I'd suffered through over a year of our horrible
Evenflo stroller. The design was so poor that there was very little I liked about it, even though it was used every few weeks at most. Determined to find something better, I quickly came across
Maclaren strollers. While more pricy in all styles of strollers than their more well known counterparts, these English imports seemed to be the cream of the crop in strollers.
As we didn't use the stroller often, I wanted something functional and nice, but was not willing to fork over hundreds of dollars for it. The "base" Maclaren stroller was what most people consider an umbrella stroller - compact, lightweight, and with few features. The Volo retailed for $99 and came in assorted colours including black, grey, bumble-bee yellow, red, and blue. When I found the attractive grey Volo 2003 model available new for $75 including shipping, I jumped at the opportunity to finally have a decent stroller.
The "Mercedes" of Strollers
Umbrella strollers were available for under $20 at places such as Babies "R" Us. Why on earth would I spend so much money on something I could get so cheap? Like a lot of things in life, you get what you pay for.
The Maclaren Volo featured:
•
Only 8.4lb, making lifting and pushing painfree
•
Carrying strap to tote around the stroller when not being used
•
5-point harness to keep the child safely in the seat
•
Padded handles for easier pushing
•
Small basket underneath the seat - large enough to put a small purse or a few cloth diapers (with a weight capacity of 4.4lb)
•
Removable mesh seat - cooler for the baby on hot days at the zoo, yet easy to clean
•
Lockable dual swivel wheels, giving an amazing turning radius
•
Taller, angled frame to allow those 5'5" and above to avoid hitting the stroller with every step
An optional accessory pack was available for purchase, which included a seat liner, sun shade, rain cover, and carrying case. Because this pack added $50 to the purchase price, I decided it wasn't worth it. Those that would find the accessory pack a "must have" item would likely save more money purchasing the next Maclaren model, the Triumph.
When the Volo arrived, I was thrilled with my purchase. The "locking" lever on the side was pulled to allow the stroller to unfold, a quick and easy process. Unlike our full size stroller, this umbrella stroller didn't go toppling on itself if it wasn't held up in the front. When in "in use" position, both front wheels could be easily and quickly locked with the pull of a lever.
Like most umbrella strollers, the Maclaren Volo was low enough to the ground that my son could easily climb into the seat himself. It wasn't so low, however, that I could not easily put him in the seat if he was asleep. With the 5-point harness, I wasn't worried about him flipping himself out of the seat as I was in his old stroller.
The most amazing part of this stroller was the easy pushing and turning. When I was young, I hated the umbrella stroller we had for my brother. It was impossible to turn and hard to push, despite its relatively low weight. The full size stroller we had was no different - it was hard to turn, impossible to get into tight spaces, and tended to drift when being pushed in a straight line. The Volo was completely different. This stroller could make a 90 degree turn with ease and when pushed, required no struggle and continued on straight, not wandering all over. While my Carpal-tunnel ridden wrists would hurt after using out old stroller, they had no problems pushing the Volo for hours.
Although this typical umbrella stroller had no fancy shock absorber system, I found the Maclaren Volo to have just a smooth feeling while being pushed on flat, smooth surfaces as our old stroller with shocks. Even on tile at the mall, the stroller did not feel like it took every little grout bump.
I'd worried about the lightweight frame standing up to abuse, but that worry proved unfounded. Even being partially stepped on while in the floor of the back seat, this stroller looked as it did on day one. The plastic connector pieces felt strong and sturdy, unlike the cheap plastic feel of our old stroller.
The Base Model Mercedes
While this Maclaren was certainly a Mercedes-class stroller, the Volo would have been the base model Mercedes. Despite my joy with it, a few things were somewhat annoying.
While the mesh seat was great on hot summer days and for cleaning, the seat was also a huge downfall depending on what my son was wearing. Because of the plastic-like mesh, he'd tend to slide down while riding if he wasn't wearing pants that "caught" on the seat. While he wouldn't show obvious signs of being uncomfortable, it didn't look comfortable so I'd have to unstrap him and boost him up fairly often.
Typical of most umbrella strollers, the Maclaren Volo did not have an adjustable seat back. While not an issue for us, this meant the stroller could only be used after the infant was around 6 months of age, or could easily hold himself up. This would have also become a major issue with children who slept soundly enough that they always slumped over if upright. While I would never have been able to lower the seat without my son waking up, this stroller would not work for parents of kids who tend to sleep deeply when out and about.
The last issue dealt with design - of me and the stroller itself. Folding up the stroller was supposed to be a one handed thing. A lever was to be lifted up with your foot, allowing the stroller to be easily pushed into itself to lock into a folded position. The first problem was my choice of footwear. I liked boots. Big stompy boots. This had not changed since becoming a mother. It was absolutely impossible in big stompy boots to manage to work the lever with your foot. While this was also the case with the breaks at the front wheels, it became more annoying when attempting to close the stroller. While the Volo was easier to fold than our old stroller, it was always a slight struggle to get it closed. Because the levers blended in with the other plastic portions of the frame, those not familiar with the stroller also struggled with finding the right levers to close the stroller. Slightly larger levers in different colours than the rest of the unit would have been a major plus.
And the survey says...
Living up to their "Mercedes of Strollers" image, the Maclaren actually comes in model years. When I learned of this fact, I don't think my eyes rolled so much since my last contact tore while I was wearing it. Do you have to purchase this years model? Is there even any difference? Nope and nope.
The model "year" isn't printed in large letters anywhere, so those of you worried about being out of style won't be branded as having last years model. Despite having no new features, the only difference between the 2003 model and the 2004 model appears to be an extra pound to the total weight. The frame looked and felt exactly the same on the new model I looked at. The other difference appeared to be the addition of two new colours for 2004 - a "patriot blue" colour scheme with red, white, light blue and dark blue stripes, as well as a "wood ash" scheme with light blue, light green, and pinkish stripes. The 2004 model year also got rid of the yellow and red coloured seats. Unless you must have one of the new colour combinations, save your money and look around for the discounts available on 2003 models.
Despite the few drawbacks, I am still thrilled with my Maclaren Volo. While pricy, it's well worth the cost for those who use strollers more than once a year. If the stroller was used often, I'd likely look into a "higher end" model by Maclaren, but for basic use, the Volo simply can't be beat.
