Britax Safe-n-Sound Encore 10

Design fault in side wings? – We have been using the Encore 10 for a year with our (now) 10 year old, who at 140cm and 40 kilos is very close to being the Minimum height for an adult belt. She still fits in the seat at the highest headrest setting, just. I am reviewing the seat now because we have had a problem with first one, now the other side wing, which Britax informed our… Read more

retail supplier they would fix (or replace the whole seat) under warranty. However, due to where we live and the postage involved (and our probably not needing the seat much longer anyway), I decided to see what was causing the issue myself by taking the back of the seat off and taking a look. I know that this is not the recommended way of dealing with car seat issues, but I'm that kind of person. Basically, the issue is that each of the side wings 'popped out' of the main body of the seat, leaving the teeth that hold them in place wedged on the outside of the main shell and leaving the wings at a strange angle. This happened when each of the wings were on the 'door side' of the car, and I assume was caused by our daughter bumping them as she got in the car. What I discovered when I took the back off (not difficult, just two screws and a plastic bolt) was that this issue is far more likely to occur when the wings are at their narrowest position (even though our daughter is large, we have a narrow car, so ours were always set to be as narrow as possible). On the widest setting, the 'teeth' of the side wing sit behind another set of 'teeth' in the body of the seat, but when you lift and rotate the wings to make them narrower, the teeth of the wing lift out from behind the teeth of the seat body and are left behind the outer plastic shell only. They extend one cm maximum (more like 5mm) behind this shell, so can easily be dislodged into the position described above (stuck on the outside of the main shell) with normal impact from robust use (I'm talking a child hurling themselves into the car or maybe an overzealous adult struggling to adjust the wings when they can't see what they are doing!). So, just be aware of this if you have the wings set on their narrowest setting; they are far less stable when adjusted this way. I can't imagine how they would not also pop out in a side-impact crash when in this position if it can happen with the impact of a 10-year-old's body. I don't think it is a fault with out seat in particular; it is the way the 'lift and rotate' mechanism is designed.

Slides around all over the place – My son is approx 136cm tall and 27kg in weight. We have this seat in our landcruiser and it is properly secured. My son constantly leans to the sides and his legs slide off the side as the cushion is flat, unlike some other models where the sides are slightly raised. This model is also missing the arm rests, which I think make a big difference in… Read more

keeping the child in a good seating position. The seat doesn't really sit properly in the car and the whole thing tends to slide. It doesn't seem safe at all. I imagine he would be in trouble with a side impact. We have also had it installed in our Volvo S80, and the same issues exist. In contrast we have a Hi Liner in the Volvo and it is much better. The problem is, I have just realised the sticker on the back says its only for up to 26kg! The Encore 10 is the only model available in Australia that appears to be for larger children.

The best booster seat option for older children – I have two Encore 10 booster seats installed in my car. Both my son's aged 12 and 9, love them. Very comfortable, easy to install, good looking design and most importantly, the safety features are outstanding! Highly recommended this booster seat, I am certain that they're the best on the market.

Best booster seat I've ever owned – I bought this booster seat after doing a lot of research. It's very sturdy and comfortable. I like the way practically everything about it is adjustable. My son has never complained about sitting in this seat. He's 6 1/2 now and tall for his age, but this seat still has heaps more allowance for growth. The claim is for a child 7 years to 10. I'm… Read more

guessing by my child's current size for age he may be able to use until at least 8 or 9 (my 2 teens are six footers!) It is also quite easy to carry when having to shift it from car to car. This seat replaced a Graco seat which just didn't last and was not very comfortable. I wish this seat was available when I had my two much older boys. I don't actually use the mp3 plug-in feature, so for us, this is the only thing I would complain about - but it's not even worth complaining about. I highly recommend this if you are willing to invest the money as I think it's their most expensive one.

Perfect for older child – Our daughter is 10 years old and still comfortably using this chair. She has multiple disabilities including low tone- making her at high risk of injury in an accident- we will be keeping her in this for as long as possible. I actually think it will outgrow the car before the child. (The headrest moves up but the higher it goes the closer to the roof it is getting and blocks more view)  Show 2 replies

best seat on the market – i have a 4 year old son how loves this seat he out grew his old booster as he is to heavy and tall for most boosters on the market so i brought the encore 10 i love the slid clip my son has a bad habit of slumping in his seat we have not used the inbuilt speakers but i think they would be really good on a long distance trip my daughter is going to… Read more

use it when my son is finished withe it my son dose not find the slide clip uncomfortable at all and he says it is very comfortable he always falls asleep in it i like the slideclip and the fact it is expandable for fast growing children

Great seat to last the distance – I purchased this booster seat after my 7 year old son outgrew the Safe n Sound Hi Liner. He was too tall and his shoulders were getting squished in the Hi Liner, but he was still too small for an adult belt, so I purchased the Encore 10. Initially we had no problems, then the headrest jammed, but I was sent a replacement seat immediately and we… Read more

haven't had any trouble since.

It's perfect for those kids who are bigger or if you want a booster seat that will last longer. I predict this will last my son until he's at least 10 or 11, and thankfully I have 2 other younger boys who are 3 and 5 so this seat will be used for many years to come.

I love how the shoulder area widens, I love the built in air bags. I love that the seat lengthens for those kids with longer legs. All up I am extremely happy with this seat and it was worth the $400 we paid when it was first released. You can pick them up now for $300 online.

It is a wider seat because it's made for older children so keep this in mind when installing 3 seats across the back. Because the wings adjust out it's quite hard to fit 3 across (I have a Maxi Rider for my 3 year old and a Infa Rallye for my 5 year old and the booster didn't fit in the middle unless I had the shoulders to the smallest setting). Tall shell, adjustable seat, adjustable shoulder area, built in headphones, very comfortable (so says my 9 year old), folds flat for easy storage. Definitely wouldn't put a 4 year old in it even though this is the minimum age. 4 year olds should still be in full harness car seats like my 3.5 (Maxi Rider AHR) and 5 (Infa Secure Rallye) year olds.

look at CREPs score if you are thinking of buying – Premium Price for less good booster seat. I purchased based on the advertising and not CREP results. Booster seat at less than 1/3 price has better CREP results. Why spend more for lesser crash protection? Don't buy this seat, use the CREP table to identify safer option. Your child will be safer and you will save money.. the advertising claims doesn't match advertising claims