orbit stroller anyone?

jillianjigs7

i was thinking about the bugaboo, but now have turned to the orbit. total weight is 14lbs. so hard to believe! does anyone have this or thinking about getting it???

JaysonandKristin

It's supposed to be #1 in safety, but I opted for #2 in safety (Britax) since it was about half the price.  If money was no issue, I would totally have gotten it.  

brooketarne

I'm debating between the Orbit and the Uppa Baby Vista.  They're both awesome!!  The pros to the Uppa Baby are that it comes with a bassinet and is super light.  

mooeta

I saw a report that during testing there were a number of failures of this product when attached to the base in the car.  IF you are going to use it for a stroller then go for it, but if you intend to use it in your car with its base then I wouldn't recommend it.

Mrs.PeachyKeen

mooeta:

I saw a report that during testing there were a number of failures of this product when attached to the base in the car.  IF you are going to use it for a stroller then go for it, but if you intend to use it in your car with its base then I wouldn't recommend it.

 

I think that you are referring to the Consumer Report testing.  Apparently, they didn't install the car seat according to the instructions and that is why it failed.  Something to do with tightening the seat belt.   If you go to the Consumer Report website there is a ton of discussions about it and why what CR did was wrong. 

I have considered it, but it is a bit weird looking and very expensive.  I like the UppaBaby or the Teutonia better for that type of stroller.

 

 

epphd

Here's a news report on the Consumer Reports "don't buy" rec for Orbit:

https://www.wcpo.com/content/news/localshows/dontwasteyourmoney/story/Consumer-Reports-Warns-about-Stroller-Carseat/KrVbM5_AjUG4fIWC3aDHaQ.cspx

Our partners at Consumer Reports Magazine have identified a possible safety risk in a high-end infant ?travel system? that combines features of an infant carrier, a stroller, and a car seat. 

Here is the information they have published regarding this seat.

Travel Systems Called a Safety Risk

The product, the Orbit? Infant System, was rated ?Don?t Buy: Safety Risk? after the infant carrier detached from its car seat base in two of six simulated 30-mph frontal crash tests that Consumer Reports commissioned at an outside laboratory. The magazine conducted the tests using the guidelines for speed and impact crash simulations dictated by the federal standard for child restraints.

Although the Orbit system, which retails for $900, is not among the overall leaders in terms of sales, it has carved out a niche in the market thanks in part to its popularity with A-list celebrities, some of whom offer testimonials on its Web site.

The system consists of an infant carrier that can be snapped into either a car seat base, for use in a vehicle, or a stroller base, for use when on foot. Thus, it offers convenience for parents who want to be able to lift their child out of a stroller into a car, or vice versa, with a minimum of hassle.

Why it is Not Recommended

The Orbit was the only travel system in the magazines tests to show any failures. The other two travel systems tested, the Graco Stylus and Eddie Bauer Adventurer, stayed attached to their bases during the crash simulations.

Of the two failures in Consumer Reports? tests, one occurred when the car seat base was attached using the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system that is featured on newer cars. The other failure occurred when the base was installed with the three-point (lap and shoulder) seat belt that is standard on modern cars. Six Orbit seats bought from retail merchants were tested. The other four passed the tests, and all findings were reviewed by an outside child-safety expert who has experience in child-restraint crash testing.

Consumer Reports shared its test results with Orbit Baby, and the company ran their own tests at the same laboratory and found no failures.

In a statement to Consumer Reports, Joseph Hei, chief executive officer of the Newark, Calif.-based company, says Orbit Baby has never received any report of a child being injured while in an Orbit baby seat. ?We do not believe the test results obtained by Consumers Union are indicative of the safety of our Infant Car seats,? Hei wrote in an e-mailed statement. ?Our car seats are used by children, including our own, and safety is our top priority. We strongly believe in the quality of our product.?

Consumer Reports says it decided to rate the seat ?Don?t Buy: Safety Risk? so that parents, safety experts and regulators would be aware of the results and of the potential for injury if an Orbit seat were to fail in a real crash.

Consumer Reports advises that anyone who already owns an Orbit Infant System should strap the infant carrier directly, without the car seat base, into the back seat of a vehicle. Installed this way, the infant carrier passed the tests when it was secured using either a two-point (lap) belt or a three-point (lap and shoulder) belt. Obviously this makes the product somewhat less convenient to use. But used as a stroller, separate tests have showed the Orbit system to be perfectly safe.

Magazine Recommends a Best Buy

Meanwhile, for those in search of an alternative stroller, Consumer Reports recommends the Graco Stylus Travel System 7U02GA03 ($245). It passed all of the  tests and was named a Best Buy.

Copyright 2009 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

mitchelltheojua

Yeah ... I was contemplating it ... along with the bugaboo cameleon & frog, Phill and Teds Vibe stroller, Quinny, Peg Perego Skate, etc.

BUT ... it's been getting lots of bad reviews (I think others have said this too in response to your post) that it's not safe ... that one is definitely out for me ... infant carrier has been known to detach from the stroller in safety tests  ... on the "don't buy list" because of safety problems in consumer reports.  

GreekyPie

No, I don't want to spend that much. I don't love it enough to consider it.

mrswags05

I haven't used the Orbit but have looked at it in stores.  I can't believe the 14 pounds is for the entire stroller - perhaps that's what the frame weighs without the carseat attached?  The stroller seemed quite heavy to me, comparable to most of the other larger strollers like baby jogger & mountain buggy.  

The reviews I've read are very, very mixed.  Some people love it, but many people have major issues with the system too.  And it is pretty expensive by the time you buy the stroller, the infant seat, and the toddler seat all separately.  (Comparable to the bugaboo higher end models.)

I decided it wasn't right for us...but that doesn't mean it isn't for you.  If you do decide to get it, let us know how you like it!     I'm always interested in first-hand reviews of baby gear.

mooeta

Mrs.PeachyKeen:

mooeta:

I saw a report that during testing there were a number of failures of this product when attached to the base in the car.  IF you are going to use it for a stroller then go for it, but if you intend to use it in your car with its base then I wouldn't recommend it.

 

I think that you are referring to the Consumer Report testing.  Apparently, they didn't install the car seat according to the instructions and that is why it failed.  Something to do with tightening the seat belt.   If you go to the Consumer Report website there is a ton of discussions about it and why what CR did was wrong. 

I have considered it, but it is a bit weird looking and very expensive.  I like the UppaBaby or the Teutonia better for that type of stroller.

 

If Consumer reports who have experience with testing and car seats can't install it right then I don't have much faith that I could.  That would be my concern.

mulatta72

I checked into that one but decided to go with the Bugaboo instead.  It got better reviews on most of the sites I visited.  Still haven't decided between the Frog and the Chameleon yet, though.  Luckily my mom is buying it for us because my husband definitely would have put his foot down on paying that much for a stroller.

kimekat

We saw the orbit in BBB and took it out of the base and put it back in and tried putting it in and out of the stroller base. My DH had no problems doing it the first time and had me try taking it out of the car seat base and put it back in. I never made it to try putting it in the stroller since once I took it out of the car seat base, I found it heavy to carry the seat and had several tries just trying to put it into the car seat base. I eventually gave up and told DH to put it back in. He couldn't get it back in right away either and we both commented on how heavy it was and they didn't list all the prices for everything for it. When we got home I looked them up and the prices and just for the main things, my eyeballs popped out of my head. We were definitely sure on getting the Britax one. After reading the safety reports on it and seeing both sides comment on Orbit. I do think if we had trouble getting the seat into the base, I could see it being a problem of keeping the child safe. Since there were times putting it in the base that we thought it was in but when pulling on it to see if it was it would turn out that it wasn't.