Sunshine Kids Radian65 Convertible Car Seat - Granite

Features:

• 5 lbs. to 80 lbs. in 5-point harness
• Highest capacity convertible car seat
• Steel alloy frame
• Strongest convertible car seat made
• SafeStop harness system
• Absorbs impact energy in an accident
• 4-panel system EPS safety foam
• Total side-impact protection, more than any other seat
• V-shaped top tether
• Can be used rear-facing
• 5 shoulder and 3 buckle positions
• Proper harness fit for all ages and weights
• Narrower outside width
• Fit three seats across the back seat
• Infant body support
• Converts to pillow cushions for older child
• Folds to 7" (17.8 cm) thick
• Travel and storage convenience
• Easier to get child in and out, plus safer positioning for child
• Dimensions Open: 17"W x 16"D x 28.5"H
• Dimensions Folded: 17"W x 7"D x 28.5"H
• Weight 22.99 lbs.

• Great seat!

• We have this seat for our 3.5 year old daughter. At 39 lbs and 41+", she's tall for her age. She has about 2" of room left in this seat. Anyway, this seat can be difficult to install. Set aside a couple of hours and be prepared to sweat it out! It's heavy, 22 lbs, so wrestling it into your vehicle can be a challenge. However, once you master whatever it takes to get it in your car-it's easy. One key thing to do is pull back the cover to better reach the belt path when tightening LATCH straps or the seatbelt. We've installed this seat, forward-facing, in many vehicles- 2006 Chrysler Town and Country, 2004 Honda CR-V, 1999 Honda CR-V, 2005 PT Cruiser, 2005 Dodge Stratus, 1990 Subaru Legacy and 2004 Toyota Camry. All installs were rock solid. We have also installed it, rear facing, in a 2006 Chrysler Town and Country. My daughter loves her Radian and so do we. In spite of frequent difficult installs, it can be put in most vehicles, some with more difficulty than others. My husband can get the Radian seat into most any vehicle in less then 5 minutes. Most kids will outgrow the Radian65 by height before weight (making the Radian80 an unnecessary purchase, for most people). This is a great seat! We like it and think others will too.

• Great seat, easy install!

• I purchased this seat last spring, when I realized my two-year-old was outgrowing his ComfortSport by height. I feel it's very important to keep a child harnessed as long as possible, so I started my search for a harnessed seat with a high weight and height limit. I purchased this seat, and now, months later, I'm so very glad I did. In fact, I've purchased another Radian 65 since then for my husband's truck.
  
  One of the nicest features about this seat is its narrow base and low profile. Your child sits low and back, and with a super-tight install, this seat feels like part of the car. Because of the narrow base, I've read in many places that you can fit three of these seats across if you need to. I have no experience with this, as I only have two kiddos, but I think that's a great option! The cover is easy to remove, once you get the hang of it, and it washes well. Just hang to dry. Also, this seat is heavy, but I think that's a good thing. I love that it's on a steel frame. It might make it a bit harder and maybe even inconvenient to move, but trust me when I say this is one solid seat. I will say that I have never had to use this seat rear-facing, so I can't attest to that. It does tether rear-facing, which is a great option - only Sunshine Kids and Britax seats have that option right now.
  
  And the best part is that my son likes his seat too. It has more of a "big-boy" feel than other seats, and he likes that. Also, I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee (04) and My husband's truck is a Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab (02) and it has installed perfectly in both (outboard, driver's side w/top tether). I know there have been reports of difficult installs but we have not experienced that with our vehicles. All in all, I think this seat is a good investment and worth the money. It has defintely worked for us!

• Great carseat for airtravel

• We use this car seat for 9 months now, and we are still satisfied. The most important aspect when selecting this one was portability. In these 9 months I had 2 trips to Europe with my 2 year old son ALONE. This means 12 airport transfers, and yes the car seat is heavy, but I put it on the stroller with the carrying case (sold separately). (In parentes the case needed repair during the latest trip (ripped out), so that is not very durable.) But the seat performed perfectly. My son could take good naps in it (I did not install it very tightly on planes, so I could recline the car seat in the reclined aircraft seat as much as my son's legs allowed.) It was realtively easy to take out from the bag and put away even in the confined turist class rows. My kid could even use the tray on the airplane for ad hoc arts and crafts (as the car seat is pretty low when not reclined), although this is not suggested for anything more sophisticated than play dough, bacase he can easily kick the tray.
  
  We had to install this car seat frequently in cars both here and in Europe. In Citroen4, Toyota Yaris, Audi 4, Ford Taurus, Honda Civic we did not have a problem with the LATCH (forward facing). The seat does not move a millimeter when installed. Unfortunately no crush test results were accessible on Consumerreports.org when I bought this. So in this (most important) aspect we do not have comparison with other brand name products, which is a pity.
  
  I did also quite a research before buying this seat and this was the only car seat matching our needs. I would not say that this is the "best", as it is alone in its category with its folding and slim design. I am sure one can think of improvements (e.g. recline, weight), but it is a fairly good product as it is. My son likes it, and we parents like it. We can only recommend.
  
  

• great car seat

• Works great. Easy to install. My son fits in this seat so much better then any of the other seats we tried.

• GREAT SEAT

• REVIEW
  - Foldable seat - This is the key reason that we purchase this as opposed to buying another Britax Marathon. Once the seat is folded, it is about 7" thick. There are tabs on the frame to allow you to carry it with a strap (sold separately).
  - Carry bag (sold separately) - We also purchased the bag/backpack to carry the seat onto planes. It fits the seat like a glove and can be converted from shoulder-carry to backpack. BTW, if you want to go minimalist, you can also unbuckle these straps and hook them onto the seat's frame. Very convenient.
  - Steel frame - Although the Radian is slimmer than the Britax, it is still quite heavy (20 lb.) due to its steel frame. Since we only plan to lug the seat on infrequent plane trips, this was not much of an issue for us.
  - Fabric - Suede feel, less velour-like, more fitted than Britax. Padding is about the same thickness as Britax but looks less as the suede fabric is more tailored (not as puffy).
  - Seat Size - definitely a narrower seat (many board members have reported that you can fit 3 of these seats in the back seat).
  - Comfort - My 3 year old son has not had any complaints about the seat. I did notice that the seat belts are a bit closer together when buckled and thus making the padded epaulettes (comes with the seat) essential to prevent seat belt burn on the neck.
  - Chest Clips - They do feel a bit flimsier than Britax (has extra rubber pad (HUGS in their lingo)).
  - Rear Facing - We are using it forward facing so we did not need to install the additional based for rear facing. I am annoyed that the car seat is not all in one piece but I suppose it lowers the weight for traveling for those who only need forward facing.
  - Recline - There are only 2 options - recline or upright with very little recline. We chose the recline position and my son is comfortable napping in this position. It is also not overly reclined to prevent him checking out the road.
  - Installation - Some people complained of installation problems. We used LATCH (forward facing) on our 2006 Mazda5 and did not have any problems with the installation. We have yet to try installing it with a seat belt. Overall, I think the Britax is easier to install with its clip locks for seat belt installation and versa tether to allow for front tethering options. However, if you plan to use LATCH forward facing, both the Britax and the Radian65 are equally easy to install.
  
  CONCLUSION
  The Radian65 is a very nice seat that is far more portable due to its folding seat than the Britax Marathon. I especially like its innovative portable features with the carry bag and the tabs on the seat for carrying it. This is a cool feature that I did not find in any other seat.
  

• The ONLY car seat that works in my situation.

• My car ('95 525i) has a lap belt in the center back seat, making a belt-positioning booster impossible. Additionally, the only seats I have seen that accommodate a 44# child are GIGANTIC! Since I have 3 kids in the back seat, two already in boosters, a huge car seat was not an option. I have been at a loss, keeping my big kid in his Britax Advantage for waaay longer than he should have been. I was so happy to find the Radian65! I could install it with the lap belt, the weight limit is 65#(!), and it actually fits between the two boosters without crowding my other two kids. This would have been enough for me, but I am also very impressed with the quality of the seat. The design details were very thoughtful, and the workmanship is on par with Britax. It looks like a much more expensive seat. Which brings me to my final point: I live in Hawaii, and shipping is always a killer. Amazon's price for this seat was not just $20 less than anywhere else (and believe me, I did plenty of research), but they shipped it to me for free - which, combined with the lower price, ended up saving me around $100! I couldn't be happier.

• Wonderful Car Seat When You Need More Room

• I recently had a third child and was in search for car seats for my car that would allow me to sit all three kids in the the back seat. This proved to be quite a challenge. I wasn't willing to sacrafice safety, so I went on a search. The Britax seats, although very nice, were too wide and there was no way I could put three car seats next to each other. I was plesantly surprised to stumble upon the Radian65. This seat appealed to my also because my oldest is almost 40 pounds, but I wanted to still keep her in a 5 point harness as long as possible.
  
  I ordered two seats - one for my four year old and one for my two year old. Once I got these seats, I read the instructions very carefully. I was installing two of these into my car and the process was a long one. Because of the way I was installing the seats in my car (in the middle with the seat belt and one on the end with the LATCH system) the direction were very different for both.
  
  Although the process was a long one, it was not difficult. I was able to get a nice tight fit for both seats. The seats are relatively heavy compared to other seats on the market due to the steel frame. The weight is mainly in the bottom of the seat, so it is not an issue unless you are moving seats around a lot. I drive a Mazda CX9, so at least twice a month I move one of the seats to the third row to accomodate an extra adult in the car. Even with moving the seat that much, it is not that big of a hassle.
  
  I have had the seats installed for about 8 months, and I have never had either child complain of discomfort. We have taken several long trips, and they seem to be just fine in the seats.
  
  I am extremely happy with this seat and will definitely buy another one when my youngest grows out of her infant seat.
  
  These seats were a great investment and make me feel good knowing my children are in a very safe seat.

• Excellent! Very happy (former Britex owner)

• I went from a large bulky Britex (which I loved!) to this seat for my 3 year old to streamline since I have a sedan and needed all the room I could get. I can't be happier. It is excellent. My daughter loves it too. She thinks it is a big girl chair. I would recommend this to anyone with a 2 year old +.

• Love it!

• Love this seat! Not only is it terrific for safety, it also is narrow, allowing a better fit into our vehicle!

• 3 across, anyone?

• I nanny triplets and do not have 3rd row seating in my vehicle, I needed car seats that would fit 3-across. The Radians fit awesome! I have NEVER had any issues installing with a seatbelt, or LATCH, or in Toyotas. I love everything about the Radians. Plus they EXCEED safety standards.
  Having car seats that will fit 3 across, allow me to practice extended rear-facing AND extended harnessing, that exceed standards....is priceless. I highly recommend.
  **Also consider the "comfy-soft" infant insert that supports little ones to 30 lbs, then converts into a toddler pillow for big kids. It's like $17. So no real reason to whine about head support.

• Don't buy. Not worth the money. Horrible Seat

• Seat cover keeps falling off to the left. This caused the styrofoam to chip off. The company (Sunshine Kids) refuses to send another one even though it's only been 3 months since purchase and I have a receipt. They keep saying it's amazon's responsibility. Amazon is only responsible for 30 days.

• Don't buy. Not worth the money. Horrible Seat

• Seat cover keeps falling off to the left. This caused the styrofoam to chip off. The company (Sunshine Kids) refuses to send another one even though it's only been 3 months since purchase and I have a receipt. They keep saying it's amazon's responsibility. Amazon is only responsible for 30 days.
  
  

• Very difficult to get a good installation.

• SKJP was on the right path with this seat. It's narrow, it's made from quality components, it has the potential to be user friendly.
  
  However, this seat typically runs in the 40-60% of acceptable installation range. In other words it's VERY possible that this seat may NOT work in your vehicle. Remember, a properly installed carseat should not move more than 1" side to side when checked for movement at the beltpath (where the seatbelt/LATCH strap is route through the carseat).
  
  I purchased one of these directly from SKJP when they were first released for my then 4yo son who was too tall for pretty much every harnessed seat on the market with the exception of the Britax Husky, yet he was too thin (33lbs soaking wet) to be placed into a traditional booster seat.
  This seat was completely incompatible with the vehicle that I needed to use it in.
  
  Buyer beware...make sure that this is going to work in your vehicle, or that you have the option of returning it if it does not install properly in your vehicle.
  
  Keep your kids safe, make sure that their seat is properly installed and used each and every trip!
  
  strollerfreak - Mom of 4 and Child Passenger Safety Technician

• 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.

• Wonderful Car Seat When You Need More Room

• I recently had a third child and was in search for car seats for my car that would allow me to sit all three kids in the the back seat. This proved to be quite a challenge. I wasn't willing to sacrafice safety, so I went on a search. The Britax seats, although very nice, were too wide and there was no way I could put three car seats next to each other. I was plesantly surprised to stumble upon the Radian65. This seat appealed to my also because my oldest is almost 40 pounds, but I wanted to still keep her in a 5 point harness as long as possible.
  
  I ordered two seats - one for my four year old and one for my two year old. Once I got these seats, I read the instructions very carefully. I was installing two of these into my car and the process was a long one. Because of the way I was installing the seats in my car (in the middle with the seat belt and one on the end with the LATCH system) the direction were very different for both.
  
  Although the process was a long one, it was not difficult. I was able to get a nice tight fit for both seats. The seats are relatively heavy compared to other seats on the market due to the steel frame. The weight is mainly in the bottom of the seat, so it is not an issue unless you are moving seats around a lot. I drive a Mazda CX9, so at least twice a month I move one of the seats to the third row to accomodate an extra adult in the car. Even with moving the seat that much, it is not that big of a hassle.
  
  I have had the seats installed for about 8 months, and I have never had either child complain of discomfort. We have taken several long trips, and they seem to be just fine in the seats.
  
  I am extremely happy with this seat and will definitely buy another one when my youngest grows out of her infant seat.
  
  These seats were a great investment and make me feel good knowing my children are in a very safe seat.

• Excellent! Very happy (former Britex owner)

• I went from a large bulky Britex (which I loved!) to this seat for my 3 year old to streamline since I have a sedan and needed all the room I could get. I can't be happier. It is excellent. My daughter loves it too. She thinks it is a big girl chair. I would recommend this to anyone with a 2 year old +.

• Love this car seat!

• At my son's four month check up I was surprised to find out he was a very long baby and soon to outgrow his infant seat (which for some reason I thought would last until he was a year old!) I began an internet search for safety ratings and reviews to find a great new car seat. I ended up trying to decide between the Radian65 and Britax Boulevard car seats. In the end I chose the Radian65. Both received very good reviews as far as safety and consumer recommendations. The Radian65 is almost 1/2 the cost of the Britax and it is the only car seat that folds! We are a family that travels a lot and the thought of lugging a huge 20+ pound seat around an airport is not appealing. But, with the Radian you can fold it and attach a carrying strap to make it more manageable. My son loved this seat the minute we put him in it. It is very roomy, but also fits well in the back seat of our crew cab pick up truck as it has a narrow design. The only challenge I have with this seat is finding toys that will attach to it so my son can play while I am driving. I definitely recommend this seat. It was easy to set up in the rear facing position and seems very comfortable and safe! Free shipping through Amazon for this item was a definite bonus!!

• Love it!

• Love this seat! Not only is it terrific for safety, it also is narrow, allowing a better fit into our vehicle!

• 3 across, anyone?

• I nanny triplets and do not have 3rd row seating in my vehicle, I needed car seats that would fit 3-across. The Radians fit awesome! I have NEVER had any issues installing with a seatbelt, or LATCH, or in Toyotas. I love everything about the Radians. Plus they EXCEED safety standards.
  Having car seats that will fit 3 across, allow me to practice extended rear-facing AND extended harnessing, that exceed standards....is priceless. I highly recommend.
  **Also consider the "comfy-soft" infant insert that supports little ones to 30 lbs, then converts into a toddler pillow for big kids. It's like $17. So no real reason to whine about head support.

• Radian65

• Awesome! This seat fits perfect!
  I drive a Toyota RAV4 and will have three kids in the back seat, two in boosters and soon a baby in this one!! This seat requires just as much room reclining as any other convertible seat or even infant car seat. The base is narrower than on other seats. Took about 10-20 minutes to set up and install. The instructions were really easy to follow. I would definitely recommend it!!!!

• 3 little ones

• I am yet to use my car seats. I will still be several months before the children are born.
  But I made my choice based on the great reviews along with the model car that I have.

• Very Compact

• Love these seats. I have 3 of them front facing in the back of a Sebring convertible. The middle uses the belt strap that comes with the seat.

• 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.