SBS strollers

i will be the first to admit that i'm a total cheapskate who's always complaining about whether things are worth the price. it's not about how much something costs, it's whether the value is there to justify the cost.

and i swear, i just don't get it with SBS strollers. admittedly i've never owned one before so maybe there's something i don't know. but i'm looking on amazon.com and i'm seeing $600 SBS strollers. :blink: and it looks like the majority are coming in between $200 and $300. and i want to scream, "I DONT GET IT!" are they really worth the money? i just can't see what could possibly be so expensive about the engineering or materials of these things. i feel like i'm looking at photos of products that probably cost $40 to manufacture.

please, someone who's BTDT explain what the pitfalls of cheap SBS strollers are. because just the thought of dropping $600 on a stroller makes my wallet muscle clench up. has anyone here bought a cheaper SBS stroller, like that $99 jeep stroller, and regretted it?

help convince me that these things are worth the price! :fool:

 

We have the Jeep SBS; it serves its purpose just fine. We use it for quick trips to the pediatrician or quick trips into the store. It is great to pull in and out of the car when we have multiple stops - it is fairly lightweight.

It does not:

1. Have a good sun shade

2. Have a 5pt harness; so if you have babies/toddlers who like to lean forward, it might not be a good option.


It does:

1. Recline

2. Steer fairly easily

3. Collapse/fold up easily


I really like our Jeep SBS. Like I said, I didn't have high expectations for it. I had very specific things I wanted to use it for - and it works great for those things. It would not be ideal for a day at the zoo, a long walk, etc.

HTH!

 

personally....we bought a $650 sbs stroller, put it together, and totally decided it wasnt worth it....at all!! We wanted a refund but would have to pay a big restocking free, so we had to exchange it. In exchange we got the combi twin sport (love it and its on the cheaper end, got ours for $200 at albeebaby.com ) and 2 convertible car seats as they are about to outgrow infant carriers.
If your going to jog a lot or go places that require an all-terrain stroller often then it might be worth it, but for us...not at all and we got 3 nice things in exchange.

 

I really don't get it either. Part of me thinks it's just the brand that makes it cost more. I do know (as pp mentioned) that the difference between the cheapest SBS like the Jeep is really the 3pt vs 5pt straps. For some I think they cost more with a snack tray. But yes, I think it's a total rip off too. I found a used one on Craigslist and even at $75 I couldn't talk DH into getting it (it was one of the $200 ones). We'll just stick with our tandem and jogging stroller.

 

I wanted to add, our 15.5 month olds have recently figured out that they can :catfight: in the SBS. So, right now the tandem one is the only one that works!

 

It all comes down to what you want in a stroller and what you want to use it for. For me personally, I wanted a nice stroller that could grow with my kids, that could take a few licks and keep on ticking, that would provide sun coverage, snack trays, take with us on excursions to Disney and Sea World, and we also had the issue of needing a toddler seat. But even if I didnt need the toddler seat, I think eventually I would have still ended up with a Valco Twin Trimode. I sold a ton of baby stuff on Ebay to pay for most of it.

I also have a Combi Twin Savvy that I love. It is nice and lightweight, compact, and has snack trays (a must for me).

 

Personally I can't see spending that much on a stroller either, I know realistically how much I used them with my older two kids and I can't justify the price of the more expensive ones.

We are planning on getting the combi twin sport as well, THAT I can handle and see being well used

 

I like my $80 Jeep SBS.

 

I have an expensive one, and it has been worth every penny. Owned a Bugaboo, loved it. And now I have a Mountain Buggy Urban Double, paid over $600. My personal experience is that they last longer (returned a Combi, hated it, the sound of plastic made me creep) and their resale value is good, making it worth the purchase, at least for me. I got about 60-70% of my Bugaboo back when reselling after 2 1/2 years. So for the remainder, I owned a fantastic stroller, easy to push, great for Chicago city living. My MBUD is even better. I paid $650 in the States, back home in the Netherlands they sell for over euro 800 (a little less than $1000), and I am pretty sure I can resell for about euro 500, which is basically what I paid 2 years ago! So yes, it's major purchase, but I've enjoyed the durability, the quality, the ease of pushing 3 kids around (my oldest would stand on a kiddie board) with one hand. It's all about mobility and convenience and that's what those strollers have given me.

However, I do agree, that a lot of cost are related to branding, etc. Living so close to China makes me realize that every single day. I buy great quality fake Ralph Lauren shirts for less than $5 and that's just the tip of the ice berg.

 

I bought a used Maclaren Twin Triumph off Craigslist and LOVE it. It is studier than the Jeep SBS, made so well, and so compact. The girls love it, and seem really comfy in it. And I feel like I didn't break the bank, either. Buying a good model used is the way to go, in my opinion.

 

I have a Peg Perego Aria Twin, but I got it off of AlbeeBaby for $169 with free shipping. If you keep an eye on their site, you can get really good deals on baby gear. Sure, it might be last year's model or a discontinued color, but really...I didn't care.

I think it's worth it. It seems easier to have them next to each other and I like that mine folds up and stores easily in the back of my car. I don't have anything to compare it to, other than a single stroller, but I'm happy with my purchase.

 

The only thing I have spent a lot of money on is my BOB revolution stroller and I love it. It has a very large canopy which is great and it is so smooth. I bought a used Baby Trend SBS and didn't like it at all. I think it is worth the money to get a great stroller.

 

It really depends on what you are using the stroller for and how much you will use it. I think us twin moms use a stroller longer than singleton moms (at least that seems to be the case around here). So I wanted something that could handle the hills around my neighborhood and could also go into shops in my town. I got our Jane Powertwin off craigslist for about $200 cheaper than new. I've used that stroller nearly every day for a year and a half and I love it.

Sadly the girls are getting a little big for it now (its a tandem) and its getting harder to push. I'm looking at all terraine SBSs that we'll use for another 1 1/2 to 2 years. Go to the store (like Sports Authority or TRU) and see them in person. You need to see how they push, the storage, the features, how heavy they are, etc to decide if they are worth the investment. GL!

 

maybe my confusion is that i have absolutely no clue what features to look for. several PPs have said what the amazon reviews say, which is "it's good for some purposes." and i'm thinking, what purposes? how many purposes are there? like, i'm not about to start jogging anytime soon, and it's unlikely i'll go off-roading with the thing. i need something that survives grocery stores, museums and sidewalks. if it can hold up to a trip through ikea, that's probably good enough for me! plus, i'd like something that folds up so that i can live the dream of putting both a stroller AND groceries in the trunk. not an option with our graco tandem stroller right now.

and i'm thinking, it would never occur to me to look for a snack tray option. it probably SHOULD occur to me, but these are my first kids and they're not snacking age yet.

oh man, suddenly i'm feeling very overwhelmed by this purchase! :umm:

 

QUOTE(piccologirl @ Apr 29 2009, 10:02 AM) [snapback]1293207[/snapback]
maybe my confusion is that i have absolutely no clue what features to look for. several PPs have said what the amazon reviews say, which is "it's good for some purposes." and i'm thinking, what purposes? how many purposes are there? like, i'm not about to start jogging anytime soon, and it's unlikely i'll go off-roading with the thing. i need something that survives grocery stores, museums and sidewalks. if it can hold up to a trip through ikea, that's probably good enough for me! plus, i'd like something that folds up so that i can live the dream of putting both a stroller AND groceries in the trunk. not an option with our graco tandem stroller right now.

and i'm thinking, it would never occur to me to look for a snack tray option. it probably SHOULD occur to me, but these are my first kids and they're not snacking age yet.

oh man, suddenly i'm feeling very overwhelmed by this purchase! :umm:


I have Instep jogger for walk in neighborhood-twins ok in that , I think they are too small for it, ones they get older I believe they will enjoy it more.
I also have Combi Sport -twins absolutely love that one.It sits in my trunk and I take them daily out, and they get so excited when I pull over someone a, they know that it will be time to ride in their stroller. And it cost about $200. Worth it.

 

I think you solved the riddle. It really depends on what your needs are. We have the Contour tandem w/the infant seat attachments. It's fantastic stroller for the mall, shopping etc. We'll see once we put the regular seats in, but for now it has very specific uses.

However, I also do a lot of walking/jogging (training for a 10K). We also go to a giant dog park (40 sq miles) that is gravel, bark etc. The Contour stroller was not appropriate for those things. The wheels just don't work in those conditions, and it's really hard to push through bark. So, we also bought the BOB Revoultion sbs. That thing pushes like a dream, and the boys seem pretty comfortable in it. The weather guard is great. We got it with a 20% off coupon at REI, so we saved a bit, but it was still like almost $500.

But the BOB would not be good for a trip to our aquarium. The last time I was there, two other familes brought that stroller, and it wouldn't fit through the door. They had to get their kids out and fold it up, just to get through! So I was glad to have the tandem.

I'm probably going to get a sbs umbrella off craigslist, since we're going to Florida/Disney in the fall, and it would be cheaper to just bring our own than to rent there, but the BOB is probably not a good choice to bring on the plane!