Pushchairs for children: When "enough" is enough for the test victory
24.10.2024
Translation: machine translated
Smaller, lighter, cheaper - the buggy has many advantages over the pram. However, when it comes to safety, many pushchairs have a lot of catching up to do. This is shown by a test carried out by "Kassensturz" and "K-Tipp".
We have used our buggy exactly once: When my wife flew to Portugal with our then nine-month-old daughter. Otherwise, we had a formidable three-wheeled pushchair that got us everywhere except on the plane. When Zoe started walking, we very quickly no longer needed any means of transport. The almost unused pushchair ended up with her sister-in-law.
Independent of this personal experience, the buggy of course has an absolute right to exist. The slimmed-down version of the pushchair has several advantages. However, as a test by "Kassensturz" and "K-Tipp" shows, many models have safety-related defects.
With mediocrity to test victory
For the test, TÜV Rheinland tested eight buggies for children weighing up to 15 kilograms. The criteria: Safety, durability, driving and handling. First things first: the test results are sobering. Many models did not survive the mechanical stress tests in particular.
You will therefore search in vain for a good or even very good buggy in the test. The best model is still the one from Joie. With an overall score of 4.6, it received the rating "sufficient". The "Nitro LX" performs well in several test criteria, such as transport, steering and durability. However, the reason for the modest overall rating is the unsatisfactory stair test: The brake got stuck on the steps.
According to "Kassensturz" and "K-Tipp", two other buggies are sufficient, including the "Travelite" from Graco. The brake can be released by pushing it, which of course should not happen.
Too "buggy" for a better test result
The remaining five test models failed the load test. There, the buggies had to travel at least 90 kilometres on a treadmill with an uneven surface. They were then lifted 10,000 times using a hydraulic device and pressed back down to the ground. All of the faulty models suffered damage. For example, a front wheel fell off the buggy from Chicco. According to "K-Tipp", the manufacturer itself claims that the "London Up" passed the durability test in another laboratory.
The "Buggy Sport" from Hauck has not quite lost a wheel, but one has bent, as has a bar. The model has been sold unchanged for 20 years, writes Hauck about the test results. It has performed better in its own tests.
The conclusion of the TÜV expert responsible for the buggy test: "The products that have major defects are not safe." But that's exactly what they should be when they are used.
Gloat to whom
The children's buggies tested by "Kassensturz" and "K-Tipp" were not tested for harmful substances. Stiftung Warentest scrutinised this some time ago. Here, too, the test results are not exactly rosy, not to say alarming.
As you can see, you'd better take a close look before buying a pushchair for your child. As with everything really.
So, and now I have to somehow get rid of this nasty earworm that has been haunting me ever since I realised I was writing about buggies. You're welcome.
What is important to you in a pushchair? Which is or was your favourite model? Feel free to write it in the comments.
Header image: SRF / Kassensturz
I'm a full-blooded dad and husband, part-time nerd and chicken farmer, cat tamer and animal lover. I would like to know everything and yet I know nothing. I know even less, but I learn something new every day. What I am good at is dealing with words, spoken and written. And I get to prove that here.
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