We bought this seat after my daughter outgrew her convertable seat at 4 years old. I did a ton of research on different safety aspects of booster seats and one thing that really bothered me is that all of them stopped using the 5-point harness at 40lbs. I found one made by Britax that goes to 100lbs, but it wouldn't fit in our vehicle since we have two other seats in there. Anyway, I thought I was just going to have to settle for one with a 40lb weight limit. While reading a review about the Britax seat I saw that someone suggested this seat, so I read up on it and it seemed perfect.
br /The seat is great. It was easy to install in our vehicle, it fits with an infant seat and a convertable seat on the same row (we have a SUV), and it is very comfortable for my daughter. She really likes the seat, it makes her feel like a big girl. The cup holder is a little flimsy and we didn't even hook it on, but she hasn't had one on any of her other seats either. The straps to get twisted some, but are easy to untwist if you take the time to do it. Those are my only complaints, and they aren't even that big of a deal.
br /If you are wanting your child to be in a 5-point harness past 40 lbs, then this is the seat for you. I know a lot of her friends are in the boosters that they just use the seat belt over them and I just don't feel that is safe enough. But then again, I'm neurotic about my kids being in the safest seats and in their seats at all times.
br /

I purchsed this car seat because of the extra weight capacity in the five pont harness. My two (now almost three) year old weighs in at 37 pounds and, even though he met the weight requirements, he could no longer fit in the five point harnesses that are rated to 40 lbs. I've had the seat for almost a year.
br /
br /Pros:
br /The seat is large and accomdates my son and his toys easily.
br /Def. the five point harness weight limit.
br /It's an attractive seat.
br /The latch system is easy to use.
br /PRICE! It's less than half the cost of the only other extra weight capacity five point seat out there.
br /
br /Cons:
br /
br /The arm pads come off .. and they are fun for baby to take off. Mine are gone.
br /The cup holder is flimsy and mine broke within the first couple of months.
br /Not much padding.
br /Seat belt twists up and is a pain to use.
br /
br /Bottom line .. it's not perfect .. but if you want to keep your child in the five point harness for as long as you can .. it's a great way to go. You can't beat the price.
br /
br /Cons:

First let me state that overall this is a good choice if you want a 5 point harness with higher weight limits.
br /If that isnt what you are looking for, go elsewhere. I am the father of a 4.5 year old boy and 18 month old twins, so I have a little expertise in installing car seats in multiple cars.
br /We've typically bought Britax but I didn't want to spend that kind of money for 2 Britax's and I wanted the 5 point harness.
br /
br /The quality of this seat doesn't compare to Britax, not by a long shot. The britax's are heavier and sturdier.
br /The install is such a hassle on this. The tether strap tightening system is not easy at all and I cannot get a really tight tether on this seat in my Honda Odyssey.
br /The latch system is impossible to use, as the only way to get the belt to tighten is to pull the strap in the path and direction of the lap seat belt, which is obstructed by the seat. The Britax seats only require you to pull up, and in this case, its straight up while applying some pressure with your knee to the seat.
br /I have resorted to using a mighty tite and the seatbelt but I for the life of me cannot get a tight fit.
br /I also noticed that the portion of the seat that comes in contact with the carseat is made of flexible and thin plastic. This is where the downward forces are exerted on the seat, and as you tighten the car seat to the vehicle's seat it causes this plastic to bow outward. I have contacted Dorel about this and they are replacing the seat, but only AFTER I have returned my original seat. Am I supposed to lap my child in the meantime?
br /If you never plan on removing the seat or switching vehicles, get the tightest fit you can (and hope you dont bend the underside supports) and leave it.
br /
br /The whole crotch strap not being long enough is true! I ordered my replacement and got it, but I understand there's a considerable backorder on this item.
br /
br /Avoid this seat for its flaws. You'll need a PHD and a year's personal trainer to get a tight fit.

I have yet to install it in the car as it just arrived this morning, but we tried it out in the house.
br /
br /I love it...it has a ton of belt levels which is nice since my daughter is already 38-39" tall...it also has 3 different positions for the between the legs part. The top of the seat is adjustable to reveal a higher belt level as well so you can raise it lock it into position as your child grows. (you do need high/adjustable seatbacks for this) Also, the "toddler insert" is removeable when they become big kids. It's a great seat for $130, I'm impressed. You do have to be careful not to pinch legs when buckling/unbuckling, but aside from that I give it 2 thumbs up and definitely recommend this seat to those of you looking to harness your children above 40lbs.

We had originally intended to buy the Britax Regent, but got tired of waiting for stock. We wanted a seat that enabled us to continue to use a 5-point harness with our 3 1/2 year old as he grew out of his regular car seat. The Safety 1st seat suits our needs very well. It does not have quite the quality and feel of the Britax. The fabric feels a little cheap and the belts and buckles are very basic. But this seat is 1/2 the price of the Britax and there is no reason to believe that is is not equally as safe for our child. It remains to be seen if it is as durable over time (our 3 year old Marathon seat has been a workhorse and now is used by our 9 month old).

This seat is easy to adjust and use. My two year old fits it well, although I am worried about the height of the straps. Right now, I have the straps in the top slot and if he grows much taller, I don't think they will be high enough and I won't be able to use the five point harness much longer. I'm not sure how a child up to 65 pounds could still use the five point harness. The fabric is not great, but is easy to wipe clean. Overall, good seat for the price.

Great price compared to the very expensive Britax Regent[...]and Sunshine Kids65 [...]I did a ton of research to find a 5-point harness for my 2 year old who is 45 lbs. I based my decision on price and reviews from various websites. This seat is comfortable, light weight, and easy to install. My only concern is the shape and position of the bunkle. After adjusting the crouch strap to the 3rd position (the one furthest out), the bunkle still digs into my toddler's cute but rather chucky thighs. I would recommend this seat for the budget-tight family; however, if you've got the cash go for the Britax.

We liked this carseat because it had a higher weight limit for the internal harness, which was necessary for our 35 pound wiggly 3 year old. However, the seat seems to be very difficult to tighten on our child. We were used to a more user-friendly restraint system and have still not gotten used to the way the harness tightens.

I have a two year old, who's rather tall for her age. I had to upgrade, and really wanted to keep her in a 5-point harness. She's currently 26 months and almost 40" tall. The old seat was cutting into her shoulders.
br /
br /I had looked at the expensive other brands (I'm sure you know which ones I'm talking about) and couldn't bring myself to spend $200+ dollars on a car seat.
br /
br /This one is so comfy for her little tush, and she has plenty of room to grow. She loves her new seat.
br /
br /I also want to say that I drive a Hundai Accent. It's not a big car at all, but this seat fits very well in the back. I highly recommend this seat.

Really, it is a great seat.....in fact I have two. Then why only three stars? Because the center (crotch) belt does not adjust (very short) and the buckle mechanism is a large unusual shape. These require my 4 year old to sit in an awkward position so not to dig into her thighs. However, I've seen other posts say that the manufacture will soon send owners a retro-fit kit that should resolve this issue. If so, then absolutely 5 stars.

Being the father of a 6 year old autistic child, i was on the hunt for a 5 point seat that will last a long time. I'd already tried a booster seat, but as much as I wish he'd sit there, the seatbelt was usually unbuckled within 10 minutes. Was checking on consumer reports, and they had a special writeup on car seats for obese children. While my son is definately not obese, the same need is there....a 5 point seat for a larger child (just older in this case). They had all the britax listed, as well as the safeguard, but all of them were in the $300 plus range, which sent me looking at the apex 65 (or whichever other names it's marketed under). Found one online at babyage for 130 with $7 flat rate shipping. Item arrived in two days, was a snap to install (07 highlander, latch installation couldnt be easier), and we were ready to roll in less than 5 minutes. Seat is large and spacious, padding is decent, cupholder is garbage-- i didnt even bother installing, but the #1 issue is the crotch belt. As another review stated, the crotch belt is ridiculously short. My eldest fit in the seat comfortably, until i fastened the crotch belt. It's rather larger, and on a very short tether, so was almost immediately digging into his thighs. He tolerated it for the first 30-45 minutes of the car ride, but that was all he could take. Pulled the car over, and swapped him and his brother (5 years old). What was definately nice though, i called safety 1st, they took down all my information and said they are sending a replacement crotch strap, which should be here in 7-10 days. That is what I call customer service. No hassle, no fuss, no charge, and they were more than willing to fix the problem. All in all, a great seat for a great price.

We've had this seat for over a year now love it. My husband, who is strong, but not a beast, has never had any trouble getting the seat installed w/ the LATCH system. we've moved the seat a 'few' times. I've even done it a couple times. My son loves it too. He is a tall 4yo who weighs 35lbs. Yes, we're early on the weight, but wanted to be prepared. All in all, a great seat at a great cost! We also have a 3yo daughter that we will be getting the seat for in the next year or so.

There is a big safety concern with this seat put out by the company Safety 1st. There is a metal piece on the back of the seat that the two shoulder harnesses slip over to secure in the back. This same metal bracket holds the strap to the bottom that you pull to tighten things. When you loosen it the straps get so loose that shoulder harness can slip off the bracket. You must remove the entire seat each time in order to fix the shoulder strap. This is not only a huge annoyance but not safe since they would prefer the fire department to put in your seat each time. I can't do that each time it falls off and I have to do it myself. I have called the company and they are sending a new seat in order to examine mine. It just can't be safe that it is that easy to have the shoulder strap come off like that.
br /
br /The other small complaint is that the seat bottom cushion is a light blue and it shoes dirt horribly. Also, the bottom plastic supports poke very bad into the leather seat. Much worse then the Triumph we had prior or the booster seat. I am worried it won't every look right again.

I've had this seat for about a year and half and I'm on the search for new ones. I moved my twins to these seats as soon as they met the size requirements. The crotch strap has 3 adjustment levels and at 22 lbs my one year olds already had to use the middle placement and the second highest shoulder placement. Now they are 2 1/2 and are already at the highest adjustment level. They definitely aren't old enough or big enough for the seat belt harness. So now what!
br /The harness is also impossible to tighten. I'm small but I've been hauling around 30 lb twins and double strollers so I'm no weakling. Everytime I strap my kids in I have to climb in my van and put my knee in the seat and pull as hard as I can to tighten the harness and its still never tight enough for my satisafction. Plus the nylon straps are fraying which doesn't help when you are taking it apart and putting it back together after washing.
br /Needless to say I am very unhappy with these seats. I was really hoping they would be my last car seat purchase but I'm on the hunt again.
br /

This would be a good seat for 30-50 dollars cheaper. The problem is that's it's overpriced. I would like to see Dorel price this seat around $80, at which point I believe they would actually start selling these again. You can buy a Graco Nautilus for the LESS than this costs on Amazon currently. It will last most children longer and is a much nicer seat. No need for headrests, and it is made by a company that has a history of much more ethical practices than Dorel.
br /
br /The only situation I could imagine this being a good choice is if a child was obese, their parents could not afford a Britax Regent, and the car had headrests or high seat backs. I would only do so in that situation because it would be highly possible that the child would not fit into a Nautilus. Otherwise it's a waste of money.

I did a lot of online shopping before I purchased a new car seat for my daughter's first birthday. I wanted something that would not have to be replaced as she grew out of being a toddler, and this booster should last many years. My husband did not have much trouble installing it, and my daughter LOVES facing forward in the car. We are probably going to buy another one for my husband's truck.

My boy is 3.5yrs but weighs 41 lbs. I wanted to keep im in a 5pt harness for as long as possible in a seat that would fit in my hatchback (Britax is too big)
br /
br /My only comment would be that it could use a bit more padding. The arm rests are kind of useless and only get in the way when he climbs in and out.
br /That being said my son likes it. and the harness is easy to use. I would definitely buy this seat again.

The seat is nice and big for our toddler, and he looks very comfy in it. The cup holder is a great feature too. My only complaint is that the straps are not easy to tighten/loosen. Not sure if it's just ours, or all models.

I bought this car seat for the weight and height limits as we apparently grow our babies fast in this family. I read the reviews on this site and decided to buy it anyway. It's true that the crotch strap is indeed too short. My child complained about his legs hurting and he is skinny. I immediately call the company and received the longer strap (actually a whole new seatbelt unit) about 5 business days later. 5-10 minute phone call with no hassles. Just needed to provide the manufacture # and date and my personal info. We easily installed the seat tightly in our grand caravan using the Latch system. It's not supposed to move more than 1 inch at the bottom of the seat, not the top head part. I would suggest going to your local police station or fire department to have them check it to make sure it's installed correctly if you are unsure or are having problems. The armrest covers do come off easily. I found 1 on the floor of the van and 1 in a puddle next to the van the next morning. At least they come off so I can wash off the leftover snack residue. I will probably attach them with some velcro. All in all, I am happy with this car seat.

I bought this for my 7 year old son, I wanted to keep him in a 5 point but he is tall and this worked out perfectly for him!! I love that I can use it as a booster later when he finally protest about being in a 5 pt. He hasn't yet and he has had this for a year and a half. I also bought a Cosco Alpha Elite Apex (Red Alpine) Booster Car Seat for my 5 year old daughter around the same time. It is almost identical but the color was different, the Alpha seemed more girly. Although they are nearly the same, the fabric wore a little better on this one. The Alpha Elite frayed a little on the edge of seat cushion but I trimed it off and now it looks good as new. Regardless, I am thrilled with both of my purchases, they clean up easy and still look great. I have an older minivan without the latch system so I have these installed all of the time, I don't take them out much at all so I have had no issues with installing or removing. I think all car seats are a pain to installed so I bought others for our back up car. My only regret, I just wish I had bought them sooner and not wasted soooooo much money on all the car seats my kids kept growing out of.