Monday, March 12, 2012

Phil & Teds Dash Reviews


Pros: The kids don't seem to mind sitting in it. It looks fairly smart.
Cons: I absolutely hate this pram. The maneuverability is terrible and you need 2 hands on the handle at all times - impossible to drink a coffee and push at the same time. Even with 2 hands the front wheel goes every whivh way but straight. With a newborn you have to have it configured with the newborn flat in the main seat and the toddler in front in the toddler seat and in that configuration you can't access the basket without ramming your newborn upwards into the back of the toddler seat above and you can't hang your bag off the handle or it whacks the baby in the head. There's no pockets anywhere on the pram. All this means you have to either carry all your gear on your shoulder or shove it in the basket where you can't get at it. I also hate the fact that the brake is in the handle - makes it even more difficult to hang your bag from it without giving your child a brain injury and also means you can't attach a cup holder to shove your coffee so that you can wrangle this beast with both hands.
Overall: I've had this pram for 2 months and can't wait to get rid of it. As far as doubles go you can fo a lot better.

Phil & Teds Hammerhead Reviews


Pros: Stability and good steering
Cons: The air filled tyres are outdated.
Overall: We tried every double pram before buying the Hammerhead - we put 2 toddlers in about 20 different prams and the Hammerhead was definitely the winner in terms of stability and steering! I love the capsule attachment and I think the quick unfold is great too! We've replaced a few tyres - wish they'd bring out ones that don't puncture! But we found cheaper replacement tubes at a bike shop and stocked up.
 Phil & Teds Hammerhead is recommended by Shopper2012

Phil & Teds Smart and Peanut Reviews


Pros: Great price, multifunctional, lightweight, can be travel system, attractive design
Cons: No suspension at all
Overall: We bought this pram for our second baby because it was lightweight, came with a bassinet and allowed adaptation with the SnS Unity capsule. It was fantastic around town as a travel system with the capsule and adapter. It made car trips and outings a breeze with a new baby! The bassinet was brilliant too and we used it as a bed for our baby for 6.5 months while we travelled around Europe and Australia (she mainly co-slept at night though). The only drawback for this pram is the lack of suspension; it is hideous for a young baby's head and neck on anything but smooth pavement or indoors. So mostly we used our Ergo carrier when out and about. When commuting by train/plane/boat or by foot it easily coped with my petite four year-old in the seat and a very overloaded shopping basket. It survived perfectly well!
 Now we're home we're back to using a Maclaren umbrella stroller, but couldn't have done without the Smart and Peanut for our travels.

Phil & Teds Smart Reviews


Pros: It looks great, the easy-wipe seat, nice steering feel and it's light/compact when folded.
Cons: I expected better for $300, the sunshade isn't practical once your kid figures it out, BRAKE FAILURE is more common than I'd like!
Overall: I purchased the Smart because I wanted something small & zippy to take in the supermarket etc, so I didn't have to use my other larger pram for small trips (we have a Steelcraft Strider 4 that I love, but it's huge). This looked like it would fit that criteria, and it's a great looking stroller, but after owning it for a month we found the Smart wasn't all it seemed.
 The mesh basket is fairly pointless, as if you put anything heavier than a wallet in there it drops quite low.. if I put a small bag of groceries in there it touches the ground, but the pram's so light that I can't hang anything off the handles either or it tips back. It's just really awkward if you have to carry anything like a handbag/nappy bag/groceries. The sunshade is a good idea in theory (it isn't fixed, and can swing to follow the sun) but it doesn't have a lock position so my 11 month old treats it like a toy... drives me crazy.
 I purchased the Verso Adaptors ($40 AUD) so that I could have my daughter face me and recline. The downside is that if you want the reverse option you have to take the Verso adaptors with you everywhere, and it's annoying to have to cart them about (they're not small) just so bub has the option to recline an extra 2 inches. I was told you can't attach the P&T cup holder to this stroller, and to have a padded insert (or "Cushy Ride") costs an additional $38+. Even though it's tagged as an "extra", you really do need it or bub is sitting on hard moulded plastic.
On the plus side it's attractive (but that doesn't count for much), light and compact, and it seems confortable.
 For a $300 stroller - I expected better.
Oh, and to top it off, the breaks failed 6 weeks in. After some internet research I found out it's a fairly common problem (!!) I'll be asking for a refund, not a repair.
 Phil & Teds Smart is not recommended by Danielle_Stanton