Graco Contender 65 Convertible Car Seat, Glacier

5 out of 5 stars. But that option isn't available, so instead of going down to a three, I went up to a four. br>br>This car seat has been with us since February of 2016. (It's been about one year and eight months as of this writing. ) We bought this car seat when my son was one year old, and he is now two years old. 5 now. In terms of height and weight, he is a typical child. br>br>Last week, we were in a 60 mph passenger side impact car accident on the freeway (we were side swiped on the side where my son was in this car seat), and as a result, we need to replace this car seat. br>br>As I considered what I wanted in a new car seat, all of the things I disliked about this one, as well as some of the things I liked, came to mind. After almost a year and a half of using the Graco Condender 65, I thought it might be useful to share my list of pros and cons with anyone considering it. )br>br>Advantages: )br>br>

- Very safe and kept my son 100% alive in our car accident. There were no visible signs of damage, and the five-point harness system on my son was still in place after the accident.

- It's really cheap! It was affordable without being "affordable" in terms of quality. My opinion is that you are wise. My sister had spent at least $300 on their second Britax car seat (they'd already purchased three), and I didn't want to spend that much if I could avoid it.

- I really like the cup holder; I didn't think about it when I bought the car seat because my son was only a year old at the time, but it's been great for holding toys, drinks, and snacks. It's made of plastic and wipes clean easily. The lack of built-in cup holders in the Britax and Chicco convertible models I've considered is a major disadvantage for me. The clip-on cupholders (I believe Britax sells one) appear flimsy, and I've read a lot of mixed reviews that make those types of cupholders sound like they're more of an "afterthought" and don't feel like they're a part of the seat. My son, knowing him, would most likely pull them off and throw them on the floor! (In one review, a mother claimed that her child had done this. ) It costs $30 to sit on their car's floor. )br>br>- )br>br>- )br>br>- ) It's not flimsy, but it's not flimsy either. I discovered that it is 15 on the website. 2 lbs. appears to be a reasonable estimate. My niece has a Britax Pioneer car seat, which weighs in at 26 pounds.

- The "Simply Safe Adjust" harness system at the car seat's top is extremely useful. It's nice to be able to simply press a button and pull it as your child grows rather than having to re-invent the wheel every time. the straps should be woven

- The buckle has two positions, and rethreading it is simple.

- There is no "recline" button, which could be a plus or a minus. If you're using the seat for forward or rear facing, all you have to do is flip the little wedge at the base of the seat. It was never a problem for me, and we used it for both forward and backward facing. Without adjusting or boosting it in any way, the little ball that indicates proper positioning in my Honda Pilot was always in the perfect place.

- Straps that are black! They hide the inevitable stains and are simple to clean. br>br>Contrary to popular belief, there are a number of disadvantages to using this product. br>br>(Note: if you're looking for a unique way to express yourself, try using the words " All of the disadvantages are purely personal preferences and convenience issues; I have no doubts about this car seat's safety).

- Moving this seat from car to car is a major pain. The latch straps are the 'hook' style, not the nicer ones with a button like a seatbelt that simply click into the car's latch system. Getting them out is a PAIN. I've moved this from my Honda Pilot to my husband's Honda Civic, to my parents' BMW 5 series, and finally to their GMC truck. It doesn't matter which car it is in; getting in and out is a pain in the neck. I usually end up sweating and swearing by the end of the day. It doesn't help that the strap you use to tighten the seat into the vehicle is only adjustable on one side, which means you either have to climb into your vehicle (which is a pain with a giant car seat in) or walk around to the other side to mess with it, depending on which side it's facing. We had to change it twice because the adjuster was on the left side of the seat when it came out of the box, and my son was rear-facing. in that case The adjuster strap being on the side you'd open the door on is much more convenient. You can't just pull it out; you'll need to unscrew the bar that holds the latch belt in place and thread it through the seat on the other side. When my son switched to forward facing, we had to adjust it once more. It may seem insignificant, but as a parent, these are the minor details that you don't want to overlook. It would be far more practical if you could adjust the slack/tightness from both sides.

- This leads to my second issue: the small bar clip with a button that allows you to adjust the latch belt (on one side) is also extremely difficult to use. No matter how hard you press it, half of the time it does nothing. When you pull the latch belt loop threaded through it, it should release its grip on the belt, allowing you to get slack in the belt and remove the latch from the car. I am not a weak person, but I frequently have to ask my husband to go mess with the latch button part because I can't do it and have lost patience trying.

- Stains. I'll admit that I've always been too lazy to remove the entire cover and wash it, and I wasn't sure if I could do it until after the accident when I removed the seat from our car. I've only washed the small seat insert, and no amount of bleach has ever been able to remove the stains. I understand that stains appear; unfortunately, with a toddler, this is unavoidable. I just wish they were easier to clean because they are filthy and embarrassing! I was unable to remove the stains from this seat no matter how hard I tried, so I gave up. This was our seat in Glacier for reference. (In the photo, gray is shown. ) Fortunately, because it's a darker gray, the stains won't show up as much if you remove the lighter gray seat pad. I've always left the little pad in for comfort, but a friend with the same car seat said they had to take the entire seat apart to wash it after their daughter had an accident, and it took a long time to dry. She also expressed her doubts about the fabric's ability to withstand multiple machine washes.

- The five-point harness's over-the-child straps are extremely finicky. I had a lot of problems with them lengthening on one side but not the other, and they didn't adjust evenly, which is dangerous. As some others have mentioned, the straps are prone to twisting and causing the buckle portion to be backwards. When you're late and trying to wrangle a grumpy toddler into their car seat, the last thing you want to do is fiddle with the straps.

- Pulling the harness straps tight enough with the pull strap at the bottom of the seat can be difficult. Maybe it's because it's in an awkward position (you're basically pulling sideways or downward instead of toward yourself), but it drove me insane because I felt like I'd be yanking and yanking and still not be able to get it tight enough.

- There is no way to adjust the seat's incline because there isn't a recline handle. As I previously stated, this can be viewed as a pro or a con depending on your perspective. br>br>Overall, I believe the Contender 65 is a good value for the money, and while there are a few things I don't like about it, the most important feature is that it kept my son safe in an accident. I trust Graco, so we went with the Graco 4Ever car seat as his next seat. It has all of the features I liked about the Contender 65, as well as fixing the majority of the "cons" on this list; however, it is a little more expensive (I paid $238 on Amazon, though prices fluctuate-- On Amazon, I've seen it for as little as $199).

Kaydence Nicholson

| Sep 11, 2021

Original Complaint or Remark: When it comes to removing the seat, the anchor latch strap is extremely difficult to release. If the manufacturer is reading these reviews, I would appreciate a response from them with a solution. br>br>The 26th of November, 2018 - My initial complaint/comment has been updated: br>I called Graco's customer service line to talk about the latching/unlatching issues I was having with the latch belt, and the customer service representative was extremely helpful. While he insisted that the belt was in good working order, he did admit that this particular latch belt model was more difficult to operate than others. He offered to send me a free replacement car seat, similar to the Contender 65 I had originally purchased, with a latch belt that was easier to latch and unlatch. Of course, I accepted his offer and am looking forward to the arrival of the replacement model. I'll send the original car seat back to Graco for a thorough examination by their engineering team. br>br>NOTE: if you're looking for a unique way to express yourself, this is the place to be When I suggested that I just use a latch belt from another model, the Graco tech rep strongly advised against doing so, as each model is specifically tested to meet crash standards with the matching car seat. br>br>As a result, I'm keeping my one-star rating for the poorly designed latch belt, but I'm giving Graco five stars for their knowledgeable and caring customer service.

Max Hickman

| Feb 12, 2021

The main restraint adjustment strap on this new version of the Contender 65 was extremely difficult to release. I can barely get my hand into a position to release the belt when the seat is in rear-facing mode; I have an older version that was much easier to adjust; I'm not impressed with this new design. Due to the new configuration, my MIL is unable to use this seat while watching my children. I need two more of these seats, but I'm not going to buy another Contender 65.

Maleah King

| Apr 28, 2021

The car seat is very nice. I was able to get it in nice and tight in my vehicle (Dodge Durango) and it works well. Advantages: br>br>
. Unlike the safety first grow and go we tried before, the straps adjust easily in terms of tightening my little one in.
. At least one cup holder is a plus in my book. br>br>Contrary to popular belief, there are a number of disadvantages to using this product.
. There is no recline, only a flap that switches it from rear to forward facing, which is fine, but it didn't recline far enough in my car, so I had to use a rolled-up blanket. Underneath the front of it, there's a towel that's been folded up.
. The anchor hooks are of the vintage variety. These aren't the ones with the simple push-button release.
. FINALLY, but by no means least. . . I couldn't stand the way the headrest was rattling. This seat is being returned because it still rattled no matter how much rigging I tried. br>br>I made the decision to purchase the Graco 4Ever. After that, I went through the safety first grow and go (couldn't get it to stay put), a Britax convertible (borrowed from a friend on the way back and hated it), and finally this one. So far. I'm a huge fan of the Graco 4 Ever!.

Azrael Chapman

| Feb 18, 2021

We had a Chico NextFit before, but it was bulky and took up a lot of space. We decided to give this one a try for our second baby after seeing it had good safety ratings. My 2-year-old nephew has already figured out how to undo the buckle while still strapped in. While the car is in motion, my four-year-old daughter has started to do the same. Extremely hazardous. It's because the release causes it to rise. This makes it simple for small hands to complete. They couldn't do this in the Chicco because I have trouble releasing the strap on occasion.

Jad Frank

| Mar 17, 2021