Aimee Hare from Pine Mountain,GA 
June 17th, 2008
I did a lot of research before purchasing this seat.
After reading reviews, looking at specs, reading saftey crash info, reading all sorts of info available on the net regarding safety, consulting my Mechanical Engineer husband and watching youtube childseat crash videos I decided on two goals.
My goals were:
1. 5-point until daughters were big enough for a regular seat belt.
2. Baby turned around backwards for as long as possible.
OK, I came to find out that this left 2 choices...
There are only 2 on the market that met my goals: Sunshine Kids Radian 80 and a Britax seat that does the "5-point- to-80-lbs" as well. That all! This really narrowed the field.
These are some of my thoughts...
I wanted a 5-point seat for my 5-year-old. (I bought a booster and took it back...I just didn't look like it provided much protection in a crash.) I went to the youtube videos and watched crash tests and that just blew my mind. There was no way, after watching those test crashes, that I was putting her in a booster.
I also have a 20-month-old. I was not ready to turn her around, but she had reached the weight limit for her infant seat. After watching the youtube videos, I was convinced that backwards was better hands down. I hear that the Britax is really nice but that it is really large.(I read this over and over on different websites from different reviewers, but I have never seen one myself). I have 4 children. I HAD to have something that would allow for other passengers to fit comfortably. Well, that closed the deal for me.
I had one more reservation:
I had not actually put my daughter in it. I was hoping it was padded well (5-yr-olds need a little more comfort than a 20-month-old with a diaper). I'm leary of buying without seeing, but I just decided that it would cost about the same to return it as it would to drive to Atlanta to see one. (I live about 2 hours from Atlanta, GA...the location of the closest Radian 80) So I bought 1 (not 2) and planned to return it if it was not what was advertised. If it was what I was expecting...I would buy #2.
Now that I have it, I will be buying #2 soon. I will buy from Baby-Earth again. They had the best price and the delivery was on time.
Pros and Cons:
PROS:
1. Of course, it meets my saftey needs.
2. It had all that the advertising promised.
3. It is seriously heavy and feels solid. This is a Pro for me, but might be a Con for someone who plans on moving the seat frequently.
4. Though safety was the deciding factor, an added bonus is that the Princess seat cover is really pretty...my 5-year-old loves it.
[I will describe the Cons in detail because I think everyone likes to be well informed. Though I describe them in detail, they were obviously not important enough to me to change my decision. I am very pleased with my purchase and will be purchasing another within a week.]
CONS:
1. I had difficulty using LATCH. This is more of a problem with my car company than the carseat. Currently I am using it with a seatbelt. I plan on visiting my car dealership to get it hooked up with LATCH. The youtube video about the little boy who died in a car wreck really brought to my attention the LATCH issue. I had no idea that seatbelts sometimes didn't work. LATCH can only be used up to a certain weight (in your car manual) so it is not a cure-all, but I would like to use it...now that I have become aware of the benefits.
2. Facing backwards, it would only fit in the center seat of my Ford Expedition. The tilt on the seat, when rear-facing, is supposed to be 45 degrees. This is not possible if the driver seat or passenger seat need to be able to be pushed back (My husband is 6'2"). The reason it is not possible is because the seat is so tall, but the height is neccessary to accomodate the children "up to 80 lbs". I am OK with that because I know she'll turn around soon enough. It fits fine into any seat position when turned around forward-facing.
3. The storage on the back of the seat (the latch and tether belts, and the safe-stop belt are highly visible in the rear-facing position. Not a deciding factor, but it would be nice if they were restrained by a net or something. They swing off the back because the seat is tilted back in this postion.
4. Cover is NOT machine washable. This is not a big deal to me. My children are not allowed to eat in the carseat and only have water when in the car. This greatly reduces the number of seat cover washings needed. Crumbs can actually be a saftey issue if they get in the buckle area. I just avoid the mess and the safety issue by keeping food and drinks (other than water) out of the child areas.
***Baby Earth's ad says it is machine washable, but it is not. I'm sure this was just an oversight. The seat says it is not machine washable and Sunshine Kids Juvenille Products says "no" also. They said it IS WASHABLE just not machine washable. You can wash it in the tub with laundry detergent, rinse, and hang to dry.
Aimee Hare
Pine Mountain, GA
When it comes to your child you want the best in safety. Radian is a Convertible Car Seat that offers advanced safety, design, convenience and quality.
Safety
Sunshine Kids' Radian 80SL Convertible Car Seat was conceptualized and designed around a set of strict safety and performance parameters. The Radian 80SL positions the child's center of gravity as low and as far back as possible on the vehicle seat for optimal restraint performance, especially in oblique-angled crashes, which is how most car accidents occur. The Radian 80SL's EPS safety foam around the child's head, torso and seating area, providing increased safety for impact protection.
The new SuperLATCH feature provides a greater weight capacity for your car seat. Its steel alloy frame and new SuperLATCH™ system are NCAP crash tested to 80 lbs, making it the strongest car seat in the world and the easiest to install using vehicle LATCH anchors up to 80 lbs- no seat belt required.
Comfort & Convenience
The Radian 80SL Car Seat has 3" more interior shoulder width of any car seat in its class. Its unique design is more than 2" narrower on the outside making it easy to fit 3 seats across. A 3" longer seat bottom and the forward-facing recline option provides increased comfort for longer rides and more leg support for the older child. The Radian 80SL has a Patented Lock-Tite harness clip which is curved for a correct infant fit. It also features soft, sueded fabric and extra-thick cushion padding for real comfort during every ride.
Features:
Gift Wrap not available.
Shipping Note: This item ships via UPS Ground within contiguous United States only. Cannot be shipped to AK/HI, PO boxes, US territories, or APO/FPO addresses.
Displaying Reviews 1 to 7 of 7
We are expecting a third soon, and needed something narrow enough to fit all three in one row. A number of sites pointed at the Radian for this problem, and after more research we decided to get two. Aside from just its size, we were impressed with the sturdy steel frame and its easy LATCH clips. This thing is solid. My husband was surprised to find that the memory foam padding did make it feel like a better seat over the last seats we had, which had a just thin pad for a cover. Even without extra things like a cupholder or armrests (our girls never really used them, anyway), the kids looked pretty comfy in the seats. As for size, it's really noticeable how much space the Radians open up for the car; we haven't even put in the infant seat and it's obvious there's enough space for it.
The company seems to have thought of everything; there's a spot for every strap in the back so you don't have to stuff everything under the cover, or have loose belts dangling when you move it around, and the 80SL comes with different support pillows to fit different size kids. There's even an emergency tag for child info that you can fill out and put in the back of the seat.
[Someone earlier did mention that the strapholders were all visible from the back part of the seat and extra things could fly out and cause problems, so I don't know if you'd want to look into a back cover of some sort if you intend to use it rear-facing. They seemed to fit tightly into their respective pockets for our seats, and the LATCH clips actually *snap* into their holders; you have to use the button to get them to let go. Even so, I'd call it a concern if you see things just flapping around.]
Being mostly steel, it is a little heavy, but still manageable, especially because it folds up nicely and does come with a shoulder strap. The backpack straps are extra, though. If we didn't prefer having an infant carrier doubling as a car seat, we probably would have picked up a third already.
We were planning a vacation that we would be taking my 18 month on. I started researching for a car seat that would not only be safe, but easy to travel with. When I came across the Sunshine Kids Radian 80SL, I knew it was perfect. When I received it in the mail. I was surprised at how sturdy it was. My husband also commented on how safe it was. The steel backing is just something you don't find in most car seats. I am so pleased with it that we are going to change our other two car seats to this model as well.
This is the best car seat I could find and I did a lot of research for all kinds of models. For the safety of my child I was prepared to even go for the most expensive car seat on the market. But no need, because this beats any other model that is currently available!
1) it is very safe and secure, lot's of installation options in the car, train or plane. It will even fit small cars like mine, in the rear facing position.
2) it is very easy to get the baby in and out
3) it folds up, for travel!!! This was a big plus for us.
As we were going on vacation with our friends, who also have a small child and seeing them hall around a gigantic bag for their conventional car seat, I felt quite trendy and cutting edge with my slim line back pack of a car seat. :)
Quick installation in the plane made our vacation hassle free.
4) the price is right, you get a lot for your money. Any other model was either to big and balky for my small car or didn't meet my safety requirements that a concerned mother like me has.
For me this is the best car seat out there and I would recommend it to anyone!
A very old Subaru forester. Mom, dad, grandparents, 13 months old toddler + car seat installed securely middle back seat. All happy!
Wish the designer would skip the black velvet decoration but...
We did a TON of research before buying the next seat to keep our daughter safe for the next ump-teen years. We wanted to get her a seat that was comfortable for her while providing the maximum safety that was available. We debated between teh Radian 80 and the Britax Marathon. We ended up with the Radian for many reasons. The higher weight limit on rear facing position (40 lbs) was huge for us, as we will be RF for as long as possible. Also, we had to have a seat that was somewhat easy to travel with as our families are out of state and we travel multiple time a year. The Radian is FAA approved, but also folds for easy carrying and has straps (we bought the extra strap) that turns it into a backpack! How cool is that?!?! No need for special straps and carrying bags for airport travel! The cool max fabric is great! It keeps the heat away from our daughters delicate skin...no worries about a very hot seat or a sweaty baby!! We have a 2008 CRV and it only fits in the center poisiton RF and we had to scoot the passenger seat froward a little to accomodate, but it is not terrible. Once we turn her FF, the seat will fit perfectly in any position. Installation was easy (LATCH is the best invention ever!!!) and the guide provides good illustration on how to adjust the straps and accessories for the best fit for your child. We highly recommend this seat!!
I did a lot of research before purchasing this seat.
After reading reviews, looking at specs, reading saftey crash info, reading all sorts of info available on the net regarding safety, consulting my Mechanical Engineer husband and watching youtube childseat crash videos I decided on two goals.
My goals were:
1. 5-point until daughters were big enough for a regular seat belt.
2. Baby turned around backwards for as long as possible.
OK, I came to find out that this left 2 choices...
There are only 2 on the market that met my goals: Sunshine Kids Radian 80 and a Britax seat that does the "5-point- to-80-lbs" as well. That all! This really narrowed the field.
These are some of my thoughts...
I wanted a 5-point seat for my 5-year-old. (I bought a booster and took it back...I just didn't look like it provided much protection in a crash.) I went to the youtube videos and watched crash tests and that just blew my mind. There was no way, after watching those test crashes, that I was putting her in a booster.
I also have a 20-month-old. I was not ready to turn her around, but she had reached the weight limit for her infant seat. After watching the youtube videos, I was convinced that backwards was better hands down. I hear that the Britax is really nice but that it is really large.(I read this over and over on different websites from different reviewers, but I have never seen one myself). I have 4 children. I HAD to have something that would allow for other passengers to fit comfortably. Well, that closed the deal for me.
I had one more reservation:
I had not actually put my daughter in it. I was hoping it was padded well (5-yr-olds need a little more comfort than a 20-month-old with a diaper). I'm leary of buying without seeing, but I just decided that it would cost about the same to return it as it would to drive to Atlanta to see one. (I live about 2 hours from Atlanta, GA...the location of the closest Radian 80) So I bought 1 (not 2) and planned to return it if it was not what was advertised. If it was what I was expecting...I would buy #2.
Now that I have it, I will be buying #2 soon. I will buy from Baby-Earth again. They had the best price and the delivery was on time.
Pros and Cons:
PROS:
1. Of course, it meets my saftey needs.
2. It had all that the advertising promised.
3. It is seriously heavy and feels solid. This is a Pro for me, but might be a Con for someone who plans on moving the seat frequently.
4. Though safety was the deciding factor, an added bonus is that the Princess seat cover is really pretty...my 5-year-old loves it.
[I will describe the Cons in detail because I think everyone likes to be well informed. Though I describe them in detail, they were obviously not important enough to me to change my decision. I am very pleased with my purchase and will be purchasing another within a week.]
CONS:
1. I had difficulty using LATCH. This is more of a problem with my car company than the carseat. Currently I am using it with a seatbelt. I plan on visiting my car dealership to get it hooked up with LATCH. The youtube video about the little boy who died in a car wreck really brought to my attention the LATCH issue. I had no idea that seatbelts sometimes didn't work. LATCH can only be used up to a certain weight (in your car manual) so it is not a cure-all, but I would like to use it...now that I have become aware of the benefits.
2. Facing backwards, it would only fit in the center seat of my Ford Expedition. The tilt on the seat, when rear-facing, is supposed to be 45 degrees. This is not possible if the driver seat or passenger seat need to be able to be pushed back (My husband is 6'2"). The reason it is not possible is because the seat is so tall, but the height is neccessary to accomodate the children "up to 80 lbs". I am OK with that because I know she'll turn around soon enough. It fits fine into any seat position when turned around forward-facing.
3. The storage on the back of the seat (the latch and tether belts, and the safe-stop belt are highly visible in the rear-facing position. Not a deciding factor, but it would be nice if they were restrained by a net or something. They swing off the back because the seat is tilted back in this postion.
4. Cover is NOT machine washable. This is not a big deal to me. My children are not allowed to eat in the carseat and only have water when in the car. This greatly reduces the number of seat cover washings needed. Crumbs can actually be a saftey issue if they get in the buckle area. I just avoid the mess and the safety issue by keeping food and drinks (other than water) out of the child areas.
***Baby Earth's ad says it is machine washable, but it is not. I'm sure this was just an oversight. The seat says it is not machine washable and Sunshine Kids Juvenille Products says "no" also. They said it IS WASHABLE just not machine washable. You can wash it in the tub with laundry detergent, rinse, and hang to dry.
Aimee Hare
Pine Mountain, GA
I just received this seat the other day and right out of the box....I love it. Easy to use, easy to install, doesn't take up my entire back seat and this thing in sturdy! My daughter is very comfortable in this seat. I did a lot of reasearch before making this purchase as I am a true Britax lover. My roundabout has been wonderful. When my now 4 year old grew out of her Britax I moved her into a big girl booster before discovering the safety dangers of doing so. I quickly put her Britax back in the car and set out for a 5 point harness booster. My first thought was the Britax Regent but, after seeing one in person I couldn't believe how HUGE it was. It would have taken up most of my back seat. The Radian surpasses crash test standards and is only 17 inches in width. The fact that is goes from 5 pounds to 80 pounds in a 5 point harness sold me. Keep in mind though....this seat is a monster in weight. I could barely carry it to the car because I have back problems. I don't intend on moving it around too much so the heavy weight is not an issue for me.
P.S. I ordered this seat from baby-wise.com with free shipping and received the seat the following day! Great!
Displaying Reviews 1 to 7 of 7
Questions about "Sunshine Kids Radian 80SL Car Seat"
votes
Q: What is the difference between this model and the Radian XTSL model?
Besides the price, is it a newer model? Or are there more features?
A: Sunshine Kids provides a Comparison Chart on its website at http://sunshinekidsbaby.com/info_compare_products.asp that details the differences between the Radian 80sl, the XTsl as well as several other car seat options. The chart shows that the Radian XTsl is equipped with a reinforced head support and memory foam padding while these features are not available on the Radian 80sl.
By: BabyEarth
Sunshine Kids
If you're a family continuously on the go, you'll love Sunshine Kids, with their innovative travel products designed to make life easier on today's traveling family. Their claims to fame include the industry's first folding car seat, which folds completely flat to make travel easy and clutter free. It is even small and lightweight enough to take on an airplane, as it's fully approved by the FAA. Sunshine Kids also manufactures a line called Playgro, plush accessories that work great with a portable crib system. The company started out with just two employees, and they now have distribution in 26 countries, with offices located in the United States and England. What sets them apart from the crowd is their fierce commitment to originality, and you can find their latest designs in many independent baby stores. You can also find them easily on BabyEarth if you're looking for the most convenient shopping experience possible.
If you are the parent of more than one small child, you will love the Radian 65, which is slender enough that you can fit three of them across the backseat of a standard vehicle. It is also versatile enough with its longer seat bottom and higher weight rating that you can use it until your child is ready to safely ride in a regular automobile seat. The Radian 65 can grow with your child, as well as your expanding family, making it the perfect choice for all involved.
Sunshine Kids is also the proud manufacturer of Buggy Buddy Handlebar Organizer, which allows quick storage of all your essentials when you're out walking baby. These are just a couple of the great products produced by Sunshine Kids, who have successfully managed to balance both safety and progressive thinking with positive results.