Customer Reviews

Micralite Black Toro Stroller

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Words can't describe how happy I am that we bought the Toro over other strollers like the Bugaboo. We've discovered with time (our son is now eight months old) just how ideal the Toro has been for us.

Having said that, though, I don't think it's ideal for everyone, and in retrospect we were lucky to get the stroller that best fit our needs: parents who live in a small, city apartment with a tiny elevator, who navigate lots of pubic transportation, and who need to open, close, and store the stroller in any number of places fast and on the go.

PROS:
- Folds flat with nothing in the basket and locks into standing position and stands on it's own that way. Ideal for small spaces, hallways, or public places, like restaurants.
- Easy three-seat position for baby who wants to sit up or lie flat (after four months)
- Can buy attachment for car seats by Graco or another company (forget which one).
- Front wheels are wider and pull in when folding stroller. This allows us to get through narrow openings without taking our child out to fold up the stroller a bit. This has saved us, as our apartment elevator us so narrow no other stroller fits through it (we tried several). The stroller wasn't meant for this, but it works well to partially fold for narrow spaces.
- Hot colors and even hotter animal print liners
- Rides great
- Easy up and down stairs with the inflated tires -- not like a McClaren which is tough on this mom's arms.
- Awesome, awesome, awesome ease of folding (practically one-handed) and getting into/out of cars, etc.

CONS:
- Can't turn seat around to face you (though the carseat attachments are meant for facing you. But the regular seat for older babies is not).
- Handlebar is comfy, but it'd be nice if designed for another way to hold them (from underneath and not just over top)
- You can't put much weight on the back, or stroller tips over. The company is clear about this, but it's still a pain. Having said this, I've never found it to be that big of a deal. It never tips over with the baby in it, even if I have a full diaper bag and several shopping bags hanging there. And when I pull baby out, I make sure that only the diaper bag is hanging on the back and that the seat is lowered to recline, in which case it never tips over empty, either.
- Basket could be better, but it's not bad at all. I have no trouble getting shopping bags, purses, etc. in one side and down into it.
- no parasol attachment. This stinks, because the sun shade is very short. I bought one of those extra long ones to compensate, which doesn't attach well, but it works. I hope the company is working on this.
- The cross bar does not open or detach -- an annoyance when getting baby in or out, but not too big of one. Just a silly design.

Basically, the stroller has been a dream for us. We borrowed a friend's Bugaboo before getting our Toro, and we found it a nightmare to manage in the city and small apartment, especially getting in and out of cars -- ugh! Such a bear to break down each time. The Toro has been ideal for our needs, but I can't say it would be so for everyone. If you have space to store a bigger stroller and don't need to fold it up often, condsider other strollers. However, if you're on the go and need something cruise-y, cool, and easy to handle, this is your stroller.

Last note: If you get this stroller, the absolute best diaper bag is one of Fleurville's narrower bags -- it hooks perfectly onto the handlebars with its O-hooks. You can't cram it full of a million things, but it easily fits two bottles, food, dipes, wipes, formula or small pump, burp cloth and keys, ipod, etc. I have another larger diaper bag for big trips or days out, but this one is perfect for strolling.

In response to the other review the stoller will tip if your bag is on the handlebars and you remove the child..however this is true of every Maclaren and umbrella stoller out there. You have to take your bag off

The virtue is it truly is lightweight. I live in the city and I can carry my big boy in his stroller up the subway stairs by myself..unlike several luxury or full size strollers. AND I can also walk my weimeraner and steer the stroller with one hand..unlike many umbrella types. So it works for me.

And it's small in my small apartment.

My two criticisms are that the front wheels have a pretty wide spread and I slammed into a lot of curbs and chair legs and stuff before I got used to it. But now I do it well.

Second I don't know on what planet it is a "one handed fold" It definitely takes two hands unless I'm missing something. I'll have to check youtube for a demo!

All in all a great stroller at a great price (especially if you skip the carrycot and just get a car seat adapter. I got the carrycot and barely used it).

We've had the Toro for 4 months for our 1-year-old, replacing a Maxi Cosi Foray. It looks great and rides pretty well. It came with some good extras and has a line of optional accessories. Unfortunately, we could tell my son just wasn't comfortable in it. It also has some minor design flaws/frustrations that bothered us enough to buy a different stroller, a Bugaboo Bee+, which we (especially my child) are more happy with!
Pros:
- Great look! Contemporary, eye-catching color options (we got the yellow one). Too many compliments and inquiries to remember...
- Pretty nice ride due to the large, air-filled rear tires.
- Car seat adapter worked well with our existing Maxi Cosi Mico.
- The sun visor on the canopy is an understated feature.
- Stands up when folded. It's also thin; good for cramped places.
- The large rear wheels are removable for easier storage.
- The boot muff comes with it and attaches without hardware.
- The bumper bar is not detachable (safety +).
Cons:
- Can't make seat rear-facing.
- Leg room could be longer or extendable (My child is short, and his feet were already on the foot rest.)
- It is fairly easy to fold, but the front wheels have to line up perfectly within the larger wheels in order to lock easily. Otherwise, you'll have to reposition the front wheels and/or squeeze the frame firmly to lock in place. (This frustrated my petite wife a lot.) Also, the basket essentially needs to be empty to fold easily.
- The standard handles can adjust positions in one rotational direction only. They are not height-adjustable. Even the multi-position handles (optional) don't fully address the need to adjust handle height. Because of the position of the handle locks, it was very uncomfortable to hold it behind the stroller to push it; we had to hold it on the sides, which was an uncomfortable position to push a stroller.
- It's pretty long when folded; bad for small trunks.
- The front wheels stand wider than the rear wheels, so it takes some practice to navigate narrow spaces and not bump into things.
- The brake system is not easily disengaged if wearing flip flops/sandals because you have the use the top of your toes/foot to lift up the brake bar. That's a pretty sensitive area!
- While the bumper bar is not detachable, we felt it gets in the way for easier placement/removal of our child when having to slide him up or down behind it. This shouldn't pose a problem for stronger people and lighter children. Also, the bumper bar is pretty high and blocked my child's line of sight even at the most upright seat position.
- The basket is not easily accessible when seat is in the most upright position because the foot of the seat blocks it.
- It EASILY tips backward if you put any weight on the handles, even a standard diaper bag with just the necessities.
Accessories:
- The Maxi Cosi Mico car seat adapters worked as advertised, but you have to remove the Toro's seat before mounting the car seat.
- The current sun and bug shield is only compatible with the older canopy that has the zipper under the canopy's front lip. Our Toro had the new canopy version, but Micralite hadn't released the sun shield for it, so the distributor has to send us an older canopy. It still looked cool and functioned well!
- See Cons for comments about the multi-position handles.
- The fleece seat liner appeared to keep my some warm. It would be nice if it had a side for use during warmer weather.

As any parent would my wife and I seemingly examined every stroller on the market and we fell in love with the Toro on first sight and have loved every day since. First, it is very light which makes it a dream taking it in and out of cars and taxis. Second, it suspension is fantastic. It is like it has air shocks and absorbs every bump. Third, it collapses so easily into the smallest area. The instructions say use two hands but it is easily a one handed job. Fourth, its bassinet section is large and its position is quite high. Compared to a Bugaboo it is at least 5 inches higher which makes it much easier for your baby to see you. Fifth, it comes with foot muff which is extra on the bugaboo. Sixth, it turns on a dime and steers easily one handed. Seventh, the brake is incredibly easy to use and it works perfectly. You could park this stroller on the side of a San Francisco hill and it would not roll with the brake on. Eighth, it is very easy to maneuver over street curbs, stairs, and other obstacles.

I would like to comment on the tipping over, storage concerns and handlebar issues. I would be the first to say that the stroller can tip over if you have a 10 pound bag attached to the handlebars bars. Under normal daily use however with a well stocked bag our stroller has never tipped over. Now regarding storage capacity. Yes again I would agree that you can not put five bags of groceries under the stroller but we have fond however that the storage capacity in the stroller is more than adequate. We live in New York City and have never had a problem coming back from the store. Lastly, the handlebars rotate so it can adjust to different sizes. Ok if your 6 foot 10 inches you may have a problem but for many people I can not see this as an issue.

Overall, considering its light weight, it compactness when collapsed, handling, accessories it comes with out of the box, and overall styling I would have give the Stroller an A.

PROS:
-Stands upright when folded.
-Steers well.
-Mechanical recline is easy to operate.
-Smooth to push.

CONS:
-Can't access the basket unless the seat is reclined or you're using the bassinet. Not so useful when your kid is, you know, actually sitting in the stroller.
-Stroller bar/belly bar doesn't swing out of the way in order to get your child in or out. It simply folds up into a position which is, coincidentally, right in line with my kid's face. So I have to reach in and pull my kid up and over the bar or pull her down and out the bottom. And when she's big enough, she won't be able to get out on her own without having to slide out from underneath the bar.
-The front wheels are wider than the rear wheels, throwing off your "sense" of how wide you are. Every time I bump into something and wake my sleeping child, I curse this stroller.
-Not *really* a one-motion fold. It rarely "clicks" in place on the first try and I have to set my child down in order to wrestle it into submission. This usually involves kicking the bottom of the seat down until I hear a click.
-No snaps on the muff, it's held in place by folding under and over the belly bar. So, if your kid likes to kick, it's getting kicked off and if you're lucky you won't then roll over it and trip on it.

and i LOVE it. Some quick things...
- the fact that this stroller collapses in one motion and stands upright when folded is genius. i have seen too many people struggle with bending over to pick up their strollers once collapsed, removing the seat to collapse their bugaboos...
- tipping over, when the handlebars are loaded with shopping bags and such has happened once or twice. But you know what - it's a stroller, not a shopping cart, not a coat rack. I travel around with the basics for my child - food, diapers and change of clothes, in a flexible Envirosak - and this fits in the basket underneath just fine.
- this is not a bulky stroller. it is narrow and streamlined. i have no problem maneuvering through aisles carved out between clothes racks in a store or through crowds of people..
- the seat reclines all the way back - even now, as a one year old, my daughter can nap in the stroller comfortably.
what else...this is just a great stroller. not too heavy, has travelled well cross country with us and yup..it looks cool.

I did a lot of research before purchasing the Micralite Toro, and I have to say, it does everything I hoped it would: It's lightweight, maneuverable, portable, comfortable for my son to ride in, easy to fold and park, and beautiful.

BUT! Micralite has the worst customer service I've ever encountered, anywhere. They no longer have a US distributor, so if you call Scandinavian Child (which purports to be the US distributor) with any warranty/parts questions, they won't be able to help you. If you try to contact Micralite in the UK, you'll never hear back from them. (I've written them three polite e-mails over the course of three weeks, and haven't heard a peep back -- and I'm having a real problem with the stroller, one that prevents me from using it.)

If you're going to spend $500 on a stroller, you should be able to contact a human being -- preferably a friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful one -- when something goes wrong, as something inevitably does.

I also have a Bumbleride Indie, which is too big for urban use (in my opinion), but which is a far better-designed stroller overall, and I've always been thrilled with the laid-back helpfulness of their customer service. I intend to chuck the Micralite and get another, lighter-weight Bumbleride instead. You'd also be much better off, in my opinion, with a Bugaboo.

We have the micralite toro stroller and love it! We live in Brooklyn and are always on the go - walking the city streets, going on the subway, in and out of stores and restaurants. The stroller has the best and easiest turn, the one-handed push is a dream (especially for talking on the phone while pushing) and the fold is easy. Highly recommend for people in cities with lots of walking.

We spent a lot of time looking for a lightweight stroller that was easy to maneuver over the terrible sidewalks in our neighborhood. After a few months with a Chicco full size stroller (too heavy and hard to steer) and a snap-n-go style, we decided large tires were important to us along with something that would fit in our small car's trunk. The large tires work great on rough surfaces (uneven sidewalks) and streets.

This stroller doesn't do everything - but it does a lot. It has a full recline (which is the smoothest I've found), it folds up very small (it reminds me of a small vacuum cleaner when folded up), it's also easy to fold (not baby jogger easy, but still) and it weighs around 20 pounds. I think of it as a very deluxe umbrella stroller. We wanted a single stroller solution so this was a good compromise between a full-size stroller and an umbrella. Our kid is 6 MO and she seems to like it - she likes to be up and looking out. We haven't used the car seat converter so I can't speak to that.

We walk a lot and the stroller works well for us. I picked up an after-market cup holder which has been fine. The basket is small but since we travel light - small diaper bag (Ju ju be light) - so it works for us without a problem. Honestly, I actually prefer the smaller basket because I find stroller baskets are like purses for me. The more room I have, the more stuff I carry (and I usually don't need it).

I agree about that the belly bar seems to be too high. We fold it up and it's over our daughter's head for now. You can also remove the belly bar which is probably what we'll do in the near future.

Overall if you live in a small space or in an urban environment where space is at a premium/or sidewalks are a bit rough, I think this is a pretty good stroller. It works for us.

When this stroller arrived, it thought it was Christmas as I hurriedly unwrapped it from it's packaging. However, my delight quickly turned into dismay and disappointment and the annoyances quickly added up.

Annoyance 1:
Inflating the wheels. There is little clearance between the valve and wheel hub. You cannot not use a regular bike tire pump to inflate the wheels without an attachment. Fortunately, the requisite attachment is hidden in the handle. Unfortunately, this was not indicated in the directions and I did not find it until enduring 30-45 min of frustration. Keep in mind, these tires will need to be inflated periodically like bike tires. Also, the included pump is functions terribly. Use the attachment with an alternate pump.

Annoyance 2:
Opening and closing the stroller. Opening the stroller is somewhat intuitive, but slightly odd. Closing the stroller is a mess. There are three sets of levers and handles and they must be used in the correct sequence This can be done quickly IF you know what you are doing, but sending your child off with someone unfamiliar with the stroller is terrible idea.

Annoyance 3:
The front wheels jam when closing, preventing the stroller from completely closing. If it does not lock closed, the stroller unfolds when you attempt to pick it up.

Annoyance 4:
It is an awkward size and does not stow conveniently in the trunk of our cars. (Honda Civic and BMW 325i, both 4 doors) Folded it is similar in size and dimension to a set of golf clubs, but slightly stockier. Consequently, it took up far too much trunk space.

Annoyance 5:
It feels cheap. Some of the levers are loose and they jiggle. The overall construction feels like a prototype, not a refined product. For example, the handle adjustment is controlled by two quick release levers (like on a bicycle wheel).

Annoyance 6:
Safety bar is too difficult to remove and it is difficult to place your child in the seat with the bar in place. First, it cannot be removed in single motion with both hands. Removal is one in three steps. First, you must unfasten one side at time by pushing on a stubborn button and pulling the bar away from the stroller. After bar is unfastened, you must unclip the sun shade from behind the seat. Also, the sun shade is attached to the safety bar. Why they did this is beyond me. And remember, once this odd set of pieces is removed, it must be reattached to the stroller once your child is buckled in the seat.

Annoyance 7:
Storage area is poorly designed. Basket is small, hard to access, and there is a strap that runs the length of the stroller above the basket. This strap is necessary for the stroller to operate as it pulls the front wheels into place when opening the stroller.

In a very short time period, I found myself thoroughly annoyed and avoiding the stroller. Good luck on your stroller purchase.