| | |  | Car Seats | Home » » Sunshine Kids Radian65 Convertible Car Seat - Champagne | | | | | | | Description: | | Radian is a Convertible Car Seat for rear-facing children 5 to 33 lbs. and forward-facing children up to 65 lbs in a 5-point harness. Maximum child height is 51 inches. It features a high-stength steel alloy frame and 5 harness slot positions that are all reinforced for forward-facing use. Includes SafeStop, which absorbs harness load energy in an accident. It's also the only car seat in the world that folds to just 7". Advanced safety and performance features set new standards since it exceeds current regulations used to measure safety, convenience and comfort for the car seat industry. Champagne is tan and charcoal gray. Features: - 5 lbs. to 80 lbs. in 5-point harness
- Highest capacity convertible car seat
- Steel alloy frame
- Strongest convertible car seat made
- SafeStop harness system
- Absorbs impact energy in an accident
- 4-panel system EPS safety foam
- Total side-impact protection, more than any other seat
- V-shaped top tether
- Can be used rear-facing
- 5 shoulder and 3 buckle positions
- Proper harness fit for all ages and weights
- Narrower outside width
- Fit three seats across the back seat
- Infant body support
- Converts to pillow cushions for older child
- Folds to 7" (17.8 cm) thick
- Travel and storage convenience
- Easier to get child in and out, plus safer positioning for child
- Dimensions Open: 17"W x 16"D x 28.5"H
- Dimensions Folded: 17"W x 7"D x 28.5"H
- Weight 22.99 lbs.
| | | Features: | |
• Rear facing: 5 lbs to 33 lbs, forward facing up to 65lbs
• 5-point harness and 3 buckle positions
• 3" longer seat bottom
• EPS safety foam for side-impact protection with steel alloy frame
• Folds flat to a compact 6.5" for easy travel and storage
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 29.1 inches | | Product Width:
| 17.5 inches | | Product Height:
| 8.9 inches | | Product Weight:
| 26.2 pounds | | Package Length:
| 29.1 inches | | Package Width:
| 17.5 inches | | Package Height:
| 8.9 inches | | Package Weight:
| 26.2 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 110 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 110 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
58 of 58 found the following review helpful:
 GREAT SEATJul 31, 2007
By Helen S. Lam
REVIEW
- Foldable seat - This is the key reason that we purchase this as opposed to buying another Britax Marathon. Once the seat is folded, it is about 7" thick. There are tabs on the frame to allow you to carry it with a strap (sold separately).
- Carry bag (sold separately) - We also purchased the bag/backpack to carry the seat onto planes. It fits the seat like a glove and can be converted from shoulder-carry to backpack. BTW, if you want to go minimalist, you can also unbuckle these straps and hook them onto the seat's frame. Very convenient.
- Steel frame - Although the Radian is slimmer than the Britax, it is still quite heavy (20 lb.) due to its steel frame. Since we only plan to lug the seat on infrequent plane trips, this was not much of an issue for us.
- Fabric - Suede feel, less velour-like, more fitted than Britax. Padding is about the same thickness as Britax but looks less as the suede fabric is more tailored (not as puffy).
- Seat Size - definitely a narrower seat (many board members have reported that you can fit 3 of these seats in the back seat).
- Comfort - My 3 year old son has not had any complaints about the seat. I did notice that the seat belts are a bit closer together when buckled and thus making the padded epaulettes (comes with the seat) essential to prevent seat belt burn on the neck.
- Chest Clips - They do feel a bit flimsier than Britax (has extra rubber pad (HUGS in their lingo)).
- Rear Facing - We are using it forward facing so we did not need to install the additional based for rear facing. I am annoyed that the car seat is not all in one piece but I suppose it lowers the weight for traveling for those who only need forward facing.
- Recline - There are only 2 options - recline or upright with very little recline. We chose the recline position and my son is comfortable napping in this position. It is also not overly reclined to prevent him checking out the road.
- Installation - Some people complained of installation problems. We used LATCH (forward facing) on our 2006 Mazda5 and did not have any problems with the installation. We have yet to try installing it with a seat belt. Overall, I think the Britax is easier to install with its clip locks for seat belt installation and versa tether to allow for front tethering options. However, if you plan to use LATCH forward facing, both the Britax and the Radian65 are equally easy to install.
CONCLUSION
The Radian65 is a very nice seat that is far more portable due to its folding seat than the Britax Marathon. I especially like its innovative portable features with the carry bag and the tabs on the seat for carrying it. This is a cool feature that I did not find in any other seat.
27 of 27 found the following review helpful:
The ONLY car seat that works in my situation.Jan 23, 2007
By Tamara Mitchell
"tamiam"
My car ('95 525i) has a lap belt in the center back seat, making a belt-positioning booster impossible. Additionally, the only seats I have seen that accommodate a 44# child are GIGANTIC! Since I have 3 kids in the back seat, two already in boosters, a huge car seat was not an option. I have been at a loss, keeping my big kid in his Britax Advantage for waaay longer than he should have been. I was so happy to find the Radian65! I could install it with the lap belt, the weight limit is 65#(!), and it actually fits between the two boosters without crowding my other two kids. This would have been enough for me, but I am also very impressed with the quality of the seat. The design details were very thoughtful, and the workmanship is on par with Britax. It looks like a much more expensive seat. Which brings me to my final point: I live in Hawaii, and shipping is always a killer. Amazon's price for this seat was not just $20 less than anywhere else (and believe me, I did plenty of research), but they shipped it to me for free - which, combined with the lower price, ended up saving me around $100! I couldn't be happier.
41 of 46 found the following review helpful:
 Very difficult to get a good installation.Mar 15, 2007
By Melissa A. Marowelli
"CPS Tech & Mom of 5"
SKJP was on the right path with this seat. It's narrow, it's made from quality components, it has the potential to be user friendly.
However, this seat typically runs in the 40-60% of acceptable installation range. In other words it's VERY possible that this seat may NOT work in your vehicle. Remember, a properly installed carseat should not move more than 1" side to side when checked for movement at the beltpath (where the seatbelt/LATCH strap is route through the carseat).
I purchased one of these directly from SKJP when they were first released for my then 4yo son who was too tall for pretty much every harnessed seat on the market with the exception of the Britax Husky, yet he was too thin (33lbs soaking wet) to be placed into a traditional booster seat.
This seat was completely incompatible with the vehicle that I needed to use it in.
Buyer beware...make sure that this is going to work in your vehicle, or that you have the option of returning it if it does not install properly in your vehicle.
Keep your kids safe, make sure that their seat is properly installed and used each and every trip!
strollerfreak - Mom of 4 and Child Passenger Safety Technician
22 of 24 found the following review helpful:
better than britaxAug 24, 2006
By Ari's Ima
"Shira"
We recently bought a second car and needed a new carseat. My son is 22 months and weighs 27 pounds, so we ideally wanted a convertible carseat. We have a Graco Comfort Sport in the first car but I didn't want a second one (see my comfort sport review, I wanted a carseat that is safer rear-facing). I couldn't seem to find anything I was happy with other than a Britax, but the price seemed a bit excessive. I looked into booster-type carseats that only sit forward, but my son was really too young for them, and I knew in a Britax he could still sit rear-facing. Somehow my husband came across this new seat by Sunshine kids that sounded great. We bought the last one left at BuyBuyBaby with a 20% off coupon (not valid for Britax products) for around $160.00 and installed it rear-facing in our Hyundai Elantra without any trouble. We used LATCH and attached the floor strap, and the seat doesn't budge at all. Before putting it in the car, I put my son in it to see which slot the shoulder straps should be in and where to position the crotch strap. It was very easy to install and adjust the straps. Unlike the Britax, there are 5 slots for the shoulder straps and 3 for the crotch. Even though the seat can be used for up to 65 lbs, it's not as monsterous as the Britax. It's narrow enough to allow for 2 other passengers to sit in the backseat of the car (the carseat is in the back middle). When rear-facing, the seat is in a reclined position, so my son is very comfortable. However, the back of the carseat does hit the back of the front passanger seat, so the frontseat passenger can't recline. I have no problems tightening and loosening the carseat straps so that he's buckled in safetly no matter what he's wearing. The straps don't get tangled easily, and are easy to straighten out when they do. The material is holding up very well- it still looks brand-new, besides for the pretzel crumbs! I plan on turning the seat around when he turns 2, and I'm sure I'll continue to love the seat in the forward position too. I highly recommend this seat.
13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
 A very nice carseat for parents nervous about moving their preschoolers out of a 5-pt harness.Feb 08, 2007
By Jennifer M. Williams
"JMW"
We purchased this carseat because my 4 year old daughter has just reached the 40 pound weight limit for her traditional 5-point harness booster seat. She is technically old enough and heavy enough to use the vehicle seat belt in combination with a booster seat, however, it just makes me nervous not to have her in a harness anymore. I'd rather be safe than sorry. I actually bought two of them and moved my 2 1/2 year old daughter into one as well.
The seat is very nice. The buckles and clips are easy to operate and the straps do not twist easily. The straps don't always lie as flat and straight as I'd like down her front, which is a geometry issue I think but I'm not sure whether it's just my daughter's size and shape or the carseat itself. They are, however, straight and flat enough that she is safe, in my opinion.
This seat is a good alternative to the Britax Regent, which costs more and is impossible to get right now. I had it on backorder for two months and finally cancelled that order and bought this one. I have not been disappointed. The harness on the Britax Regent goes up to 80 lbs and this one only goes up to 65 lbs, though I believe that Sunshine Kids is coming out with an 80 lb limit version. Still, I have a tall and skinny daughter and I checked average height weight charts and found that my daughter is likely to be 8 years old before she reaches the height and/or weight limits of this carseat, so I went with it. By age 8, she will be fine to go into the vehicle seatbelt.
One added bonus of this seat is that it takes up very little room by comparison with other seats. It has a very slim design. I have two in my backseat of my Honda Accord and there is almost enough room between them for another seat (though I haven't tried this yet so I can't be sure).
The seat cover has velcro strips to hold the straps open for the child to climb in. That's nice. But I would also like to see a velcro strip that holds the crotch-strap/buckle wide open to the front edge of the seat so that when the child gets in, she isn't sitting directly on it. I'm alays digging it out from under the girls after they have gotten into the seat.
Overall, it's a very good seat with a sturdy, safe metal-frame design. A good choice.
See all 110 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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