Bugaboo Bee 6

Great product, with only a few very small flaws – Disclaimer: I am a Productreview.com.au Ambassador and will be reviewing the unit provided to me by Bugaboo. To provide some background, we’ve been using a Bugaboo Cameleon 3 for about 5 years now, having purchased it for our son (who is now 4 and a half) and now re-purposing it for our 14-month-old daughter. But it’s a big, heavy, unwieldy unit.… Read more ·  1

We purchased a Baby Jogger Citi Tour about 2 years ago when we travelled to Japan, as the Cameleon simply would not have been possible to travel with. The Baby Jogger was chosen specifically for its size and weight that meant we could take it as carry-on luggage and still handle our full-sized suitcases. It is a travel stroller, and we acknowledge that it served its purpose while travelling, but it was not an easy to use or comfortable product. As a result, we’ve only used it once since and that was only out of necessity. There have been several occasions where a smaller stroller/pram would have been ideal, but the Baby Jogger simply didn’t cut the mustard. So, we were quite excited when told that we’d be receiving a Bugaboo Bee 6. Was the Bee 6 going to fill the gap between the Cameleon 3 and the Baby Jogger?

When I received the Bee 6 (much more convenient when working from home), I opened the box and set about unpacking everything. As I remembered with the Cameleon 3, there is a lot of plastic packaging in the box. While I appreciate the need to protect the components during transit, I feel like this could be cut down significantly to reduce environmental impact. When I had everything laid out, the first thing that hit me was that there were (thankfully) less pieces than I remember with the Cameleon 3 and less than I expected.

After unfolding the instructions, I quickly remembered how much I disliked Bugaboo’s approach to minimalization. There are lots of diagrams, some of which are ambiguous and confusing. There is absolutely nothing in the way of written instructions, obviously to save having to print instructions in 15 different languages. Luckily the Bee 6 is easier to assemble than larger Bugaboo strollers or prams, but not by much. It still took me well over an hour. As the frame is basically preassembled, assembly is limited to the seat and seat cushion (in my opinion the trickiest part), the shade and bumper. My previous experience putting the seat cushion together on the Cameleon 3 (and taking it apart to wash) shaved some time off. There are better ways to present these instructions, including video instructions or interactive online instructions. Once I had the pram together, I was suitably impressed with the build quality. No rattles or squeaks and it had that premium European feel to it. You can tell this is not a cheap product and a high degree of care has gone into the design and manufacture. I wouldn’t call the pram a standout aesthetically, with the all black colour scheme being functionally attractive rather than outright attractive. You can change the fabric if a splash of colour is so desired. You really do get what you pay for and the Bee 6 is a quality product. That being said, it wouldn’t kill manufacturers to throw in a cup holder with high end products.

The seat can be easily positioned to allow front or rear facing orientation. My daughter is only just old enough to have the seat front facing, so I cannot comment on the practical application of the rear facing position. I did give it a few attempts and found that changing the seat was an easy task. Not that you’d be doing this very often anyway.

Folding the pram down and putting it back up was easy too. Much easier than the Cameleon 3. While it is not a one-handed operation, once you get the hang of it, the mechanism is smooth and intuitive, which is nice when you’re juggling groceries and 2 children.

The removable fabric is another reason I love Bugaboo products. I’d had to remove fabric from the Cameleon 3 a few times because of spills and accidents and while it takes a bit to get off and back on again, things do get easier the 3rd or 4th time you do it. You’ll be thankful you do have the option of pulling it off as you will want to keep the Bee 6 looking clean.

Next it was time to try it out. I put my somewhat unwilling 14-month-old test subject in the seat and strapped her in. As I couldn’t very well interview her, I based her level of comfort on the amount of room she had around her, the level of protection the pram provided from sun and wind and the breathability of the pram. While we were still in the house, I ran my hand around the seat, and she had a fair bit of room to spare. Bugaboo rates the Bee 6 up to 22Kg, but that’s an average. My 4-year-old son is 21Kg and there’s no way he was willing to stay in the Bee 6 for very long as he said he found it uncomfortable.

Once my daughter was settled, we all went for a walk. Our area is relatively well paved with smooth concrete paths, but there are some more rugged off-road areas where we could test the performance. The sunshade provided a surprising amount of protection from the late afternoon sun, although it can be temperamental and is prone to flipping back a few notches if touched or if there is a bit of wind. A neat feature of the Bee 6 is the breathable seat complete with ventilation. The Cameleon 3 used to get quite hot inside on sunny days and I really felt for my kids. There is noticeably more airflow in the Bee 6.

The handlebar is height adjustable to suit most heights. I’m a little over 6ft and was quite comfortable using the Bee 6 during the 3 weeks or so we were trialling it. Some days we were out for 5 to 6 hours. Something I wasn’t a fan of though was the length of the safety strap. It was too short to allow me to place my hands at a comfortable distance. Another 5 or 6 centimetres would have been great. The footbrake took a bit of getting used to, but I much prefer it to the Cameleon’s hand brake. Additional safety comes in the form of the bumper bar that goes across in the front of the child. This is present on other Bugaboo models and just adds that little extra bit of safety. My daughter appreciates it too as it just gives her something to hang onto if the surface is a little uneven. Night visibility did present some problems with the all black colour scheme. I realise it might not fit with the brand aesthetics, but the addition of some reflective strips would have improved the safety greatly.

The substantially lower weight compared to the Cameleon 3 also helped substantially. It felt more manoeuvrable on almost every surface. While the smaller wheels will not work on sand, even rough terrain was a breeze to navigate. Urban warriors will love the smaller footprint and light touch. That beig said, the robust construction does make it heavier than other strollers its size. You don’t feel it when using the Bee 6 but do notice the extra weight when you have to heft it into the boot of a car.

One big drawback though is storage space, or the lack of it. We struggled to get more than a nappy bag under there. It’s always been a bit of a sore point with me as Bugaboo really score poorly on this across almost their entire range.

The 4-wheel suspension is a function that really impressed me. I think Bugaboo have refined this even further over the past few years. Even running over rough compacted dirt didn’t disturb my napping daughter. It also meant there were no jarring surprises shooting up through the handlebar.

Pros + Bee 6 suits newborn babies right up to 22Kg + a good (somewhat understated) looking stroller + the build quality and materials are excellent + great performance over a variety of terrains + the stroller is very easy to fold down and open up + washable fabric keeps the stroller looking fresh + height adjustable handlebar suits a variety of heights + adaptable to seat and bassinet (sold separately) + 4 solid rubber wheels look to be very durable + well designed sunshade provides sun protection + very well-ventilated including ventilation in the seat + bumper bar provides an additional level of safety + 10.5Kg weight making it lighter than other Bugaboo products + convenience of forward and rewards facing seat + Bee 6 self stands makes storage a breeze + Bugaboo customer service is almost impeccable

Cons - price point is quite steep compared to similarly sized strollers - 10.5Kg is still heavier than a lot of competing products - still too much unnecessary plastic packaging - storage space underneath is very limited - the setup instructions are somewhat ambiguous - safety strap on the handlebar is relatively short - completely black design means limited visibility at night - cup holder sold separately

Overall, the Bee 6 is an absolute joy to use and is a product that we’ll happily live with until my daughter is old enough not to require a pram. It’s lightweight and manoeuvrable, perfect for urban environments. But it’s not afraid to tackle rugged terrain with its fantastic suspension and solid wheels. Buying a cheaper pram will save you money, but you will notice the improved performance differences and build quality after only a short period of use.

Although I've mentioned that there are some small flaws with this pram, that only leads me to believe that the Bee 7 will be close to perfect. Despite the minor issues, the Bugaboo Bee 6 is 100% hands-down the best small stroller that we have ever used.

Pram for on the go but could be better – Picking a pram for your newborn could be a daunting task. Each to their own, some like the easy manoeuvrability, simple design, no random buttons or levers that you don’t know what it’s functionality is and so on. And that’s what the Bugaboo Bee 6 has all those to offer. Its sleek black frame design gives it the simplistic looks. The low profile… Read more

means you can see your newborn a lot easier even when the shade is fully extended, but this sacrifices the storage space below. We also own a Valco Baby pram which below, we can store a fully supplied Nursery bag and my wife’s handbag. It can also take a couple of bits and bobs like drinks and food if we need to. Not with the Bee 6, we would be lucky to even fit the nappy bag under there.

I really like the way the pram opens up. It takes a bit to get use to but it’s a simple pull of the handlebars and pushing down on the red brake pedal as leverage. Folding the pram is a little different as you need to simultaneously pull two little levers and push down. I also like how the pram is designed to stand up when folded making storage neater and easier.

Like most prams, there’s a bit of assembly required before you can use it to its full extent. Now, I’m usually good at reading instructions as I had to build most of the furniture in our daughters bedroom but the instructions to building the Bee 6 got me overwhelmed, sometimes scratching my head and stalling at one of the steps. The whole book is based on pictures and not a single step is written in text. Assembling the pram took me almost 2 hours - and that’s no exaggeration.

Assembly is pretty much just the seat, seat cushion and shade. The shade is what I want to dive into more. Make sure you don’t make the same mistake as I did. Building the shade consists of feeding two U-bend rods into the material. I accidentally fed them facing the wrong way and so when the shade was extended, it would pop back and look kind of “irregular” looking. This required me to take off the shade but in doing so, I had to remove the seat cushion as well as the shade frame is connected behind it, so there is quite a bit of backtracking involved.

Using the pram is lightweight. Even with our 24 week old baby weighing in at 7.5kg was no chore at all. Handlebars can be extended for taller dads, like me, but the safety strap located dead centre of the handlebar is so short it makes me feel very restrictive on how my hands can move about.

I feel that the shade needs a bit of rework. It feels a bit flimsy and sometimes it flips back a few notches at the slightest touch. Still, our daughter is well covered from the sun.

The added suspension on all 4s really makes the Bugaboo Bee 6 what it is. Our area where the footpaths are littered with stones and crossing the road has those little bumps which I always tend to slow down running over when using the Valco Baby. This is of course, a different story with the Bee. I can run over these like I’m doing it on purpose and not stress out about waking up our daughter.

With the seat, it can be adjusted at different angles with a pull of the lever behind the hard plastic frame. The seat is not enclosed as like the Valco Baby is. This means I have to be a bit more vigilant with our daughters things like her dummy or her favourite Little Miss Piggy toy can fall out from the sides. I feel like the bassinet has to be used for moments like this. I’ll get back to the bassinet in a minute.

The pram is very minimalistic with it’s buttons and levers. They always say “if there’s a button or lever, it does something”. That’s very true but most of the time, you don’t know what it does. After careful investigation, I’ve counted 3 pairs of buttons and 2 levers.

The bassinet itself is a separate add on which can be added instantly to the hard plastic back with a couple of feed throughs with the seatbelt straps and off you go. The lightweight material used makes it very breathable and therefore comfortable with our daughter. With zips on both sides, you don’t need to fully encase your baby every time the bassinet is used. Buttons are located at intervals which can be used hold down the front part so it can be rolled down and provide extra leg comfort.

In retrospect, the Bugaboo Bee 6 states its suited for the busy city life and that holds true. Manoeuvrability is perfect for this situation and it’s compact size makes it suitable for crowds. Big ticks are awarded for safety, although, as I said before, the wrist strap could have extended a few more inches. A tick for its simplistic design, low profile seating and frame but it comes at a cost with the sacrifice of underneath storage space.

Can’t wait to switch this to front facing when our daughter grows older.

Excellent Quality, Solid Performer, Great Design – What is that old maxim? Every child is different. And I tell you that after doing foster care for 5 years there can be no truer phrase spoken. So how would you design a pram that suits a broad range of ages, needs, children and situations? And how can you make small parts of good parenting just that little bit easier? It would be by buying a… Read more ·  1

well-designed pram and I think Bugaboo are on to something with their Bee 6. We received a Bee 6 in all black with the Bee Plus Baby Cocoon so in theory it can take children from newborn to around 24 months. For a parent that is used to the hard floor and walls of a bassinette it took a little bit of getting used to and it felt a bit odd putting arm and leg harnesses on a newborn but we got used to it. Getting the pram out of the box was fairly straightforward and laying all the pieces on the ground made getting ready for assembly quite easy but the instruction manual was all pictures and arrows with very little description. I found some of the diagrams difficult to determine the difference between doing things the wrong way and the right way. Sometimes the diagrams were too similar and required quite a bit of studying, so I needed to gather the family around to help me work it out – it felt like reading Where’s Wally a few times. I also found the number of steps required to assemble the pram was quite excessive. At more than 20 steps it was up there with assembling a bed, bookshelf, or TV cabinet and took me around an hour. I would recommend getting the place of purchase to assemble it for you or look it up on YouTube. Better still, Bugaboo could make their own video and have a QR code on the box to scan the web link or just get the number of assembly steps down to around 5. But on the upside no tools are required. The pram unpacks and packs up quite easily. It is just the press of 2 buttons on the handle and the pram will collapse ready for the car boot or the cupboard, and there is a handy kick stand on the front of the pram so it stands up in a narrow hallway cupboard, theoretically taking up less horizontal space. Unpacking is quite easy but it’s not a 1-handed operation. The red pedal needs to be depressed while pulling upwards on the handlebar and it requires quite a bit of oomph to get it to click – if you’ve had a caesarean you can count this out for about 4 weeks. But what I do love is the height adjustable handlebar for those of us who are taller. The handle slides up and down by releasing 2 white levers and it means I’m not kicking the back of the pram even on downhills. It takes up a moderate amount of boot space when packed into the back of a sedan or hatchback too, so the groceries will have to go on the back seat I’m afraid. But what really made me nervous was how getting the pram into and out of the car and the baby into and out of the pram conflicted with Parenting Rule #4 – never take your eyes off the child. What about taking my eyes off the $1400 pram? I am seriously giving the unscrupulous a 2 minute opportunity to make a quick $1400 windfall. Everyone knows the logo and what the prams are worth – definitely invest in a $50 Tile Pro to hide somewhere on the pram for that peace of mind. And since the pram will be separated from you on a bus or plane as it won’t go in overhead space, this is doubly a good idea. Nearly everything on the pram is washable. Think about that for a while. It takes a bit of effort putting the pram together so it will take quite a bit of effort getting everything off again to put through the machine but it’s a nice feature to have if the washing machine is ever empty and you have a spare few hours. And it frees up your mind around Parenting Rule #54 – never do dangerous things in a hurry and #37 – always make time for safety. You know how you drum into your older kids that they have to hold the pram when you cross the road and then you won’t cross the road until they are holding the pram? And I tend to take pride in this happening automatically as you approach a crossing with a red man and the button needs to be pressed. But there is always that time when hands are covered, nay caked in Vegemite and it doesn’t really occur to me until we approach the crossing and the little hand reaches across to grab the fabric and I’m a touch too late. Hey, washable fabric! As an aside, we did notice that the fabrics used on the pram were different blacks and it became quite obvious in full sun. Pushing the pram around is quite easy. It has 4 of those solid rubber wheels so there’s no need to check tyre pressures and no risk of ever getting a flat and they also gave very low rolling resistance. If you pump up the tyres on your bike quite hard you’ll notice it is easy to pedal and the bike moves faster. The same goes for the Bugaboo Bee 6. The tyres are nice and firm so it produces low rolling resistance when pushing but the tyres are a bit on the skinny side so there’s no going to the beach and watch out for roadside drains and getting out of lifts and trains. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, just be mindful. The front castors are also lockable so you could nearly go jogging with it if you wanted to as this would theoretically stop wheel wobble like you get sometimes with a shopping trolley. The brakes go on with a centrally set red foot pedal once the pram is stationary. This is a design feature I’ve never really understood with prams. There should be a dead man’s bar (like a lawn mower - see picture) on the handlebar so the pram locks when the handle is let go. This is to ensure that if the parent is incapacitated or distracted the pram won’t roll away (https://youtu.be/DU-v9XmOkUY footage at10:50). Remember that many people who push prams are not necessarily the parents – they are often carers, relatives or elderly people. All it would take is an important phone call or a medical episode to cause the pram to roll away and possibly into danger. And while many parents go walking at dawn or dusk there aren’t many visibility features here either. There should be reflective 3M tape down the sides of the pram for crossing roads and flashing red LED lights above the back wheels (see pictures). The front bar that clicks in and out could also have a forward facing LED white strip embedded into it with a USB-C rechargeable battery beneath the padding. The wrist strap on the handle is designed as a safety feature to stop the pram getting away. A pusher is supposed to put their hand through the strap before taking hold of the handlebar but it is also a pinch point. If the pram is pulled away violently you can’t get your hand out in time to protect yourself. If a bus (for example) strikes the pram and it gets caught under the chassis, you have a strong likelihood of losing your arm or being pulled under the bus with the pram. The seat and bassinette (sold separately) can be forward or rearward facing which is nice. The storage underneath is quite small though and can only hold 2L of milk and a loaf of bread but what I really like is all the accessories. A few worth considering are the Bugaboo cup holder for the adult, the Bugaboo universal seat liner to protect the fabric, the Bugaboo tray (which is really a cup holder and lidded snack storer for the toddler), the Cocoon for the first 6 months, and the smartphone holder (although I think there are a few more superior contenders such as the X-Grip). Finally, does this purchase represent good value for money? If the logo was absent the pram doesn’t look expensive. Having the hood extended makes it look a bit more crisp with the ribbing but it really doesn’t look like a $1400 pram. The build quality is good. There are no rattles or squeaks when using it and there aren’t many things that typically go wrong with the prams made by this brand, generally speaking. The after sales customer service is reasonably good and there is a vast supply of spare parts available should anything go wrong, but the after sales experience is not akin to Lexus or Dyson where you really feel as though the price you paid is directly related to the quality of the brand and the level of after sales support you receive. Having said that, if you stop someone in a shopping centre with a Bugaboo and ask them about their pram you rarely get a nonchalant response or an answer less than 5 minutes long.

Very easy to manage and good folding – Typically when reviewing a product I like to avoid reading too many other reviews or website marketing from the manufacturer before getting the product BUT when it comes to the safety of your kids that sort of goes out the door. Personally I see a lot of prams in my daily life because I work in a medical practice. I see parents come through… Read more ·  1

almost daily with their babies and the latest and greatest in pram technology. This definitely doesn’t make me an expert but knowing what these things cost I often do ask people what hey chose MaxiCozi or Bugaboo over the other brands or vice versa and it’s interesting to hear what they have to say.

When we knew that the Bee6 was coming in the mail I started doing a bit of research on both the old Bee’s and other mid-size portable prams. What is clear is that Bugaboo has been making this Bee line for a while now and rather than trying to change it over time, what they have done is consistently implemented upgrades and improvements to the pram. I really like this because it tells me they are just taking a good/successful product and making it better, safer, more functional or usable for babies and parents.

On to my experience with this Bugaboo Bee 6 over the past 3 weeks or so.

Pros: - Very smooth wheels and suspension for city/urban environments - Good build quality - Easy folding and unfolding - Kickstand - Adaptable for Seat or Bassinet - Seat orientation changes very easily - Good storage for a mid-sized pram - Well ventilated

Cons: - Assembly is somewhat annoying - Heavier than expected - Lots of plastic packaging - (Price)

As you can see here the pros strongly outpace the cons but, as always, it really depends on what you’re after. In keeping with Bugaboo’s marketing, the Bee6 is very much an urban commuter pram. The wheels and suspension are the big selling point for Bugaboo and they really don’t disappoint. I haven’t tried a Bee5 to be able to tell you if the upgrade not he Bee6’s wheels is worth it but in my experience using it, they are very nice and smooth. The suspension on all 4 wheels definitely helps to take out the bumps and lumps of city roads and helps a lot with side walks. This not only benefits bub, but also translates up into your wrist when pushing and makes for a more comfortable walk overall.

The build quality is predictably excellent for a well established up-market brand like Bugaboo and I really I can’t fault them anywhere on this. All parts fit together nicely and there is little to no rattling. I haven’t stress tested it and have only been using it for about 3 weeks but I expect that it will be around for years to come. On the topic of build, the assembly is sort of a pain in the back side. The Bee6 comes with an instruction manual that takes it’s cues from the fine people at Ikea and Lego and really does leave quite a bit to the imagination. I found myself having to do things 2 or 3 times before getting it right esp with things like putting the baton’s in the awning attaching the awning to the pram. Another annoying point is that Bugaboo has still wrapped everything in plastic and bubble wrap. Bugaboo needs to take some cues from companies like Dyson who have done away with plastic wrapping and ship everything in either paper or cardboard.

The pram is nice and portable (depending on your expectations). It is definitely not an ultra-portable and even folded it will take up the entire boot of your vehicle. We have a VW Golf and while it fits, you can’t really put the groceries in there with it. That said it’s a massive relief over a full size pram which can be a bit like playing Tetris whenever you’re putting it in a car. The folding and unfolding mechanism is dead easy and highly intuitive, just push with your foot and pull with your hands, the quality of the build here against keeps you feeling comfortable to use some force when you’re in a rush (in fact you always need a bit of force when unfolding it) and not worry that you’re going to break it.

The seat is fairly firm and rigid but can be adjusted to sit forward and rear facing very easily once you know the process. The seat can be flattened to accommodate the Bugaboo Baby Cocoon which works really nicely and is a great accessory to add to your purchase if you have a newborn and don’t want to go the bassinet route.

The Kickstand that they have added to the Bee6 is actually really useful and means that you can fold it up and stand it anywhere with a flat surface (no longer needing to lean it up against a wall or lay it on the ground. This is pretty huge when you go over to a friends house or for the convenience of just keeping it by the front door. Equally if you live in a small apartment (per Bugaboo’s marketing to up-market New York micro dwellers) being able prop it up on the kickstand is really helpful. Even if you have plenty of room to lean it against a wall, the kickstand is equally useful at keeping the pram from sliding out. All in all this is a feature that I knew was there from my research but was surprised at how useful I find it.

By full-sized pram standards, the Bee6 is pretty light but don’t make the mistake of thinking that it doesn’t have some weight about it. Again this really just comes down to your expectations and I really can’t fault Bugaboo here. I listed the weight as a Con above initially but then removed it because I just found it heavier than I had expected. When I was in a store I tried lifting a full-size pram (MaxiCozi), the Bee6 and then an Ultra-light pram (Bugaboo Lynx) and this helped “recalibrate” my brain a bit. Overall I think that Bugaboo has struck the right balance with the Bee6.

Finally there is the price factor. I have this in brackets above because really, it’s hard to tell people how to value things. Prams are expensive, this is a premium brand, and ultimately I think that Bugaboo earns the price they charge with their innovations and build quality. Cost to people is again a relative thing. If you can’t afford a $1000 pram, don’t even bother looking at them. If $1000 is what you spend on a pair of shoes then you won’t care about the price anyway. Most of us fall somewhere in between.

So for me and my money, I think that I would buy the Bugaboo Bee 6. I like portable things and value quality build. The wheels are great and this makes it enjoyable to use day in and day out and I like that it can accommodate a bassinet if needed (though I wasn’t able to test this).