Our Review of the Sunshine Kids Radian 80 convertible car seat
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We do our best to stay objective here at EliteCarSeats.com. We might be a retailer, but our goal is to inform and educate you about car seats while you shop. That being said, we're about to make a very bold statement:
"The Sunshine Kids Radian 80 convertible car seat is (probably) the only car seat you will ever need."
We'll get to the "probably' part in a second.*
The Sunshine Kids Radian 80 is one of two car seats produced that secures a child from birth up until they are 80lbs!! The other car seat is the Sunshine Kids Radian XT.
The Radian 80 is rear facing until your child is 35 lbs.
Once your child has reached 35 lbs or so, you simply spin the Radian 80 around your child has a comfortable and very safe forward facing car seat with a narrow profile that (and this is another one of Sunshine Kids trademarks) folds up into a slim, 7" thick package. What's more, its v-shaped top tether allows you to use the top tether when in the rear facing position. Only a select few car seats can claim this particular feature.
Tested again and again, the Radian 80 has Safety Feature after Safety Feature
Not only does the Radian 80 exceed all Federal Safety Standards, it has numerous additional safety measures in place to ensure that your child, no matter what their age or weight, will be totally secure. Along with Recaro and Safeguard, the Radian 80 is one of only a few car seats built on a steel alloy frame; most are made entirely of plastics. While this does make the Radian 80 somewhat heavier than the average car seat, this extra weight adds a level of stability that owners of the Sunshine Kids Radian 65 already appreciate.
This added stability, and a few other safety enhancing features, only improve on the Radian 80 convertible car seat's overall appeal. In addition, the fabrics of the Radian 80's seat are plush and comfortable.
(Note: Sunshine Kids seat fabrics are not machine washable. Hand wash and line-dry only)
A growing movement amongst car seat safety advocates encourages parents to keep their children in a car seat with a 5-point harness for as long as possible. While the Radian 65 works until kids are 65 lbs, few seats secure kids up to 80 lbs. The Radian 80 virtually eliminates the need for a booster seat.
*Bottom Line
If "the Sunshine Kid's Radian 80 convertible car seat is (probably) the only car seat you will ever need," the "probably" part of this statement comes into play when you directly compare the Radian 80 with the Britax Regent.
While the Radian 80 has a very high weight capacity, the seat width is only 10" vs. the Regent's 14" seat. However, the Radian 80 has 3" more shoulder room than the 65 lb weight capacity Britax Marathon.
The Britax Regent may be a bit wider, but it is very bulky, is only forward facing, and does not fold like the Radian 80. Because the Radian 80 is so narrow, you can potentially put three of them side by side in the back seat. Three Regents side by side? Impossible.
What's the difference between the Radian XT and Radian 80?
- The Radian XT has a height-adjustable headrest while the Radian 80 has a stationary headrest.
- The Radian XT offers amazing side impact protection thanks to 7" deep sides. The Radian 80 offers side impact protection, but the sides are not as deep as on the XT.
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- Manhattan
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- Monaco
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- Princess
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- Super Cool
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- Manhattan without pads
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- Manhattan with headrest
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- Manhattan folded
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- Super Cool folded
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- Installed rear facing
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- Safe-Stop and Super-Lock
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- Radian back
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- Forward facing
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- Rear facing
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Click here to download instruction manual. (Adobe Reader required) |
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Car seat specs
- Min child weight
- 5 lbs.
- Max child weight
- 80 lbs.
- Rear-facing minimum weight
- 5 lbs.
- Max child weight - Rear Facing mode
- 35 lbs.
- Min child weight - Forward Facing mode
- 22 lbs.
- Max child weight - Forward facing mode
- 80 lbs.
- Max harness weight capacity
- 80 lbs.
- Min child height
- n/a
- Max child height
- 53"
- Min child height - Forward facing mode
- n/a
- Max 5-pt harness child height capacity
- 53"
- Min height for booster use
- n/a
Car seat dimensions
- Product weight
- 20.5 lbs.
- Seat Base / Foot Width
- 17"
- Seat height
- 28.5"
- Interior seat width
- 11.4"
- Bottom to lowest harness slot
- 8"
- Bottom to highest harness slot
- 18"
- Seat weight (without base)
- 20.5 lbs.
Sunshine Kids Radian 80 convertible car seat Reviews
All Customer Reviews
- Average Rating:
- Highest Rating:
- Lowest Rating:
- Number of Reviews:
- 127
ten months later
Reviewer: Mommy , Ohio
Date: September 25, 2009
(Continuation of first impressions continued). Well, it has been ten months and we still love our Radian. We have had no problems with it, other than the difficulty tightening/loosening the straps in the forward facing position. We pull the strap from the back of the seat and all works out fine. Small glitch for such a great seat. If we ever need another car seat, the Radian will be tops on our list.
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straps get lost but fit 3 in a row!
Reviewer: Anonymous , Fishers, IN
Date: September 20, 2009
I purchased these seats because we needed to fit 3 convertible seats in the backrow of a trailblazer. IT WORKS and this was our only choice (that I found)and I did a lot of research.
I have one foward facing (britax marathon) and 2 rear facing (radian 80). The seats do not fit well rear facing because they are too long but it is manageable. I have the rear facing seats in the middle and behind the passenger.... Because the seats fold, I think the straps get "lost" easier....I have to dig to get the straps out often. It is annoying, but like I said we didn't have much choice. I am very pleased with the safety of the seats. They are very secure and are tight (one seat is used with latch, the other with the seatbelt, both have the top teather attached). My babies are too small to use the headrest so when they fall asleep their heads really fall to the side. (they seem to be comortable, but it bothers me!). We have not gone on a long car trip in them yet. I am pleased with the purchase, but I would have liked to puchase another britax marathon. We really like the marathon, but we needed something to fit 3 across. The marathon britax is 2 1/2 inches wider than the radian. My complaints are minimal and the ones I do have are minor. The safety is #1. They are very secure and are made well. My babies will grow and soon be tall enough to use the headrest. Soon I will be able to turn them around. The straps can be properly positioned with a little care before you put the child in the seat.
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I just wish the straps wouldn't tangle...
Reviewer: Anonymous , Dallas, TX
Date: July 21, 2009
We went to the Radian 80 from Britax Boulevard when we had our third child. The Boulevard seats are HUGE, but we absolutely LOVED those seats. Our minivan has been adapted because my husband is a wheelchair user, and we needed to get three seats across the back row. We were able to fit three Radian 80 seats across the rear seat of a Chrysler Town & Country (extended wheelbase) although it was a tight fit because the rear seat of the van fit over the rear wheelbase which is the narrowest portion of the rear of the vehicle. We really like these seats. They were relatively easy to install although if you are installing them with the shoulder belts and not LATCH, it's a bit tricky because the area that you thread the belt through is tight. Smaller hands work best here. We like that our twins who are four and a half can get themselves out of their seats. This makes getting through the carpool lane of their school easier. (They know that they are NEVER to work on their straps until the car has to a complete stop and I say, "The car is in PARK.") However, the strap clips are difficult enough to unclip that our two-year-old cannot get out of the seat himself. There are two major downsides to these seats as I see it. 1) The straps get tangled easily. I wish these seats had the rubber strap guides along the top of each strap above the crotch clip (I didn't know what else to call this clip!) like the Britax does. These guides REALLY DO help keep the straps from tangling, especially after your child gets taller and there's more strap length to tangle. Also, the guides on the Radian 80 that bring the straps into the waist are too loose. Because of this, the straps frequently get turned around in the guide and you have to reverse the orientation of the straps to keep them from twisting. 2) Be careful about the fabric you select. We got the Super Cool fabric for the boys because every dealer we searched did not have Manhattan in stock. Almost all small children wear shoes with Velcro closures. The Velcro absolutely ruins the Super Cool fabric. The texture of the Super Cool is rough and catches and attaches itself to the Velcro. The boys' seats look as though we've attacked them with sandpaper or worse. This fabric may not show dirt and wear and tear because of the color but this fabric is a beast to clean if you have a major clean-up to handle. Our daughter picked out the Princess fabric for herself, and although I personally hate pink, I'm so glad I bought her the seat with the Princess fabric because I've found the fabric to hold up to repeated climbing in and out by a child whose shoes have velcro straps. The fabric has been easier to clean as well. However, since we MUST have three across the back row, Sunshine Kids is our only choice. Apart from the two things I've mentiond, we're quite happy with them and feel that our children are very safe in them. And, of course, that's the most important thing! (By the way, I would have mentioned the crotch buckle strap is too short, but I read a Elite Carseats' response to a different review and will be ordering the exstended center buckle strap for my boys! Buying from Elite Carseats has been such a great process. We believe that they offer the most extensive consumer information of any site that we've used to purchase baby/child products.)
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Accident Tested
Reviewer: Anonymous , Colorado Springs, CO
Date: June 24, 2009
We were rear-end by a semi truck two weeks ago. We had our almost six-year-old in a Radian 80. Our two-year-old was in an Evenflo Triumph Advance with the "convenient" sliding harness tabs. My older son didn't have a scratch on him. My toddler however sustained a pulled muscle in his neck (moderate whiplash)and multiple large bruises on his thighs/shoulders which even took off some skin through his jeans. All because of the harness that was loosened and slipped down with the force of the collision. We are normally uptight about their seats not budging and having their harnesses snug, so this just convinced me that we needed another Radian. My older son has always loved his and hasn't had any problems and can get out of the seat by himself. He did however appreciate the longer buckle strap when we finally replaced it. I am more convinced now than ever that having our kids in five-point harnesses AND having their seats installed properly is the best protection we can provide our boys. We haven't tried this seat rear-facing, but I think it would work in our 4-Runner, at least in the center position. As a forward facing seat, it is extremely easy to install on our firmer, Toyota seats. And still, my husband is the ONLY person I trust to install it with his 210 lbs and perfectionist personality. I personally don't think that investing in my kids' safety takes 2nd place to convenience. You want a car seat that will provide your kids the best protection. That means it is probably best practice to NOT plan on switching it between vehicles on a daily basis and complaining about the weight! I personally liked traveling with it because the weight was in a smaller "space" as the Radian folds and wasn't awkward at all. I ordered two RadianXT models within a couple hours of our accident (had just gotten one about a month ago for our trip to Moab to keep our older son from trying to lean over in his booster in our Wrangler)Both boys absolutely love them and aren't bothered by the larger side wings. Sitting lower in the back seat also gives the older kids more room between them and the back of the front seat. Bottom line: Don't make my mistake and go for the convenience of a store-bought seat. The return shipping insurance makes this so easy to try.
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Love our Radian 80 Car Seat
Reviewer: Ashley B. , Austin, TX
Date: May 27, 2009
I like how compact this seat is and that it doesn't take up a lot of room in the backseat. It is a bit heavy to carry, but it folds up and you can carry it with a strap --which is really nice while traveling. I like the longer leg bed of the seat (from bottom to back of knees). We have the Britax Boulevard also, but I wish I had known about the Radian 80 beforehand. I would have got one for both girls since it goes from birth to 80 lbs!
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Nice Car Seat
Reviewer: Anonymous , Eugene, Oregon
Date: May 05, 2009
I really don't have anything else to compare it to except for my infant carseat. I like how compact this seat is and that it doesn't take up a lot of room in the backseat. It is a bit heavy to carry but at least it folds and you can carry it--which is really nice when travelling. IT did get stuck on the airplane seat (embarassing) and I ended up being late for my connecting flight because of it... Also I would have gotten different fabric, the manhatten (?) (the one with the little holes) gets picked from my daughters shoes, so it doesn't look as nice. Would be great if you could switch out the covers...
Comments from The Staff:
Thank you so much for your review. I wanted to drop a quick note and let you know that Sunshine Kids does offer replacement covers. Please check out their accessory page for details.
Thanks,
Michelle
EliteCarSeats.com
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Fits 3 in 1 row!
Reviewer: Renee w/3girls age 2&under , Syracuse, NY
Date: April 20, 2009
I have twin 7 month old girls and a 2 yr old, so we needed to fit 3 of these in the backseat of a mid-size car, and we did it with this car seat! They look great, have all the safety features you want and saved us from another car payment! I just don't know why this carseat isn't more mainstream... then more moms wouldn't need the gas-hog mini-vans! I love this seat, the twins were just switched to it this weekend and they were so happy to have a new seat allowing them to look around more. The only complaint people have made on this was the buckle between the legs, but there's an attachment/additional strap for bigger kids, so problem solved! LOVE THIS SEAT. I bought 3 and am buying one more today for my other vehicle.
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Love it
Reviewer: Anonymous , Western NC
Date: April 02, 2009
I love this car seat. My son is 8 months old and a big kid in everyway especially in the shoulders. The seat is rear facing due to his age and it is great. His head does not fall forward or even to the side when he sleeps like 2 of the others I tried first. You do have to have a lot of room from the back seat forward to fit the seat but I put it in the middle and it was fine. I also had a huge problem with my particular car, Toyota Landcruiser, because the back seats are deep so other car seats put him so upright in rear facing and this one does not. this seat was also simple to install. YOu do have to read the manual but it does not take long. I hope you enjoy.
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Perfect Fit
Reviewer: Aylin Gay , Cary, NC
Date: January 17, 2009
We decided on the Radian 80 because of its compact size and its "life expectancy". We use the Sunshine Radian 80 in our Honda Accord along with a European made Britax Rommer. I was worried that it would be too tight for my 3 year old daughter but she is comfortable in it. It sits low and is not wide and bulky like the Britax and when one my one year old outgrows the Britax, we will probably upgrade to the Sunshine 80. The only major worry I have is the buckle in the seat. Others have said that it does not have enough space. My daugher fits into it well for now. She is almost 30 pounds. It has 3 spaces and is set to the largest one right now. The second concern is that it does not recline like my Britax but my daughter has slept in it with her head falling forward or to the side(it has side cushions) for at least an hour at a time on 3 hour car trips.
The seat arrived quickly and as expected. It was quite easy to set up as a forward facing seat using the latch system. I have had to move it into a small mazda and use it with the seat belt once and that turned out to be an easy move.
I will be watching my daughters ability to use it because of the buckle but we are satisfied with its size, its safety record and comfort for our daughter. I do wish it would recline in a forward facing position.
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