 Recaro vs Britax |
| Review Date: August 8, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Mom of two boys, Connecticut |
When I first started my research about car seats, I though that Britax was the best car seat on the market. Then I started to do more research on crash tests, read tons of reviews of car seats, and found people stating European car seats were far superior to our American made. Many people recommended purchasing a European car seat.
I researched the European market and found that Germany had the best car seats on the market, England's cars seats were second and American car seats came in third. All German cars seats must pass a crash test of 45mph, England 35mph, American 30mph standards. Since Britax was sold in the UK, I thought they must meet the UK standards, but they don't. They have completely different models and one study proved that Britax American car seats failed the Britax England crash tests studies (they have to because of the different crash test standards 30 vs 35mph). If you have time, research the English car seat market, and look how different their car seats look compared to our American versions (britax.co.uk). Their crash features are far superior to our car seats, All have side impact protection and many have a boot in front of the car seat that keeps the car seat in place during a collision. I tried desperately to buy a car seat from England, but was not able to. I called a ton of private shops, even tried ebay.co.uk and could not get a seller to send me a car seat. I called Britax UK to see if they would send me one, and they could not do it legally.
The next option was to try a German car seat. After much research I found Recaro car seats were not only sold in Germany, but the same car seats (and models) were available here, meaning if they are good enough to pass their standards (45mph vs our 30 mph), they are the best available here in the US. From what I could gather Recaro was not the best car seat sold in Germany, in fact, when I did my research a year ago, depending on which study you looked at, they came in 4th or 5th (it is difficult to read German or find an Amercian article written about German car seats). I happen to find a co-worker who knew German and who was able to read these articles for me. My conclusion was that this was the best car seat I could legally have here in America.
I was still torn between Britax and Recaro because it's safety features were still very similar (and they look very similar in pictures on the internet). I was determined to purchase one Britax car seat and one Recaro (we had two cars), but we went to USABaby to actually see both car seats side by side, this settled our dilemma once and for all. Recaro won, hands down. There is no comparison. The Recaro was so much more sturdy, solid, better side impact protection, superior features than the top of the line Britax (both were essentially the same price.) We purchased two Recaro's. The sales person stated that this was the best car seat available for purchase.
I had a smaller car, so I was concerned that it wouldn't fit, but it did. I had to push the front seat up a bit, but it worked fine. We have had it for over a year and we still love it. I have baby #2 in the Britax infant seat, (they no longer make) which was the top of the line at the time (2007). I was planning on purchasing a Recaro infant seat for baby #2, which was due to come out, but hasn't yet, so we kept the baby in the Britax. Now we are looking into purchasing another two Recaro's for our soon to be one year old. I look at other people's car seats and mine is just so much better than any other car seat I have seen available to purchase. I know they say it's not what car seat you purchase, it has to be the right car seat for the car, and it has to be installed correctly. My theory, you purchase the best car seat available, and you make sure it's installed correctly.
Do your homework and take a look at what is available at Babiesrus, and then look at USABaby or your local retailer who carries Recaro, and make the comparison yourself. There is none, but you have to see if for yourself. I am satisfied that I did my homework and I chose the best car seat that is available for my child. Car seats makers here in the U.S. are just now starting to catch up on the technology that Recaro has had for the past 5 years, which I am pleased to see, but is still not 'up to par', to Recaro's or current European standards. Every child deserves the best chance of survival if 'god forbid' you get into a collision. Recaro's are expensive, but it's worth every bit of sacrafice you need to give up, to purchase the best car seat available for your precious child, here in the U.S.
I hope this will help other's out there who are researching this topic as extensively as I was, because I was not able to find any article or personal review answering my question of which car seat is the best available, and why. |
If Safety is your concern, this is the one.
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| Review Date: July 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Kempe, Raritan, NJ |
I already knew about Recaro from their history in racing seats, Porsches and airplanes. So when I saw they were making child seats, I figured they were worth looking into. I found a store that had floor models of the competing Britax and the Recaros and got in the car to go look. Side by side, it was no comparison. Though both companies list that they have side bolsters and protection, the Recaro's is so much more obvious and padded. It isn't even close. The shop owner and I spoke for about 15 minutes about his opinions on the seats. He said basically the same thing I was thinking. He stated that many people buy the Britax because of a suggestion from a friend or family member. He said if they are willing to look at other brands as soon as he puts the Recaro next to the Britax Marathons, people were choosing the Recaro 2 to 1. It is a superior product.
As I drive smaller cars (and plan to have more kids) I was very focused on having the proper side impact protection. The seat fits easily in my small coupe and hatchback without any trouble. My son is comfortable and can see easily out the front of the car. He has never whined about going into the seat, and has been on three trips that required us to drive over 10 hours in a day, and the seat didn't interfere with our travel (we stopped a few times, but that's expected.)
If I owned huge vehicles and could put him in the middle seat of both of my cars (coupe is a 4 seater) I might have been open to other seats, but that wasn't the case, so I needed to know this was the safest seat I could get. The higher cost versus some seats was easy to spend when it came to the safety of my child.
The infinitely adjustable straps are key too. The Como and Signo are basically the same seat, but the turn-dial adjustment is so easy, it'd be silly to waste you time on the Como. I immediately put the seat on the list to purchase. We bought it from the small shop and not here on Amazon, but I am in the market for another Signo and felt I would share my opinion.
I have since recommended this seat to every friend/family member that has/is having kids.
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Love it so much we bought 2!
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| Review Date: May 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Emily Bartkowicz, Fort Lauderdale, FL United States |
After lots of research we chose the Recaro Signo over all other brands and models. The fact that Recaro also makes seat and restraint devices for Nascar made me feel extrememly secure that I was buying a safe product. My 20 mo. old son has been using this seat since he was 12 mos (and outgrew his infant seat). It's extremely comfortable for him - he sleeps great in it on long drives. When we learned we were pregnant again, we decided to buy a second seat - one for each car and then one for each kid when #2 was ready for a full-sized car seat.
My only gripe with the seat is that the buckles tend to twist around on the shoulder straps and you often have to spend a few extra seconds turing them around before you can buckle the seat. We've learned this doesn't happen as often if you stretch the straps out completely before removing your child, but it still happens on occassion. Still, I would recommend this seat to EVERYONE. |
Great Car Seat!
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| Review Date: July 2, 2009 |
| Reviewer: New Mom, NC |
| Very pleased with this car seat and for the price Amazon is selling it for (over 40% off), it is a no-brainer! Not quite sure what the first review is talking about. To find out if the seat is part of the recall, you look at the manufacture date (prior to Dec 2007). The seat is definitely black (not navy) and tan and looks great! It is so soft and sturdy. Great car seat (for safety and comfort) for the price! |
Best car seat ever
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| Review Date: September 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Go Bengals, Cincinnati, Oh |
| I am a mother of 3 kids and have owned multiple car seats. I have never felt better about my purchase! I actually feel guilty for the junk I put my older kids in! This seat is incredibly sturdy and well built! No cheap plastic here, all metal bars and construction worthy of my children!! The seat is also very soft and comfortable. We just had a 14 hour car ride w/ 2 of my 3 kids riding in Recaro Signo seats and never once did they complain about being uncomfortable. (They complained about plenty of other stuff, but never the seat!) Look no further, this is the best car seat out there. |
LOVE THIS CAR SEAT
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| Review Date: June 9, 2009 |
| Reviewer: D. Nguyen, California |
I love this carseat! My dad raced cars when I was growing up and I saw a lot of accidents (130+ mph) where people shouldn't have walked away. My dad flipped his car 8 times...the only injury to my dad was a scar on his knee. I knew I wanted a carseat designed by race car safety experts.
My daughter went in this seat when she was 13 mos old...she is now 25 months. She loves this seat! She falls asleep very easily in this seat because it is so comfy and it has the side impact protection wings that she can rest her head on instead of having it fall forward.
I find the straps extremely easy to untwist on the rare occassion they do twist. We had a graco snugride which twisted all the time and was a nightmare to fix.
I'm pregnant and buying another one signo for our next baby. |
Best car seat out there...
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| Review Date: July 2, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Karen W., Orange County, Ca USA |
I certainly have done my homework on car seats for my 18-month-old daughter. We purchased this car seat when she was around 10 months old, since it is a convertible seat. I was torn between the Britax Boulevard and the Recaro Signo. Not only did the Recaro Signo seat look more contemporary and stylish, more importantly it seemed much more sturdy and safe than the Britax model, although both seats had similar ratings through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
We are just now getting ready to purchase another one for our coming daughter. I am even considering to use this seat back-facing from the beginning, as it seems so much safer than these flimsy carriers, that can be removed from the car by their handle. |
So worth the price
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| Review Date: July 19, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Sharrett, Spokane, WA United States |
| My husband did a lot of research prior to deciding on the Recaro. We were more than willing to pay the almost $300 for the seat. When I found it on Amazon for less than listed currently it was a no brainer, especially with free shipping. One of the best features in my mind is how much padding there is. On the Britax (our second choice) there is a hard plastic on the underside of the head pads. Also the fact of the side impact protection is very comforting. Our baby is not due until November, having the seat this far in advance will give this first time mommy plenty of time to "practice" buckling and adjusting the straps. |
Safest Convertable car seat with lot of features
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| Review Date: August 7, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Manish Rastogi, CA USA |
I researched convertable car seats. I debated buying this car seat or Britax Bouleward for about a month. I finally decided to buy it and I am glad I did.
Easy to install. It took us about 15 minutes to install with LATCH.
(just read the instructions a couple of times and watch the video on-line if you think you'll have trouble)
The seat fits well forward facing in our car. (Toyota Sienna) It actually takes up less room then her infant carrier.
It is easy to adjust the positions. No loops, no straps to re-thread.
My child appears comfortable and the Side Flaps ensures nothing rubs on her.
The safety rating is the best!
LATCH system - easy to install. make sure to pull the straps TIGHT after install. Seat will wobble a bit but once you tether it down (or up) it's very secure. If you do tether it up, make sure the seat is still within the 30-45 degree requirement. It makes it hard to keep the seat secure AND at those degrees. When we tethered it up, it looked like the seat was being pulled upright.
Recline: If installing rear facing, MAKE SURE TO RECLINE THE SEAT before installing the LATCH system. It's very hard to reach once your seat is latched.
SEAT:
Straps: REALLY SOFT!! Harness is easy to use and unclip to get our baby out. Drawback is that the rubber part of the strap is too tall (it's longer than my son's torso. It irritates him and doesn't seem comfortable. Britax has a lot of extra padding to make the straps bearable, there's a padded cushion that is useful to make sure the strap doesn't dig into his neck. There is also another pad behind the buckle so it doesn't push onto his bits and his belly.
Padding: Infant inserts removes easily so as my son gets bigger, we can take the cushion off. There's a way to fold the flaps/sides in so it gives a snugger fit for smaller babies. Looks like there will be plenty of room to grow.
Headrest: Easily moves up and down. Wish the side flaps weren't so stiff. Seems like it will work with his large head.
Style: Good looking. Fabric is soft and feels nice. Color combination is attractive. Looks like a "big boy" seat and blends in well with my car.
Overall, it is a wonderful seat. It is easy to clean and I feel comfortable knowing my child is in a super safe top rated car seat. |
Great car seat a few drawbacks
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| Review Date: November 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: cocoa, cinci, oh |
This carseat is very safe and very well-made. I did a lot of research and this is the safest carseat available in the US. It has great side impact protection and is very very easy to install, I have done it myself several times.
Pros:
1. Super safe
2. Easy to install properly
3. Can be used for up to 70lbs!
4. Seems very comfortable
Cons:
1. Tall, which is good and bad (wont fit in my husband's TT) hard to look over (might block rear window a bit)
2. In rear facing position it is sometimes hard to get my baby over the lower (legs) side impact protection
3. The straps do get twisted, but if you loosen them a lot, you can drape them over the side of the carseat to prevent this.
All in all I would totally recommend this carseat, we will probably buy a second one.
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