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Our Review of the Sunshine Kids Radian 80 convertible car seat
We do our best to stay objective here at TipToeTurtle.com. We might be a retailer, but our goal is to inform and educate you about car seats while you shop. That being said, we're about to make a very bold statement:
"The Sunshine Kids Radian 80 convertible car seat is (probably) the only car seat you will ever need."
We'll get to the "probably' part in a second.*
The Sunshine Kids Radian 80 is the only car seat ever produced that secures a child from birth up until they are 80lbs!!
The Radian 80 is rear facing until your child is 35 lbs.
Once your child has reached 35 lbs. or so, you simply spin the Radian 80 around your child has a comfortable and very safe forward facing car seat with a narrow profile that (and this is another one of Sunshine Kids trademarks) folds up into a slim, 7" thick package. What's more, its v-shaped top tether allows you to use the top tether when in the rear facing position. Only a select few car seats can claim this particular feature.
Tested again and again, the Radian 80 has Safety Feature after Safety Feature
Not only does the Radian 80 exceed all Federal Safety Standards, it has numerous additional safety measures in place to ensure that your child, no matter what their age or weight, will be totally secure. Along with Recaro and Safeguard, the Radian 80 is one of only a few car seats built on a steel alloy frame; most are made entirely of plastics. While this does make the Radian 80 somewhat heavier than the average car seat, this extra weight adds a level of stability that owners of the Sunshine Kids Radian 65 already appreciate.
This added stability, and a few other safety enhancing features, only improve on the Radian 80 convertible car seat's overall appeal. In addition, the fabrics of the Radian 80's seat are plush and comfortable.
(Note: Sunshine Kids seat fabrics are not machine washable. Hand wash and line-dry only)
A growing movement amongst car seat safety advocates encourages parents to keep their children in a car seat with a 5-point harness for as long as possible. While the Radian 65 works until kids are 65 lbs, the only seat that secures an 80 lbs kid in this manner is the Britax Regent. Both the Regent and the Radian 80 virtually eliminate the need for a booster seat.
*Bottom Line
If "the Sunshine Kid's Radian 80 convertible car seat is (probably) the only car seat you will ever need," the "probably" part of this statement comes into play when you directly compare the Radian 80 with the Britax Regent.
While the Radian 80 has a very high weight capacity, the seat width is only 10" vs. the Regent's 14" seat.
The Britax Regent may be a bit wider, but it is very bulky, is only forward facing, and does not fold like the Radian 80. Because the Radian 80 is so narrow, you can potentially put three of them side by side in the back seat. Three Regents side by side? Impossible.
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- Manhattan
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- Monaco
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- Princess
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- Super Cool
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- Manhattan without pads
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- Manhattan with headrest
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- Manhattan folded
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- Super Cool folded
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- Installed rear facing
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- Safe-Stop and Super-Lock
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- Radian back
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Click here to download instruction manual. (Adobe Reader required) |
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Car seat specs
- Min child weight
- 5 lbs.
- Max child weight
- 80 lbs.
- Rear-facing minimum weight
- 5 lbs.
- Max child weight - Rear Facing mode
- 35 lbs.
- Min child weight - Forward Facing mode
- 22 lbs.
- Max child weight - Forward facing mode
- 80 lbs.
- Max harness weight capacity
- 80 lbs.
- Min child height
- n/a
- Max child height
- 53"
- Min child height - Forward facing mode
- n/a
- Max 5-pt harness child height capacity
- 53"
- Min height for booster use
- n/a
Car seat dimensions
- Product weight
- 20.5 lbs.
- Seat Base / Foot Width
- 17"
- Seat height
- 28.5"
- Interior seat width
- 11.4"
- Bottom to lowest harness slot
- 8"
- Bottom to highest harness slot
- 18"
- Seat weight (without base)
- 20.5 lbs.
Sunshine Kids Radian 80 convertible car seat Reviews
All Customer Reviews
- Average Rating:
- Highest Rating:
- Lowest Rating:
- Number of Reviews:
- 105
You'll never buy another car seat!
Reviewer: Justine , Livermore, CA
Date: April 25, 2008
We bought two of these seats - one for my 3 year-old daughter and another for my 7 month-old son. We are very happy with the seats and especially love the following features:
1. 5-point harness for children up to 80 lbs. We initially transferred my 35 lb. daughter to a booster seat and she looked so unsafe in it. This 5 point harness looks very solid and I love that she can be in the seat until she's 80 lbs.
2. Narrow. This seat is so nice and narrow. I could easily fit three of these in the second row of my Pilot.
3. It folds! My husband folded this seat and easily carried it around the airport with the included shoulder strap.
4. Padding for infants - my son looks so comfy and safe in his Radian 80.
The Princess print is also absolutely adorable. My only complaint is that the straps can be a little difficult to adjust in the forward-facing position since they are so snug up against the back of the seat. However, it is getting easier as I get used to adjusting it.
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Best Seat Money Can Buy
Reviewer: Kevin , Incline Village, Nevada
Date: April 02, 2008
After our little boy started reaching the 20lb mark, we had to start looking for a big boy car seat. Wanted one that could keep him rear facing as long as possible and also converted well into a forward facing toddler seat/booster that kept him in the 5pt harness as long as possible. After lots and lots of research and we settled on the Radian 80 in Super Cool. We love it. Was nervous about the strap complaints, and it is slightly tougher for the rear facing mode, but honestly we had to work a little bit with our infant carrier and it isn't much harder to get the strap on the radian 80 tightened. We have it rear facinging in the middle seat of our 05 pathfinder and it fits great, better than his garco infant carrier fit. The seat looks like it was built to match our interior. Don't think it will work for rear facing in the non-middle seats as it angles sharply and will hit the backs of the front seats. We bought the optional travel case for it as well to protect it for airplane trips. The carry bag is built really well. Also an unadvertised feature is how all of the latch straps are nicely integrated and stowed neatly within the seat when traveling or not in use. (each strap has its own compartment) Honestly after seeing our friends britx boulavard seat, I anticipate this seat lasting our child much longer. 4 and 5 year olds don't want to sit in a "baby seat". This thing works great with our 9 month old infant and will satisfy his big boy aspirations later on!
Honestly the Radian is build like a tank, and isn't that the point? When I went to Babies R' Us to check out all the seats, they all were build from plastic, which is ok I guess, but I really like the weight and tough feeling that this seat offers. Every seat has its tradeoffs, and I think this one has the fewest tradeoffs of all car seats. Hope this helps you out!
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Great Seat
Reviewer: Anonymous , Pinehurst, NC
Date: April 01, 2008
I did lots of research before deciding on this car seat. My family members all have Britax and love them. However they take up the whole back seat and other passagers were uncomfortable. Once the decison was made on the Radian 80, Elite Car seats was prompt and professional about getting the purchase to our home. I installed the car seat in both our cars both foward and rear facing to make sure that it fit tightly and that I would be satisfied with the seat. The seat was easy to install and with the tips on getting it tight that the instruction book included, it fits nicely in both cars. My child is 7 months old and very long. He seems very comfortable in the seat and it is easy to get him in because it is lower then other car seats. And the best part is that he can look up and make eye contact with me in this seat.
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Love this seat!
Reviewer: Anonymous , Sumter, SC
Date: March 30, 2008
We love this seat. My daughter calls it her beautiful princess chair. It's heavy but easy to install, and because of its slimline design, it fits very well in my Malibu. I researched lots of seats before choosing this one, and I am very satisfied with our decision. We plan to use it for as long as possible because we really do believe that a 5-point harness is the safest way for our child to travel. The only reason why I didn't give it 5 stars is because the cover is not machine washable and can only be spot cleaned. However, I checked out the manufacturer's website and a replacement cover can be purchased if necessary.
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Will buy it again
Reviewer: Anonymous , Avondale, AZ
Date: March 28, 2008
I needed to move my 3 year old out of her Britax Roundabout for my baby. She was upset but loved the fact that she could pick the cover. The seat was delivered extremely fast. The directions were clear. I loved the fact that most of the items for the carseat have a storage place in the back of the seat. My daughter fits great in it, with lots of room to grow. The groin harness is in the middle slot, and she is very comfortable. She does have a slim build. I also love the look of it. It is very sleek and "stream line" ( as much as a carseat can be). I plan to use this as her car seat until she no longer needs any type restraint, other than a regular seatbelt.
I feel like I found the perfect carseat. It was also listed on the American Pediatric As.
There is one negative, no cup holder for the sippy, but I will still buy another one when my baby outgrows her current seat.
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really good carseat
Reviewer: Kelly , Milwaukie, Oregon
Date: March 24, 2008
we really like this car seat, I like all of the padding on it, and my 11 month old child LOVES to sit in it. unfortunately, it is a little tall when rear facing and we have to scoot the front seat up as far as it will go, which means that we have very limited leg room on the passanger side of the car. other than that, we love the car seat.
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What we were looking for..
Reviewer: Anonymous , Leonardtown, MD
Date: March 22, 2008
It is such a tough decision to figure out what car seat is going to be right. We tried to figure out what was important to us and then find a car seat that met the most of the critera. We needed a convertible car seat, we wanted to get the maximum weight limits we could, safety was of course the major issue, ease of use with buckles (the car seat we had for our now 7 yo daughter was always hopelessely tangled) and once the seat was moved to forward facing we didn't want a big goliath that took up the whole vechile. We have relatives with the Britax models and I can't fault them for ease of use with buckles, safety or comfort for the child but they just seem like this huge beast in their cars. I have to be honest and say I just don't really like the way the Britax looks like a big easy chair in the car. Most people love that but they just sit up so high and are so wide. We have moved them to our van and it always seems so difficult to get around them to get to the back row and when you look in the mirror they seem so HUGE! The Sunshine 80 rear facing is no small fry and does barely fit into our Honda Oddyssey with room for the front passenger. However, tht has more to do with the angle that it needs to be rear facing than the bulkiness of the seat. We were more concerned with it once it faces forward so as long as it fits well it's okay with us. It is a tall car seat but since it's not on a large base like the Britax it seems lower. Once our son is walking and moving around it seems like he will easily be able to climb into the seat to be buckled. The adjustments are manual for the shoulder strap and crotch strap.. again not an issue for us but if you mind taking the seat out for those adjustments be aware. The seat is amazingly heavy but it makes me feel like it's well made and will last. The folding feature hasn't been something that we have really utilized yet. I would think for a trip it will be nice to fold and carry like a backpack. It has been easy to install with the latch but rear facing as I said before does have a sharp angle to contend with the front passenger seat. The buckles seem to be staying tangle free.. we were having some issues getting our son snapped in but then we moved the crotch strap out a notch and it has been great. We were very torn between the two Sunshine models.. we went with the 80 due to the fact that there were complaints about the crotch strap adjustment and tightness in the smaller... our son is almost a year and very small (4th and 5th % for weight and height) so I think the people would be accurate who stated that the one adjustment on the smaller Sunshine would be too tight long term for most kids. Before we installed the seat rear facing we looked at it forward facing and it sits close and in line with the seat in our van...looks seamless not like a big eyesore. Seems like it will be easy to maneuver around to get to the other seating in the van. It was even easier to install forward facing in our test.. latch works like a dream! The one thing I never saw mentioned and we have noticed is that any liquid.. milk, drool, etc really shows up and leaves a mark on the fabric. The fabric seems nice but we were really surprised by that. Overall, we are pleased with this seat. The long term test will be if we don't have to buy 3 more seats like we did with our daughter. Again, I think each person needs to know what is important to them, read the reviews and try to make the best decision for you family, car, etc.. Hope this review helps in that process!
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Solid Tank of a Seat!
Reviewer: Jill , Shaker Heights, OH
Date: March 16, 2008
This seat was not my first choice, but it is definitely by last! I was very happy with the ease of installation, the solid construction and the plush fabric. The seat fit into my Jeep Liberty nicely, and my daughter seems to like it. My only complaint is it is a bit challenging to tighten the harness straps once my daughter is in the seat, but I have no doubt that she won't undo these herself! Yes, it is really heavy, but if we do take it out, it comes with a shoulder strap, and the fact that the seat folds makes it less bulky to carry. Loved working with eliteseats.com- When the first seat I ordered didn't work, it was easy to send back, and this seat came very quickly! Plus, using a live online customer service person helped me make the right decision for me. Thanks! I will definitely recommend this site, and this seat!
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The BEST Seat
Reviewer: Melissa - Mommy of Matthew(1) and Michael(2) , Egg Harbor Township, NJ
Date: March 10, 2008
We purchased this seat for my 2 1/2 yr old son in December. After using seats from two other companies, we were amazed at how securely this fits in the truck and does not move. I can climb over it at 125lbs and I don't feel it move at all. It is rock solid. The weight of the seat isn't an issue because we never need to uninstall it. My son loves the fact that he can look out the window or over at his little brother thanks to the lower profile of the side impact cushions around his head.
I can, however, appreciate the other comments on having a hard time adjusting the tension of the harness. We have found that we need to pull the strap straight downward very hard to tighten the harness enough. It seems that the strap gets trapped between the back of the restraint and the car's seat back. My husband is able to tighten the strap with no problem, but I can see how Moms might have a tougher time.
Overall, I would not trade this seat for any other on the market. We will be purchasing another for our 1 year old very soon. After using the Radian 80, our other seats feel so flimsy and unstable.
I must also say the customer service we received at EliteCarSeats was most impressive. Our seat arrived in a damaged box and we were worried about possible damage during shipping. The company was extremely quick to respond to our concerns and offer several solutions to ensure our satisfaction. It is refreshing to deal with a company with a personal touch in the world of corporate giants. We will definitely be repeat customers!
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