Britax Max-Fix installation and pre-orders

Max-Fix was first shown during the Kind & Jugend convention in Cologne in September 2012. We have seen lots of interest from parents for the seat and have now placed Britax MaxFix in our store for pre-orders (Britax Max-Fix pre-orders here). Fore more details of the seat please check the installation video below.

The last rear facing Isofix seat from Britax was Britax Fix-Way quite a few years back. While the seat was safe it was not up to the normal high Britax standard and not a success. Looking at the new Britax Max-Fix it sure looks like it will be a very popular rear facing seat.

Max-Fix is basically an Isofix version of the very popular Britax Max-Way seat. Max-Way is approved 9-25 kg (20-55 lbs) while MaxFix is approved 0-18 kg (0-40 lbs). The seat will provide comfortable rear facing from birth to around age 5.

Max-Fix is installed in seconds with Isofix and a support leg. It has adjustable recline/sleep position which can be adjusted in seven different positions by twisting a small wheel. Position can easily be changed with a child in the seat while driving.

Max-Fix has just like Max-Way a built in head support with an integrated harness. Harness will move up and down with the head support and always be in correct position. There is a foam support for newborns and young children. This is removed as children grow. Fabric is washable and easily removed.

A huge advantage of the seat is the brilliant recline and sleep position. This is far better than other Isofix seats. Construction was apparently done in-house by Britax engineers. Well done!

New rear facing car seats

During the recent Kind & Jugend convention in Cologne, Germany, some new rear facing seats were announced. For us who work closely with manufacturers and provide lots of feedback to improve products the seats were not new but some offered an interesting first look at functionality.

The new MaxFix is a very nice rear facing Isofix seat for children 0-18 kg. It's basically an Isofix version of the very popular Max-Way seat. Seat shell is the same as Max-Way with a seat shell in a new lighter color which will also be implemented for other seats.

MaxFix is used 0-18 kg rear facing. It offers ultra fast installation with Isofix with great recline and sleep position. The recline function has been developed in house by the skilled Britax engineers and works nicely. Angle is changed by turning a small wheel, a smart and simple solution.

MaxFix does just like Max-Way offer a built in head support and an integrated harness. Isofix seats are in general heavy, MaxFix will be 20% lighter than current competitors which is a nice change. Britax does a great job in keeping fabric free of toxins and the 2013 line is no exception. Colors available at launch will be “Black Thunder” and “Stone Grey”. MaxFix will arrive in January 2013 and will be available for pre-orders at CarSeat.se in December 2012.

Maxi Cosi:

Sweden has won the battle regarding rear facing:-) This was clear at the giant and beautiful Maxi Cosi area. A huge stand with large LCD displays and lots of information talked about the importance of rear facing until at least age two. Nicely done by Maxi Cosi. While rear facing to age two would be a huge step backwards for Sweden, where rear facing to age four is the norm, it's a giant step forward for the rest of Europe (and rest of the world)

Maxi Cosi was showing off their 2Way model which will comply with the new European i-Size standard coming in 2013-2014. The Isofix seat can be used rear facing from birth to around age two and then used forward facing to age four. A nice addition for Europe where early forward facing is the norm but way too short rear facing time for Sweden. This seat is similar to the new and stylish Cybex Sirona which offer similar short rear facing time and then forward facing with a shield function.

The new Maxi Cosi 2Way model will arrive in late 2013.

Axkid:

Axkid showed off a nice new seat called Mini. Name is perhaps a bit misleading since space required for the new seat is small but rear facing time is long at 5+ years. The new seat is basically a simplified version of the current Kidzone model.

The current Kidzone has a base and can be used rear and forward facing 9-25 kg. The new Mini model is used rear facing 9-25 kg. Base from the Kidzone model is gone so bottom of the Mini is very narrow. Angle is changed with a metal bar under the seat which works nicely. Very similar in function to Britax Max-Way and Hi-Way.

Mini will offer the same great automatic adjustment of harness/head support as in the current Kidzone model. A nice improvement is a new locking mechanism which can be used for those who prefer to adjust head support manually.

The new Mini is a basically a competitor to Britax Max-Way offering about as long rear facing time and similar easy installation. Mini will be available in Janurary 2013.

Klippan:

The Finnish brothers showed off their Triofix model and also the new Dinofix infant seat. Triofix was shown at last years convention and arrived early this year. The seat is is used 9-36 kg, can be used rear and forward facing and installed with Isofix or seat belt. It's quite a unique seat, changing direction from rear to forward facing is done ery quickly and easily. Installation is done in seconds and the seat is the most compact rear facing seat on the market. It's a favorite among parents with small cars. A popular Isofix choice together with Klippans Duologic 2/Kiss 2 model.

The new Dinofix is a classic infant seat. The Isofix base used with Triofix can also be used with Dinofix which make things a lot easier and cheaper for parents.

The Kind & Jugend convention was as always a nice place to meet manufacturers and discuss new seats. Very nice to see the increased focus on rear facing seats in Europe!:-)

Britax Max-Way saves a life

Accidents are scary and we are always glad to hear about children being pulled out of the car without a scratch.  Fortunately this happens virtually every time with children in the Swedish rear facing seats since serious injuries or fatalities are almost impossible.  How do we know this? In Sweden we have been keeping children rear facing since 1965 and learned much.

We have learned that it's almost impossible for a child in a Swedish rear facing seat to become seriously injured or die regardless of circumstances. 

Todays crash report comes out of Finland.  A one year old boy was involved in a serious crash with a rollover.  Not only was he pulled out of the crash without a scratch, he was actually laughing!

Below is the crash report from the mother translated in English and below the original in Swedish:

My husband yesterday skidded with our car at a speed of 60-70 km/h (38-45 mph), spun around and hit the front wheels in the snow which led to the car flying through the air landing on drivers side at a ditch on the side of the road.

Our one year old son made it without a scratch, he even sat there laughing when my husband looked at him after the accident.  He was then "hanging" in his seat.  Good seat and a guardian angle for our son:-)

*

Maken fick igår sladd med bilen (hastighet ca 60-70 km/h) , snurrade runt och slog i framhjulet i snökarmen, vilket ledde till att bilen flög upp i luften och landade sedan på förarsidan nere i dikesbottnen. 1-åriga sonen klarade sig helt utan minsta skråma, han satt t.o.m. och skrattade när maken tittade på honom strax efter smällen, och han bara "hängde" där i sin stol Bra stol och änglavakt!

Britax Max-Way is a new great seat which is an improvement on the popular Hi-Way model.  It's compact, light weight and does easy rear facing until around age 5. It's been on the market for a month and has been incredibly popular.

From 45+ years of rear facing experience in Sweden we know that long rear facing time is important.  Type of Swedish rear facing seat is of less importance. That means this child fortunately also would have done great in another Swedish rear facing seat.  

We know it's almost impossible for a child to die or become seriously injured while riding in a Swedish rear facing car seat.  We can unfortunately not guarantee that your child will actually be laughing after the accident:-)

Installing a Swedish rear facing car seat

Each month we receive thousands of emails from parents around the world. The other day we received a question regarding installation which is often asked. It's one of the many myths regarding Swedish rear facing car seats. Heike from Germany writes:

Hallo Hakan,

We live in Germany and would like to buy a rear facing car seat, a reboarder. We have spoken to some baby stores and seen some tests. Many say the seats are difficult to place in the car. We drive a 2009 VW Golf, can you tell us if installation is difficult?

Mfg/Heike aus Germany

 

Many organizations, magazines and papers write that rear facing seats are “difficult or almost impossible to install”. An expert is required and it's nothing a normal parent can do. Is this true?

We decided to show a complete installation of a normal rear facing car seat in real life conditions. We installed a seat on the street outside our store a typical Swedish winter day. It was 3 pm in the afternoon, light snow and a temperature of -1 degrees C (30 Fahrenheit). At this time in winter it's also dark which is why the video is not of great quality.

So we had darkness, side walk installation, snow and cold weather. Since the Swedish rear facing seats are “almost impossible to install” this must have taken a long time. How long? 5 hours? 2 hours? Maybe just an hour? As short as 30 minutes? Shorter?

This complete installation with seat belt, under worst conditions possible, took 2 minutes. What do we see in the short video? Installation of a Britax Hi-Way. Installation will also be exactly the same with Britax Max-Way, Multi Tech or pretty much any other Swedish rear facing seat.

1. We slide front seat forward to attach tether straps. This car has small tether loops which are found in some Swedish cars. We are NOT using these and instead attach straps to seat rail of the car. This can be done in almost any car regardles of nationality.
2. We place car seat on the seat, remove fabric slightly, slide seat belt through the seat and buckle the seat belt.
3. Then we attach tether straps to the car seat, make sure support leg is in a good position and tighten straps
4. We move front seat backwards.
5. Done!!

As you can see, installing a Swedish rear facing seat is fast and not difficult. Even when done during a cold and dark Swedish winter day:-)

New Swedish rear facing car seats

New Swedish rear facing seats are always interesting. We have three new and great seats which just arrived or are coming shortly. During the recent large German baby convention "Kind und Jugend" two new seats arrived and just previously another new brand entered the market.   Below is a short summary of the new seats with a more thorough write-up coming shortly.

Klippan Triofix: The new Triofix is definately a unique seat with long usage and very fast installation. It can be used 9-36 kg (20-80 lbs. The seat was added during the baby convention and just arrived at CarSeat.se.

The brand Klippan is not well known among customers but has been around longer than most. They released the first rear facing car seat in 1965(!) and have kept children safe in cars since then.    Klippan is owned by the two Finish brothers Leo and Bror Martin who have worked with car seats and safety equipment "forever":-)

They produce harnesses themselves and have the only crash test facility in Finalnd where seats are tested, improved and certified. Consumers may not know of the brand Klippan but many do know about the rear facing Duologic seat which was created and is manufactured by Klippan but branded as Akta/Graco.   

Triofix has some very unique features:  

• Seat and base are two separate units
• Installation can be done with Isofix or seat belt
• Triofix is the most compact rear facing seat available
• Changing from rear facing to forward facing position is done in seconds.  The base works both with rear and forward facing use, no need to buy additional components
• Installation is ultra fast and easy
• Separate base can be purchased for use in two cars.

Using Triofix is just so easy.  The base is installed in a few seconds, regardless if it's with Isofix or seat belt, and the seat then clicks into the base.  Changing direction from rear to forward facing can be time consuming with some seats but not with Triofix.  Release the seat from the base, turn it around and click into the base.  Smart and easy construction.  Done in a few seconds.

Triofix will last rear facing to around 125 cm of height  (51 inches) which is as long as Britax Multi Tech and Britax Two-Way.  Triofix is currently the most compact rear facing seat available which combined with the smart solutions and long usage makes it a very interesting seat.  During the fall an infant seat will also be released which fits the same Isofix base as Triofix.  

Triofix has just been released on the market and can be found in the online store of CarSeat.se

Axkid Kidzofix/Kidzone: During the fall the new Swedish brand Axkid entered the rear facing car seat market. Axkid is a new brand but the people behind it are well known. Tony Qvist and Tony Broberg have been working with car seats for a very long time and decided to create some seats with new fresh ideas.

Axkid created two new rear facing seats, Kidzofix and Kidzone, and also an infant seat and a booster seat. Kidzofix and Kidzone are almost identical seats and can be used rear and forward facing until 25 kg (55 lbs). The only difference between the two is that Kidzofix can be installed both with Isofix and seat belt while Kidzone only allow seat belt installation.    Both seats can be used rear facing 9-25 kg (20-55 lbs), forward facing with harness to 18 kg (40 lbs) and forward facing with seat belt to 25 kg. Kidzofix can also be used rear facing with Isofix 9-18 kg.

Seat shell is quite high which means rear facing use to around five years of age or a height of 115-120 cm.   Head support is large and integrated with the harness. A new and smart solution is that harness and head support adjust automatically. Release harness and it automatically goes to the highest level. Place child in seat, buckle harness and then tighten harness. Head support will automatically stop in the correct position.   

Kidzofix also have built in tether straps with ALR belts which adjust in seconds. Attach tether straps and wiggle car seat back and forth a couple of times and installation is rock solid. Smart and easy solution.   

Kidzofix and Kidzone are off to a good start in the fall and have been popular among parents.  They can both be found in our online store of CarSeat.se   

Britax Max-Way:  Britax Hi-Way has been a bestseller for quite a few years thanks to being light weight, compact and comfortable.  It has always offered a great combination of quite long rear facing time with a 25 kg (55 lbs) rear facing limit but with a compact size fitting well in small to large cars.  

The new model of Hi-Way is called Max-Way and has some nice improvements.  Adjusting angle has been made easier with new construction of the metal bar underneath the seat.  Seat shell is similar to previous model but it's been simplified on the outside to make production easier.  

Seat shell is still nicely curved and provides good support.  The most significant improvement is the built in head support which makes seat shell taller.  Hi-Way would usually last until age 4-4.5 years or 110 cm of height while the new MaxWay will last to age 5 or about 115-120 cm of height.

Head support is of medium size and fits nicely with the seat.  Size of Max-Way is the same as Hi-Way which makes the new Max-Way a compact seat which will last rear facing a long time.

Max-Way will arrive in January 2012 and will soon be available for pre-order in the online store of CarSeat.se

Next Page »