Best Reviewed
Convertible Car Seats
- Best convertible car seat Britax Marathon 70 *Est. $280
- Best convertible car seat under $200 Britax Roundabout 50 Classic *Est. $180
- Budget convertible car seat Cosco Scenera *Est. $50
- Compact car seat Sunshine Kids Radian65SL *Est. $230
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- Portability
- 80-pound maximum capacity
- Fits well in most cars
- Heavy
- Minimal recline
- Kids may outgrow height before weight
The Sunshine Kids Radian80 is a high-capacity convertible car seat that folds up for transport. Weighing 26 pounds, it's too heavy to tote around, some parents say; others say it's useful on cab and airplane rides, especially with the addition of the optional carry strap (*Est. $8). The Sunshine Kids Radian line, which includes the Radian65 (*Est. $230) and the Radian XT (*Est. $270), are constructed with steel alloy rather than plastic.
DeliciousBaby.com's Debbie Dubrow says, "I like the sturdy steel frame. Beyond the federal minimum limits that all car seats must meet, there is no data about which car seats perform best, but this seat certainly seems very solid." The dense steel also contributes to the Radian's narrow profile, which allows it to fit well in most vehicles. The Britax line of convertibles, including the top-rated Roundabout (*Est. $180), are plusher and have thicker side-impact protection wings, but they also take up more space and aren't designed to be portable.
The book "Baby Bargains" and ConsumerReports.org are our top sources on the Sunshine Kids Radian80. The two resources complement each other nicely: ConsumerReports.org compiles its own highly credible testing into a minimalist table format, while the less formal "Baby Bargains" goes into more detail on each seat. Amazon.com and Buzzillions.com are the best sources of user reviews on the Radian80, with nearly 200 posts between them. There's also a nicely balanced post on this car seat at the travel blog, DeliciousBaby.com.
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Our Sources
1. Baby BargainsDetails/Subscribe
Denise and Alan Fields discuss the Radian80 in their detailed write-up on Sunshine Kids' convertible car seats. They go into detail about the seat's weight, functionality and features.
Review: Convertible and Forward-facing Only Car Seats, Denise and Alan Fields, Eighth Edition, 2009
2. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
ConsumerReports.org's independent crash testing makes it the most trusted car seat review source. Unfortunately the minimalist ratings tables don't give parents anything other than lab test results to go by, and there aren't enough models covered to make this a one-stop review source. To read the test results in full, you must be a subscriber.
Review: Convertible Car Seats, Editors of Consumer Reports, June 2009
3. Amazon.com
Amazon.com hosts user reviews of a good range of convertible car seats, including the Sunshine Kids Radian80. More than 100 parents post here on several similar models of the Radian80, and two thirds of them give it a perfect score.
Review: Sunshine Kids New Radian80 Convertible Car Seat, Contributors to Amazon.com
Buzzillions.com gathers reviews from external sources and allows readers to sort and filter them. Along with an overall score, there's a breakdown of the contributors' most frequently mentioned pros and cons. The Sunshine Kids Radian80 does well here, although nearly half the reviewers mention its heavy weight.
Review: Sunshine Kids Radian80 Convertible Car Seat, Contributors to Buzzillions.com
DeliciousBaby.com is a popular blog about traveling with kids. Debbie Dubrow includes a review of the Sunshine Kids Radian80 from the perspective of a frequent traveler who needs to fit three kids in a row across the back seat of her vehicle.
Review: Product Review: Sunshine Kids Radian80, Debbie Dubrow
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