Where online can I find stroller reviews, especially for comparing lightweight strollers?

May 7, 2008 7:37 PM

Where online can I find stroller reviews, especially for comparing lightweight strollers?

I'm particularly hung up about finding reviews of Combi strollers. Baby-gaga, a stroller review site, only has one Combi model, and it's very out-of-date. When I look on Amazon, they list a large variety of models and there's no centralized place for reviews of each model AND their models vary from the ones on Combi's website.

I'm trying to figure out our go-to stroller. I'm looking for something lightweight and easy to fold, because I have to tote it and the baby up and down a flight of stairs every time we leave the house, but I want something comfortable for her for longer walks. I'd prefer something that folds up relatively small. I've ruled out the Peg Perego Aria, but I'm thinking about shelling out the big bucks (for me) on a Peg Perego Pliko P3, which I know would be a good stroller, if a little heavy for what I'm looking for.

The Combi would cost about $200 less, so I really want to find some reviews, especially as it compares to the Pliko. There tend to not be many (any!) Combis for sale on Craig's List, but is that because people love them to death, or because they break easily? And are they too narrow? Do they still have 'navigation' issues?

posted by Sprout the Vulgarian to shopping (6 answers total)

You could try the Baby Bargains board or just post this same question there.
posted by pinky at 8:08 PM on May 7, 2008

A great woman named www.izzymom.com used to manage a list of review bloggers. She has run out of time and doesn't keep it up, but I have my own list of current review bloggers listed on my site, since I'm a Mommy blogger who does product reviews myself.* They will have lots of reviews of strollers for you to assess.

You can find the REVIEW BLOGGERS list on my blog on the left sidebar: here.

*My own kids are too old for any of my stroller reviews to be up-to-date.
posted by misha at 8:13 PM on May 7, 2008

Check out Stroller Queen for the latest and greatest, but I always went for the Maclarens in our fleet (qaulifications: stay-at-home Dad for 4 years, passing the torch to my wife when our daughters reached 2 and 4 years old, they're now 4 and 6). If you go up and down a flight of stairs every day with baby and stroller in hand, there is no better vehicle made than a Maclaren Volo . My exact model was/is a bare-bones '02 model weighing in at a svelte 7.5lbs, I think. Unless they've changed significantly, the strong points are:

One-hand folding/unfolding
Built in basket and shoulder strap
Drive like a dream
Brilliant and durable design

We've had Peg Peregos, Aluminum Gracos, but nothing pushes or folds like a Maclaren. We still use our '98 UK-made Maclaren double , just like this one, for afternoons at the the zoo. 25 lb stroller, almost 100 lbs of kids and crap for 125 lbs total and it still drives and folds like a dream even though it's 10 years old and bought second hand.

Oh yeah, you can easily hang a backpack on the back of the Volo if you need more room than the mesh basket allows.
posted by Rafaelloello at 9:09 PM on May 7, 2008 [2 favorites]

I've got a six-month-old daughter and a four-month-old Combi stroller. I also need to go up and down stairs and live in a place without cars so don't need to worry about car-seat compatibility. The Combi is great! It is quite sturdy, although somewhat flexible. The best thing is that it is extremely light (4.7 kg) and folds and unfolds with one hand and a flick, easily, while holding the baby. I've got several friends with similar strollers and they seem to hold up quite well. The differences between the low-end and high-end Combi models are fairly minor (adjustable handle-height, more ergonomic padding, etc.), so I'd have few reservations about sticking with a cheaper one.
posted by Etaoin Shrdlu at 9:54 PM on May 7, 2008

Seconding the Maclarens; in addition to Rafaelloello's points we have also taken ours on airplanes with minimal hassle. We did a lot of reserch before deciding on that model but I can't recall what sites we used (this was over 3 years ago); If I can figure it out I will post the info.
posted by TedW at 4:28 AM on May 8, 2008

Consumersearch recommends the Maclaren Volo as the best umbrella stroller. They also say the triumph is good if you need a stroller that reclines, although it is 3 pounds heavier.

They go through various review sites and try to cull out the general opinion. I would read the entire article on the site I link to.
posted by bove at 7:22 AM on May 8, 2008