Sunshine Kids Radian65 Convertible Car Seat - Granite

Sunshine Kids Radian65 Convertible Car Seat - Granite

Needed a skinny seat

I needed to fit 3 car seats across in my van. This seat is one of the skinniest available. The only problem is that it is so heavy! If you are leaving it in the car permanently than that won't be a problem though. But if you are switching it from one car to another or expecting it to be easily carried you should be warned. Otherwise the seat is just what I needed.

Great car seat for both my boys!

I needed a car seat that would fit my growing 3 y.o. since he was close to outgrowing the 40lb. limit on the car seat we had. Also, we needed something for our new baby to grow in to. This fit perfectly for both of them. My baby loved that it wasn't overly padded (he gets hot quickly). Another reason we bought this car seat was because of the size. With two convertible car seats in the back of my Caliber, there wasn't much room for anything else. But with two of the Radians, the middle seat can actually be used! I love how the latch works, we can easily move the car seats and adjust them as compared to the metal hooks of other seats. We are planning on buying another set for our second vehicle.

Great seat, but very difficult to install safely without LATCH.

We bought two of these seats for our kids after much research. They are very solidly built, durable, and I believe they are very safe when used properly. The problem is installation. Our cars don't have LATCH systems and it is next to impossible to install these securely with the shoulder belt. I typically have to wrestle with each one for 20-40 minutes, often injuring my back and fingers to get them securely into our '92 Accord. Using the tether helps but it's very difficult to get the the shoulder/lap belt tight enough to minimize play, even using the locking clips. They simply will not fit safely in our '93 Corolla. Even the LATCH installations can be quite difficult in the rental cars we've used. The straps can also be quite difficult to adjust--they seem to get stuck underneath. I would love to give these a much higher rating but installation is so difficult that it can seriously compromise safety, not to mention usability.

Slender carseat a must for small cars!

We bought this product for our first child in 2006 when she outgrew her infant carseat at 6 months old. We've been very pleased with it for the most part. What we like best about it is how little width it takes up in our car. I would say it only takes up about as much space as an adult would -- meaning that if you have three seats in the back of your car and you put this car seat in the middle, any two adults who sit back there will still feel they have adequate room. This was a big plus when we recently had twins but didn't want to have to buy a completely new car just to accommodate their seats. We have a 2004 Toyota Highlander and all three of their carseats will fit across the back seat. The price tag for the two seats was hefty, but it was better than paying thousands for a new car! Although it is advertised as being foldable and portable, I'm not planning to lug three 20 lb. carseats through the airport anytime soon. Even lugging one car seat through the airport got to be pretty grueling. Additionally, the carrying bag (sold separately) irreparably broke after only two uses. All in all it is a good, compact, safe and sturdy seat for your children, but if you are looking for lightweight portability this isn't the product for you.

Radian 65

I was nervous about buying a car seat sight unseen, but we like the Radian65 very much. It is easy for my 2.5 year-old to get in & out of and it makes her feel like a big girl not to be in such a bulky seat. (We passed her Roundabout down to our baby after he outgrew his infant seat.) Three things to know/consider: 1) The crotch strap is pretty far back and you will have to dig it out from under your little one almost every time. 2) My husband was pulling it out of our trunk and it fell out of its folded position, smashing his fingers pretty badly. I don't think it'll be a problem now that we know to watch it. 3) There isn't much side padding on the seat, so there's not really a place for a child to rest her head if she falls asleep. Other than these relatively minor issues, I would recommend the Radian for purchase.