Customer Reviews

Clek 2010 Oobr Booster Car Seat, Shadow

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We received our Snowberry Oobr a couple days ago, and the seat is VERY impressive.

With the rigid LATCH system it feels as secure and solid as the Britax Regent we previously had our almost 7yo harnessed in; no sliding around as my child tries to get in it, it doesn't budge. It also makes it an utter breeze to install or remove - it is literally a 5 second job. Plus, the rigid LATCH allows this booster to 'recline' which might come in handy for long road trips.

The seat itself is heavier than the Graco TurboBooster we had occasionally used up to this point, but it is SO much more substantial feeling that it almost makes the TurboBooster feel like a 'toy' in comparison. It genuinely feels like more than just a 'booster' to position my child so that the seatbelt can protect her in a crash (though it does that too), but rather that the seat itself will provide protection like her harnessed seats up to this point. Plus, the Oobr doesn't fall apart when carried by the back like the TurboBooster always does.

The headrest adjusts just like, and feels just like, those on my car. Again not flimsy plastic that feels like it might break just being adjusted; this feels like something that could actually stand up to a crash. Plus, the sidewings are deep enough to 'cradle' my daugher's head and look like they would provide protection in a crash, but do not seem to bother her or impede her view, etc.

The fabric is made to withstand spills, etc, though we haven't had any of those yet to test it out. I can say that it feels more like upholstery than just a 'fabric' cover.

Finally there is a booster that I feel comfortable moving my daughter to (who, yes, has been harnessed far longer than many others; even though she is very tall for her age). I'd give the seat well over 5 stars, but I do recommend shopping around for pricing as there seems to be some variance out there.

Edit to add 11/20/09: Like the other reviewer observed, we will likely be using this seat for 3 years (though my daughter is already about to turn 7), even though she will be allowed by *law* to ride w/o a booster in just over a year. Since automotive engineers design seatbelts for those 4'9" and taller, it will likely be at *least* 9-10yo before my tall-for-her-age daugther meets the height for which seatbelts were designed to be used safely. Yes, that means she will be using this booster after we are legally obligated to do so. But, we've always gone by her safety over the minimums established by law (ie. she rear-faced longer than the minimum required by law, and was in a 5pt harness long after she met the legal minimum to move to a booster). Because we will get this long use out of it (and then likely get another 3 years use with her little sister, before the seat expires), we too feel it was worth the expense.

Edit to add 12/23/09: Just a quick update since we just took it on our first long (8+ hr) trip - the slight recline and the deep head wings made it very easy for my 50" tall almost 7yo to nap in the car! She was able to sleep without her head flopping about, and while remaining upright enough for the seatbelt to stay properly positioned. Also worth noting: the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety just named the Clek Oobr as one of their "best picks" in highback boosters for proper positioning (out of 60 seats evaluated).

Like many parents, we did a lot of research before we purchased a booster seat. We narrowed our choices down to this and the Britax Frontier, largely based on safety ratings and the fact that we wanted a booster with a back and headrest. We decided to go look at both models and have our daughter sit in them to make our final decision, only to learn that (where we live) neither model is available in stores. Both were listed as "online purchase only" everywhere we looked. So, we decided to order both from Amazon and return the one that didn't work. I always love hearing pros and cons from people who've actually compared to something else, so I thought I'd contribute here.

For the Clek Oobr:

Pros:
Excellent safety rating
Super clear instruction manual. Very easy to read with great illustrations. Well done, Clek!
Very easy to install via the LATCH system
Nice fabric that looked to be relatively easy to remove for washing
Easy to adjust headrest
Generous arm rests
Excellent padding on sides of headrest for side impact protection
Contemporary look (according to our daughter (5): it looks grownup instead of like a "baby" carseat)
Easy to thread seat belt guides
Option to recline seat (easily) for more comfortable sleeping/riding
Storage compartment for instructions built-in *under the seat* BRILLIANT, Clek!

Cons:
Not as much seat padding as the Britax Frontier (or maybe just firmer? It didn't feel as cushioned)
No 5-point harness
Within 2 minutes of sitting in the car with the seatbelt fastened, daughter slid her arm our of the shoulder strap.
Without a doubt, this would be a common occurrence & an ongoing battle w/her
No shoulder belt = SERIOUSLY decreased safety (obviously)

Granted, the shoulder belt escape move is somewhat of a "discipline" issue, but it won't be accomplished overnight, and as easy as it was for her to slide out of it, I have to wonder if it would sometimes happen accidentally. (She's 44" and 43 pounds, FTR) Regardless of whether the action would be purposeful or accidental, it's one more thing to worry about, and when it's just one of us driving in the car with her, it would be difficult to constantly monitor.

The 5-pt harness on the Britax Frontier was the main selling point for us. For a comparable price, it seemed like a fairly large safety difference. Even though it means a little more time for fastening, we feel like it's worth it for the safety factor. Not only does the 5-pt harness keep her secure and avoid the shoulder-escape-maneuver, it also prevents "submarining," which is common in safety tests with standard boosters (when the child slides out of the shoulder belt and under the lap harness.

Our daughter (5) declared that she liked the Britax better because the 5-pt harness felt more comfortable (she said the shoulder belt felt tight and rubbed her "funny" with the Clek), it was more "cushy," and it had two cup holders (versus only one on the Clek).

The Britax featured all of the same "pros" as the Clek, with the exceptions of:

A more complicated instruction manual, even though installation and adjustments are just as simple
More complicated removal of covers for washing (although I've done it w/a Britax carseat & it's doable)
No option to recline the seat
The arm rests don't seem as long (might be a "pro" when getting in & out, though)

One of the features that drew us to the Clek was the recline feature because we frequently have LONG car trips to grandparents' and medical specialists. We thought reclining might make it more easy/comfortable for our daughter to sleep. Even though the Britax does not recline, every other positive feature (and especially the 5-pt harness) still sold us.

Both look to be excellent, well designed/constructed seats with many positive features and excellent safety ratings. In a nutshell, the 5-point harness of the Britax wins out for us.

Was looking for the next-step seat to replace the Britax Roundabout. Loved the Roundabout & Britax products so I went searching through their lineup but was unhappy with the installation of the Frontier and all the mixed reviews it had received. The Clek Oobr is just what I was looking for - the highest safety rating possible with a simple installation that will likely be the last seat we need (as it converts to a backless booster for children up to 57" and 100 lbs). This seat is definitely the most sturdy booster I have looked at and makes the Graco booster (leftover from my first child) feel like a toy. The reclining feature is a bonus for a booster seat, but we have yet to use this feature for snoozing yet as most of our car trips are under 15 min. You do use the recline to install the seat when using the ridged latch. I had never seen a ridged latch prior to this seat and it was one of the reasons I was unsure about ordering it. For all of you out there like me, I'll do my best to describe it. Instead of the latch hooks hanging on the end of an adjustable belt that loops through the back of the seat (as in the case of the Roundabout), the "ridged latch" hooks are built into the base of the seat. To install this seat, you pull the recline handle and the base of the seat towards you. This action extends the two latch "arms" from the back of the seat, which you then line up with your seat latch eyes (not sure if thats the right term?) and click into place. You can then adjust the seat to your preferred recline. It is very easy and (I feel) even more secure than the latches on the adjustable belt because there is never any "slack" to worry about. We used this seat recently in a vehicle without the latch system for the first time and although it is not as obviously not as stationary as when it is used with latch, I felt it fit much more snug than the other boosters I have experienced. At 35 lbs and 39" my child is at the very bottom of what is recommended for this seat, but the seat does a perfect job of keeping the belts in the correct position even on her small frame. Only had the seat a month, but the fabric appears to be durable so I am optimistic - only time will tell. Amazon had the best price I could find, and although it isn't cheap I feel the price is justified by the quality of the seat and the length of time we will be using it. Definitely would recommend to others. As always, quick shipping from Amazon!

Reasons why the kid likes it:
The kid says - "I just love this booster seat. This seat is so comfortable I could just go right to sleep." A little dramatic perhaps, but a solid endorsement.
The kid also says - "I was right, it does have a cup holder!" Apparently a cupholder was at the top of the kid's wishlist of booster seat features. I didn't think the Clek Oobr Booster came with a cup holder, but I was wrong.

Reasons why the dad (that's me) likes it:
1. Ease of installation. Sometimes I need to remove the car seats from the back of our car, and this seat is very easy to pop in. One tip, don't be afraid to pull on the handle at the front and the latch system at the back when you're installing the seat. You won't break it.

2. Latch system in a booster seat. It is surprisingly hard to find these two features together, especially in a retail store. The latch system keeps the seat from sliding around, and it feels much more secure as a result.

3. Removable cup holder. This is a surprisingly big advantage for me because we have a baby car seat in the middle position in the rear seat, and it's nice to put the cupholder on the side that isn't next to the baby seat. A lot of booster seats have two cupholders in fixed positions on each side, making the booster seat very wide. The clip-on cupholder saves us some room (a nice little bonus).

4. Substantial looking side protection. I'm not a safety expert, but the side protection looks very substantial (I don't think the pictures quite do it justice). I was a little worried about using side curtain airbags with a booster seat because the kid could potentially get out of position, but the sides of the Clek Oobr booster seat should keep the kid in a proper position, even when asleep.

5. Overall construction. This thing is very solid, very reassuringly heavy. Again, not a scientific opinion, but it's good for peace of mind.

Happy kid, happy dad, and mommy approves too (though she doesn't like the color I picked - well, you can't please everyone).

Very sturdy seat and my son says it's comfortable. Relatively easy to install once you get the hang of how to recline the seat to fully expose the latch connectors. I was conflicted about buying this vs. the Clek Olli (backless booster) as my son is nearly six years old. However, after tons of research, the consensus was that he was safer in a high back booster that better positions the seat belt on him until he is taller and weighs more. He also tends to fall asleep still on longer car trips, and this allows him to rest his head in a comfortable position and the seatbelt still stays properly positioned and he's not flopped all over.
Also worth noting that I ordered 2 of these (one for each car)and one of them arrived damaged (small tear in the fabric on the side - for the price I was paying, I was not willing to overlook the minor defect). Amazon was fantastic about sending out a replacement at no cost via one day shipping even before they received the damaged one back from me. Great customer service - will use Amazon again for similar purchases.

I had read several very detailed reviews about this booster car seat. We bought the black one for our six year old son (we had the Britax Marathon for both of our children). Not only is it a very safe booster (love the latch system), our son loves it! He says it is very comfortable and it does clean-up like a dream. We liked it so much we bought a second one for our five year old. If you have a latching system in your car, this is the only booster I would recommend.

Our four-year-old was in need of a booster seat. I was concerned for the safety aspect of the seat. Many of the booster seats seem too spindly. The Clek Oobr seat was
more expensive, but it securely fastens to the child seat locks in my 4 Runner. The seat itself is easy to install. We installed the seat one night and were on a 19 hour road trip the very next day. No complaints from my little back seat driver! She slept very well in the seat during our car trip.

Amazon was the cheapest place I found. This is a pricy seat but a breeze to install and my four year old can buckle/unbuckle it herself, Safety wise it has the highest rating. I bought the color "shadow." They have a wide variety of colors with hugh price increase for the bold colors.

Just received this item today and the first thought was "WOW." It's really something - the engineering is beautiful, a really nice top of the line look and feel. Very substantial seat that just feels safe. The material is excellent and it fits and looks great in my SUV. I will say that with the seat back on it's too small for my thin and tall 7 year old but fits my almost 4 year old perfectly. I get the feeling it's a little more narrow than other brands just because my soon to be 4 year old is just at 33 lbs and 38 inches tall which is the minimum weight and height requirement for this booster but it's like it was made for her. I'm a little disappointed that with the seat back on it's too snug for the 7 year old as I was hoping to be able switch it up once in a while and use it when we had playmates that we needed to drive around. The height limit for using the seat back is 57" yet she's @ 50" and there's no way she would sit in it for longer than ten minutes. Will update for ease of use after we've had it for a while but for now, I would never think I would be this excited to buy a new car sear but I am . . . this is definitely a case of "you get what you pay for" - it's just beautiful as far as boosters go'. Plus for those of you that want minimal packaging . . .this came very well packaged in a minimal, Eco friendly designed shipping package.

Edit -

We've had this seat a couple of weeks now and we LOVE it. First of all it just feels safe and secure, the seat is solid. Secondly it makes my soon to be four-year-old very happy. She can easily get in and out of it by herself and it says it's very comfortable. She fell asleep in it the other day and no more head bobbing, the head rest is perfect! I didn't even have it reclined but she looked as snug as a bug. Plus, I had anticipated issues with the adult seatbelt being bothersome to her but the great belt guides and perfect fit have made it a non-issue. She never moves the belt and barely acts likened there. We have moved this seat between cars a couple of times and it was easy peasy. No worries like before that it wasn't positioned right or secure, just click and go. I still think this brand runs small but my kids are slender so I'm sure it will work for us long term. If we raise the headrest to it's full height extension my oldest can sit in it . . . but it wouldn't work for all purpose seating for her. But, I liked the Oobr so much that I ordered the older one an olli backless 4 days after getting the Oobr and she loves that one! Thanks Clek, we are in love!

We also own a comparable Britax booster, that although it has 5-point harness, this booster secures into the car much tighter/more securely. The LATCH just snap right in without much effort at all into our MINI Cooper and Volvo. Smart, modern design. Gets rock solid safety reviews, and from what I can tell from the box - is manufactured in Michigan. Son loves it. His only complaint is he wishes the armrests were a little bit longer.