i think. cost about £160 on the internet (much cheaper than John Lewis). it's nippy, sturdy but quite light. baby can lie down virtually flat and mine comes in this really nice soft black and white fleece fabric called 'optic' which DS was really fascinated by when he was tiny. only disadvantage is that it only faces forward, though if you have a compatible car seat you can put that on it and have baby looking at you.

And now you can get the pramette, which makes it like a pram & faces forward when they are newborn.
If I was having a baby now I would definitely get a M&P pliko pramette, as it combines the convienience of a buggy with the comfort of a pram & costs under £300!

Moondog - our E3 had that problem too - I blamed it on the MIL folding it badly - got a new seat cover which is OK so far.

This is really interesting to read as in my area (central london) EVERYONE seems to have the bugaboo and dh was asking in the park yesterday what is so special about them. We spent a similar amount on our pram (£500), but I think it was well worth it. We have an Emmaljunga and it is lovely. Lightweight it is NOT, but I walk everywhere and it is perfect for that. I did not go for the 3in1 as the 2in1 seemed fine as it is so close to being totally flat. I also have a 3 year old and was able to use the toddler seat attachment on top for him for a while and now he has the roller board to stand on instead. It is totally impractical if you are in and out of the car (though it does fit in the back of my small hatchback), but a lovely pram/pushchair if you are going to spend that much.

It was all so much easier 20 years ago...we didn't have that many choices to choose from I had a pram from mothercare that had for fixed wheels and a shopping tray and folded down flat in one easy action. Was easy to use on the bus and had no problem fitting it into a car... My daughter has just made me a grandmother at the tender age of 41 ouch !! and her choice of modern day pram is so impractable it's heavy, is a struggle to fit in the car, would be impossible to manage on a bus its versatile as it is a carry cot and changes to a pushchair but the wheel base is so wide it's a nightmare trying to manouvre through shops.. the only redeeming features I can say it has is it is an attractive pram and it does have the advantage of an adjustable handle... for my money you can't beat the old prams if walking is what you will be doing that's why I purchased a beautiful 1974 Wilson (Silver Cross) coach built pram fully restored and is an honour to push around town... I would have hoped the manufactures would have made life easier for new mum's these days but from my experience of modern prams I think they have made to many features and created more complications ... most mum's want to just get up and go not spend 15 or more minutes fiddling about.... good luck I hope someone will simplify things for you all soon