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Average Customer Review
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The most helpful favorable review
The most helpful critical review
198 of 201 people found the following review helpful:
Decathlon vs. Boulevard
It took me several weeks before I finally opted to purchase the Decathlon rather than the Boulevard. I was very interested in the extra side-impact protection that is only available in the Boulevard model but was concerned about whether or not my large 4&1/2 month old son (who is in the 95th percentile in length and weight) would need the adjustable crotch strap...
Published on June 20, 2006 by A. Barber
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53 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
REPLACED DECATHLON WITH THE BOULEVARD
We have used a Decathlon for our 21 month old son for the past 1 1/2 years. Yesterday, after our Stroller Strides class, we were loading up, and the harness adjustment broke as I was tightening the harness. Up until this point, we have had no problems with the Decathlon. I was surprised that such a top of the line seat would up and break on us. We drove immediately to...
Published on May 3, 2007 by mommyguru
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198 of 201 people found the following review helpful:
Decathlon vs. Boulevard, June 20, 2006
It took me several weeks before I finally opted to purchase the Decathlon rather than the Boulevard. I was very interested in the extra side-impact protection that is only available in the Boulevard model but was concerned about whether or not my large 4&1/2 month old son (who is in the 95th percentile in length and weight) would need the adjustable crotch strap positioning that is only offered on the Decathlon.
I am so glad that I purchased the Decathlon! It turns out that my son DID indeed need to have the crotch strap adjusted to the last slot (he would be sitting on top of the buckle in the Boulevard at this point which would have made it impossible to buckle and very uncomfortable for him). If you're purchasing for a thin toddler rather than an infant or chubby/big baby you might not have to worry about that.
I love the extra padding (which is removable, unlike the pads in the Boulevard) and the soft cover (which is machine washable unlike that in the Boulevard). He seems to be VERY comfortable and I know that he is safe. I know that it doesn't offer as much side-impact protection as the Boulevard, but it does offer some (definitely much more than a conventional car seat) as it is made to far exceed American safety standards. Plus, if your baby is placed in the middle of the back seat than that offers some additional protection as well.
I was also concerned about the size of the car seat and whether or not it would fit comfortably, rear-facing, in the back of my Toyota Avalon car. It does. Perfectly! My husband is 6'4" and doesn't have to move his seat up to accomodate the car seat in back (something I was very concerned about). AND I can see out of the rear-view mirror with no problem. It DOES NOT block your view at all.
It's very easy to install and, if done so properly, doesn't budge. It is a little tough to adjust the straps when it's installed rear-facing but not too difficult... and even if you had to take it out to adjust the straps it's no-biggy because the carseat takes only a couple moments to install EASILY and it's not like you'll have to adjust them on a daily basis or anything.
I am very pleased with my purchase and highly recommend the Decathlon to anyone looking for a SAFE, COMFY and ATTRACTIVE carseat that will take them from the chubby baby stage all the way through the toddler years. :o)
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56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
Marathon, Decathlon or Boulevard?, January 18, 2008
We needed a new car seat for my 1 year old and I knew Britax was the only way. We have owned a Roundabout in the past (as well as an Eddie Bauer that I HATED). My other 2 outgrew the 40 lb. weight limit Roundabout quickly so I opted for a larger weight limit this time around....which brought me to the Marathon, the Decathlon and the Boulevard. I read and read about each of the seats and finally I went to a store that sold all 3 and tried them out in person. I settled on the Decathlon for 2 reasons. The first is the adjustable crotch strap which neither of the other 2 have. After years of digging for that silly piece under my boys on my Roundabout, I knew this was a must! The other feature is the Push Button Release as opposed to the metal lever on the other 2 seats that is hidden under a fabric flap. This might not be huge to some, but as a mother of 3 that is always on the road and taking my 1 year old out of her car seat several times a day, every second seems to count! This Push Button just seems faster and easier to work with than the lever. Before purchasing, I went over and over the descriptions of each of these car seats trying to figure out the major differences, and if I'd read a Review like this in the beginning, I'd have saved a lot of time! Of course I love this car seat for all the same reasons as everyone else, but I am hoping this review will help someone like me who couldn't decide on which Britax was right for us. Oh, and a footnote. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the yellow flowered fabric on the car seat is actually a light lime color. Read this in another review somewhere, and I have to agree!!!!
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53 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
REPLACED DECATHLON WITH THE BOULEVARD, May 3, 2007
We have used a Decathlon for our 21 month old son for the past 1 1/2 years. Yesterday, after our Stroller Strides class, we were loading up, and the harness adjustment broke as I was tightening the harness. Up until this point, we have had no problems with the Decathlon. I was surprised that such a top of the line seat would up and break on us. We drove immediately to Safe and Secure Baby, here locally, and were told that the seat was broken and it was a manufacturing problem. This morning, I called Britax and they are sending me a new car seat along with a return shipping label to return to them my broken Decathlon, even though our one year warranty expired five months ago. Now, that is good customer service! Needing a car seat immediately, we purchased a Boulevard yesterday, and am completely happy with it. Initially, I was concerned about the "crotch strap" as noted earlier, but it doesn't matter, because the maximum length of the "crotch strap" on the Boulevard is the same as the maximum on the Decathlon. So, I don't know why the reviewer on the other page was concerned about her son outgrowing the car seat. He will outgrow them at the same rate - since the crotch strap maximum is the same.
I was SOLD on the Boulevard when I was asked, "If you were in a car accident, would you rather have your son's face hit the side impact protection (on the Boulevard) or the window (on the Decathlon)". I didn't realize that when in an accident, the car seat (any car seat) can move quite a distance. Then, I was concerned that my son may fuss over the slightly more limited view when using the Boulevard with SIP. But, it hasn't affected him one bit. He didn't care at all, and it made a nice head rest for him when he napped off in the car today. Britax is replacing our broken Decathlon with a Boulevard. It's worth every penny! and comes with great customer service from Britax, too.
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28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
Hard to use Straps, March 20, 2006
I really liked this Car seat especially the print and would recommend it but there were 2 things I didn't like.
The straps are very hard to loosen and tighten & the car seat is large. You can not put this car seat in the middle of the back seat because it blocks both front seats from reclining. My husband is 6'2 and needs to have one of the seats far back to ride in it, so we had to put it behind the passenger seat for when he drives.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
Awesome Seat... So Worth the Money!!!!!, November 28, 2006
I am a new mom with a 6 month old son. I bought this seat after my 17 pound/26.5 inch son outgrew his infant carrier seat. I did a lot of research when buying this seat since I wanted one that would last a while (my son is growing like a weed) and was easy to use, not to mention keep my boy safe in the car. After much searching and debating (it is one of the priciest seats out there), my husband and I decided we would go ahead and buy it. At first we were concerned at the size of the seat since we weren't sure it would fit rear-facing in our car. But it managed to fit just fine as long as the front passenger doesn't have really long legs and needs to move the front seat back all the way. The best part was how relatively easy it was to install into our car. We just took the seat belt, laped it under the cover through the slots and buckled the belt. It even comes with built-in belt tighteners so you don't have to kill yourself trying to get the seat in nice and snug. My son loves to go on car rides now. The seat is so comfortable that he just falls asleep as soon as we put him in it and start to roll. We've had the seat for a little over a month and it's one of the best purchases we ever made.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
Great customer service from Britax, November 9, 2006
We purchased this convertiable car seat when my first born 9-month old. She was too long to fit into our old Combi Tyro. By law, she had to be at least one-year-old AND 22 pounds before she can face forward.
Of course, we purchased a Britax base on the reputation and safety review from consumer report. After about 6-month of usage, the adjustment belt stopped working because the hook broke. We called and followed the instruction, two weeks later, it's fixed perfectly with warranty.
During that two weeks without our Britax, we borrowed a Eddie Bauer. Oh Lord, we felt so bad for that child who once owned that seat. You can obviously tell the quality is not up to standard, kept moving, hard to secure child on that Eddie Bauer.
The safety of my child can not be measured by dollar sign. I am glad I have this car seat, envied by plenty of people - most of them are impressed by the grogeous Tiffany print, but I know for sure that comes with great customer service and knowing my child is safely protected in this car seat. Being a parent has plenty to worry, with one thing less to worry about, that's priceless.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Great Seat - Couple of Complaints..., February 14, 2008
I researched a few different seats to put in our new Odyssey van in September (07). Our daughter just turned two and we wanted to get a new car seat for her so her Evenflo Triumph could go in my husbands car. She had been using the Triumph since she was about 9 months (rear-facing), and then forward facing from about 14 months. We really loved the Triumph, but I wanted something she could grow into. Meaning - getting the most out of a car seat height and weight wise for the longest period of time.
Britax was one of the only ones I found, that actually makes a heavy-duty quality seat that I knew would last. Sure, I looked at a few others that ranked up there with height and weight (i.e. Eddie Bauer, Cosco, and Graco), but none of these compared in quality and durability! We made the trip to Babies r Us so we could "test" the few different seats I had chosen from Consumer Reports ratings. The Eddie Bauer deluxe booster was out because the first time I snapped the metal part into the crotch strap I pinched my daughters skin and she screamed like crazy! I felt so bad, and my husband immediately said, "That's it for this one!" and put it back on the shelf.
The Eddie Bauer would have been the only other one we would have considered because it was more durable and sturdy than the Cosco and Graco. We did try the Britax Boulevard, but found it rather cumbersome to adjust the head rest and my daughter's head seemed to lean too far forward with the pillow being there. Overall, she looked uncomfortable in the Boulevard. We also tried the Britax Regent. Talk about a monstrosity of a car seat, but we both loved it, especially my hubby! It held my daughter in snug and secure and was easy to install into the test seat they have at the Babies r Us store. My taller than average daughter looked dinky in the Regent! The only reason we decided not to get the Regent was because our daughter still sleeps in her car seat on longer trips and the Regent just wasn't going to give her the head support and comfort level I wanted her to have while snoozing. By not buying the Regent as opposed to the Decathlon, we only gave up a 15 pound weight and 4" height ability and we knew our daughter was going to outgrow the height limit WAY before she outgrew the weight limit. When that happens we'll probably just go to a standard backless booster that she'll use with the seatbelt from the car.
Well, BrU didn't have the Decathlon at the store, and it wasn't one I was considering. I had researched the Marathon on Amazon and liked the reviews, but after comparing numerous reviews of the two seats. I decided on the Decathlon for three reasons: 1) It had the infant padding for rear-facing which will be good for our next child that comes along; 2) It had the toddler pillow; and 3) It had the adjustable crotch strap which I knew I would need for my daughter (she's in the 97th percentile for height, being 36" tall at 24 months!). Essentially, the Decathlon and Marathon have the same seat structure and height and weight capacities, but the Decathlon has the "extras" I mentioned. Also, the Decathlon has a push-button strap release and tightener. The Marathon has a clasp crimper to hold the straps tight. Knowing the seat structures were basically the same, I toted my daughter over to Target and tried her in the Marathon, and I liked it, so I bought the Decathlon on Ebay.
It is so easy to install once you've looked over the directions. Of course, at first it took some time, but now it's a breeze. The thing is rock solid in the captain's chair of our Odyssey. With the anchor belt and the tether anchor attached this baby isn't going anywhere unless the whole captain's chair comes off! Even without the tether anchor it still didn't move. The material is nice and heavy and the seat is adequately padded. It sits up high so my daughter can see everything outside. I love the "hugs" system the straps have because it makes my daughter fit snuggly into the seat.
I only have two complaints about this seat, which really aren't that bad, just annoyances - 1) Sometimes the straps do twist a bit and I have to untwist them, especially with an independent toddler who wants to push their own arms through the straps and 2) It does take a little bit of strength to tighten down the straps with the push-button strap holder. I usually pull it as tight as I can and then if it still has too much slack I push the button with my left thumb and pull the strap with my right hand until it's tightened to my satisfaction.
Overall, I've been very happy with the Britax Decathlon car seat. It was a good investment and as many of the reveiwers have stated - the price is worth every penny knowing that your child is protected very well. One bit of advise I'd give to anyone considering ANY car seat - GO TO A STORE WHERE YOU CAN TEST THE SEATS OUT ON YOUR CHILD! All children are different shapes and sizes and the seats are different. We are so glad we took our daughter to BrU and put her in each seat we were considering - and look, we didn't even buy any of the seats we were originally considering based on the Consumer Reports ratings I looked at! You just never know!
Update - November 11, 2008
Still loving this carseat. I had to take everything apart to clean it a couple weeks ago. It was a time consuming task, but not hard. The seat cover cleaned up beautifully and it looks brand new! Unfortunately, my daughter is now three and just about to outgrow the top slots (she's 41" now!). She probably has another couple months in it. I'd really like to keep her in a harness for a lot longer, so I'm now checking out the new Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 carseat that's on the market. It's getting awesome reviews and it's a fraction of the cost of this seat or any of the other Britax's. Baby #2 will be here in December, so this one will be put away for when he/she is out of the infant carrier and this seat is big enough to keep the new little one rear-facing for a longer time!
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Should have got the Boulevard, July 27, 2009
We purchased the Britax Boulevard car seat a few months ago and love it. I happened to notice that Amazon had a sale on most of their Britax stock, and thought I'd seize the opportunity to get one for my car, instead of switching back and forth with my wife's car.
After spending what seemed like forever researching the differences between the Decathlon, Marathon, Boulevard, and Roundabout, it looked like the Decathlon struck a good balance between price and benefit. Sure, it didn't have the much-touted "True Side Impact Protection", but it looked reasonably close, and I liked the idea of the quick-release straps.
I placed my order, and the Decathlon arrived quickly and unscathed. For those interested, it arrived July 21st and had a manufacture date of June 29. Having found the Boulevard to be ridiculously easy to install, I was expecting the same experience with the Decathlon. Sadly, this was not so. The Decathlon has the same chintzy "strap under the seat" design for the LATCH connectors that you'd see on any car seat from WalMart. (To explain why this is an issue: The Boulevard has forged steel bars on both sides, which the LATCH straps are individually connected to)
I wasn't happy, but I figured I could live with it, since I was saving some money, and my daughter isn't usually in my car anyway. So then, I got to the shoulder strap / harness adjustment, only to discover that it, much like the LATCH straps, was no different than any run of the mill car seat. A three-way clip on the back, with multiple slots to fish the straps through. (Again, for comparison, the Boulevard has a dial that moves the headrest and straps.)
The real kicker though, was removing the infant body pillow. Our daughter is 13 months old, and doesn't really need it anymore. So while I had the seat apart to adjust the straps, I removed the body pillow, and kept the head pillow on, as detailed in the instructions. With the body pillow removed, the Decathlon really does look like any $50 car seat (with the exception of the Britax logo). It seemed like half of the padding was now gone, and there's nothing that keeps the lower head pillow in place -- which is infuriating. With the floppy and surprisingly thin lower head pillow, getting your child in to the seat becomes an exercise in dexterity and patience for you and your child.
Other notable differences between the Decathlon and Boulevard that don't warrant full explanation: The shoulder pads on the Boulevard are much higher quality material, with thicker padding. The shoulder straps on the Decathlon get twisted constantly. The top tether on the Boulevard has a storage pouch, the Decathlon literally has a rubber band (this is really only relevant when rear-facing).
A lot of people seem concerned about the adjustable crotch strap being a huge selling point on the Decathlon. Since I actually have the Decathlon and Boulevard to compare side-by-side, it's worth pointing out that the seating position is different on the two seats. So the crotch strap on the Boulevard isn't positioned in the same place as it would be if it were in the first position on the Decathlon. If I had to guess, I'd say it actually hits somewhere between the second and third position.
That isn't to say that the Decathlon is a bad car seat by any means. But the reason it only gets two stars from me, is because it's ridiculously expensive for what you get. With the Boulevard it's... okay, it's still crazy-expensive for what it is. If it were priced in line with the Graco Nautilus, I could easily see giving it three or four stars.
The build quality and design of the Boulevard is so far beyond the Decathlon, you feel like you're getting something special for the extra money. Considering the price difference between the two is about what you'd spend for dinner for two at a midrange restaurant, if you're going to throw down this much money for a car seat, you might as well skip that dinner and get the Boulevard.
For what it's worth, I've decided to return the Decathlon and get another Boulevard. The price difference is just too negligible for the difference in quality.
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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
Chest clip usage, September 11, 2006
In the pictures posted for this seat, all the chest clips are positioned too low. It should be even with the child's armpits.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
incredible!!!, May 25, 2006
This was the third car seat I purchased and the only one I will ever use again. I love this seat. I am using it in reverse right now for my four month old daughter. I have an infant seat and can't bear to put her back in to that. This seat is way too comfortable. She falls asleep the second I put her in it. I put off buying this seat because of the price, but I am so glad a splurged. I love it.
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