 "Some smart features and some flaws -- a good stroller with caveats" | 2008-06-24 |
| - Reviewed By alanc31 |
Two years ago, I never would have imagined myself any sort of expert on strollers. But two kids -- and a half dozen different strollers (sigh) -- can work wonders. I picked up the Graco Quattro Duo after the birth of my second daughter, namely because I wanted a stroller that could easily fit a car seat (which I prefer over a bassinet), and the Quattro Duo does that nicely. What follows are my thoughts two months in. Please keep in mind that I live in Manhattan and have no intention of ever taking this stroller in a car, so the fold (which is easy, but huge) isn't something I can really talk about. Also, as a city dweller with lots of walking to do, I use a Bugaboo Cameleon and a Maclaren Quest for my single-stroller needs (bless them in-laws), so I've gotten used to their easy maneuverability and may be a bit unduly harsh on the Quattro's. That said, here's what I think:
- Yes, this thing is huge. Other reviewers are correct: The photos don't do this stroller justice. It is longer and larger than it appears in the pictures. I sometimes feel like I need an intercom to communicate with my older daughter up front. And I always feel like I'm pushing an SUV. Between the weight of the stroller, the weight of the kids, and the weight of all the stuff you'll be lugging around in the storage spaces, figure you'll be pushing a good 80 to 100 pounds. The weight and length (it fits, barely, in a typical apartment building elevator) make it a bit difficult to steer, though in fairness, I'm still using the Bugaboo and that thing (another beast of a stroller) steers like a dream. So I could simply be jaded.
- There are a ton of smart design decisions here. For all the buzz about the Bugaboo, the one thing I always disliked about it was the lack of toddler 'amenities' that can come in handy -- stuff like cup holders and extra storage space. The Quattro Duo is a champ in this regard. There are cup holders for the kids, cup holders for the parent (way) in back, a separate storage space for the bigger kid who rides up front (my daughter loves to reach in a grab stuff out of there like Houdini; though she's probably put on an extra five pounds for grabbing all the cookies I've stashed there for our be-good-while-we're-out-and-I'll-give-you-a-snack bribery sessions (sorry Dr. Spock, I am a weak man). There's a little fanny pack for the parent, which itself has a few handy compartments. And the storage space under the seats is huge, though the downside is that you'll find a way to fill it all, and that's just gonna be more stuff to haul around.
-- The car seat fits nicely. I've only used a Graco infant seat, so can't speak to others, but it's plug-and-play simple. This was really my main criteria (I figure I'll probably sell this stroller and buy a more maneverable side-by-side when my younger daughter gets a bit bigger).
-- It's not exactly top-of-the-line construction. The stroller costs about a fourth of my Bugaboo and while it's fair to say you get more bang for the buck with the Graco, no one is going to mistake it for, well, a Bugaboo. It's got a very plastic look (all that plastic can have that effect) and I often wonder if something is bound to break off (in fairness, nothing has -- yet). Consider, for example, the braking system. My Bugaboo has a hand lever you pull that stops the stroller dead. The Graco has a foot lever that's supposed to fit into ridges in the back axle and brake the stroller. Sometimes the fit isn't perfect and you have to keep kicking at it until you get the stroller to stop moving.
-- It's kinda ugly. Sure, I get comments on the stroller, but they usually go to the many amenities (above) or the stroller's sheer length. It won't win any beauty contests and Graco doesn't help by offering a choice of color/pattern combinations that make Elvis's velvet-covered living room look tasteful. You really need to see this stroller in person, if you can, before buying. The platinum model, which looked nice on the Internet, was a real dog (at least to me) in the store. My wife finally opted for the "Galore" pattern, which is offered only by Toys R Us (I think). It won't win any beauty contests, either, but it's tolerable.
- It's reasonably priced. At under $250, this is one of the more affordable double strollers I've seen. I'm sure I'll ultimately trade up to one of the $600 City Elite or Urban Mountain Buggy side-by-side strollers when my younger daughter gets a bit bigger and the Graco's car-seat advantage falls by the wayside -- how else could my wife ever show her face in Tribeca's Starbucks? But frankly, for what I use the Graco for (walks around the neighborhood), it more than earns its keep.
-- I dig the handlebar. The Quattro Tour has the same U-type handle that I love on the Maclaren Quattro (an excellent single-kid umbrella stroller, by the way -- and also about a quarter of the price of a Cameleon). I've read complaints about the handlebar breaking off, but (knock wood) no troubles here so far. The shape definitely helps with the pushing, and it just looks cool. And, let's face it, when you're lugging two crying babies and haven't shaved in a week, you need all the cool you can get.
Hope this helps.
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 "Worth every penny" | 2008-06-20 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1F4NEOLCVD1I4 |
We have a 3 and a half year old son who still likes to be carried everywhere. When we got pregnant with our daughter we started looking for tandem strollers. We took our son with us so he could try them out. We looked at several including standing strollers like the Joovy Caboose. The Joovy seemed too flimsily made and the back seat is too uncomfortable and doesn't lean back.
We also looked at the Kolcraft Contours which is a very sleek looking stroller. We liked that it had many configurations and that it was easy to push and steer. However it was difficult to fold down. You had to take pieces off of it and it still didn't fold that flat.
The Graco DuoGlider was just too small, as was the Evenflo Take Me Too. We wanted something that could fit our toddler son and our new born baby now and grow a little with both of them.
After trying the Quattro in the store along side the other strollers we thought it worked the best, even though it didn't look as neat as the Kolcraft. We took a few days to think about it and research other options. We eventually decided to buy the Quattro.
It certainly is an excellent stroller and the best one we have had, tandem or not. My wife had no problem pushing it around with both kids, even just a couple weeks after a C-section. My son can sit comfortably in front and can even lean back a little and sleep. My daughter sits snuggly in back either in the car seat or without. My son can easily hop on and off the front to take a look at something or just walk around. He always leaves his bear in the front seat when he gets out.
The storage on the bottom is quite large and fits a lot of stuff. The handle bars on the back make great hooks for shopping bags, baby bags, and luggage. Just don't overweight them because when the passenger gets off the front it might fall backwards.
Since my daughter was born 4 months ago we have taken it on several trips. We made sure we had it before a trip to Disney World. It survived Disney World, Sea World in Orland and San Antonio, sidewalks in California, and many trips to the mall and other shopping venues on our travels.
It was especially helpful in the airports. We could load it up with some of our carry-ons and stroll right up to the gate and check it. It made it really easy to get the kids and luggage to the other gate between flights. When one of the ladies at the airport was unloading it at the gate she said it must be the Cadillac of strollers. Although it folds pretty small, it is a little heavy.
My only complaints is that when folded, you have to lock the front wheels and roll it on them to roll it around, or just carry it. Also, the bar that opens the bottom storage came loose one day, but was easy enough to pop back in.
Would certainly recommend it to anyone with at least two kids. |
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| "Best Double Stroller!!!!" | 2008-06-13 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1AL1736QFPEA0 |
This is by far the best stroller I have owned. I have done extensive research on double strollers and always came back to the conclusion that this stroller would be the best match for our family. My friend made fun of me because I researched it so much...she's since told me she doesn't want to here anything more about strollers because that's all I talked about. :) I was very hesitant to spend the money for it but I am SO thankful I did. Personally I think this is WELL worth the money.
I love the fact that the front seat doesn't have a bar across the front, which gives my four year old the ease of getting in and out without help. It is a little heavy but DUH it's a big double stroller. If you can get past the bulkiness of it you'll enjoy it a lot. The stearing is great and I have a heavy 36 pound four year old that sits in the front seat and I never have problems pushing or turning corners with it. The canopy for the back seat is HUGE. I love the fact that it covers my baby completely.
The only cons I have are #1 the front canopy is too short for my 4 year old...but then again he could care less, so I just removed it. Number 2 the basket underneath is OKAY. For being such a big stroller I guess I expected the basket to be really big. The only way you can get big things in and out is to lower the basket which can kind of be a pain too. That's pretty much it. I know some people would complain about the size and even when it's folded the size is still fairly big, but I knew that I wasn't buying a small stroller so for me it's not a big deal. I have a Honda Odyssey and it fits perfectly in the trunk. It does take up a lot of the space but I don't carry anything else in my trunk anyway.
Overall my opinion is this is by FAR the best double stroller on the market. I love the color...makes it look pretty trendy and best of all it meets all of our needs and much more!!! |
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| "Awesome product" | 2008-06-08 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1SQ71SIFWOIDT |
| I have looked around for many double strollers reading all the reviews, checking some of them out from friends or stores. I have had a Graco for my single stroller and absolutely loved it! The storage in it is amazing. I have love this stroller. Everyone says its very heavy from the other reviews but for a double stroller its pretty much how heavy you expect it. I have a three year old about 30 pounds and a 10 month old about 15 pounds and the it stears awesome, has amazing storage and so many cup holders. It truely is a great stroller. My girlfriend saw it and folded up had no idea that it was even a double because it folds up as big as our singles. The steering on it is better then any other double stroller out there plus the back folding down is great for my younger one who needs his naps on long days to the zoo! |
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| "My Review of the Graco Quattro Tour Duo Stroller" | 2008-05-28 |
| - Reviewed By User: A24WP66NR7VK51 |
They finally did it! They made a double stroller that works, looks great, and can be steered by someone other then a bodybuilder. We have had this stroller for several months (purchased in late 2007). It's still going and looks great.
Pros:
Steering is easy!
Folds down small enough to fit in my VW Jetta trunk (with rear seats down)
Double canopy is great for sun protection
Glides with ease
Cons:
Heavy, very heavy. |
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| "Overall good but needs some fine tuning" | 2008-05-28 |
| - Reviewed By User: AYJF1OT6P6OXZ |
I've had this item for three months. I bought this item when my daughter was 20 months and a new born less than a month. I purchased a used Quatro single and have been really happy with it so after much research decided this model is right for me. My older model Graco Quatro infant car seat snaps right in. I put my older daughter in the front. The front seat can still recline slightly with the infant car carrier in there. My daughter likes being able to climb on and off by herself. Some people complain about the quality of the straps but I think it's well designed and functions fine.
I use this for walking most of the time so I can't say I would enjoy lugging this in and out of my car. It doesn't fit vertically in the back of my '06 Subaru Outback Wagon so I lay it horizontally. Doesn't leave room for much else in the trunk. I'm 5' and the height is okay.
I gave this a four star for the following reasons:
-The little window to peek in on your infant is worthless. I don't even use it.
-The wheels started squeeking after the first day of use. I haven't tried to oil it. Sounds like this is a common occurance according to other reviewers.
-The basket is nice and large but it doesn't always come down easily especially if you're only using one hand. I sometimes have to battle with it to get it to come down.
-It does handle fairly well after you get used to pushing a double instead of a single. My daughters weight about 25lbs. and 12lbs. plus the weight of the infant car seat.
-I like the handle bar. I found myself hanging things off of it.
-The little zipper pouch is nice to hold your wallet and napkings, etc. and the little easy access side pocket is perfect for my cell phone.
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| "Great dual stroller but heavy" | 2008-05-22 |
| - Reviewed By dallas.barlow@compaq.com |
| This stroller handles 2 children quite nicely. My wife loves it. It has lots of storage capacity. However, it is quite heavy to put in/out of the trunk. To me, it is also difficult to manuever but my wife does not seem to notice so much...perhaps because it can hold both the kids (3 and 10 months) and all their other stuff. |
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| "Great Double Stroller" | 2008-05-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2LE8YMY4NQ07D |
| I love the fact that you can lay the back seat into a bassinet but still have the baby secure. Our two year old loves to ride around in this. The car seat fits okay, but does fit. You just have to make sure that it is securely fastened before on the go. |
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| "Best Purchase I've Ever Made!" | 2008-05-08 |
| - Reviewed By User: A25YZZZ0Q0SW5C |
| I have two children under 18 months and this stroller is by far the best purchase I've made for them. It rides very smoothly, has tons of storage, and folds up well, considering it's size. I have a mid-size SUV and the stroller fits well in the trunk space with room for many more items. I was worried about how it would handle given the size, and it rides as well as my Grace single stroller. I would suggest this stroller to anyone with two little ones! |
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| "Love the stroller, Loved the Amazon experiance" | 2008-05-07 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2CJOSWX1BKF2B |
OK, so we have two kids in diapers... fun fun fun... and getting a Graco Quattro Tour Duo was a great way of managing both our balls of energy, on our eventful outings.
The Good: The stroller is very well constructed, smooth to operate and maneuvers rather nicely. Maneuverability was important to us as my wife I kinda smallish and was not sure is she could move in and out of isles on those 'important runs to the mall' with ease. I don't know if I should be happy or sad, but she can. In addition to maneuverability I like the origami aspect of the stroller, which has it neatly fold into something you can stuff in the back if your car. Our kids don't seem to mind being strapped in it and my daughter seems to think once she's strapped in, she can command either parent to push the stroller wherever her little heart desires - only works with the grandparents
The Bad: it's heavy... OK once the nice little origami thing happens; you gotta lift the sucker and keep it in your car. Plus it takes up quite a bit of room, when folded. Now, that may be a good thing, given that it cuts into the space my wife would otherwise use for shopping bags.
Bottom Line: As expected from Graco, we're very happy over all. Once we compared it with what else was out there, we think we made the right decision.
ABOUT AMAZON... We brought the stroller and it had an issue where it was sticking when we tried to close it. Instead of messing with it, we wanted it changed. I opened the website and clicked on the link where Amazon call's you... loved it. They not only did, but were so helpful that they sent the replacement overnight - at no charge. Now we have the new stroller and the other one it on its bay back to Amazon on their dime. I thought I would have to roll my sleeves back to do the exchange, but their willingness has made me a believer. Thank you Amazon.
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