Sunday, June 21, 2009

Joovy Kooper and Valco Buggster Comparison

The new Joovy Kooper has been compared to the Valco Buggster. It's fair; in fact, in Oz the Joovy Kooper is known as the Valco Prism! (And the Valco Buggster is now the TFK Buggster! Clear as a dark mesh canopy window? ;)

But how close are they, really? Let's take a look:

The oval shape is certainly similar. And both have extremely wide seats. Although nothing can compare to the Buggster's astonishing 18"; certainly big enough for me to ride around in! ;) They are both umbrella strollers with fairly deep reclines, and huge canopies. And both have a very modern look. But the comparison ends here.
You can start to see how different they look from the back. The Kooper has ergo, foam covered handles that turn in, while the Buggster's are straight up with hard plastic finger grips. The Kooper has two cupholders, and a zippered canopy pocket. It has a good sized basket, though not as big as the Buggster's. The Kooper has the new red brakes. Some people don't care for them aesthetically, but countries such as Australia now require them for safety. The fold on the Kooper is very straightforward, and on the Buggster it is much more fiddly. Although there are several versions of the fold on the Buggster, and some are easier than others.

The Buggster comes loaded with accessories, including a mesh seat pad, front napper bar, boot, sun cover, and rain cover. The Kooper has the aforementioned built-in canopy pockets, side net pockets in the seat, and glow in the dark shoulder harnesses and logo.
Here you can see the difference in the width. The Buggster is nearly 4" wider. But the length is where they really differ, due to the 3 wheels of the Buggster vs. the 4 wheels of the Kooper. 3 wheelers always have to be longer for stability, and in the Buggster's case, it is nearly 9" longer!

Both have a roomy 24" canopy clearance, although the Buggster's seatback is 2" taller. The Kooper folds much smaller than the Buggster, but longer. See the chart below for even more measurements.



Joovy Kooper Valco Buggster


Weight: 17. 5 pds. 18.5 pds.

Width: 21" 23 1/4"

Length: 26.5" 34"

Height: 40 1/4" 40.5"

Seat Width: 15" 18"

Seat Depth: 8" 9"

Seat Height: 18" 20"

Seat to Canopy: 24" 24"

Drop to Footrest: 11" 13"

Seat to Floor: 16" 16"

Folded: 46" x 13" x 12" 31" x 22 x 25"

2009 Stroller Previews

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9 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for this review. I've been researching the Joovy Kooper after I came across it in a baby store. I've never heard of the Buggster but they do seem to have a lot of similarities. I'm actually considering either the Joovy Kooper or the Baby Jogger City Mini. ANY THOUGHTS???

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  2. I would say that you need to decide whether you would like a single handle bar, or an umbrella handle. I also have a review of the BJ Mini here. You can take a look at the measurements and see how the seat sizes and weights stack up. Also, another one to consider in this category is the Valco Latitude. It has more features, and comes with more accessories. If you do a search, you can find a review of both.

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  3. The question here is, which do you prefer??? And which do you think has the better push? After loving my Buggster for the last year and a half, now you've got me curious!

    Chrysta

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  4. I was between the Kooper and the Rock Star Baby Candy. Our baby is big, at 6 months, he is 25 pounds and 28 inches. He had already outgrown his Chicco Key Fit 30 stroller in the shoulders. I liked features of both strollers, but the Kooper could be viewed and purchased locally, and could hold more weight and was wider in the seating area, so it son. We'll see how much we like it. Thanks for the reviews.

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  5. I own the City Mini Baby Jogger jogging stroller. I opted for the Joovy Kooper over the city mini baby jogger due to the size when collapsed. They are very similar when it comes to the features. The Joovy folded up like an umbrella stroller. The City Mini is wide but easy to fold. It's a personal preferance. They are both great strollers.

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  6. I'm trying to decide between the Valco Latitude and the Joovy Kooper. I like that the Valco can have the hitch hiker attached. Has anyone used the Kooper with a board? Is there enough room with the short handles?

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  7. I am also eager to hear if anyone has tried the Kooper with a buggy board...please comment, if so!

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  8. I'm torn about two strollers I've been looking at and don't really know which one to choose. I'm wondering if anyone has any insights. It's between the Joovy Kooper and the Baby Planet Monarch strollers. I've heard that the recline feature is much harder on the BP one and that it is much more narrow, but have heard that the JK tends to lose wheels and wear wheels out very quickly.
    Any experience on either of these?
    Thanks!

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  9. i love my joovy kooper buy has yet to find out about the buggy board attachement compatability too...

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