Customer Reviews

Clek Olli Backless Booster Car Seat, Jet

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are reading this you are probably in the market for a backless booster. You want one with LATCH, if your vehicle can make use of that feature, so that the seat is securely attached to the car even when it's not occupied. Otherwise, with a booster that does not have LATCH, you will need to fasten the seat belt around the seat when it's not occupied so that it can't become a flying object in a vehicle crash. Boosters with LATCH are the greatest thing since sliced bread! Since new state laws require kids to be boostered longer and longer and parents drop kids off in car pool lines and don't want to have to get out and go buckle their empty boosters in, LATCH is a necessity for many.

I purchased both the Sunshine Kids Santa Fe Booster and the Clek Olli booster, which are the only two backless boosters with LATCH I could find. I'm not counting high-back boosters with removable backs that have LATCH. I strictly needed a backless booster. We kept both seats and have used them for three months now. I'll review the Olli first.

The Clek Olli boasts soft fabric and cushioning but my praise stops there. I had a hunch that the Olli wouldn't provide good leg support and that has proved true. It's very small. Clek says the seat is comfortable for kids 6-12 and I can't believe they made such a small seat depth with kids of those ages in mind. It's fine for short trips around town but I don't think my children would do well in long trips on it. The seat depth is only 12" deep and ends halfway up the thighs of my 6 and 8 yr olds, who are each about 50" tall. They look like they're sitting in a booster too small for them and both prefer to sit in the Santa Fe. The armrests on the Olli are long and stationary, which causes maneuvering a seat belt underneath and buckling up difficult. The Clek does not come with a cup holder. Overall, due to the small footprint and lack of support I felt like the Clek Olli was designed for a child who was really too small to be using a booster seat in the first place. Another discouraging factor of the Olli to me is that the LATCH attachments on the back are rigid. This can make installation easier, but if your car has LATCH components that are not centered your seat may end up covering the seat belt buckle of the seat next to it. If you want to use the booster in a car without LATCH you have to try to tuck the LATCH connector under the back seat cushion on your car. This didn't work well in one car we tried it in - the booster seat was hanging off the car seat because we couldn't scoot it any closer to the seat due to the LATCH attachments.

The Santa Fe Booster is a little wider and deeper than the Clek Olli and looks appropriately sized for bigger kids ready for a backless booster. Everyone who sees the two seats in my car comments on how comfortable my kids look in the Santa Fe. It features more of an incline than the Olli so their knees are raised a bit and well-supported. The armrest is shorter on the Santa Fe than on the Olli and that makes getting the seat belt buckled much easier. The Santa Fe also comes with a fold-out cup holder, which has come in handy more than I expected it to. The LATCH connecters on the Santa Fe are not rigid, providing more play during installation (off center LATCH connectors in your vehicle's seat? LATCH the booster and then slide it over a bit so the person next door still has room to buckle), and it can be adapted well for use in cars without the LATCH system. The Santa Fe being cheaper than the Olli is just an added bonus.

First of all, I spent the extra money hoping to get a booster that I could use in my 2010 GMC Acadia. I have 3 small kids, 2 in boosters and one in a FF car seat. We simply couldnt make all 3 fit across with their current seats (2 Graco Turbo Boosters and an older Graco something). So we bought this expensive booster AND the expensive Sunshine Kids Radian (which is touted as the narrowest FF seat on the market). However, since the Olli has the LATCH thingys (that stick out), the seat cannot be adjusted ONE INCH to one side or the other. With it up against the Radian in the middle seat (which has no LATCH) the boostered child would not be able to buckle their seatbelt. Therefore, we have to have the booster slightly to the outer side of the latch anchors and pushed into the seat. This is fine, but then we are committed to buckling this booster in when not in use. If it werent a trajectory hazard before, it is even more so with those metal brackets sticking out of the back of the seat. We've used it a few times now so Im not sure I can return it but I'd really like to. I think its a good seat but NOT recommended for those who are trying to fit "3-across" due to it NOT being adjustable side-to-side within the seat.

I wanted to keep my children in car seats until they were teenagers but logistically it was getting difficult. After extensive research, this seat was our only option. We purchased 4 of them - 2 for each of our cars. It is the only booster seat on the market with the LATCH system. Much easier to install than a car seat, it has 2 solid connectors that stick out of the back. They snap right into the car without police/fire installation like our LATCH Britax car seats required. To remove them, there is a loop in the front of the seat that you pull to release the seat from the connectors. If your car is not LATCH equipped, it's not worth the money. Another advantage is that the cover easily comes off to be washed. It also has a foam seat underneath, instead of the traditional hard plastic, that makes the chair comfortable. The seat looks so cool that I might be able to keep my children in this for a few more years.

We've had the Clek Olli for a few months now.

I think the LATCH attachments it has are pure genius -- much easier to deal with than those on our Britax Marathon. It seems pretty comfy for my daughter. Love the little bag and the transportation straps that came with it. They'd be perfect if you take a lot of taxis or move it from car to car a lot.

However, I have a few complaints. Cupholders/junk collectors would have been nice. And one comment on the quality -- we've had to reglue the padded pieces from both arms. I don't think our cars get any more hot than other places, so for the price you pay for this item they may want to rethink the adhesive they use.

This booster was bought to use in the grandparents new Toyota Sienna minivan for a family trip to Disney World with seven passengers. While you can get it to latch to the backseat, once it is latched, the seat belt buckles for the middle passenger (the one in the booster!) and driver's side passenger are covered up by the booster seat, making buckling impossible. If you do latch it down with the intent of not having a passenger on the driver's side, then the booster is not lined up with the head rest. And most importantly, there is only one position the seat can be latched in the back row (sort of off center and on driver's side), and once it is latched in, you cannot use the seatbelt to buckle the child into the booster (because the booster covers the buckles). And what is the point of a booster latched into your vehicle if your child cannot be "latched" to the seat. If you don't mind not using the Latch system, you can just rest the booster seat in the third row in the middle, and using the van's middle seatbelt, the child is secured to the booster, but the booster is not secured to the van. By just resting the seat in the middle of the back row, all three seats are available, and all three shoulder belts are able to be anchored.

If you try to attach the booster seat to one of the two seats in the middle row (which on this van are captain's style chairs) the contours of the seats (sort of mean to envelope the body) are in the way of the booster's armrests, and therefore, the Latch system cannot be used, and the booster sits out too far from the back of the chair to be used as a booster only without the latch.

For us, the biggest factor in purchasing this seat was the Latch system. Although the Toyota is marketed and sold as being a latch system, it does not work for this seat. My father-in-law plans to take it to the dealer to show them the problem. If they have a solution, I'll add it to my review.

A big disappointment for such a nice booster seat .

As to the raspberry color, the photo in the description of the product is accurate. It's a dark pink.

Nice seat but it doesn't fit my Jeep because the seat belt latch will be blocked by the booster seat. In the Dodge Caravan the booster seat requires allot of force to get it to snap into the latch.The curvature of the vehicles seat is to blame.
Definitely try before you buy.

I love this booster seat! Three kids need to fit in my backseat - one in a booster plus two older children. I have been having trouble locating a seat that would leave the older kids plenty of room. I also have a Cosco booster seat ($17). The Cosco seat is hard plastic, and the edges dig deeply into my very slightly contoured leather seats (Toyota Highlander). It works, but of course, I don't feel too good about it - waiting for damage to my seat, and for my daughter to complain about numb-bumb on longer rides. Anyways, this Clek seat is amazing. Snapped right into my latch system, and fit perfectly into my seats as if it was designed for my car! I have no worries about seat damage at all, and it is wonderfully cushy!

My only complaint - the reason I gave it only 4 stars - when I place the booster in the center seat position, the rigid latch (which I love) hits the plastic hinges where my split bench seat folds down, thus the rigid latch connectors can't slide in to the seat crevice (there's no latch in the center position) and there is a couple inch gap between the back of the booster seat and seat. I haven't tried my daughter in the center position with it yet. The FAQ on Clek's website says a gap isn't a safety issue, I'm just hoping it will be comfortable for her.

After hours and hours of research we decided to replace our daughters Graco booster with this product, and couldn't be more pleased. It is the best built booster I've ever seen and is comprised of high quality materials. The Latch system is a huge plus and is easy to operate. And on top of all that, my daughter loves the seat and finds it very comfortable. Highly recommended.

We now have 2 Cleck Olli seats for the grandkids . They are easy to pop in and out--and I am an old guy(80) who has
spent years cursing car seats---so this a whole new world ! The loop in front that releases the seat is a plus.

This is the only booster seat that I found which attaches to the car's hooks.It seems sturdy and safe, and it doesn't slide around the back seat. The only thing that I didn't realize when I got it is it's locked into place, and you can't move it even a little bit to fit a middle seat booster in. I have an SUV without the 3rd row, and sometimes I drive 3 kids on the back that all need boosters. This seat is narrow enough that it will fit with the other 2 boosters, but because it's locked into place, I can't move it at all, in order to buckle the child next to it.