[rootzdawta]

As far as I can see, the Britax Marathon and the Britax Decathlon are the same car seat except that the Marathon weighs 5 lbs. more. The Boulevard seems to be the best of the line. Is there anything I'm missing? I may be able to get a Decathlon for cheaper than a Marathon but if the Marathon is better, I'll pay the extra $$$. TIA.

 

[alegna]

The decathalon is better than the marathon. It has an infant insert (so better for a newborn) and maybe one other feature. The best by far is the Boulevard. We love ours. It has side impact protection and a knob to adjust the strap height from the front (no re-threading)

-Angela

 

[Joannarachel]

I *heart* my Boulevard

 

[lasciate]

The Marathon is the basic seat.

The Decathlon is the Marathon with an added infant insert and an adjustable crotch strap so that you can move it inwards for smaller babies.

The Boulevard is the Marathon with an added infant insert, side impact protection in the form of wings around the head area, a push button adjuster instead of the lever that the Marathon and Decathlon have, and the straps adjust with a knob instead of needing to be rethreaded.

All 3 seats are the same height, and are good for up to 33lbs reafacing and 65lbs forwardfacing.

 

[alegna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lasciate The Boulevard is the Marathon with an added infant insert, side impact protection in the form of wings around the head area, a push button adjuster instead of the lever that the Marathon and Decathlon have, and the straps adjust with a knob instead of needing to be rethreaded.

The boulevard has the lever....

-Angela

 

[CryPixie83]

*sigh* I so want to get Britax car seats... thing is, I'd need two and that's a LOT of money for us

 

[mbhf]

the marathon, decathalon, and boulevard are all basically the same seat, same shell, harness heights, and weight limits.

the marathon is very simple, and a great seat.

the decathalon is a marathon with removable infant padding and an adjustable crotch strap, making it better for using from birth. it also has a toddler head pillow and a push button harness adjuster like the roundabout.

the boulevard has removable infant padding for use with a small baby and side impact protection. it also has a knob to adjust harness height. it has the same lever as the marathon.

if you can get the decathalon for less, or you like a decathalon pattern better, get it. its the same seat, just with some added features.

 

[riverundine]

the TSIP (total side impact protection) is worth the little bit of extra $, imho. we

our blvd, also. we also couldn't afford it, so dd's savings paid for it. i figured if the $ was somewhere, it was worth the cost.

 

[rootzdawta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CryPixie83 *sigh* I so want to get Britax car seats... thing is, I'd need two and that's a LOT of money for us

I know! These seats are so pricey! Gosh . . .

Anyway, thanks, Ladies, for the information. It is a stretch for me to even be thinking about getting a Britax. I found the Decathlon for a decent price and while the Boulevard seems really great, it's almost $100 more than the Decathlon on sale.

So this side impact protection . .. does that mean that most car seats are useless if your car is hit from the side? Do you all have any resources for researching all this stuff? TIA.

 

[CryPixie83]

btw, I did a bit of searching and found a couple places with Decathlons for about $220 with discontinued fabric prints.

If we haven't gotten them before tax time, this is part of what our refund will be going to.

 

[mbhf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rootzdawta So this side impact protection . .. does that mean that most car seats are useless if your car is hit from the side?

no, not at all. any seat with a five point harness provides excellent side impact protection. the boulevard has extra SIP, which is really good for cars without side curtain airbags when the seat has to be installed outboard, especailly smaller cars.

 

[alegna]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CryPixie83 btw, I did a bit of searching and found a couple places with Decathlons for about $220 with discontinued fabric prints. If we haven't gotten them before tax time, this is part of what our refund will be going to.

And I've seen boulevards for $230!

Some good deals out there to be had if you don't mind a discontinued pattern.

-Angela

 

[CryPixie83]

Isn't that crazy, how a slightly older fabric pattern will make such a huge price difference...

 

[lasciate]

Older fabric pattern = earlier manufacture date = expires sooner