Evenflo Stratos Convertible Car Seat - Silver Ice

Worked well while child was small but he is now taller it doesn't tighten due to the location on the straps.

I wanted to like this car seat but I'm terribly disappointed in it's design. My children are 13 months apart and last year when my son was born we bought two Safety1st seats for my daughter and were gifted a Stratos for my son for when he was older. At the same time we bought another Stratos with the idea that these would eventually go in my husbands car and the Safety1st seats would move to mine. Fast forward a year and my son is out of his carrier and we swapped seats this weekend. To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement. I'll start with the pros - these are very nice looking seats. They're lightweight and relatively easy to install. Now, the cons - I hate the cup holders. My kids pull them out and throw them and they're essentially useless. Also, the seat is huge. Our plans to have these in my husbands Jeep Patriot didn't work because they simply won't fit without pushing the front seats to the steering wheel and dashboard. We had to move them to my VW Atlas and it's still a tight fit. We never planned for these to be our everyday seat and I'm concerned about how long I'll be comfortable using it. Neither child comes close to reaching the head rest and the belt seems to strap over the top of my daughters legs instead of between them. Neither baby looks particularly safe. I really wanted to like these seats but I can't see them serving our needs and now, a year out and with a weekend of wear, I don't see any way of rectifying the situation without now having to buy two new seats.

My boy loves his new seat and I also love that it has 3 reclining positions!!! And great product for the price!!! Love our new Stratos Evenflo car seats!!!

Best convertible car seat I have ever owned. I have tried out many different ones and finally chose this one. Love all the safety features and how comfortable my daughter is in it.

I love the carseat but, I'm having a hard time with installing it rear facing. I am using the quick connector latch system and I've tightened it as much as I can. We've even gone as far as to climb in it to try to tighten it more. But it still moves WAYYY more than an inch in every direction. I need tips on how to make it tighter or unfortunately I'll have to send it back :(

Love this seat! Looks comfy, cute and safe. My babe was so excited to take a seat as soon as I took it out of the box! I have it rear facing and was able to install without directions for the most part lol the only thing that kind of bugs is we constantly loose the cup holders because he loves throwing them.

Our baby is is happy with the seat, works well for us. Only issue is while it's rear facing, it won't allow the front passenger seat to come back as far as other designs do

I love the modern look of this car seat, it is not bulky at all. Has a lot of cushion so very comfy for long rides. It has removable cup holders in case baby needs a little more room. I have a honda pilot and it fits great rear facing,when I'm driving my husband is 6'4 so when he's driving baby might come up a little more but still looks comfortable to me. The seat is a little tricky to maneuver if you need to adjust the tether I couldn't figure out how to adjust it, and the cover came off when I was trying to lift it. Purchased 2 one for each car.

We bought this when our son was 5 months old because the infant car seat he was in was too constricting and he was just not comfortable in it. This car seat is NOT suitable for infants. His head has no support because the headrest sits too high up at the "lowest" setting! He is now 7 Months old and it is STILL a terrible fit for him, his head now reaches the head rest at a minimum but it is awful support, if he falls asleep he is completely unsupported, we have to use a blanket or an additional headrest to keep his head in place. The way the rear facing position reclines is a very uncomfortable angle (in EVERY reclining setting), he is slouched over just so uncomfortable! I just wish I could return this but I misplaced the box...we have a cheaper brand in our parent's car and it is way better than this! I have no idea how they promote this car seat for 5lb - 65lb. There is absolutely NO support for a newborn of 5lb. My son is 23lb now and is STILL very unsupported.

This car seat is awful. My daughter is 24 pounds and has completely outgrew her infant car seat. I bought this car seat thinking she would fit perfect in it and she doesn't. I could not imagine putting a pound baby in this car seat!!!! It does not have enough padding around her head so her head moves all over. I will be returning this car seat.

We have been using this car seat for a month now, it was really easy and fast to install. My 3yr old loves this car seat as it really comfy. The car seat level is clear and adjust well so no more towels even on leather seats. I like the two removable cup holders which are easy to remove for cleaning, one con about this is that even my little one can remove it.

We got this about a month ago, we love it, it's super easy to install and our daughter loves it, the headrest fits her well and we love the cup holders as well.

PROS-
I love this seat! It's very lightweight, easy to install, very very cushiony. I love the colors and the material is so soft, it adds a nice cushion for the child's bottom and back. I also love that the head rest is adjustable. It's easy to install rear facing or forward facing. I also love the high height limit for the amount of weight. I love the quick latch systems and it comes with latch guides too! How awesome is that??

CONS-
Now while I love the whole seat all together, there are a few cons I do not like but it's worth to over look due to the seat price. 1 do not like that the cup holders are easily able to fall out. I would love to see a clip on the backside, otherwise when you are transferring the car seat or have a angry child they can easily take off the removable cup holders. 2 while I love the easy of the latch I wish that the belt has a easier release button to loosen the belt/harness (for the latch). 3 I would love to see the bottom underside to be flush and not have "pointy" sides. We installed this in a brand new Kia Optima with half leather/material and it leaves indents for a few days once removed. 4 I would love to see a no rethread harness on this model for easier adjusting for growing kids or siblings. 5 while it isn't a major con lots of parents make the mistake to buy harness covers, this color (Glacier) does not come with harness covers, but Evenflos customer service is amazing and will send parts you need "usually" at no additional cost. Lastly while I've owned a over 5 Evenflo convertibles/boosters, I would love to see the harness not be so thick/rough. It's super hard to tighten the harness due to the thickness of the material and because of that adjusting the chest clip at armpit level is a chore to do.

Now overall that's just me being picky. I really love the affordability and easiness of the car seat, it can also last from birth to roughly 5-7years old. (Currently my 4 year, 43ish pounds, 42ish inches son can fit) It's definitely money saving. While it's not the most compact (I can fit this stratos and a Evenflo platinum Evolve booster, in the 2018 Optima, it doesn't give a lot of room in the middle to fit 5 in the car.) its worth it if you only have 1 child or 1 child in a convertible. Thank you Evenflo for sending me this seat to review. All opinions are my own and no way influenced.

I was really pleasantly surprised at how nice this seat felt! The padding feels like memory foam.

The installation is super easy also, which is so so handy when you have to change the seats out!

So I've used this seat about a month now and it's definitely got it's cons. So stats about my son, he's 3 years old 40 lbs 40inches forward facing, he should fit great in this seat but some things I don't like are the crotch buckle it's always seeming like it's too short and then the buckles (both crotch and chest clip) are difficult to buckle and unbuckle. So now I think this seat is going to be a back up seat as we prefer his Graco Extend2fit. I think for the price though it's a good seat.

I have been using the Stratos Car seat for a few weeks as to give a complete review beyond I just got it and it looks good. Actually I was not impressed at first, the leg room with the straps around the thighs seemed tight but my 3 grandkids who share the seat did not mind and they loved the new seat! at 3.5 yo, 3.5 yo and 5.5 yo they all loved it and found it very comfortable and easily napped in it. they liked that it sat up a little higher to see out. I liked the ease of installing the seat and I moved it from car to car very quick and easy. I also adjusted it very quickly from one kid size to another. It felt very secure in the car; the belts easily tighten and then easily released. I used to get frustrated moving the carseat. The cup holders could be a little deeper and not so easily removed.

My granddaughter has outgrown her infant car seat. The Stratos convertible car seat will serve her for a long time because it goes up to 65 lbs. The car seat is well padded and materials are of very good quality. I like the two cup/juice box holders, too.

Right out of the box, I was impressed with how lightweight this seat is. It's not big and bulky, but still has lots of padding and cushioning to keep the little one safe and comfy. It's completely assembled, and ready to be installed straight out of the box. Installation was relatively easy, but I had a hard time getting a really tight fit alone. With some help from hubby, we were able to get it installed a little tighter. My 3 year old's immediate reaction was "Ooooh, so comfy!". Overall, we're happy with this seat!

Pros: Lightweight; slimmer than many seats (could easily fit 3 across in my Honda Odyssey); seems to offer lots of protection.

Cons: Single Latch tightening system makes it harder to get a good fit (some other brands have a 2 step system that's easy to install alone); Shoulder straps have to be adjusted in the back of the seat, making it impossible to move them with the car seat installed.

Excellent car seat. Has wonderful features. Really like the easy to install locking clips. Like how the head rest is adjustable. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was because the head rest is a little too high for my kids. There a little shorter then most so they don't quiet reach the head rest. Other than that I absolutely love the car seat.

I will start by saying I'm a big fan of Evenflo car seats...this is our 4th one and overall the Stratos is a good seat, but it's not my favorite.
Pros:
1. The seat is comfortable (according to my almost 4 year old) and he loves the blue color.
2. We really like the quick connect LATCH connectors and wish that all of our car seats had them. They are so much easier to install.
3. I really like that the head rest moves up...especially if you have tall & skinnny kids! It makes it seem like a bigger seat than our other one that goes up to 65 lbs.
4. The harness straps are pretty easy to adjust and fasten...typical for most car seats.
Cons:
1. The removable cup holders are my least favorite thing about this seat!! I know it doesn't seem like a very big deal...and it's probably not in the grand scheme of things. But both of my kids are obsessed with taking them out!! And if you remove them...then you don't have any cup holders. I understand the idea of making them easy to clean, but it would be much better if they were childproof!
2. My 4 year old says that he can't see out the window as well in this seat. It does sit much lower than his other one. We have it installed in a Chevy Traverse right now. I think we may end up moving it to our pickup truck and it won't be a problem because the truck sits up so much higher anyway. I also think we will end up using it for our 1 year old rear facing anyway, so that won't be an issue. Just a side note for anyone that has forward facing kids that like to see out!

Overall a great seat! Just a few small drawbacks...but neither are deal breakers.

This seat has all of the safety features I was looking for at a great price, I love the color too! I only wish it had a fabric wrap for the strap between the legs.

This product is soft and comfy. The straps are kind of hard to adjust at first but fine once you "break them in".

My grand daughter rode in this on a road trip too Washington. Very comfortable loved the removable cup holders. Easy to clean. And the adjustable head rest allows her to grow in to a she gets bigger.

I recieved this carseat for free in exchange for my honest review. And I can honestly say this is a seat I definitely would of bought myself otherwise. It has great features like a cooling vent in the fabric, and belt holders to hold the belt out of the way while putting your child in. It is easy to install and adjust. Has the quick latch system which is nice and also comes with anchor guides to make it even easier to install. The only thing I don't like is the cup holders. They are too easy to remove. They get knocked out with the slightest bump.

We moved our little guy into this seat from an infant carrier seat at 5 months old. In the infant seat he would cry and fuss as he hated it, but in this one, not a peep! He seems to be very comfortable and enjoys having more room and being able to look all around. I really like that this seat is lightweight- easy to switch between cars. The only thing I took off a star for is the latch system is difficult. It seems rather stiff and hard to loosen/ tighten.

All in all I would definitely recommend this seat. In my opinion, the pros definitely outweigh the con!

Very easy to install. The granddaughter says it is more comfortable then her other carseat. Love the easy headreast adjuster.

My favorite features are the increasing width between shoulder straps (my kids have so often had marks on their necks from other carseats whose shoulder-strap width did not increase with height), fairly easy-to-use Latch-system connections, the easily-adjustable head support that covers the extra-tall strap slots until you need them, and having two different options for the rear-facing recline angle (I've always had to roll towels up to make other carseats' arrows parallel to the ground). My two-year-old is thrilled with the blue color and is always eager to get in it, which is helpful when we're all loading up! Plus I love the comfy material. The removable cupholders are both a positive and negative: I like that they don't stick out and they are easy to take out to wash, but he's constantly sliding them out himself and dropping them, and I wonder how long before they are lost and then we don't have cupholders, clean or otherwise, at all. The one downside for our family and car configuration is the depth of the whole thing when the car seat is properly reclined. It reaches far enough back that my tall husband's seat setting, when in the seat in front of the car seat, is cramped. In our 2004 Sienna van, the properly reclined seat takes up a total horizontal depth of 30". But since I'm the usual driver in our van, it's not often a problem. (I'm 5'6" and my husband is 6'2".) Overall, I give this carseat 5 stars, and I'm thrilled with the product.

I received this seat a little over a week ago, and I was impressed from the very beginning! It felt very comfy, and my 3 year old couldn't wait to try it out. She especially loved the big head supports so she could rest comfortably. It was easy to adjust the straps to the correct height. I installed it using LATCH, and the suresafe latch connectors were by far the easiest to both connect and disconnect that I've ever used. Tightening and loosening the latch strap was also much easier than most other seats I've used. I love the little pockets to store the metal end of the buckles so they don't get hot, and it's easy for my 3 year old to put them in when she gets out of the car. My only complaints, and why I rated it 4 instead of 5 stars, are that the straps at the neck/shoulder are pretty close and rub my daughters neck, and the harness is continuous, as opposed to separate pieces for each side so it constantly gets uneven.

I was lucky enough that when this seat came the straps were where they needed to be so fitting my son was quick and easy. We did test moving the straps just in case we needed to fit my nephew in it on some occasions and it was fast and easy! Even the red button on top made fitting him a breeze! The easy latch install is amazing! I was able to put the seat in quickly, which will be great if we have to move it! I did struggle with getting pulling it tight enough, but my husband just pulled once and was done. The option to forward or rear face is great for future planning! It is also much lighter and way less bulky than our safemax, so it fits much better in my compact car without sacrificing the rollover testing that helped make our decision the first time. Would definitely recommend!

I'm using this car seat forward-facing for my almost 3 year old son. After using this seat for about a week now, I can say I'm very happy with it. Not only does it look great, but it has a solid construction and plenty of padding inside to keep my son comfortable. Here's a quick rundown:

Setup and adjustments - This seat was extremely quick for me to set up. It comes pre-configured to be installed forward facing so it just needs a few minor adjustments before it's ready to use. It's just a matter of adjusting the shoulder straps to the right height and changing the crotch buckle position if needed. This seat also has removable cup holders which need to be attached but they take just a second to put on.

Installation - I installed the seat using my car's LATCH anchors. Installing the seat was also very quick and intuitive. If you've ever installed another car seat it's the same process - if not the instructions are easy to follow. The only difference from other seats I've installed is that this one comes with LATCH guides. These actually solve one of the most irritating problems I've faced with other seats - it can be a bit frustrating finding the anchors since they're hidden between the seat back and bottom. The guides that come with this seat hook onto the LATCH anchors and provide an opening directly to the anchors so you don't have to search for them every time you install/remove the car seat. So this is a great feature if you frequently have to take the seat out and move it between cars. Finally, once I had the LATCH connectors attached and the strap tightened down, I found this seat to be extremely secure. I literally couldn't get the seat to move at all from side to side, so I really feel confident in the safety of the seat.

Daily Use - Over the last week or so this seat has been working great and my son also has been pretty excited about it. We actually went for one longer drive this week (about 2 hours each way) and no complaints from him from the back seat. He actually almost fell asleep a couple of times. And getting him in and out is easy so we've been very happy.

Just a couple of things to watch out for with this seat. Being able to remove the cup holders make cleaning them a breeze, but my son was watching when I initially installed them. Knowing that the cup holders come off he removed them and I found the floor in the back seat. This was kind of irritating so I recommend not letting your kid see that these can be removed and hopefully they leave them alone. Also, for the top tether strap, I found that the fixed length section between the hook and adjuster was a bit on the long side. This might vary depending on the height of the seat in your car, but for me this put the adjuster partially behind the top of the car seat, which made it a little bit tricky to adjust. Aside from these coupe of things this is an excellent car seat and it's been working out great for us.

Been using it for a week front facing, I really like the fact that is a little bit on the narrow side, but it still comfortable, it's really easy for my child hop on and off it. Changing the straps was really easy, the space for cups is better than my previous seat, easy installation and removal. This car seat has a part that help with leveling, so no more towels that eventually move and have to be reajuste (back facing).
My only con is for some reason is a little difficult to get the buckle when my child sits on it (not a problem with my other car seat)

I received this item to give an honest review for Evenflo. I have a 1 1/2 year old and a 4 year old. Almost all the features on this chair are great for my younger child except the head cushion. He is tall for his age but the head support still only came down to the tip of his ear. For this to be useful I would have to purchase an additional head support. It does backward facing at a good recline to where you don't have to worry about the child's head leaning forward. But this chair was excellent for my four year old. She fit comfortably. The headrest was perfect for because she is petite. It will last her a long time as the headrest extended high enough for my 9 year old to be able to use it as a booster. In conclusion it is a well made seat with vents for air flow and the seat belt is adjustable for multiple heights. I believe in a couple more moths this will be perfect for my youngest to grow up in but right now I'm sticking to my evenflo tribute for him and letting my four year old hold on to it until he can fit it.

This car seat is so easy to use. Love how simple it is to secure with a squirmy toddler. Straps don't bind up like other brands have done in the past. Cup holders are a great feature. Color is vibrant and bold.

I received this car seat two days ago and immediately installed it. My previous one I've had for a while so this one is amazing compared to it. First, it's super cute. Can be for girl or boy (unless you're convinced blue is only for boys). My daughter loves it. As soon as i took it out of the box she jumped in it. Installation was, mostly, quick and painless. My only problem was that the latches could have used about 1/2 inch more material to make it easier to latch. However, with a bit of elbow grease, i was finally about to latch it to the car. I do like these latches a lot better because there is a cord you pull to get them unlatched which is a lot easier then the hook my previous seat had. My daughter is 2.5 years old and 30lbs and she fits, rear facing, perfectly. She told me that the seat was super comfy! Rear facing until 40lbs which is awesome because i didn't plan on turning her around anytime soon ! The only minor thing i would change is to make the cup holders stay better. If you bump into them they easily come out. Otherwise, amazing car seat!!

This is the second convertible car seat I own. Because it is a different brand, I was sure to read all of the directions. It is very difficult to install and it took a very long time to get it secure in my car. I ended up having to use the seat belt because the latch system would not get it tight enough. One feature that I do like about it is the latch quick release and the plastic part that keeps the vehicles latch bar visible.

I lreally like the color and the design of the car seat for the pad. I also like how the cup holders come out. It makes it easier to clean with kiddos. It is very sturdy. I don't like how easy it is to access the loosen buckel for the straps that my toddler can reach. Plus it is really hard for me to pull the straps tight. I also like how it is till over tested. My daughter thought it was very comfortable. This would definitely be my backup car seat, but not something that I would use every day just because my daughter can reach the loosen buckel.

This convertible carseat is not only comfortable but stylish. Most importantly, it is safe. The latches are easy to use, the adjustments are easy to make, and the adjustable head rest is awesome and will
go up with her as she continues to grow
taller. The initial installment of placing this in my vehicle was very easy. The instructions that come with the convertible carseat by evenflow made installing the seat rather easy as well. Maddison and I like her new Stratos convertible carseat by evenflow. She is all smiles in her new carseat.

This seat is very comfortable for my child. So far he's sat in it between the ages of 9-13 months with no issues. I can definitely see him fitting in this seat for at least a few more years. The only issues I've had with this seat is it's size. It simply is too big for one of our vehicles, a mid sized hatchback. It fits in our Chrysler Pacifica minivan but even in that the front seat needs to be adjusted quite a bit forward. This issue is only present when the seat is being used in rear facing position, when it's moved to the traditional seating position once my son is 2 I see no issues with the seats use in either of our vehicles. Other than that it is easily installed and tightened. The cup holders are great because they can be easily washed out. The fabrics are very nice feeling and durable. I would recommend for anyone buying for 2yrs and older and for those with large vehicles at any age.

When I received the Stratos Convertible Car seat, I immediately noticed how sturdy and safe it felt, which as a first time parent, is a top priority. Installation was very easy and the instructions were simple and clear. Once we put our son in to try it out, he seemed perfectly happy and comfortable. We have been using the car seat for a few weeks and our son seems to like his "big boy" car seat. We are glad it can accomodate his growing size and expand with him, thanks to the adjustable head rest. I will say, the head rest seems like it may push his head forward slightly once he is tall enough to use it, but it could only appear that way now because he is too small to use the adjustable headrest. Overall, this has been a great car seat!

**I received this product for free or discounted for my honest feedback and review**
My initial impression when I opened the box was that the Evenflo Stratos was a very light carseat. It is much lighter than my current car seat. My goal was to figure everything out without referencing the manual. This was easy enough since it came all together. I just snapped in the cup holders and it was ready to install. I like the latch guides that come with the carseat, I could tell instantly what they were for and thought it would be very handy for installation. I also really liked the latch releases. Evenflo used "pulleys" vs my current carseat which uses button to release the latch from the seat anchor. Buttons seem counter productive to me since you have to push something to pull it off. I kind of always struggle when I have to do that.
That was when I got stuck. I could not figure out how to recline the carseat. My first impression was maybe its not supposed to recline. So I had to reference the users manual, initial goal failed. I found the recline mechanism and all I could think was it was kind of archaic. Its just a plastic piece that pops out and unfolds. There are 3 positions for this carseat. Upright, semi reclined and fully reclined. In fully reclined, which is where I would presume you use a newborn or little baby, the Evenflo was slightly less reclined than my other carseat. My other carseat came with more recline options, 6 to be precise. I don't know if you need the extra 3, I honestly only use 1 for my toddler. I also noticed when I reclined it, the carseat would not stay upright on its own anymore and kept falling back. I am not sure how I feel about this, but I can say my other carseat stood on its own while reclined in every position, but the Evenflo is much lighter and I don't think it matters once buckled into the car. I do switch my carseat into friends cars once in a while if we carpool, and thats the only time the weight affects me.
My other carseat also stretched taller than the Evenflo. This leads me to believe it can be used for a wider range of toddlers and ages since it can accompany taller toddlers more safely. I compared the padding on the carseats, and while at first I thought the Evenflo had less padding, they actually seemed to be very comparable or the Evenflo being slightly plusher on the head part. The Evenflo did lack padding around the body though.
Overall I liked the Evenflo. I feel like its a great value for the price. I thought the latches were very handy and the headrest was nice and cushioned. My only drawback was the recline mechanism and I would have liked to see more padding around the body and shoulder area.

When I first opened the box, I noticed how sturdy this seat is, many features such as cup holders, breathable sides, VERY easy hook system. Then add on the very reasonable price, well worth buying.

We are so happy with the Stratos Car Seat! Great leg room, reclines into a very comfortable looking position, great fabric that can be washed, good body style and cup holders! (Currently the cup holders are toys- they easily come out to clean but might come out too easy!) Our family is very happy with the car seat! I wish there was a simple video online on how to install, somehow we made it way more challenging than it needed to be.

Although I like the seat in general, I feel like the headrest should be able to be lowered, as my son meets the height and weight requirements, but the headrest is too high and can only be adjusted higher. The seat is very cushioned, which is important to me, and I love that even after being in the car for long periods of time, the fabric does not get too hot. I use this seat as rear facing, and although it does take up a good amount of space in my car, it seems to be very secure. It is lightweight which is great if you have to move the seat from car to car. The straps are really easy to adjust and the buckle is easy to secure as well. Overall this is a good car seat..The only negative thing I've found so far is the headrest not being able to be lowered. I can't wait to see how my sweet boy likes it when we decide to forward face!!

**I received this product for free or discounted for my honest feedback and review**
My initial impression when I opened the box was that the Evenflo Stratos was a very light carseat. It is way lighter than my Graco 4 Ever. My goal was to figure everything out without referencing the manual. This was easy enough since it came all together. I just snapped in the cup holders and it was ready to install. I like the latch guides that come with the carseat, I could tell instantly what they were for and thought it would be very handy for installation. I also really liked the latch releases. Evenflo used "pulleys" vs my Graco which uses button to release the latch from the seat anchor. Buttons seem counter productive to me since you have to push something to pull it off. I kinda always struggle when I have to do that.
That was when I got stuck. I could not figure out how to recline the carseat. My first impression was maybe its not supposed to recline. So I had to reference the users manual, initial goal failed. I found the recline mechanism and all I could think was it was kinda archaic. Its just a plastic piece that pops out and unfolds. There are 3 positions for this carseat. Upright, semi reclined and fully reclined. In fully reclined, which is where I would presume you use a newborn or little baby, the Evenflo was slightly less reclined than my Graco. But the Graco came with more recline options, 6 to be precise. I don't know if you need the extra 3, I honestly only use 1 for my toddler. I also noticed when I reclined it, the carseat would not stay upright on its own anymore and kept falling back. I am not sure how I feel about this, but I can say my Graco stood on its own while reclined in every position, but the Evenflo is much lighter and I don't think it matters once buckled into the car. I do switch my carseat into friends cars once in a while if we carpool, and thats the only time the weight affects me.
The Graco also stretched taller than the Evenflo. This leads me to believe it can be used for a wider range of toddlers and ages since it can accompany taller toddlers more safely. I compared the padding on the carseats, and while at first I thought the Evenflo had less padding, they actually seemed to be very comparable or the Evenflo being slightly plusher on the head part. The Evenflo did lack padding around the body though.
Overall I liked the Evenflo. Being half the price of the Graco is a big plus. If your child gets too tall for it, you can buy a booster seat for the saved $150. ;)

Easy to install and seems very sturdy. Perfect seat for my 15 month old. I wouldn't recommend it for newborns as the head rest doesn't seem like it would work for a smaller baby. Great material - easy to clean! Perfect car seat!

I could tell the difference between this seat and previous ones my kids (I have 5)have used in the past, as soon as I opened the box - even compared to the most resent ones we've owned! It feels so much more comfortable, as well as sturdy and protective. My 3 year old absolutely loves her new Stratos and now I am actually considering buying a second one for my 6 month old. I can honestly say that I have more peace of mind with this seat and feel like she is much more comfortable when we travel. It's safe to say that she's not the only one who loves this car seat! Oh and the Quick Connector is awesome too! So easy to use!

The car seat has a nice sleek design. It's nice and padded for babies to sit in. Sadly I am not a fan of how it installs in my van and one shoulder strap is a bit longer than the other one. Both of these items make me concerned about my little guy's safety. The seat is installed using the car seatbelt but the car seat can still easily be moved up and down, and side to side. Whenever I tighten the 5 point harness, I am unable able to get both sides to be equally tight.

Overall I like the design and the cup holders, but not satisfied with a few of the key safety features.