Phil and Teds E3 v/s Steelcraft Swivelrite Deluxe

[ElizaDee]

Phil and Teds E3 v/s Steelcraft Swivelrite Deluxe I am looking at these two prams. Can anyone give me some good advice about these.

I like the features of the Steelcraft, but the Phil and Teds is lighter and smaller, I am of two minds on the two prams, I need some serious help here.:confused:

Any advice about these two would be greatly appreciated, including why you did or did not buy either of these.

Thanks in advance :kiss:

[Merlion]

Okay one BIG difference is that Ted E3 can fit into normal aisles at the supermarket ie you don't have to go through the wheelchair access aisle. This is a biggee as sometimes some idiots who don't have a pram or wheelchair use it with about a $200 worth of groceries to be put through and you have a screaming baby in the pram waiting patiently behind.

Another thing I like about the E3 is that if you have more kids they both can sleep in the pram without breaking their necks. While the Steelcraft has only a toddler seat which looks entirely uncomfortable and doesn't look very stable

Another thing is that also if you have another baby or older child when they are in the E3 they won't get wet as you can get a rain cover that will cover both seats. No matter what other jogger you buy which has a toddler seat there is no rain cover to protect your child

Also an E3 will fit in any type of boot as it lies pretty flat. My mother has an Hyundai Excel Hatchback and it fits nicely in it and you can put grocery shopping in the boot too. My best friend has the Steelcraft one and it doesn't fit in her Holden Astra and has to use her umbrella stroller.

[wattle]

I was just looking at the Choice review yesterday because I need to replace my mountain buggy (boo hoo) when dd comes along.


http://www.choice.com.au/viewarticleasonepage.aspx?id=104846&catId=100510&tid=100008&p=1

Not sure if you need a toddler seat though.

[Chickadee]

Another parent has posted a review of the E3 in BubHub's Pram and Stroller review. Click here (http://www.bubhub.com.au/communityprams.shtml). There is also a review of the Steelcraft Swivelright Urban (but not the Deluxe). Hope this helps.

[ElizaDee]

Thanks everyone, I have read all this stuff and still undecided. :rolleyes: Will speak to DH and go to the shops and trial them both. If anyone still wants to offer thier advice please feel free....:D:D

[Merlion]

one thing make sure you can easily lift it in and out of the car without dificulty. we have a jogger and its really heavy and its extremely hard to lift into the car. also you want something that can fold up easily too

[giggles]

I have a steelcraft....a cousin of the swivelrite and it is awful! Wheels fall off and numerous other things I would change about it.

I have only heard good things about the Phil and Teds and will be getting one of those myself when we decide to extend our family.

In the meantime I just have to grin and bear it with this pram.

Hope you find one you like anyway and hope this info helps (brutally honest I'm afraid)

Good luck!

[giggles]

Thats another thing I forgot to mention. We looked at the Swivelrite and the only thing that changed my mind was the fact that the wheel width at the back was much wider than a normal jogger and that the weight was 16kgs. A bit too heavy for me to be getting in and out of a 4WD.

[Nicolet]

I have a Phil & Ted and there are a number of things I don't like.

The main one is that to sit your baby up from the lying position you have to take the baby out of the pram and use two hands to push the fabric up and clip the back together.....
Nightmare with a young baby- rolling around on pavement!! Nightmare with a crawler...crawling around Gloria Jeans!

This clip system is what makes the pram so light, which it is compared to others and it also folds a lot smaller than other joggers. It is the only one I could fit in my Lancer.

I've also found it to be rather narrow at the shoulders for bigger babies-my son is one and already a bit squashed.

I also don't rate the posture support for him.

Would I buy it again ? No way!

[aimeejayde]

We went through this dilemma until we read the Choice online write up which stated that the Phil & Teds could be harful as it could collapse. It went on to say that the toddler seat was unsafe due to the child being able to touch the spokes (or something - it was a while ago that I read the article). I suggest you look up Choice online. We ended up with Chilscare Sport Trio because it had the best rating when adding the toddler seat. When we had DD1 we had theBertini Shuttle which we loved but could not take a toddler seat. Choice does not recommend three wheelers as Australia does not have a safety standards rating for them (they are rated according to four wheelers) but as not many (if any) four wheelers have toddler seats we bought a three wheeler.

I really do suggest you read the Choice review on three wheelers (and it is continued with a look at toddler seats). THe Steelcraft came in second safest but I can't remember which model it was.

[slick2]

Hi AimeeJayde

I am also having the same dilemma on which stroller to choose now that I have 2 boys. I have read all of the different threads about the Phil and Teds and others with toddler seats, but I can't seem to find any comments from mums who have actually used them for 2 children.

I've just been looking at the Phil and Teds E3 and it looks as though you wouldn't be able to get to the basket in the newborn position or with the second seat attached. Can anyone shed some light on how these strollers go when they are loaded with 2 kiddies?

Also, a friend has suggested getting a step that attaches to the back of a pram/stroller. I'm a little worried that it won't help my toddler if he's tired and wants to sit and also whether you'd be forever kicking it as you walk. Does anyone have any opinions on these and whether they work?

[ElizaDee]

Upon advice from my SIL's who each have more than two children, that the likelyhood of the todler wanting to sit while you have baby in the pram is pretty slim as they like to walk. Also the kickboard at the back is a great idea and what we will do, and no you would not kick it. Saw a woman pushing a pram with this attached and it didn't bother her at all.

We have decided on the Beema Q now and will be purchasing it soon. :D

[Olivia]

Do you know if Phil & Ted suitable for newborns? Does it provide good cushioning and boot cover? I heard you need to buy a capsule in addition to the pram - is it practical?

[li'l mac]

We ended up with the Steelcraft (swivelrite deluxe) and are really happy with it. the biggest thing that helped us decide was what you need to do to recline the seat. You can just simply click the swivelrite into position and release with a lever (one hand) whereas most other joggers have zippers and clips and straps which would drive me mental. Yes it is heavier (I was totally against it initially for this reason), but it is incredibly sturdy so I think it's worth it, and I don't have any problems lifting it in and out of the car. Good luck deciding, it's such a mine field out there!! I found I changed my mind everytime I went shopping.

[k15s]

Hi guys. Don't want to rehash anything but thought I should write since I LOOOOOOVe my stroller! :smiliedance: I have an older style Phil & Ted's which is called a Kiwi Explorer. Not sure if you can get one on ebay or similar but I know you won't get mine!!! If everyone else is as happy as me you won't find one anywhere!

Anyway...
The difference between mine and the new one is (and I'm only quoting people who have used both and told me) the newer version has the toddler seat higher and I don't think is reclines like mine does. This is great! The newer one also has the back seat when in toddler mode very straight so when you change your newborn to the seat rather than the sling thing, he/she may be uncomfortable since it is very straight up the back. I also believe the newer one isn't designed to carry as much weight. When they released the newer model I tried everything to convince my husband to upgrade but after looking closer I love my old one more!
The only thing I would change about the older style, is it has 2 foot brakes (seperate one for each wheel) rather than a long bar at the back. Although my husband has mounted a bike pump there now so the space is used well! The older style also has one other flaw. You use "newborn wings" to make the base flat but if you would like it sloped for when the child is a bit older, these "wings" need to be detached which is not something you'd want to be doing often. Baiscally, you either go flat or make the decision to have it sloped with the option of reclining more if the child is sleeping.

I love the stroller and have put it through absolute torture! I used to deliver catalogues, and would have my 2.5 year old the the main seat, my 8 mth old in the rear seat, a bag attached to the front foot rest FULL of catalogues, and bags hanging off all sides as well! I would then use the sun hood as a writing table to keep track of my catalogue drop! Like I said - torture! This was done sun, wind or rain so it has coped the weather too. The poor thing is rated to take a mix of 35kg with 2 kids, but let me tell you.... it took all that and more! My kids were both so comfy they would both sleep while I did my drop. Also recommend upgrading tyres on any stroller if possible to standard kids bike tyres. Not only is my husband happy since "they look tough!", but the bumpy surface on the tyres make for a not-so-smooth ride which seems to lull my boys to sleep!

:ecomcity: Well, raved on for a bit, but I just love my stroller! Only bought a few baby items for our kids, but did lots of research and spend big bucks at the time! (First child cost us over $3000 for the complete set up, but my second cost me $50 for the ultrasound gap! Didn't need anything. Number three..... well, we need a bigger dining room table now....)

[lindsay]

I've got a steelcraft ebony 3 wheel jogger type pram. Find it heavy, esp when i tried out other peoples valcos etc. and a little unstable when going up a steep hill and turning. But, you can fit threw the checkouts with it. .. The good thing was the price but its not worth getting cheap when you then want to go back out and get another one, which my DH says noway to..

[LizzieLou]

I too was interested in the S/C Swivelrite until I saw the updated model that has just been released...the S/C 3 wheeler transition.

The transition is only 10kg and narrower than the Swivelrite. It has a great feel when pushing it and is easy to collapse. We will be purchasing this after doing a lot of research.

Happy pram shopping girls :yelclap:

[yeya]

I too was interested in the S/C Swivelrite until I saw the updated model that has just been released...the S/C 3 wheeler transition.

The transition is only 10kg and narrower than the Swivelrite. It has a great feel when pushing it and is easy to collapse. We will be purchasing this after doing a lot of research.

Happy pram shopping girls :yelclap:

Lizzie Lou.... Did you end up getting this pram as this is the one we are thinking of getting.. ( finally, arrgghh, pram shopping is so confusing!)
Would love to hear what you think about it...