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7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Love this stroller! Apr 27, 2010
By the bea's knees
We've been using the Valco for a little over a year now and I love it! From the air filled wheels to the light frame and turn on a dime steering, the Valco is a winner. It isn't cheap, but do the math for yourself and figure out if purchasing it and accessories is a better bargain than buying a pram, single, double, and jogging stroller.
A lot of my friends have Phil and Ted's and I looked at those too. But the Valco seemed like you could have more than one kid on it at a time and not have to put the second one underneath, where the basket normally goes. The Phil and Ted made me nervous with little fingers so close to the wheels. With the Valco kid no. 1 moves to the toddler seat on the front where they can see everything and kid no. 2 stays in the main seat. I have only used the Valco for one child so far, so I can't say if there are any drawbacks to the toddler seat or hitchhiker bar.
What really sold me on the Valco was the bassinet attachment and the zip in sun shade/bug net. Granted, neither of these come standard- they are both additional purchases- but they were worth the money in my book.
The bassinet was perfect as I had a late winter baby. I could put her in the bassinet inside the house and carry her out to the waiting base. She was snug and safe and warm and I didn't have to worry about the elements with the hood and rain cover.
Another plus was that she could really stretch out and have a good nap. Her head wasn't lolling to the side and she was not all crunched up in a half sitting position. If she was asleep at the end of the walk, I just popped off the bassinet and carried it into the house without waking her at all. The only thing I did not like about the bassinet was the cheesy prop-up option. I guess they put it in there so that an older baby could be propped up to see out, but if your baby is old enough to do that, wouldn't you switch over to the regular stroller sling?
The sun shade is not something you use every day- but it is well thought out and functions beautifully. It zips into the hood on the stroller and clips underneath the footrest with a toggle. That means those toddler feet can't kick it off and little hands can't pull it down to play peek-a -boo. It is a really fine mesh unlike a lot of the other sun shades and that means that your child can see everything. It is a little hard to see in, but there is a handy window on the top of the hood so you can look down while pushing the stroller.
The only drawback, you can't use the sun shade with the toddler seat. I guess I'll have to see if I can use another shade like the protect-a-bub when I have more than one.
Over all - I am very glad I got the Valco. I would buy it again.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Great, massive and versatile stroller Jul 11, 2011
By Andrea B. Gyorgy
Bought this recently after having had a bunch of different strollers before.
First a Graco Quattro Tour (bulky, massive and hard to push), then a jogger (Dreamer Design, easy to push, bit easy to tip over), then the lightest umbrella stroller ever (Uppa Baby G-lite, a breeze to maneuver, very light, sturdy for its size, my favorite for babies 6 months to two years).
OK, so why did we get this one?
Because it has air-filled tires, and our two year old guy is tall and heavy for his age, so my awesome umbrella stroller was just not a joy to push anymore. However, he likes to have a substantial, supportive back on his stroller, hates hammock-like ones like the BOB (heard the new version is supposed to be better, he hated it, and he is already too tall for it). We tried just about every stroller in the store, the one he liked was the Babyjogger City Mini. Problem? We have his brother on the way, and if you choose BJ, then it must be either a single, or a double.
However, he already likes to walk a lot more than he travels in his stroller, so I thought buying a double might be an overkill on the long term and I will just end up pushing a half-empty monster most of the time.
We tried those sit behind/under the main seat type strollers (Phil&Teds, Britax B-Ready), and he would scream his lungs out that he couldn't see anything. Don't blame him, I wouldn't want to sit like that, either. Other kids love them, though, so give it a try!
So finally we decided we wanted a stroller than *can* be a single, a double, even a triple if need be, and then go back to any of the other versions quick. Ta-da-daa! Valco! If you add the toddler seat, it's a double; add a hitchhiker, and it's a triple. Versatility is the name of the game, especially for the who-knows-what-life-throws-at-you (a.k.a., parents).
OK so now about the stroller itself.
It's extremely well made. I ended up buying one used (2009), and you can tell it's been extensively loved, and still in a fantastic condition. No rips, stains, everything works. Sturdy as heck. Couldn't tip this monster if I kicked it. Pushes very well and easy, thanks to those tires. Oh and the tires themselves are very thick and massive, too, same on the aluminum rims, you can see it's made to last.
The seat can be pushed very upright and has good support as I said earlier. Padded, too, but with some mesh-type stuff so it's not too hot in the summer.
The canopies are great, big, cover from every angle and have a mesh window. But the best part? They are waaay high up, so even when closed, the material is not bunched up at the kid's head. My tall two year old seems to have like 6 inches minimum before his head gets close to hitting it. Not so with the BOB or the BJ!
I am not one to lug around a big diaper bag, usually just some snacks, drinks and toys, and I have found the storage to be more than adequate. The little bag on the back of the seat that can be zippered off is actually enough for me. It does have a good sized basket, and now that my son sits upright, it can be very easily reached into. Not as big as the Graco baskets, but good.
It can be set to have a fixed front wheel or to swivel, and there's a 45 degree fixed one for occasions when you have the toddler seat on. I tried the fixed and swivel options, both work well. You can push and maneuver this whole thing with one hand even with the big kid in it, but honestly, it's better to use both hands for stability (it's very easy to turn or waver from a straight line when it's heavy and the wheels swivel on an asphalt road).
It turns on a dime; or at least on a quarter. ;-)
The fold is not difficult, but not as easy as the BJ. I never fold it all the way down since it fits easily with lots of room to spare in my Pilot, but I have seen on demos that if you remove the wheels (easy pushpin-type solution), it folds down almost flat.
The handle bar adjusts extremely low or high if need be; I am 5'3", my husband is over 6' and we can both push it comfortably. It even sets low enough for my son to push when he decides to do that. :-)
It pushes though everything, easily. Haven't tried big rocks yet, but grass, mulch, gravel, sidewalks are nothing to this baby. I hope it handles some snow well, too, as my other jogger did.
However, there are cons to this thing, like with everything on this Earth.
The back wheels are so far apart that it *just* fits through our front door! Now our door is not standard sized, only 29 inches, so it's not a fault of this stroller, but you might want to measure yours especially before getting a double (now I know that this would be impossible for me). It says it's nowhere near 29 inches wide, but my hallway is set so that I must go out in a slight angle, so again, this is something to consider. That said, having a wide base means more stability, and this is worth it for me.
It is not lightweight; I found it relatively easy to lift it up in my Pilot and take it out, but definitely wouldn't want to carry it up the stairs or anything! Valco sells a carry bag for this with wheels, so if you travel often, it might be worth it.
All in all, for what I use it for, it's perfect. If your kid likes space, good back support, big canopies, a cushy ride, and you want a sturdy, massive, dependable, good quality stroller that can go anywhere (just not narrow aisles), this might be the one for you.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Works great for me! Sep 18, 2011
By Nola Juli
I bought this stroller in 2009. I put it together while I was 9 months pregnant - meaning that it is easy to put together and my husband is challenged by owner's manuals. In 2011 almost exactly 2 years later the chassis broke. This made me very angry, however, we called Valco and they were able to send us a brand new chassis for $45. I deconstructed the stroller with a wrench and screwdriver (my husband tried to make the bike store repair it because he swore that it required special tools), put all of the cloth parts in the washing machine (including the canopy; Valco probably does not recommend this but I have a big washing machine and I put everything in it). I hung the cloth parts to dry, put the stroller back together (with my "special" tools) and the stroller is good as new. We live in a 2,000 sq ft house in the city. We don't have room for 6 strollers. We have this stroller and a $20 umbrella stroller for the airplane and that's all that we need. This stroller collapses really easily and is very versatile. The rubber tires are wonderful for city sidewalks and off-roading in the park (let's face it, I don't jog with my jogging stroller). The included air pump works well in an emergency and any bike store can fix the tires if you get a flat. I have two friends that own this stroller as well and we all like it. As far as the "death trap" comment that someone else left ... I mean, we still use a drop-side crib too. I don't have a cover on the bath tub spout and my toilet lid is not clamped down. We're not those kinds of people. We tell our son not to stick his head in the "grip bar" or the toilet. So far so good.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 $480 for a death trap Aug 26, 2011
By Daniel Sweeney
I may have been overly dramatic in the review title, but there is no overstating the danger posed by this stroller. Consumer Reports determined that a child's head could get stuck in the grab bar, causing serious injury or death. Based on this, they recommend not buying the stroller, or at the very least discarding the grab bar for those that do own it.
Consumer Reports goes on to recommend three other all-terrain strollers -- The InSTEP Safari AR245, the Baby Trend Expedition LX and the Jeep Liberty Limited -- all of which cost a fraction of the Valco Tri Mode.
Every parent must make their own decision on which stroller is suitable for their child. In my case, I feel much more comfortable going with the one that does not pose a safety risk.
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