So you're looking for a reasonably priced stroller... and you've seen a few in a similar price range but nothing jumps out at you? Well hold onto your hats ladies and gents; the Tippitoes Max Viz is one you won't want to miss (and to be honest you'd have a job to miss this one coming!)
Quick Summary: The Tippitoes Max Viz is for those parents who have to dash out of the house in early mornings or late evenings and just want to grab and go. It would be a good choice for a summer holiday, plus, if you're like something that stands out from the crowd, the colours range is bright funky and really catches the eye.
Whats good?
- Value for Money
- Bright colours
Whats not so good?
- Wheels are a little flimsy
Tippitoes pride themselves on having thought of everything. They have taken a whole host of essential baby products and made them their own, from their mini-bath to their doorway bouncer and everything in between, Tippitoes have it covered. With five strollers in their range (including a double) covering a variety of price point, the Max Viz is pitched in the middle of things, read on as we take a look at this very reasonably priced stroller in more detail.
On first glance, nothing leaps out as being spectacular about the Max Viz, it is your classic umbrella fold stroller, but one thing to bear in mind when reading this review is the price, at just £49.99 I challenge you to find another stroller that has this many tricks up its sleeve for this price.
The Chassis
For starters I am impressed to see the chassis comes in a lovely matt black finish. Currently the height of fashion, not only does the black effect look smart it should be fairly practical too, the matt finish should hide a multitude of sins and keep the stroller looking smart for years to come. Although technically light in weight (6kg) it feels surprisingly sturdy and hefty. The standard ‘stand-on’ mechanism to unfold feels stiff, but rather than being a problem I found this to be quite reassuring, all too often at the lower end of the pricing spectrum pushchairs feel too flimsy and I lack confidence in them. Once up the stroller still feels fairly solid, although there is a little bit of a rock to the chassis, this is not unusual for an umbrella fold stroller though. One thing I was pleased to see (being 5’9″ myself) is that the height of the non-adjustable punch-grip handles isn’t too low. All too often tall mums (and especially dads) end up stooped forward over low non-adjustable stroller handles, so this is a great bonus if you’re looking for something a little higher.
The basket is on the small side, but average for a stroller I’d say. Access isn’t great, you can poke the essentials in through the side but you’re not going to be doing much of a supermarket sweep with it. The material the basket is made from lets the stroller down a bit, it reminds me of the plastic mesh kids fishing nets are made out of, so could be handy if you ever find yourself on an unexpected trip to the beach if nothing else.
The 13.5cm diameter wheels are, in themselves, perfectly adequate – made from the usual hard plastic in a set of two at each corner. Even pushing over carpet the front ones make a loose sounding rattle, so I’m pretty sure there would be some clattering about heard over rougher pavements. The front wheels do have a swivel lock function which is a nice little extra, and could prove handy when dashing across a playing field or a bumpy path. The wheels also have a reflective central cap, adding to the strollers selling point as giving great visibility.
The brake is the push down type, linked to either wheel for left or right footed people. It is a little hard to put on as the pedal is buried between the wheels. If Tippitoes made the brake pedal slightly longer this problem would be solved.
Fold
Not really rocket science this one and if you’ve folded an umbrella stroller before you will be a dab hand at it – and if not it’s fairly intuitive so don’t worry! All you have to do is pull up on the chunky co-ordinating fabric handle at the back, release the fold using the little lever and then collapse, folding the handles forward.
I was pleased to see you can fold it just as easily with the raincover in the basket which is always handy when dashing about all over the place trying to remember a million things at once, you can guarantee the one time I forget the raincover is the one time we get caught in a downpour.
One thing I would say is the clip that you can use to lock the stroller folded does get in the way when you fold, causing the mechanism to jam and the stroller to get stuck half folded down; once you know this though it is easy enough to remember to swivel the clip out of the way first. The hinges are all sealed units, so little fingers should stay well out of trouble. One thing to note is that the clip you can use to keep the stroller folded down actually makes the fold a little larger than it really needs to be, if you do not use the clip you can squash the stroller down by about another 5cm if you ever needed to squeeze it in somewhere!
Seat Unit
The seat is typical for a stroller, simple forward facing with a shaped and padded backrest and a piece of taught fabric for the seat base. The fabric is bright in colour and feels very hard-wearing, although not particularly soft or luxurious, it is hand wash only but I think you’d struggle to get it off the frame so realistically you’re looking at sponge clean only.
The seat has an any position recline between the most upright you can get it and an angle of about 45 degrees as it is controlled by a strap that you can tighten or loosen to alter the angle, with a clip you can undo to recline the seat to its lowest setting. The reclined position would be adequate for quick naps for an older child.
The front of the seat ends very abruptly with no adjustable calf rest. The fabric will curve over when you childs legs are on it so should remain comfortable over time.
There is plenty of head room to the underneath of the hood, but the backrest itself isn’t particularly high so for a taller child napping might be out of the question as their head would loll.
The stroller has a five point adjustable harness, with adjustments on all the straps including the crotch. A nice touch is the buckle clip. The shoulder straps are clipped onto the lap straps separately – so if you sometimes struggle to force errant tots arms through, you can do the shoulder part first. The buckle is nice and large – although I found it a little slippery and stiff to undo.
The hood clips onto the frame on either side and is easy to get on and off if ever you need to. It provides plenty of shade and can be locked in the extended position using the stays on either side of the hood.
The raincover fits neatly around the front of the stroller and although a little fiddly to get on, should stay in place fairly well, the binding around the edge matches the pushchair fabric which is a nice touch, it doesn’t cover the hood of the stroller itself, so it may be a little annoying that this part will get wet so you would have to get the stroller out to dry it unless you wanted mould forming!
Our verdict…
All-in-all, the Max Viz is a great value for money if you are not looking to spend more than £50. It has all the standard features of a basic stroller plus some little extras that really set it apart from other models in a similar price bracket.
If anything I feel the wheels are a little flimsy, and the fabrics, such as those of the basket and straps, feel a little ‘cheap’ compared to the chassis. Over-all; I’d say definitely worth the money.
The Tippitoes Max Viz is for those parents who have to dash out of the house in early mornings or late evenings and just want to grab and go. It would be a good choice for a summer holiday, plus, if you’re like something that stands out from the crowd, the colours range is bright funky and really catches the eye.
