Feb 7th, 2008
iCandy Apple pushchair review
The concept:
With its matt black fabric and brushed aluminium frame, this pushchair oozes contemporary class. Versatility and manoeuvrability are the watchwords: the front wheels can be positioned apart, like a traditional pushchair, or moved together to perform like an all-terrain buggy - in either mode they can be fixed or swivelling. The big, air-filled rear tyres and all-round suspension offer your baby a smooth ride and the padded handlebar offers seven different heights - great if you’re considerably shorter (or taller) than your partner.
| Price: | £279.99, Carrycot £119.99, Combination £399.99, Foot Cosy £49.99, Changing Bag £29.99 |
| Weight: | 13.8kg (with seat), 15kg (with carrycot) |
| Folded: | 100 x 59 x 40cm |
In action:
Folding and unfolding the Apple is straightforward, including removing the wheels to make it extra compact - the manufacturers claim this will even fit in the boot of a Smart car (I have too much baggage in my life to own such a car…). The carrycot is deep and sturdy, perfect for newborns, and when your baby’s big enough, the seat offers plenty of support and an excellent range of seating positions; it can be positioned facing forwards or back, so you can either interact or just let your baby watch the world go by. The suspension and pneumatic tyres make for a smooth ride for parent and baby alike, and the adjustable hood offers generous coverage from the elements, plus viewing windows in the side so you can keep an eye on junior.
Benefits:
This is a clever buggy, capable of many things, and none are too complicated to achieve: changing the seat position, mounting the carrycot, dismantling - all are a doddle. The basket underneath is capacious and its high sides mean you’re unlikely to shed your belongings as you go. And at £200 less than the Bugaboo Cameleon, it represents good value for style-conscious parents.
Drawbacks:
This is a fairly hefty beast at 13.8kg, so it’s not one to go for if you’re going to actually lift it on a regular basis, ie, getting it in and out of the car. It can’t be folded one-handed, which will hinder you on public transport.
It’s looking good
We have been using the Apple for 18 months now and it was definitely the best purchase that we made for our new (then)baby. It has been faultless and still looks like new despite many miles use! Your review is very good but it does miss out on a really significant feature…we have discovered now that we are expecting again that we can now convert our apple to a pear and that is going to be absolutely fantastic. I actually wrote a letter of commendation to icandy and to make this product even better they told me that this is all down to British ingenuity.
This is absolutely the worst pushchair you could buy. It is extremely difficult to collapse down and not the kind of stress you need with a small baby. DO NOT BUY!
After almost 2 years use we have found that this is absolutely the best pushchair you could buy. If purchased from an iCandy stockist they will fully demonstrate how this superb product folds down…stay with it Sarah…it really is worth every penny and no other product that we have come across comes near. Since we have the Pear now also and are loving that too we wrote to icandy to congratulate them and it was great to learn that to top off everything they are a British company! Really satisfied.
I loved my icandy when it first arrived, it has lots of good points ie extendible handle bars, forward & rear facing but….
Now it’s a different story. I can now longer use it in four wheel mode as the front wheels twist and lock making it impossible to move forward. This happened to me several times whilst crossing the road. This is so dangerous, and I know that I am not the only person to have suffered this problem with their icandy. So we started using it in the three wheel mode (after complaining to icandy and being told it is not their responsibility?!) but this is also dangerous as it often tips because the buggy is SO heavy.
I can’t lie my son down in his pushchair as his head would be lower than his feet and the straps are still ridiculously big even though he is a year old now, it’s useless.
The over priced parasol broke after approx. 5 uses.
I can not recommend this product, and I wish I had chosen something else for myself.
A friend in Shrewsbury just had a baby, this would be right up their street. Looks kinda cool too. I’ll send him a link.