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Quinny Buzz - The Stroller that Unfolds Itself
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Until recently it was only available in Europe and Canada, the Quinny Buzz, is hitting the US market to compete in the luxury stroller category. With unique features and a stylish look, the Buzz may soon be a major US favorite.
The first thing we noticed about the Buzz was the unique seat. It is made of a neoprene-like fabric that is super comfy and covers a memory foam pillow-type cushioned seat. All our tot-testers seemed happy and comfortable. Honestly, it appears to be the most comfy seat in a stroller we have seen.
The seat has a padded, five-point harness that is easy to adjust for smaller or larger babies and has a 2 part process harness closing clip. Here's how it works: there are two clips from the shoulder harnesses that need to be put together first before inserting it into the buckle on the crotch strap. It's not difficult to do but could be frustrating with a squirming child.
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The Buzz seat is reversible and instead of the just the back of the seat reclining like on other strollers, the entire seat reclines. There are three recline positions if the seat is facing forward and two positions if the seat is reversed. Because it's not technically a "flat recline", the manufacturer does not recommend using the stroller with the seat until your baby is 6 months old. (A beautiful bassinet is available for an additional cost so that the stroller can be used from birth.) To recline the seat, there are two large buttons on either side of the seat that need to be pressed simultaneously. The recline is easy to do but know that it definitely isn't one-handed.
To satisfy the shortest and tallest of moms and dads, it has an adjustable handle that eliminates the "stroller hunch". The handle has four different positions and extends far enough from the stroller to accommodate parents with very long strides.
The canopy sufficiently shades the child and adjusts not only out but up and down the frame as well. There is a peek a boo window on top and two side windows for the child to see out on the canopy.
There are two air-filled, rear wheels that are 12 ½ inches and have great suspension for uneven terrain. The front swivel wheel is 7 inches and made of hard plastic. There are brakes on the rear wheels that are applied by stepping on the red button on top of the right wheel and released by stepping on the grey button on top of the left wheel. The brake is easy to do quickly with just your foot to lock both wheels with just one step.
The maneuverability on the Buzz is amazing. It turns on a dime and is so easy to push that it can be controlled easily with one hand. We tested it at the top of its weight limit of 50 lbs and even though it took a bit more wrist power, we still weren't disappointed.
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With a 26 inch wide base, we found the stroller to be very stable but still a bit wider than many other single strollers. Just be careful in narrow spaces not to catch the back wheels on passing items. Also, at almost 36 lbs with the seat attached, this isn't going to be your lightest stroller but we never had any problem taking it in and out of our car trunks.
The Quinny Buzz's claim to fame is with their unfolding mechanism. It's known as the stroller that opens it self. That is almost true. You do have to unlock the stroller but with a gas-spring mechanism, you slightly lift up on the handle and the stroller gently opens it self. It's almost a no-handed unfold!! You will not find that on any other stroller anywhere! We have to say it's a pretty cool feature and we get a lot of attention when we unfold our stroller in public.
To fold the stroller, there are two long buttons on the sides of the seat that need to be pressed simultaneously to unlock the frame. Before you let go of the buttons, you then need to push down and a bit forward toward the front wheel to fold. This process is not at all hard to do. The easiest way to do it is to stand on the side of the stroller and apply pressure at the points that you are pushing the buttons in and it easily folds down. There are moms that complain that it's hard to fold while standing behind the stroller because their arm span isn't long enough and they have to use their stomachs to assist in the fold. They are complaining because they are doing it incorrectly. Like we said, the easiest way to fold it is from the side. Note: the Buzz only folds with the seat in the forward-facing and upright position or with no seat attached at all.
There is a locking strap that has to be slightly pulled out from the handle bar and attached to a metal knob on the stroller frame to keep it closed. We wish it had an automatic lock because the locking strap is not easy to do. But we want to warn you, make sure you lock the stroller correctly every time you transport it, because if you don't, that automatic opening feature that is so great might just come back and bite you in the butt. What we are saying is if you don't lock the stroller and try to pick it up in the folded position, it has a tendency to open up on you. This has caught quite a few fingers in the frame and it can be quite painful. So, just make sure you lock it before you transport it!
The Buzz comes with a storage basket that is easy to access but is quite shallow. It's a flat basket with about a 3 inch wall all the way around. Other than the basket, there are no other pockets or storage anywhere on the stroller. Since it's a European stroller and they claim not to eat or drink on the go, it lacks a cup holder. Being multi-tasking moms, if we don't eat or drink on the go, we just might not get to, so we miss our cup holder! We would suggest buying one to add to the Buzz because you just don't know when you will need a Starbucks fix.
The Buzz has the ability to become a travel system with the included Maxi-Cosi Mico car seat adapters. While it is only compatible with the Maxi-Cosi, now that it's sold in the states we would like to see Quinny offer some adapters for the US car seats so that we can take part in the travel system option as well.
The Quinny Buzz comes with some great additional accessories including a bug net, wind stoppers, rain shield and Maxi-Cosi Mico car seat adapters. There are also quite a few accessories sold separately.
While we'd like to see more storage space, an automatic lock, a cup holder, and the ability to adapt to US car seats, overall, the Quinny Buzz is a top quality stroller that maneuvers like a dream, has the most comfortable seat we've seen and has an automatic opening feature that draws a crowd.
Without wheels and seat unit: 70cm length x 50cm width x 11cm height.
With seat unit and wheels: 82cm length x 67cm width x 32cm height.
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