Dish in a Box

This is how Josh rolls

February 24th, 2008 Posted in Baby Gear, Personal, Pictures, Product Reviews

Josh’s stroller has arrived!  Here are some pictures, and after the jump, a review.

As I said, after the jump, my full review:After Lisa and I first settled down after finding out that we were expecting, an idea shot into my mind:  Now that there’s going to be a baby, I’m probably not going to be able to spend all the money I used to on gadgets and other obsessions.  So rather than replacing my iPod every two years, I figured I needed to find a baby gadget obsession.  I found that obsession in my search for a stroller.After doing a little searching around, it occurred to me that strollers today aren’t anything like what our parents pushed us around in.  Also, I found that we were going to need to have a stroller that met multiple needs.  Some parents, for one child, can end up with multiple strollers.  There’s the stroller system that holds an infant car seat as well as having a standard seat for when the child gets up to around 20 pounds.  There’s the jogging/all-terrain stroller for parents who walk/run a lot, or won’t always have the stroller on pavement.  There’s the car seat frame, which is basically a metal frame with wheels that holds a car seat.  This is for parents who don’t get a system stroller that will already take the car seat.  Finally, there’s the umbrella stroller, a lightweight solution that folds up, fits almost anywhere, and weighs less than 15 pounds.  I ultimately decided that instead of spending $500-$1000 on multiple strollers, I’d just buy one high-end stroller that could do it all.  After all, this is Josh’s ride, right? Initially,  I saw all sorts of very expensive models.  The Buggaboo Frog($759) is probably the most popular high-end model.  It comes with a bassinet, the seat is reversible, and so is the handle.  I was turned off by the Bugaboo for a few reasons.  First, it’s very expensive.  Second, it’s THE stroller for people who want a high-end stroller.  So there’s nothing unique about it.  Finally, while imitation is the greatest form of flattery, multiple companies have made strollers trying to imitate the Bugaboo, and a few have succeeded in making a better all-around stroller.Another one that caught my eye were the Orbit Infant System($900), which is a car seat, stroller, and also has a bassinet/cradle accessory.  One cool thing about the Orbit is that with the push of a button, the car seat turns towards you so that you can easily take the seat from the car without leaning inside the car.  The major downfall to this stroller system is that it’s incredibly expensive for what you get.  It doesn’t come with a standard seat.  The seat is $179.  It doesn’t come with a bassinet, which, after reading for awhile, was something I really wanted.   That’s $239.  So if you buy an Orbit, you’re dropping $1320 for a complete system.Other models that caught my eye, but aren’t really worth any kind of review were the Quinny Buzz($549), with a good price, but the bassinet is extra, and there’s no storage. It’s also very minimalist.  The Peg Perego Skate($899), which looked like a winner online, but in person is HUGE.  Plus the storage is just a shelf on the bottom of the stroller, so stuff can easily fall off.  My initial favorite, the Bob Revolution 12″($379), was very large, much like the Skate.  And they charge you more just to get smaller wheels than the enormous 14″ wheels that come on the $359 standard model.  It doesn’t come with a bassinet, but it does have a car seat adapter you can buy.  Finally, the Rockstar Baby($500), comes with a bassinet, and ultimately could’ve been the winner, but the wheels have no kind of suspension, which makes a pretty big difference in overall ride.  It was, however, designed by Tico Torres and John Bon Jovi.  Take from that what you will.  I say if Bon Jovi put that much effort into their songs, maybe he’d have written something unique in the last ten years, instead of repurposing the same song 22 times.I knew I wanted certain features in my stroller and I was finding it hard to meet all of my requirements.  I wanted a bassinet, that way if I want to take Josh for a walk around my complex when he’s an infant, I won’t have to strap him in a car seat.  I wanted it to accept a car seat or at least have multiple options for attaching one.  I wanted a suspension, and non-inflatable wheels.  The wheels thing wasn’t even on my radar until it occurred to me that people with Bugaboos also need to walk around with a pump, just in case a tire needs air.  I asked a few salespeople in boutiques(most of them use the Bug) how often they actually need to use the pump when they’re out.  Surprisingly, most of them said they’ve needed to do it a few times.  No thank you on that.  Finally, I wanted a good amount of storage, a reversible seat so Josh can face me or the world, and I wanted it to fold up easily and pretty small even with the seat attached.  After searching high and low and being disappointed everywhere, I ran into the Uppababy Vista($599).The first thing you’ll notice about the Vista is how well made it is.  You can see all of the weld points.  This stroller is solid and hand made in America.  Some people have complained about being able to see weld marks, but I’ll take function over form any day.  The Vista comes with everything the Bugaboo Frog comes with for about $150 less.  Lightweight, full-size frame?  Check.  Bassinet?  Check.  Seat that can face forward and rear?  Check.  Car seat adapter available?  Check.  Now, here’s where the Vista clearly outperforms the Bug.  The Vista has all-terrain wheels lined with sneaker rubber.  They provide the same type of comfort as the inflatable wheels, but have no risk of popping, and there is no need to worry about having to fill the tires.  Ever. The Bug can NOT be folded with the seat on.  If you’re looking to fold it up, you need to remove the seat.  Also, once you remove the seat, you need to remove the front bar to fold it.  That’s too many steps for me.  The Vista conveniently folds with the seat on or off.  The Vista’s back bar is an arch shape.  Seems trivial, but you’ll never kick the stroller while pushing it.  The Bug has a bar low to the bottom of the stroller which lends itself to kicking.  The Bugaboo also does not include any kind of storage basket.  This is a huge issue for me.  The storage area on the bottom of the Vista is enormous for a stroller.  You can fit a diaper bag down there as well as a lot of other things.  If you go shopping, you can fit a lot of stuff under there.There are some things the Bugaboo does that the Vista can’t.  The Bugaboo’s handle is reversible.  This allows you to have both the large or small tires up front.  After using the Vista, this isn’t a big deal at all.  The folks at Uppababy make this a non-issue by making the front(smaller) wheels large enough to roll over just about anything.  Also, the Bugaboo can have it’s smaller wheels removed, allowing you to push the stroller with only the two large wheels.  I have yet to imagine a situation where this would be useful.  The beach?  Maybe.  I honestly have no idea.  It also seems kind of dangerous.  If I let go of the handle of my stroller, it doesn’t move.  If you’re holding up the Bug and it only has two wheels, if you let go, down goes baby.  Hopefully, you’ll be on the sand.  The Bugaboo also takes more car seats than the Vista.  For any car seat for these strollers, you need to buy an adapter which costs $35-$50, depending on what seat you own.  The Bugaboo and Vista will accept the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio seat and the Graco Snugride or Graco Safeseat.  The Bugaboo will also take the Maxi-Cosi Mico seat.   While this is a feature that will only be needed for about a year, if that, it is an important one.   You may be surprised, like my wife Lisa was, that the Vista only accepts two car seats.  You might think it limits your selection.  First, the Snugride and Safeseat by Graco are two of the best selling seats on the market, and the Peg Perego isn’t far behind.  The Snugride is also a Consumer Reports “Best Buy.”  So while your choices are a bit limited, they’re excellent choices.  Also, any strollers that are made by manufacturers of car seats only take that manufacturer’s seat.  For example, a Graco stroller ONLY accepts a Graco seat.  A Quinny Buzz only accepts a Maxi-Cosi(they’re the same company) seat.  The same goes for uber-convertible seat maker Britax.  Their Vigour stroller, which is very much like the Vista, only takes their infant car seat.  Unfortunately, while their convertible seats are hailed as the best on the market, their infant seats leavea  lot to be desired.  I guess what I’m saying is that while it’s only a choice of three car seats, two by Graco and one by Peg Perego, it’s nice to at least have a choice.One more nice feature of the Vista is the bassinet.  Of all the high-end strollers I looked at, the Vista has the most comfortable bassinet by far.  The Dreami by Quinny is a distant second.  I mention this because I find the Uppababy bassinet so nice, I tried to convince Lisa not to register for a standalone one.  I lost that battle, just in case anyone’s interested.  I honestly believe that if you’re skeptical about buying a high-end stroller because of price, this could put you over the top.  Most bassinets at many popular stores start at $100 and get more expensive from there.  You could save yourself $100 on an item you won’t use that long anyway by picking up this stroller.  I’m serious.  The bassinet that’s on our registry right now does not have a cushion as comfortable as the Vista.The chair for the Uppababy is also excellent.  It has a three way reclining seat, as well as a sun shade with a velcro window up top so you can look in on baby.  It has a bar across the front that is removable.  As I said earlier, it is able to be placed in a front or rear facing position.  The footrest also has a bunch of different positions, depending on how the child is sitting.  It also has a five-point harness, so the little one will be very secure.Many of these high-end strollers are pretty bare bones when it comes to “extra features,” and the Vista is no different.  While it has a front bar on the seat, that bar does not have a tray for the baby.  Some people find this to be a big deal.  They sell after-market ones for $10-$15 which will serve that purpose.  Also, many people complain that the Uppababy Vista doesn’t have a cup-holder.  However, any Vista produced after August of 2007(Josh’s was made in November 2007) has a cup-holder accessory attachment on both sides.  The cup-holder is due out in early March, or about a week from this writing.  I imagine that there may be other things these accessory attachments can be used for, so it’s nice to have them on both sides.  If your Vista didn’t come with them, there are a bunch of after-market cup-holders that just clamp onto the stroller.  So again, no big deal.  It amazes me the amount of bad reviews any of these strollers get for not having a cup-holder.  I know the country’s addicted to Starbucks, but really?  Sounds to me like someone’s just trying to justify not spending the money.  “Unlike the Vista and for $300 less, my stroller has a cupholder.”  Great.  It’s also made of plastic, handles like a Fleetwood, and is so useless after your kid is six months old, that you had to go out and buy a different stroller anyway.Folding the Vista is extremely easy.  Instead of having to push multiple buttons, you just squeeze a small button where the handle telescopes from and push down on the handle.  The handle goes to its lowest position and the stroller folds very easily.  To open again, you pull the plastic lock piece away from the stroller and lift the stroller by the handle.  It opens immediately and with ease.  The only stroller I found that opened easier was the Quinny Buzz.  The Buzz has a hydraulic system to open.  With the stroller folded, you can really just kick the underside of the handlebar and it will open.  I must say it was pretty awesome.The Uppababy Vista does have a few more features worth mentioning.  The stroller is 27″ wide.  If you want a thinner stroller, you can order your stroller direct from Uppababy with new thin-profile wheels.  These new thin rear wheels drop the width to 24.5″.  I decided to go with the original wheels because they’re going to be more functional, and 2.5″ isn’t really a big deal to me.  However, if you spend a lot of time in malls or other places with tight squeezes, you may want to seriously consider this option.  The handle is telescopic to three positions.  The chair and bassinet both have a red/green indicator so you know they are properly installed.  The same goes for if you attach the car seat adapter.  All interior and exterior fabric on the Vista is removable.  Sox has made a home out of the bassinet, so Lisa and I have used this feature, and Josh isn’t even here yet.  The bassinet hood cover zips off, while the lining is removed by undoing some velcro.  The mattress/pad in the bassinet has a cover that zips off.  I can’t even begin to tell you how convenient this is.  The seat fabric is just as easily removed as the bassinet.  Even the basket beneath the stroller is removable.  Now Sox can sleep as much as he wants in the thing, and when Josh arrives, Sox will have to give up his new bed for a few months, then I can give it right back to him.  The Vista also has a four wheel suspension.  No matter what you roll over, it will be less stressful on the little one thanks to the shock absorbing ride.   The front wheels are also lockable.  If you run, you can use the Vista rather than having to buy a jogging stroller that has a fixed front wheel.  Also for you joggers, the Vista has a wrist strap so that if you fall, the stroller will not keep going.  It is attachable to the handlebar, or the bottom arch, although I would recommend attaching it to the arch, so that if you do fall, the stroller will just roll backwards rather than tipping over.The Vista is available in five colors.  Black(Jake), Green(Carlin), Blue(Myles), Red(Denny), Orange(Alex), Purple(Makena).  All colors with the exception of Red and Black are very light.  Uppababy claims that the Black and Green are in limited supply.  I can see why, as they’re clearly the best two looking colors.  Uppababy also claims to be a “green” company.  I won’t get into it, but here’s their take.  This wasn’t a huge part of my decision, but it’s nice to know they’re trying as a company to make the world a little bit greener.  Also, Uppababy for me, is very much a local company.  They’re based in Massachusetts, a bit outside of Boston.  The strollers are assembled in the USA and most parts are made here too.  The Bugaboo, to compare, is made in Taiwan.  It comes with a rain cover and bug shade for both the stroller and bassinet.  There are a few accessories available for the Vista.  A “bubble” car seat cover/shade to keep the baby protected from the sun.  They also have the “Piggyback”; a ride-along board that a toddler can stand on if he/she doesn’t feel like walking.  It’s wood and extremely durable and actually looks kind of fun.  I’ve dealt with their customer service once, and they were fantastic.  They’re a very small company, so usually, whoever you talk to has a very personal stake in the company, which means they have a very personal interest in your conversation.  This is good to know.To close this out, one of the trivial things I didn’t like about the Bugaboo was that it’s the IT stroller these days, and has been since it came out in 1999.   Ever since I started researching these things, I see them everywhere.  The Frog, which is now no longer their high end model, that honor goes to the Chameleon, is available at Babies ‘R Us, making it even more accessible.  When I went looking for the Vista, I found it was only carried in two stores in Connecticut.  You’ll find this kind of exclusivity all across the country, as it’s found in very limited places.  In the NY/NJ area, it can be found at Buy Buy Baby, but only in the Chelsea store in Manhattan, and one other store in Scarsdale.  We got ours in Chelsea(thanks Mom and Dad Dish!).   If you’re looking for a high-end stroller, and want all the features of the most expensive ones and more, but don’t want to look like everyone else, look no further than the Uppababy Vista.  I give it my highest recommendation for both you and your little one.