(Very) short term review - Britax Regent

[Paul78zephyr]

FYI: You can read my original post here, and here is a short term (2 week) review:

The Britax Regent seems to be a very good car seat for our son. He says that he really likes it. Fit and finish is very good and the seat seems very well constructed. Installation was VERY easy and I had no trouble fitting this "large" car seat in my 2001 Ford Escort ZX2 (rear seat, drivers side). It boggles my mind when I read posts by folks that have very large vehicles like a Chevy/GMC Tahoe, Volvo V900 etc, and yet cannot fit the Britax Regent in them ('the Regent is too big'). You can fit my entire ZX2 into a Chevy Tahoe (Im not joking).

Anyway the only thing that I dislike about the Regent is the lack of any audible or tactile 'click' when the side harnesses are installed/connected into the main buckle (the part with the red release button). Either we got a 'bad' buckle or that is a definate design flaw in the Regent's buckle. I want to know 101 percent that those harness straps are secure. I know I can pull on the harness and buckle to see if they are engaged (and I do) but I want the darn thing to go CLICK and then Im sure its engaged. The seat belt buckles in every car Ive owned made/make this audible/tactile 'click' when engaged. The harnesses/buckles of every other car seat my son has been in did it. Airline seat belts do the same. And so should this Regent. It's not rocket science.

I planning on calling Britax customer service and see what they say. I really dont want the hassle of having to take the seat out of my car for a replacement (assuming Britax will even do that). Actually, one good part of the Regent's design is that you can actually remove/replace the entire lower strap/buckle with the seat still installed in the car. I will ask Britax if they will sent another buckle and see if its the buckle we have or a generic problem. I will update as I have more info.

Paul

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Britax Regent - Click for more info The Britax Regent is the safe way to carry your older and larger passengers, all the way up to 80 lbs. Known as the "king of all car seats," the Britax Regent will accomodate your little king or queen for far longer than traditional car seats or booster seats. The Regent features a large roto-molded shell, comfy extra-thick comfort foam, washable covers, Patented Versa-Tether™, flexible buckle LATCH system, patented HUGS™ system, and tangle-free polyester 5-point harness.

[MnMadhouse]

I have 2 Regents in a Tahoe and get GREAT fits---with one tiny exception..but that is a whole other post..LOL!

That is how Britax buckles are...until 2/2008! They just redesigned them to where they have the audible click for BOTH sides. Right now, the first one does not, but the second one does. I thought something was wrong with mine, but there isn't!

Here is an email that was just sent out to techs regarding the buckle:

Britax Buckle Design Changed

Based on caregiver feedback, beginning in February 2008, Britax will begin to transition all current convertibles and youth restraints to a new buckle design (the Companion is not affected by this change).

The new buckle design will provide two audible clicks - a positive click after inserting each buckle tongue. This will help the caregiver to confirm that each buckle tongue is secure.

Two visual identifiers will illustrate is the new buckle design:

The corners of the red release button on the new buckle will be square rather than the current rounded corner design
Metal will be visible in the webbing slots of the buckle tongues
Since the buckle and the harness work together as a system, beginning in February 2008 these two items will only be available as a set for warranty claims and consumer purchase. If replacement of one (harness with buckle tongues or the buckle) is needed, they will need to be replaced as a set. The new buckle and buckle tongues are not interchangeable.

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Convertible Car Seats Convertible seats are for infants and toddlers. The seat can be used as a rear-facing seats for younger children, and switched to a forward-facing seat on the child's first birthday if the child weighs at least 20 pounds. However, experts recommend keeping the child in a rear-facing position until he or she outgrows the weight or height allowed by the safety seat.

	Britax Companion - Click for more info It was not a surprise when Britax - a company known for their commitment to safety - came out with an infant seat that raises the bar in overall child safety with side impact protection. The Britax Companion infant seat was considered a safety revolution when it came out, and has only gotten better since. Needless to say, the design of the rear-facing Companion Infant Seat is pretty flawless. Plus, the in-car base makes it really easy to transport your child from your car to your house without waking them up.

	Britax Regent - Click for more info The Britax Regent is the safe way to carry your older and larger passengers, all the way up to 80 lbs. Known as the "king of all car seats," the Britax Regent will accomodate your little king or queen for far longer than traditional car seats or booster seats. The Regent features a large roto-molded shell, comfy extra-thick comfort foam, washable covers, Patented Versa-Tether™, flexible buckle LATCH system, patented HUGS™ system, and tangle-free polyester 5-point harness.

[Paul78zephyr]

Per my post above I called Britax - this was back in February or perhaps very early March as i did not keep a record of when I called (I should have). They were very nice/helpfull on the phone and sent me a new main buckle (the part with the red button on it). The new part is exactly like the part that came with the Regent - and has the same exact problems.

This new info on a new design is very good. Now I need to figure out how to get them to replace the entire buckle/harness to the new design. I really refuse to live with the seat with the design flaw.

Does anyone have an email address for Britax, its not at their web site?

Their motto is 'Britax - Safe for a Reason', perhaps it should be 'Britax - new designs and our email kept secret for a reason'. I would caution anyone thinking of a Britax Regent to think twice about purchasing it with this design flaw. Im sure they have not recalled all the seats out there in their distributors inventory to replace the harnbess with the new design and I consider the existing design flawed.

Paul

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Britax Regent - Click for more info The Britax Regent is the safe way to carry your older and larger passengers, all the way up to 80 lbs. Known as the "king of all car seats," the Britax Regent will accomodate your little king or queen for far longer than traditional car seats or booster seats. The Regent features a large roto-molded shell, comfy extra-thick comfort foam, washable covers, Patented Versa-Tether™, flexible buckle LATCH system, patented HUGS™ system, and tangle-free polyester 5-point harness.

[SusanMae]

ALL britax seats have the 1 click mechanism. Or they did until they redesigned the buckle to fit what every one else was doing. It never bothered me...I just knew that's the way their seats worked...it's even in their manuals.

When you hear the click, you know that both tongues are secure. It was just their way---they've led the market in other areas---such as higher weight harness and now the other companies are following suite.

Susan

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

[MnMadhouse]

Their motto is 'Britax - Safe for a Reason', perhaps it should be 'Britax - new designs and our email kept secret for a reason'. I would caution anyone thinking of a Britax Regent to think twice about purchasing it with this design flaw. Im sure they have not recalled all the seats out there in their distributors inventory to replace the harnbess with the new design and I consider the existing design flawed.

Paul

I'm going to STRONGLY disagree with you. The only reason they changed the design was b/c there were so many requests for the 2 audiable clicks. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the seat. I wouldn't have my children in any other seat other than Regents. The stability and secureness far exceeds a lot of seats that I deal with on an almost daily basis. They will not be recalling the buckle system b/c there is nothing wrong with it. Britax exceeds the minimum safety standards set forth in FMVSS 213. Not all carseat manfaucturers can say this.

IF you have such a strong concern regarding the seat, maybe you need to return it and look into a new seat.

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Britax Regent - Click for more info The Britax Regent is the safe way to carry your older and larger passengers, all the way up to 80 lbs. Known as the "king of all car seats," the Britax Regent will accomodate your little king or queen for far longer than traditional car seats or booster seats. The Regent features a large roto-molded shell, comfy extra-thick comfort foam, washable covers, Patented Versa-Tether™, flexible buckle LATCH system, patented HUGS™ system, and tangle-free polyester 5-point harness.