Maclaren Strollers
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Maclaren Strollers
Feb 2005
I bought a cheap umbrella stroller that has become such a
nuisance since the wheels are wobbly and it doesn't fold well.
So, I feel ready for a step up and am considering either the
Maclaren Quest or Techno XT.
I know the basics about both of them, but do you think the XT is
THAT much better than the Quest for the Bay Area? The XT is
considerably more, so I wonder if it's worth the dough.
Thanks for your input!
-Julie
If you're tall, you need the Techno. We saved over $100 (even
after shipping) by buying it new on ebay, although I'm not sure
Maclaren will honor the warranty from an 'unauthorized dealer.'
tall dad
I think it depends on the age of your child. I got my Quest
(2003) when my son was 6 months old and it has been
everything we need.
If he had been a little younger and still napping on outings,
I'd have been bummed because the recline is pretty
mediocre and there is no window in the hood (and unless
things have changed in the last couple of years, all Maclaren
hoods leave a lot to be desired).
That said, it wasn't long before I was wishing I had just
gotten the Triumph. The difference between the recline on
the Triumph and Quest is so minimal that Im sure the
Triumph would have been more than adequate. Now that
he's 2 1/2 and we only use the stroller when we travel, I think
a Volo would be divine.
Bottom line, in my experience the older your child gets, the
more the benefits of a lighter stroller seem to outweigh the
features found on something fancier.
Hope this helps
Susannah
I think it depends on the age of your child. I got my Quest
(2003) when my son was 6 months old and it has been
everything we need.
If he had been a little younger and still napping on outings,
I'd have been bummed because the recline is pretty
mediocre and there is no window in the hood (and unless
things have changed in the last couple of years, all Maclaren
hoods leave a lot to be desired).
That said, it wasn't long before I was wishing I had just
gotten the Triumph. The difference between the recline on
the Triumph and Quest is so minimal that Im sure the
Triumph would have been more than adequate. Now that
he's 2 1/2 and we only use the stroller when we travel, I think
a Volo would be divine.
Bottom line, in my experience the older your child gets, the
more the benefits of a lighter stroller seem to outweigh the
features found on something fancier.
Hope this helps
Susannah
I have had the Quest since my kid was 4 months old and it
has held up extremely well. I see no reason to get the
Techno unless you or whoever else will be pushing the
stroller really need the adjustable handles OR the bigger
wheels. I have used the Quest every day for the past 18
months on sidewalks, asphalt, and dirt and have nothing
but love for it. It was by far the best equipment investment I
made, and I have no regrets about not getting the Techno.
BTW, I think the Quest is a little narrower and thus easier to
move around in tight spaces.
A Mom
When our baby was born we had planned to get the pricier Techno
because it had bigger wheels, tilted all the way back, and looked
cooler, but the day we went to buy it, they had only the Quest in
stock - we'd have had to wait 3 weeks on the Techno. So we took
the Quest. Now 4 years later I can highly recommend it. It is
lighter and more compact than the Techno, which turned out to be
a plus, and I never missed the larger wheels - the Quest is great
for maneuvering. We used our Quest every day, for long walks and
short, and we took it on 5 or 6 plane trips including two
overseas trips. We'd just checked it at the gate. It is still in
perfect road condition, though our child at 55 pounds is now too
h eavy for us to push anymore so we've passed it on to someone
else. You can't go wrong with a Maclaren.
Ginger
Jan 2004
Someone has offered to buy us a stroller as a baby gift. Most
of my friends love their Maclarens, but their strollers are old
enough that the models aren't made anymore. Has anyone bought a
Maclaren umbrella stroller in the past year or two that they
really like?
Thanks.
I love our Volo, it is really lightweight and easy to carry over
myshoulder when my daughter won't sit in it anymore. Definitely
get the accessories package, which has the comfy padding, the
sun and the rain guard.
The only problem I have with this stroller is that it is so
lightweight that it tips over if I hang anything on the handle
bars and there is no child sitting in the seat to keep it from
falling backwards. It has never fallen with her in it, but once
she's out I can't use it to carry my shopping bags. I don't know
if this problem is solved with the heavier strollers, but I do
love how lightweight this is (~8 lbs).
mom in Oakland
We have the Maclaren Quest, purchased a few months ago. Love
it. It's in the mid-range of what they offer, at about 12
lbs. They have a couple of lighter ones. The lighter the
stroller, the more features you trade off. If you haven't
already, you can check out the features of each stroller at
maclarenstrollers.com. The bummer about the Quest, like many
strollers, is the fairly useless basket underneath the seat.
But again, that's a trade-off.
Tracy
I know that most people love their Maclaren strollers and that
they are known to ''last forever,'' but I had a terrible
experience with my Day Tripper. It broke after a year of normal
use (it still looked brand new) - a metal pole piece that held
the wheel to the frame broke in half! Looking back, I think that
there was a flaw with it from the beginning (the wheel never
rolled properly), but I thought that it was just a bad design.
Maclaren had TERRIBLE customer service! I left several messages,
which no one returned, and when I actually got through to
someone, she blamed me for the break! She suggested that I mail
it to them, at my expense, but that nothing would probably be
done because I probably did something to cause the break! I was
completely frustrated and disgusted with the service and the
stroller and would suggest that you look at another brand.
Mad at Maclaren
I really don't know about maclaren but comparable is zooper-
and they have great features all similar to the macl. and we
had great ezperience with their customer service. They fixed a
little problem no charge-the Z street is so easy and
menuversgreat too-check em out.
happy in zooper land
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