11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Almost perfect except unsturdy front wheels
Date of Review: Oct 24, 2009
The Bottom Line: It would have been almost perfect stroller if not for the problem with front wheels
When it was time to buy a stroller for our 3rd child (B), I had some criteria since we had experience with 4 other types.
1. it should be light enough so that my wife could easily fold and put it into a trunk.
2. it should support weights from infant (10 lb) all the way to a big toddler (40 lb).
3. the seat should recline so that B could sleep on it comfortably.
4. it has to be less than $100 as I realized with my previous kids that all the bells and whistles are usually unnecessary.
As I researched through many different types of strollers, #1 and #4 were the biggest criteria. We knew that once B reaches 2 years old, he probably wouldn't want to be carried around in a baby stroller. At that time, we would just use a simple umbrella stroller which is so much more compact and would not need the seat recline as much. When I came across Kolcraft lite stroller, I knew that I found the right one.
Here are the reasons we liked when we bought it:
1. it is light enough (probably around 10 lbs) and easily foldable.
2. it is less than $100.
3. the seat is reclinable although it doesn't become totally horizontal. It reclines from 80 degree to about 20 degree from the horizontal plane.
4. it seems big enough to hold a kid up to 40 lb.
After using it for more than a year, here is my take on it. I am satisfied with it because #1 and #2 reasons held up. However, we noticed two shortcomings.
1. front wheels are single wheels with plastic arch support over the wheels. What this means is that if the load (baby weight plus whatever is in the underneath basket) is heavy, the weight will push down on the rotating joint. Over time, it became harder to turn the stroller because the joint somehow became distorted. We began noticing this problem when B reached about 15 lb. This stroller may not hold to heavy load because of this design 'flaw' on the front wheels.
2. there is no feet support when the seat is reclined all the way. This was not a problem when B was small. But once B was past 1 year old, his feet would dangle out when he's sleeping. If you have a tall baby, this may not support him/her for long.
3. Underneath basket is very useful if the seat is upright. Once the seat is reclined, access to the basket becomes very hard with opening of only about 8 inches.
Even with aforementioned three shortcomings, we are happy with the purchase because it did its job for 1 1/2 years until we are ready to move onto umbrella strollers.
Other comments: The canopy is very sturdy although it only has two positions. It is easy to fold and unfold. Recline system using a strap is easy once you get used to it. Brake system works fine. Everything is sturdy except the front wheels. The materials seem to be made out of nylon and thus resisted stains. I spilled coffee on it once but I could wipe it off easily without much stain. Although it folds, it still take up a lot of space in the trunk. If you look at pictures, you would notice that aluminum supports are all curvy. Because of that it would fold to be more than 1 ft thick. If I put it in a minivan trunk sideway, it would take up all the space. If you put it up vertically, it's not stable.
