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Maclaren Triumph Stroller
by xmum2threex
**The pushchair**
I was lucky enough to win a competition for a £100 mother care voucher last year, and so as I needed a new pushchair I decided to put it towards one. On visiting my local store I knew I wanted a Maclaren so when I came across this for £130 I decided this was the one for me. It is one of the cheaper pushchairs ... in their range, but as I trust the quality of the brand I decided it would be fine. We purchased ours in the charcoal colour, as we knew it would be suitable for both my son and daughter to use. The pushchair looks stylish enough. It is not overly complicated with a simple frame, and smart design. We purchased the charcoal version so once we wiped it with a cloth it came up perfectly. It is a great size perfect for little one to sit in, but not to large so it can be used on public transport without any problems at all. It is an umbrella stroller so a simple on the go pushchair, but it also means it is perfect for throwing in the boot and taking on holiday. It is only suitable for children three months plus as it does not recline fully.
One of the first things that drew me in to this pushchair was the handles. Although they are not adjustable, as my husband uses the pushchair as much as I do I need something that would suit his height. For an umbrella pushchair the handles are perfect, they are high enough so that my husband can use it with ease, while still being comfortable for me to push. They have foam padding for a comfy hold while pushing it around for a long amount of time, and the shape of them is perfect for easy pushing. There is a recline function, and by using a buckle at the back of the pushchair it can be moved to a lying down position fairly easily. The angle it sits at while reclined is comfy enough for little one to take a nap, and when sat upright all though it is not completely straight it is a lot comfier for my children.
**In use**
It is an umbrella stroller so not one for jogging or going off road, but in day to day use it is perfect. We use it for walks, taking my children to school just day to day things that are made easier with my son in his pushchair. It has a five point safety harness which to be honest I found really difficult at first. You have to push the front, and back in together at the same time to open the buckle. This is great as it means my toddler cannot let himself out, but I did find for the first few weeks it was a little stiff. It seems to have loosened up now, but my children are still unable to open it. Even my five year old son cannot open the harness so it means no escapes by little one. What I love is the seat is rather large. Not in a way so that little one becomes lost in fabric, but as my then 18 month old son is rather stocky he had a fair amount of room to sit comfortably in the seat. Another thing I like is the hood of the pushchair sits high above little ones head as we have had problems before where it sits to low and irritates my children as they grow a little bigger. It also has a lot of padding to make sure the seat is comfy for long amounts of time.
The brakes for me are a bit flimsy. They are easy to use by simply pressing on the red plastic piece that sits in the middle. I just find it does not work perfectly while the breaks are fully on, and with some pushing it can still be moved so I tend to be a little more careful with it and where I sit it down. The shopping basket is tiny, which means I cannot really do much shopping if I do not take the car. I can fit in bread, milk and other essentials on a top up shop, but it is not for anyone that is hoping for a large shopping basket. Also the footrest is a little thin. It can still be used comfortably my by son, but compared to other pushchairs we own it seems to be a little more flimsy and bends a lot under the pressure of little ones feet. To open and close the pushchair it is fairly easy. At first I have to admit I found it extremely difficult to fold the pushchair down, but once I correctly read the instructions I could see how it could be advertised as a one hand fold down. I can hold my son in my arms and then by pushing on the button at the side of the pushchair and applying some pressure it fall down in to a compact pile. There is no need to lock the pushchair then as it does that automatically and that's that all ready to go in the boot. Opening it up is just as effortless, by unlocking the clips at the side and pushing down on the middle bar at the back of the pushchair it opens up easily. There is a carry handle but I removed this as soon as we set it up as that is just something I wouldn't need to use to be honest.
The thing I love about this pushchair the most is how lightweight it is. It honestly is a dream to push, and I have no problems at all with it. At the same time as being very flexible to take in the car or on holiday, we also find it is perfect for day to day use. We used this as our main pushchair for our son right up until my youngest daughter was born without any problems at all. As it is my husband that drives that meant while he was at work I had to use buses and trains a lot. The front wheels are swivel wheels so you can move around without any difficulty, but if I needed to lock them with a simple push of a button they were stable so I can get on and off easily. It works well on flat surfaces, and also on uneven roads although it is a little bumpy for little one. I wouldn't suggest it for constant off road use, but once in a while is fine. The durability of this pushchair is fantastic, with near daily use it is still in perfect condition without any defects at all. The wheels are a little worn, but the main body is still perfect.
**Summary**
I would highly recommend this pushchair to anyone. It looks nice without being too complicated, folds down in to a compact size so it can fit in our car even while using the two back seats. It is very durable and I managed to get a lot of use out of it in this last year. This pushchair is the standard model from Maclaren but the quality still shines through. If you are looking for a good quality day to day stroller this can be purchased for around the £100 mark, and it can be found in all major retailers that stock baby items so you will not have any problems finding one.
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Maclaren Quest
by darren55
After having our third child, our old pushchair finally gave up the ghost and was more of a danger to the baby than a nice safe haven so we went out and bought a Maclaren Quest for £144 and so far it has been amongst the best buys we've ever made.
Maclaren pushchairs and strollers are as describe them as a decent brand where ... you pay for the quality but don't feel that the price is way too high so their products are always superb but also just about affordable for parents feeling the pinch as a one off item. So we bought the blue Maclaren quest for our now four month old baby girl, yes I know blue but it's more a blue outline rather than a blue all over and once you've put the inner padding seat which is patterned than the blue is almost invisible.
The key factors for any pushchair are ease of access and removal and how easy to steer? Well the answer for the Maclaren is very easy on both fronts, the baby is inserted into the pushchair and held by padded arms which click into a front button, to release you press the button at the front and behind. In terms of handling well the pushchair feels so light it's ridiculous, it also has wheels which turn independently and allows for pushing in any direction without having the turning circle of an oil tanker. After our previous pushchair, the ease of getting the pushchair down our back step and around the shops was an eye-opener and makes taking the baby out so much more fun when you can easily steer the pushchair around rather than wresting the handles all the time.
The pushchair comes with the usual rain cover, but there is a pouch behind the baby where the rain cover can be stored when it's not raining in this country rather than stuffing under the pushchair. The biggest factor for me is the lightness of the pushchair and the ease of handling; both are down to good design and use of lightweight materials. The pushchair is also easy to unfold and has a clip which clips the frame together and makes carrying the pushchair around a possibility if out and about. I don't think I could say that about any other pushchair we've ever owned.
This Maclaren cost £144, though that was with a bit of a discount on the day, normally they retail for between £180 and £220. My tip would be buy it from Mothercare as they were substantially cheaper than any other outlet and don't even consider buying through a catalogue as the price quoted was almost £300.
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Maclaren Globetrotter
by maxwell_star
- Why We Bought -
I knew I wanted a light weight Maclaren pushchair once my son was six months as I had heard they were high quality and light weight. Most Maclaren models cost well over £100 but we managed to buy the Globetrotter stroller for £80 when on offer in Mothercare.
- The Stroller -
This is an attractive ... outward facing stroller which is suitable to use from six months up until the child weighs 15Kg. It has a silver-coloured metal frame with soft water resistant seat and hood. Our stroller is grey but it also comes in red, pink, black, blue.
- Features -
It has multiple recline positions which is very simple to adjust and can even be done while the child is in the stroller. It comfortably accommodates my son when he is awake and eager to see out and when he is asleep. There is a black rubber foot rest which is not adjustable but is a good height. There are two handle bars so it can't be pushed one handed but they are comfortable to hold and can carry a change bag. These aren't adjustable but we find the height to be suitable for myself at 5ft3 and my husband at 6ft1. There is a brake on the back which is easy to operate but I do find it slides to 'on' a little too easily when stationary but I haven't found this to be a big problem. There is a net shopping basket under the seat which is a reasonable size but a little hard to access. The stroller has four wheels and is easy to manoeuvre on pavements, grass and through shops. It is very light weight and easy to fold up so it fits nicely into the boot of my Vauxhall Astra, but watch your fingers as the scissor folding mechanism has been criticised for being dangerous although we have never had any problems. The seat has a five point harness which is easy to adjust but not so easy to undo! This is great for stopping little ones from escaping but can be a bit fiddly for parents. The stroller comes with a rain cover which is simple to fit and effectively protects my son from the rain. We purchased a foot muff separately for the winter months.
- Price and Availability -
The Globetrotter retails for £100 but we bought ours for £80 in Mothercare. I have not seen it in other stores. I think this is a great price as Maclaren is a reliable brand and we have been very pleased with it.
- Would I Recommend -
I would certainly recommend this stroller as it is lightweight, easy to fold, easy and comfortable to use and most importantly my son is safe and comfortable. I have been very happy with this and will hopefully keep it for any future children once my son has grown out of it.
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