European Strollers

Why do you think strollers such as the I'coo and Quinny are not available in the United States? They seem to be very high-quality products with all the features a person could want. From the hundreds of hours I've put into stroller research, they appear to be among the most attractive strollers on the market.

Certainly Europe offers a much greater selection of steerable carriages (prams) than can be found in the United States. Currently, Bertini is the only company marketing a steerable carriage. European models, often weighing in around ten pounds lighter than the Bertini, are offering cutting edge steerability in their prams.

Do you have any thoughts on the subject?

Here are a few links to some of my favorites.

http://www.hauck-group.de/en/produkte.asp?PLID=4&LIZID=
http://www.quinny.com/
http://strollersandprams.com/

Thanks for the feedback on my very-most favorite subject in the world!

I am an american but i live in Germany and I was wondering the same thing.I love the strollers and variety of strollers offered over here.I think that the european women really know what they want and the companies give it to them.I know price is usually not a major factor in choosing thier stoller.
I have a 10 month old son and so far i have had 5 stollers- my first stoller was a Hauck it was terrible about 150 euros and i got what i paid for junk.
the next was the Quinny SX about 3 week later and it was awesome great on and off road and great on the old German streets-My dislikes was the sit adjuster you could never really get it all the way in the sitting postion and the fram scratched easily.
I sold that one a few months later and purchased my Quinny Zapp i love my Zapp it is small, easy to manuever, stylish and modern.My only negative is i wish it had a basket for when I go to the market which is everyday.Even with that i love it and wont be selling it anytime soon.
My next stroller was a Hartan skater Excellent stoller but it was a year older before the front wheel of the jogger was a swivel that was to hard to manuever BUT it had great traction was comfy for my son and had a extra large basket under the stroller and a storage pocket behind the seat.I have sold that and now I am gettting the Mutsy 3 rider--you can see them at www.mutsy.com its great and stylish and it has cool accessories like the funseat.It has great review and unlike the bugaboo it is not EVERYWHERE-
I guess i may be a stoller addict.

I believe the main reason that European manufacturers such as Quinny and I'coo don't distribute (or rarely do) in the states is because the USA is a major market and would generally require that they set up not only a distribution center but also manufacturing plants if they wanted to be financially effective with sales in the states. These companies have massively succesful business within their own right and of course huge manufacturing plants in Europe, which make it quite easy to distribute internationally WITHIN the EU, but when it comes to the US, the change over would be a large and unwieldy process that has the potential to sink the entire company. (e.g. Germany is the largest European country and about 81 million, whereas the US is 300 million). So you're talking about a venture that if done correctly could easily make one of these companies even more successful, but it's economically simpler to stay with their already very challenging and growing continental market (as the EU collectively is larger than the USA in terms of population) than have to 1) ship across the atlantic (which is not very cost effective with the size of the market over here or 2) manufacture over here (which is a very expensive and complex for pre-existing companies of the size and calibur of Mutsy, I'coo, Teutonia etc.)

But in terms of the differences in stroller quality, I'm not particularly sure it's Europe-wide so much as certain countries which have higher standards for their strollers. Much like with cars, Germany tends to produce superior strollers in terms of their overall durability. Once you head north to Sweden, the Netherlands, etc. you find a similar level of durability and even more innovation. And because the British have been doing prams longer than anyone, they also have a reputation for generating some very fun yet solid strollers. It's also not just Europe but Australia and New Zealand seem to be closing the manufacturing gap in stroller innovation and duability. Anyway, there's no doubt that the Europeans, as a general rule, are pushing around higher standard strollers, although I don't even know of any French or Spanish stroller companies. (Anyone that does should post!)

I don't know why it is that American manufactures can't seem to step away from their plastic Graco-mind-set when it comes to strollers, but with the increased globalization of all the major companies out there (and thanks to the internet), more and more American parents are buying their strollers from overseas, and more and more international manufacturers are setting up distribution centers in the USA as the demand is clear: parents want a stroller that reflects a level of craftsmanship we just don't seem to have (except when it comes to jogging and some all-terrain strollers, where the outdoorsy athletic West coast parents seem to largely drive that market).

Granted, I have seem parents wheeling around Kolcraft and Chicco (really Italian but primarily sold in the USA) in Germany and Austria (I live part time in Austria). I believe the lifestyle differences between Europe and the US creates a different demand: parents in Europe are less prone to care about the weight of the stroller as they are less likely to take the stroller in the car (or at least with less frequency) than American parents, where it's always a rush to get an errand done before dinner and you need to take the baby along and throw the stroller in the back of the vehicle.

In general, I think the European parents tend to be 1) more traditional (fewer mom's working) and/or 2) less willing to compromise their quality of life for work (which is supported by the actual number of holidays taken throughout the work year), therefore the lifestyle is somewhat less frenetic. Thus the European stroller manufacturers aren't as compelled to make the stroller ultra-light and convenient, because the demand is for something that can be taken out the door, down the sidewalk and through the local park, not out the door, into the SUV, through the mall, through the local grocery store, and then back in the SUV, etc.)

I won't speculate too much about variations in corporate philosphies based on the difference in economic structures etc., but in general American companies attempt to take the mass production aspect of manufacturing to a different level, and when costs are cut to streamline spending on the parts and labor (and increase the profit margin), the quality of the overall product is decreased.

Phew that was more analysis than I intended and I don't think I necessarily answered any question specifically, but I definitely, agree, the strollers across the Atlantic tend to be more sturdy and superior in overall quality than most of the American stroller manufacturers. I'm hoping this will shift as American manufacturers notice that the smart parents are increasingly more likely to purchase from an international distributor.

I am greatly interested in this topic (as I'm lookingfor a colorful, practical, multipurpose stroller) and the discussion thus far has been very helpful in gving me options. I'm an American who previously had a French stroller that was reversible (baby could face forward or backward) and the chair also converted into a carriage-type (flat) position, and very easily. Of course, being over 14 years ago, it was NOT lightweight, but definitely useful, versatile and colorful.

I am finding it difficult after so many years to understand why we can't manufacture such baby equipment and I think it's partly because despite having more disposable income, we are used to having disposable, cheap products that we simply replace each time, just to have the "latest". Had I kept my baby buggie, it would still be unique and outshine most strollers, european or otherwise, today, and very likely still meet any safety standards. (I only gave it away to someone who I felt needed it and I also didn't think I'd have anymore children...go figure! )

Since someone asked about european strollers from other countries, and I agree the Germans make good ones, I must admit that Bebe Confort, which I believe was the company that made the stroller I mentioned earlier, could give them more than a showing. Checkout their site: http://www.bebeconfort.com/. I think you'll be surprised at the versatility and options, of course for a price with the euro-dollar rate as it is today. But for less than some models I've seen in the US today, it beats them for options, color choices, etc. (And their site is one of the best I've seen over the past two days of looking for strollers!)

Generally I think the key reason that European (and often Asian) consumer products are better designed and made than North American-based products is CULTURE. Like Mimijel said, N.A. society tends to be more "disposable" in terms of its attitude on consumer goods. We live in a wide open land rich in resources and low in population density. This is often reflected in everything we buy in the house to cars, strollers, our quality-of-life expectations, and how our neighborhoods and cities are designed and built.

Having said that I think the proliferation (or at least the availabilty) of European strollers and other baby products is great for North American parents. And of course the Internet (and resources such as Baby Gaga) only help us even more in our awareness, education and access to these great baby products  

www.babyage.nl sells Quinny Strollers and they ship from the netherlands to usa

I have been looking at alot of the European strollers online and wondering the same thing! They have SO many options for great convertable travel systems (I love the pram/bassinet feature). They all seem to me much higher quality than those offered in the US market and they have such fun colors and NO plastic parts!!! I am currently in LOVE with the BebeCar line, they do have an American/Canadian website (www.buystrolleronline.com) and will ship for free. But, it is hard to plunk down $500 for a stroller that you have never seen in person. <sigh!>

I was just reading on the stroller topic. I was born in France and love the baby carriages and nice strollers. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find baby carriages in the US. Bebeconfort always has been a wonderful brand in France. Their products are well made but I am not sure if they sell in the US. Does anyone knows a good company that sells baby carriages here in the US?

I agree whole-heartedly with the entire discussion and have tried desparately to find US distributors of European baby products. Much to my surprise, I did see an I'coo Croco today at Babies 'r' Us. Hopefully the market demands will increase the availability of European products which seem superior in every respect.

2 Quinny models are availible from walmart.com for a very reasonable price.( maybe too reasonable???) I tried to research these models but they are not listed on Quinny's website. My wife and I are expected our first child in May and are looking for the same thing that has already been mentioned......quality, function, and style. It seems there are several german, british, or swedish companies offering exactly what we want. As mention earlier.....it is hard to commit to spending the money without seeing it in person. Bumbleride seems like an option and there is another Californian company called Everbright ( look on ebay ). The problem is that there is very little data out there on these companies.....especially Everbright.

I got the Mutsy Urban Rider with all The options about 2 months ago and Love it, Fantastic Stroller, Ive Imported over 20 Differant European Strollers now from bebe Confort to Mutsy even Emmas and Quinnys Even the European Sold Cameleons have better harnesses than the US ones. The European Stroller market Is just amazing I wish the offered the brands here. Its been costing me a fortune in Import fees just to get thise Beautys into canada :-)... The Only Real Brand i like here are Pegs and valcos and even The Mountain buggys Nothing else has realy impressed me as much as the European Made buggys.

My Nexed Purchase Will be the bebe Confort Air 6 And Opera Seat Trying to find a Used one Here instead of Importing from Italy But I may have to Import If I cant find one by Spring..

i saw this on daddytypes.com regarding the walmart quinny. interesting. also one review on epinions.

DT reader Steven spotted Quinny's mainstay model, the Freestyle, for sale in an unexpected place: Wal-Mart.com. How did a famously Europe-only brand end up in that American-est of stores? Turns out Quinny had attempted a US launch until last year, when they pulled back, and the remaining inventory has been since showing up in various discount stores.


And so they're online at Wal-Mart for just $159, which is about 30-40% less than their European street price. Before you get all Buzz- and Zapp-happy, consider that the Freestyle is from the homelier branch of the Quinny family tree; it's what Quinny looked like before they decided to get all Bugaboo'd up. Still, they're solid strollers, with unique tilt-steering front wheels (or wheel, in the case of the Freestyle 3), and big air-filled tires that give a smoother ride than any plastic.


For this money and this traditional style, I'd also take a look at the Graco Quattro Tour, which has pretty sweet lines (underneath all the tacked on canopies and diaper bags). The Jeeps are comparable, too, but they may be too plasticky compared to the Freestyle.


Buy the Quinny Freestyle 3 or the Freestyle 4 for $159.98 at Wal-Mart.com [wal-mart.com]

I just returned from France where I purchased a Bebe Confort LOOLA stroller... it has many great features like reversible seat, compact fold, great look... it runs a little on the pricey side since everything is sold seperatly, the canopy, the rain cover, the cot, but in my opinion it is worth it. It looks much nicer than my Graco Metrolite but I must admit that the Graco was very useful with its parent drink tray, its large underbasket and it's lightweight construction. Check out its features at:

http://www.bebeconfort.com

yeltad wrote: and there is another Californian company called Everbright ( look on ebay ). The problem is that there is very little data out there on these companies.....especially Everbright.

See my review of the Everbright I just bought. I think it is a lot like the european strollers I've seen so far.

Hello,
there are two Quinny models available on Walmart.com (YES...weird, isn't it?) - they are exactly like the German ones from 2 years ago or so.....
And they are soooo cheap!!!!
Cosco America even sells replacement parts for them, so they are distributed here...just not very well I guess...

Before my mom came from Germany I purchased a QUINNY DREAMI (with adapter for Quinny Freestyle for 70 Euros) off German Ebay and she brought it over...it fits my stroller perfectly, so it is indeed the same than they sell in Europe!

This stroller is definitely a "steerable pram" - the front wheels move...so technically Bertinis aren't the only ones...