Summary Recarro Baby Capsule Review
Not Recommended – The Recaro baby capsule does have some nice features however the price point of the unit is very high. cutting it out of the reach of most peole. UPDATE – This unit is no longer available for sale in australia due to recaro pulling out of Australia.
Introducing Recaro Baby Capsule
The Recaro Baby Capsule is an A2 infant car seat/ capsule which can be used to an average of 12 months of age, however like many parents when you are carrying around the capsule with your baby on your arm then it gets very heavy. Many mums stop using a capsule at 4 months as it is simply too heavy to carry and lift at that point in time. Having said that the capsule itself is rather light.
Removing Capsule from Base
Lifting the capsule from the base is fairly easy provided the capsule has been placed carefully onto the base with the 4 locking points and 2 guide pins. In the space of 10 minutes, i were not able to put the capsule into the base 4 times and each time the stall holder needed to lower the base + capsule to the floor to correct the issue; clearly this cannot be done when you are out shopping.
Internal Locking Clamp
Unlike the Mountain Buggy capsule and the Joie Gemm; the Recaro capsule does not have a seat belt locking clamp; which seems strange as the Recaro is a top end product and if paying a high price then you should have the locking clamp built in and not need to purchase a gated buckle. If you have any doubt about your ability to install the baby car seat; contact a mobile baby car seat fitting professional.
Getting the Recaro Base Level
There is a spirit level guide to help you get the correct angle for the capsule; however Recaro have put the spirit level on the inside, so that you cannot see the spirit level when you are installing it from the outside of the car
Foot Depth adjuster
The Foot/ Depth adjuster is a nice addition with two separate mechanisms to take into account a wide variety of bucket seats with a winder to make smaller adjustments and a flip foot for a larger adjustment or both can be used in conjunction. Unfortunately the stabilizing bar is almost vertical meaning that for seats wit a large recline on the back seat there will be a need to ave a very large towel wedged between the stabilizing bar and the seat, unless the back of the seat can be adjusted. I almost get the feeling the capsule has been designed with later model suv’s in mind; where the back of the seat can be adjusted to almost vertical.
One feature I truly did love with the Recaro capsule was the hassle free harness, pressing a button on the backside and lifting allowed you to adjust the harness in steps of around 18 to 20 mm, This makes it very easy to adjust and to get a good fit for your child.
Recaro Baby Capsule Review Conclusion
Not Recommended – Overall the Recaro baby capsule does have some nice features and considering this is not the final version then I would be sitting on the fence dependent upon the price point of the unit, if it is considerably higher and none of the issues have been addressed then leave it alone and go for a tried and true tested capsule and a better price point.
When all considered; as a family you want the baby capsule to work easily to fit onto the pram that you have purchased and to be light enough to carry. Ranther than buy a baby capsule; a better option is to hire a maxi cosi baby capsule at a rate much lower than the larger companies.