Review - Britax B-READY 2012 with second seat

The 2012 Britax B-READY is an improved second generation of the model. The main seat now has 4 recline positions and the wheels have all been upgraded to foam-filled rubber tyres instead.

New improved second generation

Foam-filled rubber tyres.

The stroller is basically made up of 3 components - the frame, the main seat and the second seat which is an accessory that has to be purchased separately.

As this is a modular stroller, all the seats can be removed from the frame if need be.

FRAME

The frame is equipped with a height adjustable handle (seven positions) that can accommodate parents of different heights. However, it being non telescopic might not be much of a difference to tall parents from unintentionally kicking the second seat. For someone who is 1.7m tall, I have no issues even with the second flat reclined flat which is when the top of the seat protrudes horizontally the most.

Just below the handle, on each side of the frame, is a lever that when pulled will fold the frame in half, length wise. I will touch on the fold with more details later on.

Along the right side of the frame is the removable cup holder which is quite deep so your drink stays in place.

It also comes with an integrated Click & GO system for the main seat where you can easily attached and remove a seat, a car seat or a bassinet. Makes me wonder why Britax did not design the second seat mount just the same and make attaching and removing the second seat much easier.

The huge basket can be accessed from all sides which makes it convenient when you have a child in the second seat. However, the basket being not rigid makes it hard to zip or unzip with one hand. I think a magnetic or velcro flap will be much better.

It is equipped with a one-step, linked parking brake with indicator that alternates between engaged and disengaged when stepped on. There's no need to lift the pedal so it will not hurt your toes if you are wearing slippers, sandals or open end shoes.

As mentioned at the beginning, the removable wheels are now equipped with foam filled rubber tyres. There will always be two sides of the camp, between those who prefers air-filled and not. I prefer non air-filled as it is hassle free and will spare you the anguish if you are caught with flat tyres with no pump around.

MAIN SEAT

The main seat can be made to face forward or rear and can be attached to the frame by dropping it into the appropriate slots on each side of the frame until it locks in. To remove it from the frame, simply lift the levers at each sides of the seat. It being light makes this an easy task.

The seat can be single-handedly reclined up to 4 steps by simply pulling a lever at the back of the seat. You can position the seat almost straight up or almost completely flat.

Although the seat can recline, the seat maintains its shape which means a child cannot lay completely flat without having their legs bent at the knees. Think of a infant car seat and you get the idea. This makes the seat not suitable for infants for long periods of time.

It comes with a 5 point harness which is easy to buckle and unbuckle. I find it a little too easy to unbuckle so toddlers might just be able to set themselves loose once they figured that out by simply pressing that big button in the middle of the buckle.

The harness for the main seat can be easily adjusted by moving slider up and down at the back of the seat main. While it is super convenient, it is practically useless, and it applies to any stroller simply because you don't adjust them all the time unless you swap kids of different height every now and then.

At each side of the harness adjuster are two pockets which can be used as storage space.

The canopy comes with see through rear window with magnetic flaps instead of a velcro, which is great. It is silent and requires no effort. On top of that, the weight of the magnets on the flaps ensures that it stay in place when opened and will not be affected by wind.

The armbar is padded and easily removable You can either remove it or let it dangle on one side by pressing a button at each/both side of the frame.

There are 6 available colours to choose from

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SECOND SEAT

The second seat has similar traits as the main seat except

- it cannot be made to rear face
- the harness has to be re-threaded manually
- not Click And Go, which is a shame but not that hard to attach and detach from the frame.
- can be reclined totally flat therefore is suitable for infants. However, most parents would want to have their infants face them, which can only be done with the main seat.

BUILD QUALITY

There is nothing much to complain about really. The seat and canopy is made of high quality material except the buckle cover which can easily tear and too thin. Phil & Teds got it right for this one.

FOLD

As mentioned earlier, the stroller can be folded with or without both or either seats, which is a plus. However, it is negated by the fact that the stroller is heavy when folded with both seats attached.

Also, the design of the frame is such that there is no convenient way to carry the stroller unlike other strollers where you can carry them like a bag with one hand. This is main reason that prevents me from giving it a perfect score.

To make it easier, especially for the ladies, it is advisable to remove the main seat before folding. This reduces the overall weight and removing and attaching the main seat is so easy.

OVERALL

This is by far the best tandem stroller there is, hands down. I would definitely recommend it to any parents looking for one. However, please take note of the negative parts of the stroller, especially the weight and width, as that can be a deal breaker.

SCORE - 9/10

Pros

Both seats can be easily reclined.
Second seat can be reclined almost horizontal to the ground
Frame is easy to fold and can be folded with or without one or both of the seats attached.
Main seat harness is easy to adjust.
Basket is accessible even when the second seat is occupied by a child
Maintenance free foam filled rubber tyres
Magnetic flap on the canopy suits light sleeper babies.
Good quality handle grip foam.
Solid build

Cons

Wide at 70cm

Heavy at 15.7kg (with both seats attached)
Auto lock not so efficient.
Material for the buckle cover is of poor quality fabric and design

Hauck Freerider

The Hauck Freerider is a 3 wheeler tandem stroller with the second seat at the back and lower than the main seat, similar to the likes of Phil & Teds.

It comes with the second seat, instead of it being an option. You can opt for the Shop 'n Drive model which is essentially a package of same stroller bundled with an infant car seat.

As with any Hauck user manual, it comes with pictures only. However, fixing up the stroller is not an uphill task. You are only required to fix the 3 wheels and sun shade. The 2nd seat can just be easily slipped on and off with a catch.


Features

The front seat reclines by pulling a metal lever at the back of the seat and it can recline till it's fully flat. To lift it up, you simply push the seat up until it locks to any of the 4 positions available. This is a pretty good mechanism if your ask me as you can operate it with one hand.

When fully up, the main seat is almost 90° so it is good for kids who likes to sit up straight. However, when straight up, the space between the backrest and the bar strap is pretty small, so if you have a big baby, it might be uncomfortable for your kid.

The main seat can accommodate an infant car seat without having to remove it although you will have to raise the incline by one step from flat to allow enough space for the child in the rear seat. The main seat can also be removed totally if you plan to use the infant car seat exclusively, as shown below, though it is not advisable to sit a infant in the car seat for more than an hour at any one time.

The rear seat can on the other hand can only recline further by one step by means of a zip. This limitation is expected.

The calf support and handle is adjustable to a few heights.

The front wheel is lockable while the the rear wheel lock is pretty smooth


Quality

The Good

The thickly padded seats are very comfortable and of good quality.

The Bad

The handle construction disappoints me as it has too much play, making it feels like the stroller is a few years old. This however do not affect the function of the stroller that much except when you place a bigger child in the main seat and the back seat unoccupied. Due to the weight being concentrated at the front, it can be a a challenge when you need to lift the stroller up a kerb.

The wheels are made of plastic. Although most will say that inflatable wheels are much better, not having to pump air can be a plus at times, especially if you keep the stroller in your car most of the time.

The calf support is pretty much hollow with nothing much in between.

The stroller folds up not too bad but the front wheel is not able to be aligned flat and it is the main part that is causing problems when loading up to the boot trunk of the car.

The Ugly

As the sun shade attaches by simply slotting it into a groove on the chassis but without any form of locking mechanism, it always detaches itself each time the stroller is folded.

The extendable sun shade for the rear seat looks good as it covers the rear seat sufficiently but it has no where to be stored. You either use it or remove it as shown below

A similar poor design applies to the main seat backrest mounting. As it do not have a locking mechanism, it always detaches itself on either/both sides each time you fold your stroller.

Again, another poor design is the rear seat rod end cover. It always slips off when you remove the seat. You have to slot it back in place each time you want to attach the rear seat. A velcro should solve this problem so I don't understand why it was not thought off by Hauck designers.

Summary

Overall the stroller is alright except for a few annoying setback. For the price you pay, it is forgivable though if you can fork out more, do it.

Pros
Affordable
Good quality seats
5 point harness on both seats
Main seat suitable for infant from birth onward
Adjustable handle height
Can adapt an infant car seat
Comes with a rain cover

Cons
Poor design for certain parts
Too much play in handle
Sun shade is flimsy. Easily detached itself especially when you fold the stroller.
Main seat backrest mount dislodge each time you fold the stroller
Extendable shade has no place to store into. Either you cover the rear seat or you remove it.
Rear seat rod end cover always slips off when you remove the seat. You have to slot it back in place each time you want to attach the rear seat.