Zipp Zapp Zoom (Maxi-Cosi Quinny Zapp)

Member Name: lulu2004

Product:	Maxi-Cosi Quinny Zapp
Date:	28/09/08 (583 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very tiny to fold

Disadvantages: Stability and no storage

Working in a Baby Shop has never really helped my addiction to baby equipment, particularly now that I have two children. My 2 year old has had five buggies so far, and I can't seem to stop, heaven knows how many I will have gone through by the time my second child has grown up but thankfully if you chose your brands wisely they all will make a lot of their money back if you flog them on Ebay when you're finished with them. Its a good job i'm on maternity leave... otherwise Id be spending all my money at work at the moment!

The Quinny Zapp is my current 'second stroller' (How bad do I sound, most people only have one!) and I bought it for very specific reasons. I use it now when I have my toddler out and about without his little sister- it is compact enough to keep it in the car with her pram there too.

Working with mums on a daily basis choosing their pushchairs I would advise parents to think long and hard what they need from their purchase. There is a lot of expense when kitting out a child safely and so you really want to feel that you have made the best choice for your child. If you are looking for a town stroller and do not have much space in your car then this is the one for you.

I drive a Fiesta. The boot space is quite limited, and when I have my larger stroller in there I don't have much room for my weekly shopping or any purchases I make. When your Quinny Zapp folds down it is minute. I can easily pop it on the floor behind my seat and have the whole boot space for my goods. This has been my primary reason for owning it. To make this review easy to read I will break it down to Pros and Cons. It is very good to know these when choosing a stroller as you can get blinded by features and can miss how these will impact you as not all are as positive as they sound.

Quinny Zapp PROS:
_______________

Folding
The main attraction with the Zapp is its folded Dimensions: 69 x 27 x 30cm. This is very dinky indeed, and to get it to fold to that size is not at all difficult. It is a 1-2-3 step process and each of the buttons is marked to show what to do next. It is hard to explain without have the Stroller in front, but to unfold your stroller there are two round parts at the side, marked 1 and 2. You lift the stroller by these and it starts to assemble, then you pull out lever 3 until it clicks. Push button 1 in and hold button 2 and the top part will assemble and click into place. I've made that sound 100 times more complicated than it is- when you look at a Zapp you will understand that folding and unfolding is very easy. It becomes second nature to any mother who has used it a few times.

Steering
The turning circle for a Zapp is tiny; this makes it very easy to scoot around stores and to turn in an aisle. The front wheel swivels very easily and can also be locked in place for bumpy terrain. The handle bars are very well designed and nice to grip.

Looks
Without going into huge detail, the Zapp is one of the most eye-catching strollers on the market at the moment. It seems to particularly appeal to men, who love the engineering of it combined with the unusual design of the seat unit. The Zapp comes in many colours which change annually, the current colours are Strawberry, Capri, Black, Forest and Pink so they give a really good selection.

Brand Recognition
Quinny is recognised as a cool brand on the streets; it is not cheap with an RRP of £149.99 and is very much the brand of the moment in our area. If you like to keep up appearance then this is a good choice for you. It has the logo over the sides of the tubular frame so there can be no mistakes made in identifying it.

Adaptability- Travel System
The Zapp can be a very lightweight travel system simply by removing the seat and popping on the adapters for the Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix car seat. This is ultra-convenient for parents who want to run a few quick errands with a young infant as the seat part of the Zapp is only suitable for 6 months plus.
It also pops into its own travel bag so you can sling it over your shoulder which is a very big plus if you travel a lot. I havent used it for this purpose as its really only for my toddler- the baby has her own frame for the maxi-cosi.

Quinny Zapp CONS:
_______________

No Recline
There is no reclining on the seat unit of the Zapp, which is unfortunate for a child who wants to sleep. Although the seat is rather deep it would be nice to have a recline feature. If the seat did even drop back a little it would mean that a child could use it from an earlier age, but the way it sits, your child should be able to sit by themselves for a short time before you could even think of using this as your only stroller. I bought it for my son at 9 months as he seemed strong enough for it then

Stability Issues
This is certainly not the stroller of taking into forests or bumpy lanes- the three wheel design makes it susceptible to tipping when it is on rough ground. It drives like a dream in the town, but is not very good when you take it somewhere more testing. Because all three wheels are small it also can be difficult to negotiate steps. If you really wanted a Quinny but were not going to be using it on smooth ground I would suggest you buy the Quinny Buzz or Speedi instead of the Zapp; their pumped wheels handle terrain much better.

Tipping Issues
This is really very important- DO NOT hang anything on the handles of the Zapp as it is not able to support weight here and will tip with your baby on board. If you are like many parents and like to do a bit of shopping while in town then the Zapp probably is not a good choice as there is no storage, as outlined in the next point.

No Shopping Basket or Bag
There is no basket under the seat to pop your items in while shopping. If I am using the Zapp I bring an oversized handbag with me to fit items in as you cannot hang bags on the handle bars. It is very simply a run-a-round pushchair, when you need to go quickly on one or two errands. It does fit its purpose perfectly, but it needs a lot of consideration to invest in.

Expensive:
At an RRP of 149.99 (shop around- you will get better deals) this is an expensive stroller bearing in mind the fact that it has no storage or recline.
+++++

At the moment those are all the pros and cons I can think of regarding my Zapp. I do love it dearly and it stays in the car for my quick trips into town, but I do find that I prefer my daughters wheels... I have a Bugaboo for her and it is a much more substantial device, but it isnt handy like the zapp. My partner however prefers the Zapp, I think he finds it more masculine and as he doesn't do much shopping he doesn't find the lack of storage to be a problem. The Zapp is fab, but buy wisely!

Summary: This isn't the stroller for everyone.