When I had baby number four I bought a travel system to try and make things a bit easier but it turned out to be too big for the boot of the car and just too heavy for me to constantly be lifting it in and out of the car up to eight times a day.

As soon as my baby was big enough for the next size car seat I sold the travel system and set about buying myself a new buggy........

I eventually bought the Silver Cross pop Classic in Ebony. I had intended to buy a much cheaper buggy and looked everywhere and spent hours online trying to find what I was after. Currently (Feb 2011) Mothercare have this buggy reduced at £117 but the normal price is £130. There is also a matching footmuff that is around £40 but Mothercare don't have this online at the moment. If you look around you can find it cheaper but in my opinion this is still quite an expensive buggy. I found a brand new one with the matching footmuff on ebay for £98. This was a little more than I had originally planned to spend but none of the others I had looked at were a well-known brand or had the reputation of Silver cross.

When the buggy arrived I had to put on the front wheels and the cup holder and carry strap but this was really simple to do and only took a few minutes.

I have been using the buggy just over a week now and have found some good and bad points.

First the good:
I am not disappointed by the quality of the materials used or the padding in the seat which is much thicker than many buggies I looked at. The metalwork is sturdy and doesn't look likely to buckle or warp easily like some of the others that seem really spindly.
The whole thing looks very stylish because the ebony colour way is all black with a raised pattern to the fabric but otherwise it is basically black with grey logos and the metal frame. The wheels look like alloys which also add to the overall look of style and quality.
The cup holder is a nice addition and after having one on my travel system I was pleased to see it on the buggy. I'd never had one before but find it useful for holding my baby's cup when we are out instead of putting it into the hood and having it leak everywhere.
It is really light to lift which is such a relief after months of struggling with a heavy travel system. According to the Mothercare website this buggy weighs only 7.2kg.
It is really easy to push and steer because of the front swivel wheels.
It comes with a raincover
It folds and unfolds really easily without much effort or faffing around

Now the bad:
The handles are really high. According to Mothercare they are 107cm high. I am only 5'4" and I seem to find myself pushing right on the bottom of the handle almost on the upright piece. The handles are ergonomically shaped but because of my height my wrists are too low and trying to push using the handles gets uncomfortable.
The handles are light grey and show the dirt.
The legrest is adjustable but when you fold the buggy the legrest folds upwards so when you then unfold the buggy the legrest is folded up the wrong way so you have to remember to adjust this before you can put your baby in.
The seat is really shallow. I have owned a Mothercare double buggy and a cheap buggy I bought from ebay and they seemed to have quite a nice size seat but when I was looking for this buggy everything seemed to have such a shallow seat. I don't know why this is but I don't like it because in my experience babies and toddlers tend to slide down in the seat of their buggies and sort of slouch and if the seat is shallow they will end up sitting on the leg rest.
It is hard to steer with one hand and when the front wheels are locked it is easy to push with one hand but impossible to steer.
It has a strange harness. It has a five point harness but you have five separate pieces. There is one piece that comes up between the legs a piece that comes round each side and two more straps that come over the shoulders. To secure your baby you have to bring the piece over the shoulder then thread the side piece through it and then clip it into the buckle and then obviously repeat this process for the other side, when you are in a rush or wrestling with a fidgeting toddler this is not ideal.
It has a one hand recline but this is just a fancy sliding thing that controls the strap that goes around the back of the seat. Personally I don't like the strap recline system and have always bought buggies with the two sliders that you have one on either side of the buggy. To me the strap around the back is mostly used on cheaper buggies and by hiding it with a fancy slide doesn't make it work any better. I find it fiddly to return the seat to a sitting position using this mechanism.

On the whole I am pleased with my buggy and I am sure I will get used to the few little niggles that I have with it. I wouldn't have paid the Mothercare price for it because at the end of the day you can buy a Mothercare buggy with the hood, rain cover and footmuff/liner for about £50 so you are really paying a lot for the Silver Cross name. I agree that the buggy is good quality for your money but if you bought a cheaper one and it was no good you could replace it a few times for the same money.

I would recommend the buggy but only at a reduced price as there is nothing outstanding about the buggy that is worth paying the extra for. I have looked at some very cheap and cheerful buggies but have also found some that are just as good quality for much less money.