Phil and Teds Vibe Stroller with Free Doubles Kit

by Phil & Ted's

Product Features

• Five point safety harness in both main seat and double kit seat
• Slide and click easy harness adjustment - quick and easy height adjustment
• Fabric is rip-stop 300 denier fabric - cross hatch design keeps a possible tear from expanding or fraying
• Infinite-position removable form-fit ergo seatTM: from lie-flat newborn to upright 5 year old
• Ergonomically contoured seat and generous padding surround baby in cushioned comfort

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 30 x 23.2 x 10.6 inches ; 36.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 38 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B0021VJHHI
• UPC: 942001570086 734930201076
• Item model number: VPR_v2_11_200_USA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,868 in Baby (See Top 100 in Baby)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)

Product Description

This unique 4 in 1 stroller is like nothing else on the market today. Perfect for your newborn or toddler, it grows with you and your family to accommodate two children. Just attach the FREE doubles kit to the back, and you have a compact stroller with seating for a baby and toddler, or 2 toddlers! Join the stylish parents who adore the sleek lines, aluminum frame, and ability to fold with the doubles kit attached. An under seat basket, roomier than those found on other phil&teds strollers, hold

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Lot of Money for a Sun Shade..., August 5, 2008

By 

A. Rennier - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I researched doubles for months and after buying and returning a side-by-side finally took the plunge and bought the Vibe. For me, it was not a good buy.

First, the positives. FINALLY, Phil and Ted's has designed a sun canopy that offers decent coverage. The shade rotates freely and also slides up and down the frame, which is helpful in creating head room for the toddler in the infant/toddler mode. However, as another reviewer mentioned the shade is a bit flimsy, as the frame and the clips that attach it to the stroller frame are just plastic.

The stroller is a dream to push, and probably the lightest weight full-size double you can find. I do not know how the push compares with other P&T models. And of course, the configuration is entirely unique for a double stroller.

Now, for the things that annoyed me. Some other reviewers on various sites noted that they do not like the location of the parking brake on the center of the handle, because it is easy to engage accidentally. I did not have trouble with this and actually found I preferred having the brake on the handle, especially in the toddler/toddler mode with the doubles seat on the back. Also, I found the "ergonomic" handle rather comfortable. It is rather wide and flat more than round, so it is not condusive to wrapping your thumbs around it, but this didn't bother me. The thing about the handle that does both me is that when the handle is in it's highest position (where it is comfortable for me) and the sun shade is in it's normal position, you can't get your fingers around the handle without squeezing them in between the sun shade and the handle. I usually tip the sun shade forward a bit to avoid this.

The new "infinite" recline system on the main seat is VERY cumbersome. It is a strap that requires two hands to adjust and is not smooth at all. I do not think it is an improvement over the zipper/buckles system on the other P&T models, although those are also annoying. Plus you still have to use side zippers on the Vibe to get the full recline. The recline on the doubles seat is an absolute joke. First, the child must be short enough for his/her head to fit under the metal frame of the top of the seat in order for it to recline. Second, the recline is two inches at best and really rather useless.

As with the other models, the doubles seat when in the back has absolutely no sun protection. Do not believe that the main seat and the rest of the stroller provide shade; they do not. Plan on purchasing an extra shade for the rear seat if you use the stroller outdoors.

I am 5'9" and use the stroller for fast walking. With the handle in the highest position and the stroller in toddler/toddler mode (with the doubles seat on the back), I brush the top of the doubles seat with my knees with almost every step. Going downhill, the "brush" is more of a "crash".

Oh, the fold. I read a review somewhere that outlined no less than 12 steps for folding the stroller with the doubles seat attached; that seems about right to me. Once you get the hang of it, it is not complicated, but it is also not fast. In addition, the stroller is really quite bulky when folded with the doubles seat on the back, and the fabric of the main seat is conspicuously exposed - it gets rather dirty in my trunk.

The Bottom Line: The only real improvement I see between the Vibe and the Sport Buggy is the main sun shade, and even that has its drawbacks. If you have a Sport Buggy and are happy with it, I would not recommend "upgrading" to the Vibe. The Phil & Teds inline buggies are convenient and unique in their ability to fit two kids in the footprint of a single stroller, but if you are looking at the four models now available, I would suggest getting the Classic or Sport Buggy and adding sun shades. The Vibe just isn't worth the $700-$800.

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!, November 21, 2009

By 

A. Connaughton (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Phil and Teds Vibe Stroller with Free Doubles Kit (Baby Product)

We live in New York City and have two children, ages 10 months and 3.5 years. After a lot of research, we purchased the Vibe because we needed an inline tandem stroller and there aren't many options in the marketplace. Side-by-side twin strollers are not a viable option in New York City. We foolishly thought we were getting a high quality product for the high price tag. Initially, we were happy with the stroller while our youngest was still only a few months old. However, once she was able to move to the back seat (the doubles kit seat), we started having issues. It became more difficult for the front wheel to swivel, such that we often get stuck and can't proceed forward because the front wheel won't swivel. We thought it might be that the tires needed air, so we were constantly checking and refilling them as necessary, but it didn't help. Speaking of wheels, we've had the stroller for a little more than 1 year and have had to replace each of the back wheels (and we had to replace the left back wheel twice). Each time, it costs about $30. To make matters worse, the stroller is very difficult to fold, as others have noted. However, we had gotten the hang of it. We folded it up one summer day and took a bus down to the governor's island ferry with both kids. When we got on the ferry and attempted to unfold it (something we had done several times before), the lock on the frame that kept it folded shut would not disengage on the right side. We jostled it, opened and closed the hinge (which customer service helpfully later told me is called a T-Bot) several times, but nothing worked. We were desperate to have use of our stroller, as we were about to spend the day walking through a state park. We made one last attempt to pull it open, and it gave, but the T-bot mechanism that had been stuck cracked. Now, the frame will not stay together at the point where it folds on the right side. We have rigged it with some twine as a temporary fix, but we think the misalignment is leading to even more maneuverability problems. When we contacted customer service to see if we could get a replacement T-bot mechanism, we were told that they aren't willing to sell us just that replacement piece, but they would be happy to sell us an entire new frame (which would include the T-bot we need) for $435!! The customer service rep acknowledged that her solution was an unattractive one, and said it was really too bad that this had happened just after the one-year warranty, because then she could help me. I asked if I could pay them to fix it the way they would if it had still been under warranty, and she told me they would not do that. She gave me the number of a third party repair shop that might be able to help me (she said that they send all of their customers who need repairs after the warranty has ended to this third party shop-- red flag right there-- they have so many requests for post-warranty repairs that they have a regular vendor that they recommend). I called the shop and the owner told me he couldn't help me because he only has access to the same parts that I have access to, so the only thing he could do for me would be to order the new frame and install it at a cost of $435 plus labor. He said that he sees a lot of people who have problems with not just the Vibe, but other Phil & Teds strollers as well. By the way, I pointed out to the customer service rep at Phil & Ted's that the cutesy manual that comes with the stroller is useless hipster drivel that doesn't actually tell you how to operate the stroller and she said that they knew it wasn't a useful user's manual and they were in the process of revising it to include actual operating instructions. If you live in a big city where the stores have narrow doorways and aisles, there are not many options. I know some people who like the Phil & Ted's Sport, but other people that I have met who have the Vibe have had similar problems to mine. We are going to check out the Joovy, because we are desperate to replace the Vibe. It is infuriatig that Phil & Ted's does not stand behind its product after one year, despite charging people close to $1,000 for it (once you add in the accessories and replacement wheels). We feel like suckers for having bought this product. Shame on Phil & Ted's!

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Stay away from this lemon, July 28, 2008

By 

Joshua Noble Fuller "dnaflr2" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I wanted to love this stroller. It was the only thing we could find that seated 2 and wasn't side by side. Design is great, yes it does some great things the others don't, however we have had several defects since we first purchased in May. Upon contacting the seller for support, they stated it is unfortunate, however this is expected since we bought the first run of a new model. If spending 800 dollars for a stroller it would be expected to be bullet-proof, however this stroller fails to deliver what it promises. Since May we have had 2 clear defects from normal use. I will get to these later. First I would like to comment on the design flaws that are not mentioned. This stroller is far from compact, nor does it fold in an acceptable fashion. To get this thing in your car you are talking about a major ordeal. It does not fold easily. Unfortunately many will have to buy one before they know exactly what I am referring to. Additionally the sun shade/canopy that is provided is flimsy at best, and the method used for attaching it to the stroller is weak at best. It simply does not like to stay put, and god forbid if you have to move or adjust it; it is likely to come crashing down on the child seated below.

The above were huge disappointments after shelling out 800 dollars on a stroller, however I accepted them. I still loved the design and appreciated the smoothness of pushing it. Unfortunately things came to a screaming halt when the doubles kit that is a key component for seating the 2nd child broke and became permanently attached to the stroller. Without the ability to take off the doubles kit the effort of collapsing the stroller and fitting it in any car becomes an issue. After complaining to the seller and waiting for a response from Phil & Teds the brake gave out. Even worse when the brake decided to give out it was in its locked state, which made it impossible to push. I was lucky enough to be able to yank on the lever to disable it, however it still fails to work properly.

In addition to the above issues the vendor has admitted that the manual is erroneous and fails to represent the actual product as it was written for a prototype that never saw the light of day. Currently I am making the effort to return for a refund, however it has been 3 weeks and I still have yet to receive a response from Phil & Teds. The seller is facilitating the return/repair, and I am beginning to feel like I am being taken advantage of.

Hope your experience is better- you have been warned.