January 4, 2006

From Our Man At The Front: The Quinny vs Bugaboo War 2006

Ahh, it's a new year, but some things never change. Like the Quinny Buzz vs. Bugaboo debate, for example [Buzz? Still squeaky, but now there's a place to put your bag. Cameleon? Still expensive.] and the Maxi Cosi Cabrio Isofix [still MIA].

Here's a comment from a soon-to-be dad from London [still cold in winter, btw]:

I am from London, UK and just called Dorel, UK about 20 minutes ago before this post. I specifically asked if there are any construction improvements in Quinny Buzz over the previous version or not? I was told that there is no new version for 2006. It's just been released with a shopping bag (or rather a tray) and new colours and that's all. I saw a lady pushing a Quinny Buzz yesterday and the front wheel was squeaking mad and was noisy on pavement. My wife is due end of February 2006 and we are still debating over Quinny Buzz or Bugaboo Cameleon!

My wife wants a Quinny Buzz and I want a Bugaboo Cameleon. I have been researching for the past 3 months now, and the only negatives I've read about the Bugaboo are the prices. I've went to John Lewis and checked both the buggies. I just didn't like the wide base of Quinny and it didn't appeal visually to me as much as Bugaboo did.

Also I tried the folding and unfolding mechanism on Quinny Buzz and it was easier than Bugaboo Cameleon. But the Bugaboo has better accessories out of which my personal favourite is the Aerosleep mattress.

I've also been trying to find the MaxiCosi Cabrio Isofix carseat but no one at John Lewis in Oxford Street had ever heard of it!

Could anyone using Quinny Buzz please post their experience of using it in frosty and wet conditions in UK?

Previously:
Quinny Buzz comment thread has a life of its own, apparently, so does the Bugaboo Frog vs Quinny Buzz Daddy Types Smackdown..
MaxiCosi Cabrio Isofix When?

45 Comments

The squeaky Buzz front wheel is easily cured with a bit of good oil (not WD-40) applied at the bearing where the wheels meet the axle. I'm in Denver, which gets rather colder than London, and I haven't heard a squeak since I lubricated the wheels over 6 months ago.

I've been considering MacGyvering some pneumatic front tires though. The solid rubber tires don't damp high frequency surface irregularities very well.

If I had 40 hours a week of free time I would also remake some of the plastic parts at the frame joints in aluminum to improve the tolerances (more so on the Zapp). Might be different in the UK, but driving the Buzz or Zapp here gets the stop and stare from every parent you pass.

Get the Chameleon. A friend of mine has the Buzz (she lives in Antwerp--just as rainy and cold as London if not more so) and is lukewarm about it. Her biggest complaint is the size of the wheel base--that those couple of centimeters make a lot of difference when you're trying to get around in tight spaces. She also says it's not that easy to fold up--not as easy as collapsing an office chair as the Quinny people like to compare it too.

The Quinny Buzz squeaky wheel can be solved for with a quick application of silicon lubricant. There are two flat pieces that rub against each other when the wheel swivels, this is where the wheel detaches from the frame, so I guess that's why there are no ball bearings. Either way, poor design.

The creaky frame bit is just part of the package, but unless you load on a whole bunch of shopping, it should not bother that much. We are now on month 11 of use in NYC and it is getting pretty cold and wet. Here's my advice: keep it clean. We have a small apt in the city and we have to basically wheel the stroller into part of our living space. So I clean the wheel area, a quick wipedown. I think it helps to keep things moving smoother.

The raincover can be rolled up and attached to the outside of the "Buzz-box". We keep it with us all the time.

Also, the Bugaboo parasol and bag clips fit the tubes of the Quinny perfectly, so use them. The parasol that they are advertising has some scalloped edges and is more Mary Poppins, parasol-like.

They are both great strollers, all of our friends have Bugaboos, so we are always racing them around Madison Square Park, like a bunch of parental drag-racers. They crush every other stroller in sight, save for the Phil and Ted's and the occasional Jane Powertwin (rarity in NYC).

The consensus amongst the lux-stroller crowd that I have spoken with: If you look at the curvy lines along the chassis of the Buzz, it has a certain appeal to those who value aesthetics and the Bugs edge it out amongst the functionality focused with its total package.

PS: We have a Zapp that we use for subway trips, b/c the Buzz is just to unwieldy to carry down stairs.

[the same goes for cleaning a Cameleon after slush/rain/snow, especially up under the small wheels and suspension. helps them pivot smoothly. I'd say that some people--me, for example--like the Bug look better; I just think the Buzz designers tried a little too hard. personal preference. tho. -ed.]

Did anyone else find the statement, " have been researching for the past 3 months now..." kind of well, insane? It’Äôs a stroller, an expensive one, but a stroller. I wonder if he's spent as much time figuring out things like, I don't know, how to raise the kid, be a decent parent. That sort of thing is important but I guess that's just minutia if you have a kick ass stroller.

Insane? You do know where you are, right? The stroller is just about the only "cool" thing you get to buy for a baby, an one of the few purchases where research pays off. I doubt the guy quit his job and has spent 3 months exclusively researching strollers. I probably spent at least 6 months on and off looking at them. As well as researching diapers, car seats, reading parenting books, &c.

I had the same concerns. Bought the Frog. It rules.

Anyone with a Buzz interested in collaborating to figure out a solution for installing air-filled tires up front? I'm about to order my Buzz and should have it in a couple of weeks - plenty of time to hack before the baby gets here in May.

It is indeed insane that anyone, despite their income, would buy something so tacky, and typical of an "I-saw-my-fav-celeb-with-one-so-I-have-to-have-one" mentality. It is typical of a materialistic culture. It appears to be a highbrow, cool purchase, but it is so transparently about a new parent trying to hold on to some idea of a former life. Use the money you’Äôd be wasting on a $800 plus vanity item and put it in a Roth IRA or something for your kid’Äôs future. MacLarens and other, sanely priced counterparts, are fine and look great. Most bugaboo owners, in NYC and especially in Brooklyn, are obnoxious. They are NOT for the city and real city dwellers know this. I admit that I was almost duped by the design/cool-gadget element of the thing, but I had ice-cold water thrown on my face when I witness all of the rude, obnoxious, lame people fussing the poor customer rep at BuyBuyBaby. I knew I didn't want to become one of those people that thinks that paying a ridiculous amount of money for something that functions no better than something that costs almost 75% less. The kid doesn't care, and if you think he or she does -- you need more help than I thought. You know those silly ads that have a guy crushed by a large beer can for saying a girly thing? I would love to see one where it crushed a man pushing a stroller that cost almost as much as my PowerBook. REAL MEN DO NOT OWN BUGGABOOS!

Well put Jonathan, this pathetic stroller stress is way out of hand.

Scott: the only "cool" thing you "get to buy" for a baby? Jeez...

Personally, I'm in love with my fancy pram. Makes me feel really like an effective father.

Yeah, the only cool thing you get to buy. Unless buying burp cloths, bottles, breast pumps, car seats, onesies, and diapers floats your boat. Strollers are the only technical, design oriented product most people are likely to buy for a baby. Some people like technical, designed objects. Maybe you don't. That's cool. I don't care.

Jonathan: why'd you buy that girly Powerbook exactly?

I personally saved myself $750 dollars by going with the Safety First Acella LX stroller and have LOVED every minute of using it with my now 15 month old Godson whom we keep everyday and will soon enough be used for his brother or sister to be. His mom and dad also have the Acella along with a Graco Passage and love both.

Not that I'm dissing the Boo owners, Of course, I must add that we live in Kentucky and drive everywhere so the status symbol here (aside from the house) is definitely the car and I can assure you that those driving Lexus, Mercedes and other fancy cars are pushing the Graco Quatro Tours or maybe a Peg Perego ... but not the Bugaboo. In fact, I'm pretty sure anyone owning one here would get a laugh (I've yet to see one here in Lexington).

Of course I tend to look at it this way... with the rising costs of college tuition these days and the reality that someday in the future your child will need to go... there are SO many better things to do with $800... I mean that's a LOT of money. I'd definitely prefer to put it into a savings account to draw interest for the future than spend it on something that's only useful for a couple of years. But then again... If I HAD that kind of money to waste on a stroller maybe I wouldn't be worried about it.

just my honest opinion.

Jonathan - spoken like a true classist. One could follow that a MacLaren is a similarly frivolous purchase to those who'd prefer the $50 Costco umbrella stroller. "Ridiculous amount of money" is subjective. Clearly the price of Bugaboos and the like are outside of your comfort zone for discretionary spending, but to denegrate and so prejudicially label others who choose to spend their money on them is just in poor taste.

Do you live solely for subsistence, in the most modest dwelling you could acquire with only the basic necessities for survival? You mention beer, so I'll make the assumption that you consume it: do you ever buy anything but the least expensive brand, and for that matter, how could one ever justify alcohol as a necessary expense?

Extreme examples, perhaps, but again, it's all a matter of personal scale and desire.

People can be rude, obnoxious, or exhibit lame behavior totally independent of the stroller they purchase. There's even the occasional instance of such things here in this blog...

Yeah this is pretty classic...

$800 gets you what, 5 textbooks?

1/4 of a credit hour?

Spend on stroller obsessed brethren.

Amount spent on a "status" stroller that will get your sleep deprived ass off the couch due to gear guilt... Priceless.

$800 dollars right now might only get you a semester's worth of books... but put into a savings account and gathering interest over the next 18 years... it's a good start.

And let me just say that as a college student who has to buy that tremendous dollar amount of books each semester... and has to work my butt off to save and hope to God that I'll be able to pay off my student loans in the near future when I graduate with a degree (which I consider incredibly "priceless") I can only wish my parents would have had the kind of money that some of you clearly have... not so I could have ridden high class like in a Bugaboo, but so that they wouldn't have had to work their rearends off all my life so that my brothers and I could attend private schools and now, go to college. So maybe we didn't always have the highest quality "gear"... at least we got recieved the best possible education and I'm very proud of that!

So please note that as I put in my earlier post I wasn't dissing Bugaboo owners... I mean if you have the money, and love the stroller, why not? But clearly there are people out there simply buying these for status symbols who really shouldn't be, and perhaps there are better things they could be doing with their money.

Simply put... please, do not devalue a college education! Because if anything is "priceless" these days... it's that.

Like I said, some things never change.

Anyone who defines themselves by some product they buy has a high chump factor going on already, there's no doubt.

But on the flipside of that, Jonathan, read back and see how quickly, thoroughly and confidently you judge other people by ONE single product they own. Now multiply that by a hundred, and do it every day.

And when you have a kid, do it 1,000 times a day. And if you still have time, energy and attention left to take care of that kid, please let me know your secret to both parenting and time management. THEN let me know how you deal with all the people doing the same thing to you when you step out of the house.

Personally, I find I sleep a lot easier when I DON'T get so strung out trying to imagine what other people might be thinking. But that's just me.

One thing about NYC that "real city dwellers" are well aware of is that this is one place where, no matter how much money you get, someone always more. You want to keep keeping score like that, be my guest.

There are plenty of people who don't know and don't care that a Bug costs $800 and who bought it and every possible accessory without thinking. So what? What's that got to do with you? If you're honestly deciding whether to put your last $800 into a stroller or a 529 plan [better than a Roth IRA for your kid's education, btw] then you should probably put it towards food. Or ask a financial planner how you came to be making such an illogical tradeoff in the first place.

And as for the Brit's original comment about "3 months research," what does a guy do when your wife's pregnant when he's not cleaning the house, trying to remember sex, or freaking out over where he's gonna get the money to pay for this creature [sound familiar?] He follows his wife around giant baby stores and says "oh yeah, that's nice"; and pretends to have some clue about which crib hardware is easier to use; and he surfs around the net trying to make sense of the 10,000 different, indistinguishable stroller options out there; stares dumbly at them in stores and comes back empty-handed, and then, while his wife is growing an entire human being in her stomach, and he's here, unable to close the deal on the ONE task she asked him to do, he takes a chance and asks for advice. [anonymously, online, and from foreigners, but still.]

And the best thing to do is to kick him in the nuts, is that what you're saying?

Greg~
Remember how I posted about the potential nannyshare people visiting our house, asking about our Quinny 4XL, my husband making fun of Bugs, and their Frog being parked on the front porch just out of his sight?

Remember I said how I giggled nervously? Yeah, well, we are now sharing our nanny with them and they are GREAT! We take back everything we said about Bugaboo owners. They are super swell. Now, can't we all just get along or discuss something truly important like Chevy trucks vs. Ford?

[Ford, obviously. Chevy drivers are all roadkill-eating redneck a**holes. -ed. ]

Word, Greg.

It depends on your priorities. I could almost have paid for a Bug, even at Canadian prices, after I bought the Evenflo (broken brakes and footrest) Graco (wheels fell off), Eddie Bauer (Hard to push with a bigger kid, too big for transit) Cheap jogging stroller (easier to push) and Zooper (Finally a transit stroller).

I don't see any reason to scoff at a $800 stroller. That's a month's lease on a Nissan Quest. If it works for the often-carless city dwellers, then more power to them. An $800 stroller is a bargain compared to a car or constant taxi rides. Obviously, you should stay within a budget but if you can afford a pricey stroller, who cares?

Quinny is sold at Sears in Canada. http://www.searsbaby.ca/ and do a search for Quinny. The prices are in Canadian dollars.

The Frog is sold by specialty stores for $1000 or more.

Here's some updated information on changes to the 2006 Quinny Buzz, told to me minutes ago via Skype with Erwin at Babycare.nl. They have these in stock and are selling them today, so I'm inclined to trust that this information is accurate:

- New front wheels. They're apparently lighter, quieter, and provide less friction on most driving surfaces and therefore should be easier to steer. The solid tires previously used have been replaced with a high-quality "aircell" foam/plastic that purportedly offers the softer ride of an air-filled tire without the risk of puncture.

- New bearings in the front wheels. The metal ball bearings have been replaced with Teflon bearings. As with the change in wheel material, the lower friction surfaces should improve drivability and lighter bearings should help reduce issues of noise reported in previous models.

- Overhauled chassis. Erwin spoke of higher tolerances in the plastic fittings, but I'm not sure if the "overhaul" goes beyond this.

- New brakes. I didn't get any detail on the changes.

- New colors. If you're looking to buy one of the improved models, I'd imagine that your safest bet is to buy one of the new colors (I ordered the oceanic blue) to make sure you're not getting last year's stock.

Babycare's impression is that these are significant improvements and they're quite impressed with the changes.

Other than new colors, there were no changes specifically made for the 2006 Zapp line, but they apparently did introduce manufacturing changes throughout the 2005 production year. So early '05 models aren't necessarily the same as those bought later in the year.

And for those of you looking for the IsoFix/LATCH version of the Cabrio, Babycare has the EasyFix base in stock and a limited number of CabrioFix seats in a limited set of colors. They're expecting to receive "normal" production shipments of additional colors (eventually the entire Cabrio line of colors will be available for the CabrioFix) in mid-February.

My Buzz is due in a few days. I'll report back here with feedback once I've had a chance to spend a bit of time with it.

[wow, big news, in the euro-stroller/euro-car seat sense, anyway. thnx. I love comparing this to Dorel's initial response that there were no changes to the 2006 model, because, technically, they happened during the 2005 model. -ed.]

It is a good thing the Brit guy is doing some stroller research. We live in Dallas, TX, and when we saw the bugaboo at buy buy baby in NYC we thought is was great looking so we got it and had it shipped ( no bugs in Dallas at that time, 14 months ago). Our research was limited to comparing it to the stokke stroller in the store, which is the coolest looking one, but the bug was easier to fold. It was great with the infant seat, but now that the baby is a little older, all we use is the Volo, the Bug is a pain to get in and out of the car. So I if I had to do it again, I'm not sure I'd get the bug even if I love it, because is just there, except on the nice days when I walk the baby around the block. As of the $800, totally worth it if you'll get good use out of it, shouldn't get it if it will make an impact on whether the kid gets a college education or not, not an issue for us.
Thanks daddytypes for posting cool stuff, It is hard to find cool modern baby stuff sometimes, thanks to you I got a cool rocker, a nest chair (not totally happy, but is my fault, should have listened to some posts here), an ugly doll, a pollock baby book...
keep it up!

[you forgot to mention that the ebay value for a lightly used Frog is >$500, so your net could actually drop significantly. -ed.][you forgot to mention that the ebay value for a lightly used Frog is >$500, so your net could actually drop significantly. -ed.]

Back to the actual topic, I am beginning to thing that Bug vs Buzz is apple vs orange.

As a previous poster mentioned, in Canada, Buzzes are much less expensive than Bugs. Same is true here in Japan, where a Buzz will set you back around $650 at current exchange rates, and a Bug will cost over $1,000 if you can find one.

In the battle of the big strollers, it is hard to deny that the Buzz is the lower cost option. Audi A4 or VW Passat? Both really nice and both arguably provide above average motoring experiences. Worth the extra dough? That's why it is called discretionary spending.

At any rate, well known faults aside I really dig my Buzz. The high curb weight is offset by the actual ease of pushing it combined with the extreme maneuverability. And, my kid absolutely prefers it over his smaller, lighter, cheaper Combi DoKids 4.

Speaking of well known faults, the new "air cell" front wheels are still extremely limited by their diminutive size. If they could include the "air cell" on a 20% larger wheel, the benefits in lowered rolling resistance and enhanced curb-hopping would make it all the better. Then all they have to do is cut out all the excess material from the frame, rear suspension, and the opening gas strut and they would have a real hot-rod.

Hi!!

You could buy Maxicosi Cabrio with easybase/isofix from Holand.
Try this adress:
www.babytrader.co.uk or www.bebiezaak.nl/

By the way... quinny buzz is just plastic fantastic... Love the bugaboo :)

Anyone interested in a Micralite Fastfold? I just imported one, opened the box and it's now up on ebay.

I ordered it sight unseen. I think is great - superlight and has great manuverability but it didn't pass the wife/nanny test - doesn't recline enough and the chair is not very cushy. Back to my junky Maclaren I guess.

help with removing the maxi-cosi cabrio cover! we recently bought the maxi-cosi cabrio car seat and are having some trouble deciphering the instructions for removing the car seat cover. we get stuck on the quick adjustment strap and button as the strap is looped around the car seat and cover. in the manual, it says to "pull the buckle tongue sections and adjustment strap through the openings" but how does that work if the strap is looped around? are we missing something in the instructions? are we supposed to be taking apart something for that to happen? if anyone could shed any light on this issue we'd appreciate it!

[it's kind of a pain, you're right. One end of that strap is looped around some pins underneath the front of the carseat. you can dislodge one side, then the other of that loop, then thread the belt out and slide the seatcover off. Putting it back is the reverse process, also a pain, but you get good at it. Especially if a lot of puking gives you a lot of practice. -ed.]

Firstly, thanks for all the positive comments and replies. Especially the piece of information by Eric regarding the Quinny Buzz from NL is helpful. It's about filtering all the useless info and gather useful points to help towards a decision. Dunno where did the 'class' & 'status' thing crept in with baby strollers from? Jeez! Had I wanted to be obnoxious or show off I simply wouldn't have bothered with this blog/forum altogether. Nothing wrong with trying to make sense of a billion bits of information on a stroller in which I and possibly many of you will be taking the baby in everyday.

received my, well our, Frog yesterday (not doing the fleece thing) and noticed the bassinet sits a bit tilted. Is this right? has someone else noticed this? I'm contacting bugaboo but I wanted to know if anyone else's does the same.

thanks ed for replying back to help with removing the maxi cosi car seat. i just want to check when you say to dislodge one side, do you mean to dislodge one side of the button you press for the quick adjustment? or dislodge one side of the pins on the bottom of the car seat holding the straps in place?

[dislodge the loop in the belt where it looks like it's attached around a bar under the seat. That bar should actually be pins that don't meet in the middle, so you can slip the belt on and off, like a toilet paper roll, one side at a time. -ed.]

Does anyone know if any other car seats can be used with the Quinny Buzz? The Quinny website suggests that other seats and adapters may work... but does not follow-up with detail. Given the obvious issues with obtaining the Maxi-cosi cabrio in the states, this may be a good fix... Advice please!

Hi,

On babytrader.co.uk, you can order the Stokke Xplory online. Haven't seen that anywhere else yet. They also have bugaboo and quinny of course. And the Stokke chair Tripp Trapp. They even offer free shipping within Europe. Looks good to me.

[looks a bit like an ad to me, and you can also order the Stokke online from Two Left Feet, which has free UK delivery. -ed.]

OK Gentlemen and fellow New Agers,

ISO-FIX or LATCH vs. the seatbelt only restraints question.

I worked for a UK government law enforcement agency looking into crash injury studies and the findings were published recently.
As a result, the LAW in the UK is about to make it illegal to allow a child to travel in a vehicle without a proper child safety restraint or seat adapter.

I know for a fact that many ADULTS in the USA choose to not wear their seatbelts and as a consequence, many car makers put bigger airbags in to off set this short sightedness. (Although this attitude is changing amongst US Motorists.)

Children are innocent riders in cars and Adults suffer from all sorts of maladies, including, DRTFM, Drank too Much and Haven't been to the optometrist in Freaking years!

So, the solutions in our increasingly consumerist, paranoid and frenetic world is to design our way out of Human fallibility.

Hence ISO Fix. I shall stick with ISO as it stands for International Standards Organisation, which even includes the good old US of A!

ISO fix is intended to be dumb ass proof....
The range is limited and the versatility is questionable.

However, in my personal experience with real people in REAL situations, tragedy and potential tragedy exist simply because people DO NOT RESTRAIN THEIR CHILD SEATS PROPERLY!

This has been backed up by statistics and the law is changing in the UK. It's not far reaching enough and it isn't decisive enough. However, these regulations always take a while to come about to their fullest effectiveness.

We all wear seatbelts in a plane, right?
We don't question our obligation, we just accept it. A plane crash if it happens, actually leaves few survivors, statistically, So, why bother?
We do because it's not a bad idea, right?

A car accident is statistically more likely to happen than a plane accident per miles travelled... But Car crashes are complex to analyse and the results can have many different outcomes. (Do you really want a seatbelt on if you drive into a river perhaps)...

So, lets get to the point, ISO-FIX is the way forward.
Like crash helmets on Motorcycles or Wearing a Condom with a new sexual partner, it JUST MAKES SENSE!

As we are all getting down to impending fatherhood, it makes sense to spend a few extra Dollars, Pounds, Euro's or whatever of whatever denomination, to ensure our nearest and dearest do not simply F**K up by not knowing how to strap an infant or child seat into a car properly.

The technology and the market are growing slowly because of commercial and legal prescedents. But an ISO fix child seat will offer a more fool proof solution to your child's safety than your Mother or father-in law "not understanding" how this fangled contraption fits in the car, when you are about to drive 50 miles (80 kms) on the strength of 3 hours sleep and two cups of coffee in 36 hours... Think about it Guys and Dolls....

Thousands of children are killed in road accidents in the US and Europe. FACT, period!

Children are the most vulnerable people on the planet. Even Bambi can walk soon after birth! Kids rely on us to look after their safety and welfare, does this not strike a chord in all of us????

so, A Maxi Cosy Cabrio or Britax so and so are available and more will become available soon. The cost of a seat and adapter is about £190 or $300 perhaps?
Either that, or don't go out in the car?
Children were never designed by our makers to travel beyond 4 miles per hour. Whenever we force them to travel faster, their tiny bodies are not strong enough to withstand the impact if something hits us or we hit something else.. Trust me on this one will you guys.
Or trust whoever fits your child restraint for your child, because plenty of people get it wrong!

Regards,

Drew Walker

I'm thinking of buying a Bebe Confort Loola. I reckon it is the best compromise of all (Bugaboo included). Before I go ahead and buy, I would appreciate any comments.

If the Quinny ZAP reclined and had extendable arms I would be all over it. We have the Mclaren XT and my main problem with it is narrow rear wheel base. I am 6' 3" and even with the handles extended I still bump them with my shoes (especially on downhills).
People in our parents group often laugh and make jokes about the bugaboos I have to say they are a status symbol and the price is too high to be justified for most.
Our universal stroller was $50 and really it was pretty great all in all. It made several trips on the airplane to NY and back without a problem.

I can see if you are a jogger or live in the hills one might want a special stroller.

Anyway we are thinking of taking the Mclaren back because of the lack of legroom for tall ones like myself. I don't know what a good replacement would be. Any ideas? Oh and under $300 please.

We are fortunate that my wife's mother saved her old pram, a real classic with hard body, lots of chrome, white rubber tires etc. So we have postponed the buggy decision. Now the baby is 5 months old and we gotta do sumthin'!

So me, I bought a Buzz for 250 EUR (about US$300) on eBay from http://kids-comfort.de, including free shipping. Haven't taken delivery yet.

My wife thinks it is overpriced and that I am crazy - what to do?

I am considering buying a Buzz model 2006 on eBay.de (the less expensive I've found in Europe) . Would anyone share his/her preferred colors in the new collection ? (I am expecting a baby girl and I want something fairly classic, yet fashion...)

Got the delivery of Bugaboo Cameleon (Sand/Orange) and Maxi-Cosi Cabrio (Orange Flash) from www.babycare.nl in 3 days. As my wife is due anytime now we couldn't wait for Cabrio-Fix, which we originally wanted to buy, to be available in Orange Flash. Erwin and Anneke from www.babycare.nl were extremely helpful and patiently explained all the questions. Have managed to put together the Bugaboo with carrycot and I would like to add that the instruction manual although clear in instructions is not logically laid out. Especially the illustrations to put together the carrycot is not very intuitive as you need to be careful about the direction in which you strap it to the frame. The pins on the frame for the seat have to be kept as a point of reference by making sure that the velcro straps do not cover them. Once done, it looks and feels excellent. I took it out for a stroll just to have a feel of the pram with the carrycot and it felt fantastic. I had put my laptop in it to simulate baby's weight! Also the Maxi-Cosi car seat fits brilliantly with the car-seat adapters. My wife and I are happily awaiting our new baby. Asides the Bugaboo and Maxi-Cosi carseat I'd like to mention the diapers and baby-carrier as well. I looked around and researched the diapers and settled for the Motherease One Size organic diapers (from Little green Earthlets) and Wilkinet baby carrier. Both highly recommended by parents. Hope that information might be useful to others looking to buy these things.

Cheerio!

Hello, does anyone know if the Buzz parasol fits the Zapp, or indeed if the Bugaboo parasol fits the Zapp as someone said it fits the Buzz? Any reply most welcome as we're off on holiday next week and struggling to find this info to buy parasol for hols. Thank you!

I am getting ready to order a Buzz and of course a Maxi Cosi seat, and I dont know if its because I am pregnant and have pregnant brain OR because Im on bedrest and have nothing else to do but research all this...think i might have researched too much and started losing my mind. BEWARE-it is a possibility!!!
Anyway- What exactly is the difference between CabrioFix and just Cabrio? Do I understand correctly that the CabrioFix can be clicked in and out of the EasyBase whereas Cabrio cant? Because if not, then WHAT IS the difference exactly? Somebody please enlighten me.
The Buzz Im thinking of getting is the new Buzz Papillion (topline) from www.babytrader.de

Yes Mariah, that's exactly the difference between CabrioFix and regular Cabrio. Cabrio fix can be attached/clicked into the EasyBase, which can be mounted to the car's IsoFix anchor points, so you don't need to use the seat belt. Although you can also secure the CabrioFix with the seat belt. Regular Cabrio can only be secured with the seat belt.
Hope that helps.

Mariah:

Just received the Buzz Papillion, Cabriofix and easybase yesterday. Clarification... The Cabriofix works with both the Maxi-cosi "easyfix" and the "easybase." The easyfix secures to anchorbolts and/or a seatbelt. The easybase secures ONLY with a seat belt. Difference in price is about $40 USD.

I did all the price mock-ups for the various sites and if you are going to buy the stroller, seat and a base, the least expensive site is babycare.nl... They will reduce the shipping on request. All told purchase to delivery date to our east coast address took 10 days.

Good luck!

thanks Mickey and AW!
I got it all figured out.

My Buzz arrived today along with the Maxi Cosi CabrioFix, Easy Base and I also ordered a Maxi Cosi booster seat (Rodi XP) for our daughter.
AW, how were you able to get the Papillion? I spoke with both Babycare and Babytrader and neither one had it in stock, said they havent received the shipment of the new ones yet and they were not expecting it until May.
So I had to go with the Buzz in Black, which bummed me out as I really loved the new 06 Colors.
I havent had a chance to test out any of the stuff yet but it is looking pretty gorgeous in my living room :-)
LOVE the Maxi Cosi CabrioFix-you can just tell from looking at it how sturdy and well made it is, and the functional/big sun canopy, seat's ability to be so easily clipped onto Buzz's frame and the beautiful ocean blue color (just to mention a few features but i could go on) totally set this carseat apart from any I have seen sold here in the US. I shall post my review once I have had the pleasure of operating this machinery.

Quinny Buzz Vs Bugaboo???

I have an 8 day old baby boy who loves his Quinny Buzz. Bugaboo sounds funky and cool and Quinny Buzz sounds a bit silly... BUT WHO CARES?

The baby wont care and we are just into this as some kind of cool toy for us daddies to play with, be honest. I admit it, i LOVE the Buzz for loads of reasons, for example, Looks cool, excellent hi vis reflective strips, the gas strut thing that makes it pop up.. (Thats like an electric hood on your cabriolet car) The fact that we dont have to buy another car cos it fits in the New Beetle no problemo, the dreami cot is big and roomy for my little cherub to move around in,(Bugaboo looks cramped) the easy way it all works, the handling is brilliant and swerves in an out of blind pedestrians path at Bluewater or busy oxford street with ease, the 'bounce-ability' is excellent and the tyres are chunky. (Mine have VW stickers on like alloy wheels!! (I know SAD but i dont care) AND !!!! you dont see loads of them every where unlike the slightly more pretentious Bugaboo.

My Opinion counts for nothing but i researched, took advice asked other pram users and made my choice. (Mum left the transpotation sytem up to me!)

No offence to bugaboo 'drivers' but i see them more of the type that buy cherokee jeeps, porsche cayenne, and the Buzz 'drivers' are slighlty more considerate and creative in their more understated but funky cars

All that aside, bugagoo cost a bit too much and quinny buzz is just nicer and a bit cheaper.

I saved a lot of money buying wisely dont buy the first one you see, check out the net, ask me where i got mine cos i saved over 130 quid BRAND NEW BOXED, DELIVERED and a proper company.

Have fun :) PS i am up all night with this bundle of joy thats why i have time to write this :)

Matt F,

Where did you buy your Buzz?

Yes, Matt F, I'd second the xymox's question... where did you buy your Buzz????

Thanks!

Hello!
Just spent 1h reading all ur comments. Who would think buying a stroller would set off so much passion!?
We have a Quinny Speedi SX. I chose it as it was one of the only ones with a rotative front wheel. I saw so many strollers that needed to b lifted up to turn that the rotative front wheel was for me the only way to go. It does look great but I agree that the base is still pretty heavy. wouldn t b a problem if we had a lift. it s pretty big unfolded and it takes too long to take the bb upstairs, then come down, take the shopping upstairs, then go down again, fold the buggy, take it upstairs.. so until the baby is too big to b carried, I just go everywhere with him using a baby bjoern. It s almost 10 x cheaper than buggy+carrycot and so much more convenient. The Dad, grand-dad, uncles.. they all used it. we even went to mountain walks with it.. Because our son is pretty big (4.75kg at birth), we chose the Bb-Bjoern with the back support.
If I had the choice again, I would only buy the stroller when the baby can t b carried anymore - So I d save at least on the carrycot which is alone more expensive than the Bb-Bjoern- Once the baby is bigger I ll try using the stroller again though, and I ll u know!
Now, the reason why I came accross that blog is bc we have a problem.. my dearest in a DIY moment decided to undo the front wheel tire as he tought there was a puncture.. there wasn t but we can t get the tire back onto the wheel.. any help tip comment welcome!!
Thank u
Elisa

Dear all, I have just had a fabulous giggle reading all these comments about strollers.

My hubbie and I have just ordered the Buzz in Topline Papillion also. We got it from a website we found through the e-bay. The only trouble is that we are struggling to get the matching footmuff. Does anyone have any idea where we can get that from? I gather that papilliion is european but any info would be good.

This will be our third baby (and the last) so we've had extensive experience of buggies in the past. We too, like the originator of this discussion, have spent a bit of time doing our research. For instance, we knew that we wanted air filled wheels and extendable handle (I am 5'2 and hubbie is 6'3). The Buzz just fit all our needs and looks groovy too. Can't wait to get it!

Am due soon, so will keep reading and may give feedback (if I'm not too busy being mum!)
Nina xx

Google DT


Contact DT

Daddy Types is published by Greg Allen with the help of readers like you.
Got tips, advice, questions, and suggestions? Send them to:
greg [at] daddytypes [dot] com

Join the [eventual] Daddy Types mailing list!


Archives

copyright

copyright 2024 daddy types, llc.
no unauthorized commercial reuse.
privacy and terms of use
published using movable type