Safety for Your Child – Evenflo vs. Graco
There has been a lot in the news recently about car seats and safety for our children. If not buckled in exactly as the manufacturer says your child may be at risk. In this article we will review car seats from two of the prominent manufacturers: Evenflo vs. Graco. We will be focusing on all-in-one car seats that can handle children up to 120 lbs. Let’s examine some features side by side as we compare Evenflo vs Graco;
Evenflo Platinum Safety Max
The Evenflo Platinum Safety Max is an all-in-one car seat that has three modes: rear facing, front facing, and booster seat. The seat is rated for children weighing between 5 and 120 lbs. This car seat should bring you all the way from birth until your child is old enough and big enough to sit without a car seat.
Key Features
- Rollover and side impact tested to protect your child in all situations
- Adjustable headrest with a design and special materials to absorb any impact
- Steel frame to give strength and support to the car seat
- Harness system to prevent ejection in the event of a crash; no rethreading of the harness – allows for the perfect, snug fit
- SureSafe™ installation – makes sure the car seat is installed correctly
- OUTLAST® Technology Fabric – controls the temperature whether hot or cold to keep your child comfortable
- Harness and recline adjust with easy upfront access
- Cup holder
- Car seat weight: 25.3 lbs.
- Airline certified
Graco 4Ever
The Graco 4Ever™ is an all-in-one car seat rated for children from 4 to 120 lbs. This car seat also has four modes: rear facing, forward facing, high back belt booster and no back belt booster. This car seat will last you 10 years of keeping your child safe.
Key Features
- Crash and side impact tested to improve the safety needs of children
- Adjustable headrest – 10 positions to grow with your child
- Steel frame for strength and durability
- Simply Safe Adjust™ Harness System
- InRight™ LATCH system for easy latching
- Easy 6-position reclining
- Cup holder
- Removable, washable seat cover
- Car seat weight: 23 lbs.
Evenflo Overview
The Evenflo car seat offers a lot of features, but it also comes at a big price: $450. Evenflo has taken great measures to ensure the safety of children who sit in their car seats. They test their car seats to 2x the federal requirements. They are the first company to test during a complete rollover situation to determine how their car seats stack up. From these tests they have made adjustments and improvements to the headrests. Their side impact testing has also resulted in the Superior e3 Side Impact™ Protection with advanced technologies to help absorb impact and increased zone protection.
Aside from the safety issues, this car seat comes in several fashion colors: blue/black; red/black; purple/black and gray/black. Dual, removable, dishwasher safe cup holders ensure that bacteria won’t be growing in those cups. The look of this seat is very impressive – it looks like something made for astronauts who are launched into space.
The Evenflo website has a lot of instructional help for parents. There are videos that show how to install the car seat properly. They will help you find an inspection center near your location to make sure the seat is installed correctly. Evenflo has gone the extra mile to be proactive when it comes to safety.
Graco Overview
Safety is Graco’s number one priority. They subject their seats to a wide range of testing to ensure the best possible car seat for children the world over. The price of this car seat is $300. Graco’s tests have included side-impact test; 5-point harness test for occupant retention and other tests to meet or exceed the US standards.
The fun fashion features include 11 color schemes that include a combination of red/black/gray; green/black/gray; blue/black/gray; gray/black/gray and more. This seat has two cup holders and also has a removable lining that is washable.
The Graco website includes a downloadable PDF with instructions installation of this model. They also have videos that show how to install the various different modes of the car seat from infant through booster.
Evenflo vs Graco The Bottom Line
These are two great products that I believe will keep your child safe. They both have exceeded testing requirements and have taken steps to make safer seat because of these tests.
If you are budget conscious, I would go with Graco. Saving $150 on a car seat will help you buy a lot of diapers.
If you like a few extra features, the Evenflo might be for you. Extra rollover testing is one thing that stands out. Also, washable cup holders and temperature sensing fabric are a couple other pluses.
All in all, you will be safe with either one. As a parent you can rest assured that your child is in good hands.
