Orbit Rocks
Reviewer: Anonymous ,
Brooklyn, NY
Date: December 03, 2008
I'm one of those fathers who loves to geek out on all the baby gear that's out there. I read more reviews about more strollers than I care to repeat. After much deliberation, and a bit of trepidation, I decided on the Orbit system. It was a great decision. It's an amazingly well designed stroller that grows with your child saving your home the clutter of multiple strollers. Our little guy used the bassinet as his first bed, it's flown internationally with it many times, we even use it as our jogging stroller. The rotating base comes in handy way more than you would ever think, the way the base collapses is quick and easy, and the fact that you can let your child sleep when you need to leave the car is HUGE. Sure you can get attachments for other strollers that let you do this but something about how quick, easy and versatile they have made the whole system, it totally outshines those other options. It's a stroller that will surprise you with it's functionality. They also happen to have the BEST customer service that I have ever encountered. Everyone that I have spoken with at the company has been quick to respond and even quicker with their follow through. Great company, great stroller.
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Love the Orbit!
Reviewer: Julie Woo ,
San Marino, CA
Date: May 03, 2008
I absolutely love my Orbit. In addition to the fact that we are constantly stopped by people either asking about the stroller or commenting about how cool it is, it has the most user friendly functionality. Love is in the details. Just go try it out. You won't believe how easy it is to use.
For those of you who are debating between the Bugaboo and the Orbit, I actually got the Bugaboo Frog for my first child (before Orbit reached the market) and liked it fine. But in my opinion, the Orbit is so much better for so many reasons. 1) It folds more compactly. It takes up significantly less room in my car than the Bugaboo. 2) It's a single step, 1-handed fold whereas the Bugaboo required me to remove the seat, put it on the ground so I can have both my hands to click the levers on the stroller, then basically fold it down twice before I can put it in the car (and then bend down to pick up the seat and put that on top of the stroller). 3) It rotates 360 degrees. There are endless obvious benefits to this feature. 4) It has cup holders! 5) It has a great sun shade. I'm constantly worried about my baby's skin exposure to the sun. With my older child, I always had to lay a blanket on top of the sunshade in order to fully shield her. But with the Orbit's shade and "paparazzi shield," they've beautifully solved this problem. (Additionally, the toddler stroller seat has a beast of a shade!)
The Orbit car seat is heavier, but I feel that the ease of assembling/disassembling the stroller more than compensates for the heavier car seat, meaning you can always just stroll your baby instead of carrying ANY car seat. Another huge plus for the stroller is its maneuverability. I can always push the stroller with one hand and it turns on a dime.
Lastly, as a mom who is slightly a clean freak, I love how Orbit understands the importance of being able to remove the linings and pads, machine wash everything, and put it all back on with ease.
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Almost perfect
Reviewer: Ana ,
Jersey City, NJ
Date: April 11, 2008
Well, everyone else has said it: It really is easy to use, but it has its shortcomings although the pros definitely outweigh them.
Biggest pros:
1. Super safe car seat. Really. And the only one in which my son looked comfortable as a newborn (you know: no dangling head) and now that he is almost 9 months and close to 22 lbs. Incredibly easy to latch on and off the base, when he was using the bassinet on the stroller I loved being able to turn the car seat sideways to strap him in - and not having to deal with the seatbelt!
2. True one-hand folding. I constantly use the NYC subway (many stations don't have elevators) and I can unlatch the seat (first it was the bassinet) while sliding it on one arm, fold the stroller, go up/down the stairs, unfold it and latch the seat back on without ever letting go of my son (baby-stealing paranoia I have) or having to fuss with diaper bags hanging from the handles (that pod is genius). Check out the little video demonstration on their website.
3. Really great customer service. First plane trip overseas it came back to us with a broken front wheel (the part that latches onto the frame was knocked off). Orbit responded to my e-mail within hours (maybe less, I didn't check in the meantime) offering to send us a free set of front wheels for free (since it was overseas we would have to pay for the shipping), eventually we chose to have them sent home which they did for free. Absolutely no-fuss. I swear I have NEVER had an experience like that with customer service.
4. The toddler car seat allows you to keep the baby rear-facing until she/he reaches 35 lbs.
There are more, but I will run out of space (love that bassinet).
Now with the not-so-great part:
1. I'm not in love with the toddler stroller seat. My son seems to slide down (maybe sideways?) no matter how tight the straps are, and since he is close to 22 lbs and able to sit by himself, stand, cruise and seems fairly normal otherwise, I'm not sure it's all him. Maybe he'll grow into it, I don't know. Also, it reclines at about 130º angle, which is not that bad, but not what I understand as 'fully reclining' which is what they advertise.
2. The toddler car seat can only be used with the base until it has to be used forward-facing, that means no turning it on the base to strap him in. Not the biggest con, but disappointing.
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Orbit - one and only
Reviewer: Catalina ,
Jersey City, NJ
Date: March 13, 2008
I can't tell you how much we absolutely love our stroller. My husband should be a spokesman for the company. Every time someone even looks towards the stroller, he is making a full on demonstration as to how the seat attachment is also the car seat, and how the stroller itself folds ("Just one hand...see?").
We recently took it with us on a trip to South America, and everyone had something to say about how cool it looked and amazing it was. I had actually bought a small fold up stroller thinking the Orbit would be too bulky to travel with. It turns out, I was smart to have thought of taking both strollers to the airport, and choosing to take the Orbit with me on our travels. In fact, I traveled alone on the way there, and as there were empty seats on the airplane, I was able to leave him in the car seat throughout the trip. It was so helpful!
While in South America, my parents had borrowed from some family member, a car seat, that
one: had no neck support, and
two: frankly, visually, it didn't convince me of it's safety.
We used the car seat without the base, as explained on the car seat itself, and boy was that a lifesaver.
Now we are back, post holiday blues, and still using our Orbit Baby up and down Manhattan and Jersey. It looks a little worse for the wear, the airline did some major aesthetic damage to it (nothing involving the integrity of the equipment itself), thankfully, the replacement parts Orbit sells online will take care of the damage! The baby's change in food caused problems of another kind (thank you Orbit, for making it so easy to wash!). I wish I had looked on your website and known of the travel bag before the trip.
Catalina & Peter, parents of beautiful boy Flynn
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Nothing Else Like It...
Reviewer: YPA ,
Oakland, CA
Date: January 17, 2008
...and I mean nothing. I looked at some of the other high-end systems and am so glad this is the one I settled on, even though it was the new kid on the block. I am a single mom, full-time worker, and p/t law student (an oxymoron for certain!) and I can tell you that if I had any other system I would've just given up on everything long ago. I just don't have time or patience to deal with a lot of extra things, steps, buckles, latches, etc. when moving my son safely from one place to the next. With Orbit, I can have my rolling laptop case, books in bag AND hand, 11-month-old baby in the infant system (he's a bit on the short side, BUT not a preemie) and still load everything into my wagon in under one minute. I am not kidding. It's just that good, the design. Plus, the system looks, and is well-made, and its clean, no-frilly- stuff-hanging-all-over-it design works for me. I hated the thought of pushing a checkered, or plaid colored stroller system around for three or more years. It IS pricey, for sure. But how much would you pay for unprecedented safety for your little one PLUS convenience and style? More than $900? Sure you would!
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More than worth the price!
Reviewer: Addie ,
Atwater, CA
Date: December 19, 2007
If you're going to spend money on your new baby, THIS item is where to spend it! The car seat base is very easy to install and is rock solid. I never worried about my son while in his Orbit. Going from car to stroller is a cinch and the 360 degree rotation is great for restaurants.
My son is too large for the infant seat now and they haven't released the toddler car seat yet, but we did get the toddler stroller seat so we can still use the stroller. We usually get at least one comment on the stroller every single time we take it out in public. My brother-in-law thought we were joking until he visited for a few days and saw first-hand how many people asked us about it.
Also, something that most people don't think about when buying a car seat, is the customer service you get from Orbit Baby. We had an issue with a malfunctioning part and the factory had a brand-new stroller on our doorstep within days. Try getting that kind of service from Graco!
It may seem like a lot of money but you can't beat the customer service. Also consider the quality of other brands. A lot of people have to buy new car seats and/or stroller with each new baby because of all the plastic parts wearing down. This system is so sturdy and rugged, and evolves so beautifully from infant to toddler that we'll be able to use it with any future kids we have. At worst, maybe we have to buy an extra stroller frame if we happen to have two kids who both need strollers. Orbit Baby sells replacement parts on their web site, too.
Bottom line, between the safety factors, the innovative design, and the top-notch customer service, we're Orbit Baby customers for life.
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The Very Best
Reviewer: Brian ,
Las Vegas, NV
Date: December 14, 2007
I did a lot of research to find the best infant stroller and the Orbit takes the cake. It works perfect for us and is so easy to use. The quality is excellent! Practically every time we are out someone stops us to ask what brand the stroller is and to say how cool it looks.
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The Best!!!
Reviewer: Alicia Lyczkowski ,
Orange Park, Fl
Date: November 26, 2007
This is the best stroller. All of my friends want it once they use it one time. It is easy to manage and move in and out of cramped spaces. I can not wait for the toddler car seat.
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Orbit is Okay
Reviewer: Anonymous ,
dallas, tx
Date: November 24, 2007
We really like our Orbit but have had a problem with the wheels and the grips. It seems both were made not very sturdy. The company sent new wheels which was nice but I expected this system to be built better. My son is only 4 months old and I'm not sure we will be able to continue using this product until he is full hgt & wght.
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