|
Sunshine Kids Radian65 Convertible Car Seat - Granite | 
 enlarge
| Brand: Sunshine Kids
Category: Baby Product
List Price: $219.99
Buy New: $189.00
You Save: $30.99 (14%)
New (13) from $189.00
Rating:  44 reviews
Sales Rank: 119
Color: Granite
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Age: 1 month - 6 years
Maximum Weight Recommendation (lbs): 65
Shipping Weight (lbs): 25.8
Dimensions (in): 30 x 17.9 x 9
MPN: 16580
Model: 16580
UPC: 677726165803
EAN: 0677726165803
ASIN: B000G7YM0Q
Release Date: June 2, 2006
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
| |
| Features:
| + | 5lbs to 33lbs rear facing, Forward facing up to 65lbs | | + | 5-point harness and 3 buckle positions | | + | 3" longer seat bottom | | + | EPS safety foam for side-impact protection with steel alloy frame | | + | Folds flat to a compact 6.5" for easy travel and storage |
|
| Accessories:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Radian is a Convertible Car Seat for rear-facing children 5 to 33 lbs. and forward-facing children up to 65 lbs in a 5-point harness. Maximum child height is 51 inches. It features a high-stength steel alloy frame and 5 harness slot positions that are all reinforced for forward-facing use. Includes SafeStop, which absorbs harness load energy in an accident. It's also the only car seat in the world that folds to just 7". Advanced safety and performance features set new standards since it exceeds current regulations used to measure safety, convenience and comfort for the car seat industry. Champagne is tan and charcoal gray. Features: - 5 lbs. to 80 lbs. in 5-point harness
- Highest capacity convertible car seat
- Steel alloy frame
- Strongest convertible car seat made
- SafeStop harness system
- Absorbs impact energy in an accident
- 4-panel system EPS safety foam
- Total side-impact protection, more than any other seat
- V-shaped top tether
- Can be used rear-facing
- 5 shoulder and 3 buckle positions
- Proper harness fit for all ages and weights
- Narrower outside width
- Fit three seats across the back seat
- Infant body support
- Converts to pillow cushions for older child
- Folds to 7" (17.8 cm) thick
- Travel and storage convenience
- Easier to get child in and out, plus safer positioning for child
- Dimensions Open: 17"W x 16"D x 28.5"H
- Dimensions Folded: 17"W x 7"D x 28.5"H
- Weight 22.99 lbs.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 39 more reviews...
 GREAT SEAT July 31, 2007
31 out of 31 found this review helpful
REVIEW
- Foldable seat - This is the key reason that we purchase this as opposed to buying another Britax Marathon. Once the seat is folded, it is about 7" thick. There are tabs on the frame to allow you to carry it with a strap (sold separately).
- Carry bag (sold separately) - We also purchased the bag/backpack to carry the seat onto planes. It fits the seat like a glove and can be converted from shoulder-carry to backpack. BTW, if you want to go minimalist, you can also unbuckle these straps and hook them onto the seat's frame. Very convenient.
- Steel frame - Although the Radian is slimmer than the Britax, it is still quite heavy (20 lb.) due to its steel frame. Since we only plan to lug the seat on infrequent plane trips, this was not much of an issue for us.
- Fabric - Suede feel, less velour-like, more fitted than Britax. Padding is about the same thickness as Britax but looks less as the suede fabric is more tailored (not as puffy).
- Seat Size - definitely a narrower seat (many board members have reported that you can fit 3 of these seats in the back seat).
- Comfort - My 3 year old son has not had any complaints about the seat. I did notice that the seat belts are a bit closer together when buckled and thus making the padded epaulettes (comes with the seat) essential to prevent seat belt burn on the neck.
- Chest Clips - They do feel a bit flimsier than Britax (has extra rubber pad (HUGS in their lingo)).
- Rear Facing - We are using it forward facing so we did not need to install the additional based for rear facing. I am annoyed that the car seat is not all in one piece but I suppose it lowers the weight for traveling for those who only need forward facing.
- Recline - There are only 2 options - recline or upright with very little recline. We chose the recline position and my son is comfortable napping in this position. It is also not overly reclined to prevent him checking out the road.
- Installation - Some people complained of installation problems. We used LATCH (forward facing) on our 2006 Mazda5 and did not have any problems with the installation. We have yet to try installing it with a seat belt. Overall, I think the Britax is easier to install with its clip locks for seat belt installation and versa tether to allow for front tethering options. However, if you plan to use LATCH forward facing, both the Britax and the Radian65 are equally easy to install.
CONCLUSION
The Radian65 is a very nice seat that is far more portable due to its folding seat than the Britax Marathon. I especially like its innovative portable features with the carry bag and the tabs on the seat for carrying it. This is a cool feature that I did not find in any other seat.
The ONLY car seat that works in my situation. January 23, 2007
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
My car ('95 525i) has a lap belt in the center back seat, making a belt-positioning booster impossible. Additionally, the only seats I have seen that accommodate a 44# child are GIGANTIC! Since I have 3 kids in the back seat, two already in boosters, a huge car seat was not an option. I have been at a loss, keeping my big kid in his Britax Advantage for waaay longer than he should have been. I was so happy to find the Radian65! I could install it with the lap belt, the weight limit is 65#(!), and it actually fits between the two boosters without crowding my other two kids. This would have been enough for me, but I am also very impressed with the quality of the seat. The design details were very thoughtful, and the workmanship is on par with Britax. It looks like a much more expensive seat. Which brings me to my final point: I live in Hawaii, and shipping is always a killer. Amazon's price for this seat was not just $20 less than anywhere else (and believe me, I did plenty of research), but they shipped it to me for free - which, combined with the lower price, ended up saving me around $100! I couldn't be happier.
THE BEST of the best. February 4, 2008
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
We got into an interesting discussion a while back on a networking group I belong to... I was fascinated/horrified by what Kay (the owner of My Precious Kid) had to say about car seats.
I had already bought a nice little booster seat for Miss J, since she will be graduating into that size catagory right about the time the baby comes. But Kay was adamant from her research that these still-really-little people need to stay in a 5-point harness as long as possible to keep them safe.
There are a bunch of very sad videos on YouTube about this topic, which a quick search will bring to your screen.
I was convinced, and I got Miss J a "Big Girl Car Seat": the amazing RADIAN 65 Car Seat.
There is a Radian 65 and a Radian 80, with the difference being the weight limit. Since J is much taller than she is heavy, she will certainly be outgrowing either seat by height before she reaches 65 lbs., making the 80 unnecessary for our particular situation. It does come in pink, though, which was tempting...
I read though some of the reviews of the seat here on Amazon, and it was pretty amazing to hear the variety of whines about difficulty to install, weight, etc.
Was it easy to put in my Tahoe?
Well, okay, not as easy as the booster seat, no. And some of the things I did have to readjust after installing it once and looking at my handiwork. My older son helped (can you see me trying to reach over the seat to get to the buckles with my 8-months pregnant belly? Not.), and it took the two of us... oh... maybe 10 minutes. Let me be generous and say 15.
I'm not kidding. Is 15 minutes, once, not a totally reasonable time investment for something that can save your child's life?
I have a little more sympathy for people who said it doesn't fit in their vehicle. I was originally going to put it in the center of the back seat, where she's currently riding. Turns out it can't be installed there, because of the seatbelt buckle configuration of my pre-LATCH vehicle. But of course after watching Kyle's video (on YouTube), it really shouldn't be there, anyway, as there's no place in the center back to link a top tether!
So, off to the side she went...
(BTW, installing again on the driver's side after changing my mind, once we'd "got the drill down" and had all the correct straps installed and adjusted, took about 3 minutes).
It has so many great features you just can't dismiss: steel frame construction, trim profile and upright position (J HATES reclining!), a unique "safe strap" for use in certain configurations (including Miss J's) that would help reduce the strap load on her in the event of a collision (WOW!), it folds flat for travel and transport (and is FAA approved for airline use)...
I find it in all ways superior to the Britax Marathon we have now . . . and did I mention that it's a lot less expensive?!
Where was this seat when I was shopping so diligently 3 years ago?
Great seat! November 6, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
We have this seat for our 3.5 year old daughter. At 39 lbs and 41+", she's tall for her age. She has about 2" of room left in this seat. Anyway, this seat can be difficult to install. Set aside a couple of hours and be prepared to sweat it out! It's heavy, 22 lbs, so wrestling it into your vehicle can be a challenge. However, once you master whatever it takes to get it in your car-it's easy. One key thing to do is pull back the cover to better reach the belt path when tightening LATCH straps or the seatbelt. We've installed this seat, forward-facing, in many vehicles- 2006 Chrysler Town and Country, 2004 Honda CR-V, 1999 Honda CR-V, 2005 PT Cruiser, 2005 Dodge Stratus, 1990 Subaru Legacy and 2004 Toyota Camry. All installs were rock solid. We have also installed it, rear facing, in a 2006 Chrysler Town and Country. My daughter loves her Radian and so do we. In spite of frequent difficult installs, it can be put in most vehicles, some with more difficulty than others. My husband can get the Radian seat into most any vehicle in less then 5 minutes. Most kids will outgrow the Radian65 by height before weight (making the Radian80 an unnecessary purchase, for most people). This is a great seat! We like it and think others will too.
Great carseat for airtravel October 15, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
We use this car seat for 9 months now, and we are still satisfied. The most important aspect when selecting this one was portability. In these 9 months I had 2 trips to Europe with my 2 year old son ALONE. This means 12 airport transfers, and yes the car seat is heavy, but I put it on the stroller with the carrying case (sold separately). (In parentes the case needed repair during the latest trip (ripped out), so that is not very durable.) But the seat performed perfectly. My son could take good naps in it (I did not install it very tightly on planes, so I could recline the car seat in the reclined aircraft seat as much as my son's legs allowed.) It was realtively easy to take out from the bag and put away even in the confined turist class rows. My kid could even use the tray on the airplane for ad hoc arts and crafts (as the car seat is pretty low when not reclined), although this is not suggested for anything more sophisticated than play dough, bacase he can easily kick the tray.
We had to install this car seat frequently in cars both here and in Europe. In Citroen4, Toyota Yaris, Audi 4, Ford Taurus, Honda Civic we did not have a problem with the LATCH (forward facing). The seat does not move a millimeter when installed. Unfortunately no crush test results were accessible on Consumerreports.org when I bought this. So in this (most important) aspect we do not have comparison with other brand name products, which is a pity.
I did also quite a research before buying this seat and this was the only car seat matching our needs. I would not say that this is the "best", as it is alone in its category with its folding and slim design. I am sure one can think of improvements (e.g. recline, weight), but it is a fairly good product as it is. My son likes it, and we parents like it. We can only recommend.
|
|
|
|
| |
