Customer Reviews

Evenflo Symphony Convertible Car Seat with SureLATCH - Northbay

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I purchased this car seat for my 10 month old daughter. When I received it I was able to figure after just scanning the booklet. I quickly installed it and adjusted it to our desired recline position. I had to undo the latch belt and then recline it back and buckle it back in and it was such a breeze to do I didn't even have time to get impatient. My daughter loves it because it's high enough for her to see whats going on outside and very comfortable, and with our 30 mile commute it saves her from getting so bored as she did with her infant carseat.
The latch system is so easy to use that it is worth the extra money and it will also work as a booster seat saving you from having to buy another seat. I can be impatient when putting her car seat in different cars but all the extra works is over! It is so sturdy I really feel that my daughter is safe, and my sister in law made that remark after sitting next to it that none of their car seats ever really that sturdy and solid.

Here are some pros:
~Easy to latch the seat in and out with something similar to a seat belt.
~With a little body weight on the seat it will tighten on its own no strap to pull.
~Very soft and comfortable material.
~Large, sturdy and solid, piece of mind that your child is safe and secure.
~Recline positions have a wide range.
~Easy to tighten and loosen the straps.

Here are some cons:
~Somewhat bulky and heavy, it makes me feel that she's safe but it might be too big for some families (I wouldn't want to transfer it between two door cars).
~Not as much cusion as some other chairs and hopefull they will add more but is still comfortable it isn't as thin as the cheap chairs you can get for $50.
~You have to make sure that the latch belt is not over the straps on the bottom of the seat or you can not adjust the straps.
~Depending on how the seat is installed, forward or rear facing, you need to move the latch belt into a differnt position, not hard to do but somewhat time consuming.

We got this seat to replace the Evenflo Titan 5, whose leg straps were too tight around our son's legs. I compared reviews and features of the Symphony with a number of other seats, and was initially very pleased with it. It was easy to install and seemed that it would serve us for a long time. My son (2 1/2, 36 inches, 28 pounds) also said initially that it was more comfortable than the Titan.

However, the first time we went on a trip longer than twenty minutes, he complained that something was hurting his neck. When I checked, I found that the red tab on the shoulder straps was cutting into the side of his neck. I wrapped some spare gloves around them, but they worked their way out in the course of ten minutes. Without them, the straps hurt him so much he started trying to wriggle his arms out of them; when I tightened them enough that he couldn't get his arm underneath, he started screaming that something was hurting his bottom. When I checked, I found that underneath the cushion the plastic X-shaped structure with a beam through the middle (securing the SureLatch straps in the FF position) could be clearly felt through the cushion. It actually left a reddened indentation on his bottom that turned into a bruise the next day.

We are returning this carseat, and I urge everyone to look carefully at the frame underneath the cushions of any seat you're considering. Carseats should not cut and bruise the children they're meant to protect.

This seat is great. For long car trips you can recline it while they sleep. My husband and I love the new latch for super easy install. My daughter isn't comfortable in her old convertible seat because of the leg position. She is much happier in this. I love how easy it is to adjust too. It is kinda big so not sure how it would work on a plane.

I'm happy with this car seat for the most part, I definitely will not remove it from the car because it wasn't easy to put in, but I like the recline a lot! It's also pretty comfortable and I like that I don't have to remove the straps to adjust them...I did read a review somewhere that said the red tabs tended to dig into their child's neck and I can see this with maybe smaller babies. My 1 year fits fine in it and it's definitely high enough for him to see out. We've been using it for about 3 weeks now and I don't have really any major complaints (once I got it in the car).

We have purchased this seat for our somewhat larger 13 month old (30 lbs) and it is awesome!! Has just as good safety ratings as the britax and goes up to 100 lbs, rather than just 50, like all other convertible seats. With the price @ $200, you just can't beat a seat that goes from newborn all the way up to the recommended 75 lbs and 4ft tall (required here in FL now!). You could easily pay that just for the infant seat alone, then add the toddler, then a booster (which studies show is not a safe alternative now). You're easily in the $400 range! Then to top it off, the installation is as easy as states!! Simply click, click and push!! I did it in less than 5 minutes while 5 months pregnant and in a parking lot!! Evenflo has simply exceeded all of my standards!!

I really like the Evenflo Symphony car seat - Heathrow. I am currently using it rear facing. To use it rear facing it had to be taken apart to switch the straps. I did not enjoy that process. I do like that the car seat can be tilted. I am able to tilt it so that my child's feet do not touch the seat back. It is a large and heavy car seat. I do not plan to move it between cars. I would not recommend it for a two-door or small car.

I love this carseat. It is very comfy and easy to install using the latch system. I could only afford one to begin with and it was a bit of a pair moving it from my car to my husbands truck that did not have the latch system so i had to keep re-threading the seatbelt which is a little time consuming. It is also kinda heavy but it is suppose to support them until they are 100 lbs so I expect that. Overall I am very satisfied and even bought another one yesterday for my husbands truck!

After doing a lot of research, I decided to get this car seat. Now, after having it for several months, I'm purchasing a Britax Frontier 85.

The red tabs rub against my son's neck, if I don't have them covered with something. We also had to reposition the fabric behind his back to stop the development of pressure points.

Sure, it's super easy to put in the car & the reviews say it's safe, but I wouldn't want to sit in it.

We had a combi infant seat for our daughter and bought this seat for her 1st birthday. We loved the seat, but always had such a difficult time getting to the buckles in order to buckle her up. It became a huge pet peeve of ours. This seat is great. It has plenty of room around the sides to get to the buckles easily. Another thing we were worried about with this seat is the reclining positions. Our daughter always falls asleep in the car, so we were worried her head would fall forward. After looking at alot of other car seats, we found this one reclined enough, but not too much. and her head has NEVER fallen forward. It has several positions to recline to. It's easy to loosen and tighten also. It has the surelatch feature, but our car is older and doesn't have latches. It has still been great even without surelatch in the forward-facing position. You just have to make sure you put all of your weight on it to get it in tightly at first. Our seat has not budged. I'm sure the surelatch would be so much easier to put in if you have it.
We're very happy with this purchase. I don't think I'd use it for her as an infant (not that it wouldn't be safe, just is a very large seat), but it's been great so far as a seat for our now 14month old. I also like that she has a looong time before she grows out of it, and she loves the fact that it sits higher than her infant care seat and she can finally see out the windows!

I first purchased the Graco Nautilus 3 in 1. I hated it! I love Evenflo. I can adjust the straps according to the coat my son is wearing, and it is so easy to do. I buckles great with seatbelt and with the surelatch. I love the fact you can adjust the harness strap height WITHOUT any hassle. I have 5 kids, 3 in car seats....and it is very important that my carseats are hassle-free. All three of my carseat kids are in Evenflo products. Evenflo products are always better priced, have a better recall history, and stand behind their products better than ANY other company. I own a Chevy Venture Van and this seat sits great in it. No wiggle room. The carseat is secure with seatbelt or surelatch. I would highly recommend this carseat to anyone who is looking for a high quality product.