When my trusty Maclaren finally broke on me it was time to look for a new pushchair. I wanted something light, compact and cheap! The Chicco Winter Stroller in blue was on offer in Argos for around £50 and fitted the bill perfectly. I have now owned this model for around 6 months and this is my experience of the product so far:
The seat has a 5 position reclining backrest and is meant to be suitable from birth. Though for me personally, I wouldn't wish to use it from then as I prefer something flatter. The frame is aluminium weighing in at 7.5kg and its opened size is 64cm x 46cm x101cm. This makes it light to push, lift and compact enough to be used on public transport as it is. If you do have to collapse it, the umbrella fold mechanism means that you can fold it one handed (and a foot) which is useful if you need to use one arm to hold a wriggling child at the same time! The folded dimensions are 20cmx 30cm x108cm and fits easily into the boot of a smallish car. The folding mechanism was rather hard to operate at first but appears to of loosened up with use.
The front wheels can be used on swivel or locked to suite your preference and the linked rear break is applied by lifting a bar at the rear with your foot. This break actually feels more secure than my old more expensive Maclaren. The wheels are chunky plastic and are wearing well after 6 months of a lot of use. This type of pushchair is best suited for town use although it has stood up well to being used on the odd country lane walk as well.
There is an adjustable leg rest to keep your growing child comfortable and the essential 5 point safety harness which is also adjustable and feels safe and secure..
A moderate sized net shopping basket is underneath, not huge but enough for a few items.
There are soft handgrip handles which are non adjustable and at a fairly low height which suits me fine being a shorty but a taller person may wish to look for something with adjustable height handles as theses may well feel to low for comfort.
The detachable folding hood is quite deep, and shades the child fairly well from the sun though I have purchased an additional longer shade also (review to come!).
One of my main reasons for purchasing this product was the fact that it included a rain cover and cosy toes which often must be purchased separately at further expense with other pushchair makes. The cosy toes is fleece lined, warm and comfortable and incorporates a buggy liner. The outside material matches the main pushchair fabric and is a perfectly serviceable and easy to clean Nylon. I know it's easy to clean as the cosy toes have been through the wash on several occasions with no ill effect so far.
I must say that aesthetically the material does look a little "cheap" and scratchy though as I mentioned before, the liner is fleece and this is what the child sits on, so no worries there.
The rain cover isn't the best. Attaches with Velcro tabs at the rear and down by the front wheels. These tabs have now come off but it still does the job if it's not too windy!
All in all, I would say this pushchair has been excellent value for the price I paid. It's no looker, but if you are wanting a town pushchair, great on public transport and cheap give it a try.