Good but there is room for some improvements
March 1, 2016
I actually would give this seat 3.5 stars out of 5. I bumped it to a 4 only because of the excellent service I received from Albee Baby. As my review title states, it is good but I can still see that it can have some improvements. I'll start with the great things about this product. As expected, the product is heavy and feels sturdy around the frame. I do feel safe having my daughter sit in it during long car rides. My daughter convinces me every time that she is comfortable in it since she puts a smile on whenever she sits in it.. There is plenty of shoulder room for her and I can see her growing perfectly into the car seat. She is a bigger than most babies considering she is at the 90th+ percentile in all areas of her growth. Having a car seat that can have her sit in until she's 120 pounds or 57 inches in height was a big selling point for me considering how she is growing out of her Cybex Aton Q pretty quick. Readjusting the harness can seem like a pain but it actually looks harder than it was. There actually is plenty of space for your hands to fit behind the cushion to rethread the harness. The head rest adjusting was easy as well--just make sure you pull the head rest towards you before lifting it up or pushing it down. Installing wasn't a issue considering you can just watch videos online through Diono's website. You'll find some great tips on there. Now for the few things I was disappointed in. First, the packaging is horrible. I received it where the metal frame was dented in. There is only one piece of thin styrofoam in the packaging that may protect the seat cushion side if it box was somehow punctured in during the shipping process. That leaves the rest of the product in the box with no protection if it was punctured or other heavy objects weighing on top of it. Which is what I believe that happened on one of the side which caused the frame of the Diono to be dented. The worse part of it all was when I called Diono customer service. When I reached a Diono rep, she pretty much told me it was Albee Baby's fault and I need to call them to receive a new one. She was very short with me and I felt like I was interrupting her from whatever she was doing. Once I called Albee Baby, they were very good at sending me a new one right away and arranged for FedEx to come pick up the old one. Second, I could not find the hole to fit the cup holder through the fabric. I thought I was going crazy being I asked about it with the Diono rep and all she can say to me was, "It is there.". Then said that hopefully it will be resolved if Albee Baby sends me a new one. The second one came a couple days later and guess what. The box was punctured in! Luckily I did not find any damaged to the product. Although I feel like one of the plastic expandable side was more loose than the other side on the Diono. I can clearly hear a clicking noise to assure me that the expandable side is locked into place on one end while I can't say the same for the other. It is actually very flimsy but not a very big deal since I will have it out pretty much all the time. I can not say for certain whether it is a manufacturing issue or because it may have been because of the punctured box. Overall, I am satisfied. It is a possibility that I just got a new Diono rep to "assist" me. I am just glad I purchased this product from Albee Baby. Oh, and I did find the hole in the fabric where the cup holder goes through the new one Albee Baby sent me, so it must have been a manufacturing defect on the first one. If you are expecting to take this with you on the airplane, I HIGHLY recommend getting the straps where it let's you carry it like a backpack. The shoulder straps work but I believe it's too heavy to have when you are carrying this from TSA check in all the way to the last possible terminal hidden in the corner of the airport. You probably will have shoulder/back problems before you even get there.
Pros
- Steel frame
- Comfortable memory foam seating
- FAA approved
- Easy to adjust harness and head rest
Cons
- Bad packaging
- Plastics parts around the frame can be improved
- Heavy (but that's the price I am willing to pay for a safe and sturdy steel frame)