Valco Baby Snap

Best pram I've owned – I decided to write a review because all I ever do is praise the pram/stroller to everyone I know! I've now owned my Valco Baby Snap 3 for just over 2 years. The brakes are as perfect as the day I purchased the pram & this pram has done some serious kms, been on several plane rides & has been thrown about in my boot many times!! I bought… Read more

this pram when my first child was 10 months old as I was wanting a lighter pram & also a pram that had a fully upright position, not semi layer back (I had the strider compact at the time).

It was love from the first time I tried it!

Super large hood

Extremely easy to manoeuvre

Fits ANYWHERE! (Even in tight restaurants & small shops)

Is so very light & extremely easy to fold down & open again!

The lay back strap is really smooth & works perfectly

The harness is very easy to clip up & undo (despite it being a 'breakaway harness')

The only possible Con I could think of is the basket is quite small & hard to access when the pram is in the laid back position- however I feel this is a VERY small issue compared to all the Pros of this pram & also with a pram so beautifully compact & light you can't really expect a huge basket.

side note: I have since owned a Baby Jogger city select & a new version of the Steelcraft Strider compact- as I had a second child & needed a double pram that was an inline pram so it wouldn't be as wide as a 'double'... But I love Snap too much & find I always reach for it, my toddler either walks or my baby is carried & one or the other occupies the seat of the pram!

Might I add my almost 3 year old is 100cms tall & 18kgs and even with her in it, it glides and steers as easy as when my 8kg 10 month old is in it- and my toddler has plenty of room still!

Lightweight, good (not great) value Pram – We looked at many prams that were on the market, we were comparing the SNAP mainly to 1) Babyjogger City Mini, 2) City Mini GT, 3) Steelcraft Agile. Compared to the 3 prams above, the pluses of the SNAP are: 1) 6.2KG! Lightweight and nimble (a big plus especially for mom, we don't need a pram the size of a Bunnings shopping trolley), FYI City… Read more

Mini is 7.55kg, City Mini GT is 9.5kg, Agile is 7.5kg

2) seat folds inward rather than outward to keep it clean,

3) accessories (hood, foot cover, etc) are well priced, saved some money to buy more nappies!

4) slightly narrower chassis (good for tight spaces, restaurant and while travelling. Good luck with your pram the size of Bunning shopping trolley in a packed restaurant),

5) good single handed manoeuvrability (probably due to the lighter weight),

6) easy folding and unfolding,

7) Comes with belly bar which is optional ($$$) on the Babyjoggers and not available on the Steelcraft,

8) Big expandable hood,

9) Puncture proof tires,

10) Shoulder carrying strap

The negatives are:

1) Lightweight = less durable material, fabric starting to look a bit distressed after a year of usage, chassis doesn't feel as "tight" compare to Babyjoggers and Steelcraft,

2) Handle bar foam is not replaceable,

3) Belly bar does not have a fabric cover, bub chewing on the foam,

4) Wheels bent and wobbles, rubber wear out fast,

5) Can't engage/disengage the brake occasionally,

6) Handle bar height not adjustable like the City Mini GT,

7) Less "prestige" compared to big names like BabyJogger, Steelcraft, Mountain Buggy but I am sure my bub won't mind at all.

8) Noisy velcro to hold down the flaps (Come on Valco! Haven't heard of magnetic closure?)

Other negatives which are universal to most prams in this category: 1) Underseat storage a bit difficult to access if the seat back is fully reclined, 2) 3 wheels is less stable sideways.

Overall, a very good value for money pram, it will be perfect if Valco can sort out some of the issues mentioned above, e.g. Removable and washable cover for the belly bar and handle bar probably cost very little to make, better material,

Best value, great service sees brake issue fixed within an hour – I've been using the Valco Snap 3 for 16mths now (almost daily) and it has been incredible value. I did a lot of research before choosing this product, with the main criteria being: lightweight, compact, easy to fold/unfold, maneuverable, compatible with car capsule, and value for money. I still believe it's the most well-rounded product on the… Read more

market, and meets these requirements very well.

There is no perfect product so compromises need to be made for what you think is most important. For example, I know it is light and 3-wheeled so it may not be as stable as other prams, but I am conscious of that so I am careful not to put any weight on the handles and only harnessed kids may ride. In exchange, the light weight and large, 3-wheeled configuration means it is easier to push over different terrain, cracks, kerbs and bumps with one hand, and I can fold/unfold with one hand to/from the boot of the car - its strengths and weaknesses suit us just fine.

To anyone considering a baby capsule travel system (where you can transfer the capsule between car and pram) it worked well for us and I would recommend it. Countless times our bub would fall asleep while we were walking in the pram, or on the way somewhere in the car - rather than wake them we would just push a button to release the capsule and then transfer them to the car/pram or just take the capsule inside the house until their nap had finished, all without ever disturbing them. I also think it is a safer option for you and the bub getting in/out of cars, especially in tight car bays - you don't have to stretch/bend/contort your body as much, and less risk of dropping the bub or bumping them into something. For the Valco Snap I got the BabyLove Snap N Go capsule with the BabyLove Ezy Combo Convertible Booster Car Seat (for later on). There is an adapter which clicks on to the pram when using the capsule - it's very easy to use.

There are a few people who have had issues with the brake on this pram, and this week I was struck with the same problem - one of the wheels had its brake permanently 'on' and I was a bit of a walk away from home. I was fortunate because I could remove the problematic wheel and push it back home while carrying the bub, and I didn't have any shopping etc in the basket underneath. If it was my wife instead, she could have used her mobile to call for help or just abandoned the pram and came back for it later - not ideal at all. The service when reporting the fault was second-to-none however, and believe it or not the brake was replaced within an hour. I called 1300 082 526 and mentioned the brake issue. After giving my postcode they contacted the nearest repairer and confirmed they had the part in stock. I drove to the repairer, who replaced the part in about 2mins and I was on my way again - no paperwork, and at no stage was I asked for purchase date or receipt. Of course if the part was out of stock I would have had to wait for shipping from VIC to WA. This experience would not deter me from buying the same model or recommending it to others. Things break, so it's good to know how companies then deal with that. In this case the fault was obviously a recognised one, and I couldn't fault them for their efforts rectifying it. It is also worth mentioning I queried this brake fault with the repairer and he did not consider it a common fault at all in the scheme of things.

All the best.

Amazing stroller – I bought this stroller as a travel stroller due to its light weight and it didn't disappoint. I have had no problems with this product and ive have it over 4 years. The brakes are simple, it has a massive hood, it is light and it folds easy. Im now using this for my second child, it's just great. It is also great when travelling as it is cheaper… Read more

and im not so worried if it gets damaged. I would say it is more of a stroller not a pram and probably wouldn't recommend it for a child less then 6 months but that is personal preference.

Love it...soo light – I bought this last year for my first bub and then we travelled overseas.. It was Soo light easy to fold...i think lightest pram in industry only around 5kg... Highly recommend this one.. Easy to use.. Move easily in shopping centre So cheap and good resale value... Best investment My husband can also easily use it after having back problem.

I am a very happy mum – My husband and I love this pram, easy to fold (can be folded with the use of one hand), very light weight, doesn't take up much space in the boot of our car, can be transported on a plane as carry on, and easy to maneuver around especially clothes racks, I would recommend this pram to all of you mothers, price is good to.

Light and compact – Is the wheel wobble standard for this pram or a defect? I just bought this and although everything else seems fine and is what I wanted, the wheel wobble on smooth surfaces (I haven't taken it out of the house because I don't want my baby wobbling around) is out of control. We have tried reassembling it but having the same issue. It seems to… Read more

be the front wheel causing the problem..

Is there a way to fix this as I now don't have a pram.

Thanks

Nice n Light Pram – Happy with Pram although one side of brake system locked on after 2 months. I couldnt push my son halfway through an hour walk from home, extremely annoying trying to get home tilting the pram to one side & trying to push it home. I couldnt find receipt to get fixed under warranty. Also the backrest has a huge crack down leftside forcing my son to sink to that side. Not very good quality materials used i would say

Cant adjust footrest, slippery lining – Although lightweight and easy to maneuver, I am highly disappointed that the footrest is fixed and cannot be adjusted. The lining is quite slippery, no better with a cotton liner that we got and my son keeps sliding or has to sit in an awkward position. After having paid $329 for this, now I am having to look for another stroller. Not worth the money.

It has been super useful for our family – This stroller has everything we need, however, the zipper that houses our baby's head is faulty and now has to be jiggled a little to safely seal. Other than this, its a great quality, decently priced stroller Show details ·  1

Affordable pram – Pros: Lightweight Easy to use and assemble Tires aren’t at risk of popping or deflating Folds compactly Price Adjustable foot rear Easy to clean Seat is very spacious Cons: No wheelieboard fits comfortably - makes it hard if you have 2 or more kids, and if you choose a universal board, the pram is then hard to maneuver Wears easily

Love this stroller – I was actually given one of these as a gift and I love it. I have the snap black beauty with bassinet For newborn up. So sturdy easy to steer. Great airflow ventilation Huge storage pockets and basket. Easy 1 handed layback great when bub drifts off. Folds up super compact aswell. Making this a game changer for faniky days out, it folds up so… Read more

small i could still it on the floor behind my sons rear facing car seat leaving boot space for other items when needed. Super light you can easily push it with one hand. And the shade hood was nice and big great for protecting your little one from the sun. Also very easy to clean.

Fantastic pram – I have had my Snap 4 for over 6 years now, and have been so happy with it. It is lightweight, easy to steer, easy to fold. It is comfortable & roomy for baby/toddler, recline function is easy, basket is a good size. We have used the adapter for the baby love snap & go capsule which has been an added bonus. When our brake cable snapped last week… Read more

(after 6+ years continuous use, now onto its fourth child) I was reluctantly contemplating retiring the pram and getting a new one but when I called Valco they were helpful & able provide the replacement part for a very reasonable price.

I thoroughly recommend this pram.

Great lightweight & affordable pram – I am very happy with the pram, a great affordable price, nice and light making it easy to push and put away in the car, easy to fold, and unfold, folds in 1 click, when folded it doesn't get the seat dirty, easy to clean material, fully reclining so baby can sleep, nice and narrow to fit through places easier. Being 3 wheels it is easier to steer.

Good Product – I am quite happy with this product. its sturdy easy to move around. I use it walking around the neighborhood and no issues on the footpaths doing this. Definitely for a bigger car, but once you work out how to open and close it is easy to do, just be mindful of your fingers. The one thing I don't like is the basket, with my son reclined I basically can't use this feature as its to hard to get in and out of.

Fantastic reliable lightweight pram – Very lightweight and easy to fold, great for everything day use. Deep storage under the pram. We use it for our weekly groceries shopping. We bought it four years ago and still going strong. Basic looking, no frills. Highly recommended, will buy valco again due to affordability and the quality.

Fantastic Pram. Would recommend Valco – Fantastic Pram. Got it given to us and it is perfect. Light, easy to fold, easy to steer. Can run with as the front wheel locks. Had a brake wire snap so the brakes were stuck on and Valco sent a replacement for free and no tools required to fit it. for a relatively inexpensive Pram it is good quality. Would buy Valco again.

Superb after sales service! – The pram itself is pretty good. Lightweight, easy to manoeuvre, simple to fold. My daughter was happy with it. Totally no complaints about it's usage. After using it for around 3.5 years, the common brake problem appeared. It was always engaged. I thought to dump it because it was out of warranty but I had a google about this problem and… Read more

read other people contacting the manufacturer to get a new brake assembly.

So I contacted valco and I was expecting to have to buy a new one. They offered to post me one fully free and it arrived today! Fantastic!

Wobbly pram even on flat surface – I've had this pram for 4 months now (purchased Jan 30, 2017) and it has become the most wobbly pram. It is like I'm pushing my baby on a dirt track when in actual fact we are walking on a smooth, flat ground. At first the wobble wasn't that bad but in just 4 months it has become quite bad. I've tested the pram with just my baby (~9kg) in it and… Read more

nothing in the basket but still wobbles.

I quite like everything else about this pram; it is light weight, it has a large basket, easy to fold and a large sun shade but the wobble it becoming quite frustrating and I'm beginning to think this is the reason why my baby hates sitting in it.

Good hybrid pram/stroller – This has been a great pram for us over the last 2.5 years - only thing i would change is buy the 4 wheeler as this has tipped over being only 3 wheels(has not been a major issue for us but if I had to buy again). Good quality fittings, easy fold up down mechanism, lightweight but sturdy and just all round easy pesy. I had a buggaboo and sold that… Read more

for a good 2nd hand price once my child was 9 months (buggaboo is alot more fiddly packing down to put in boot as its a two part system) and bought this pram/stroller hybrid and never looked back. Like i said i would definitely buy this brand again just 4 wheels.

Is it easy to maneuver – its was very good experience with valco one push button can fold the pram and easy to carry anywhere.very good Quality material they used and baby was very comfortable to ride with it. and easy to turn and move the breaking system also very good. I am very happy with this product.

Lightweight and easy to manoeuvre – Purchased the valco snap to replace a very heavy double pram that I had. It's very easy to fold, I can fold it one handed and it has a carry handle and strap to help lift and place it in the car. I had hoped to be able to fit my toddler kickboard to the back but none of the brands on the market allow enough room for my toddler to stand… Read more

without hitting his head on the handle.

On the whole I'm extremely happy with my purchase, and the girl that served me at baby hunting spent a great deal of time making sure I was happy with it before taking it home!

Would happily recommend for 6 months and upwards.

Great Pram, traveled with us on 2 continents - not a problem – I've had this pram 2 and a half years now and stopped using it because my son is too old. I've used it every day for about 2 years, took it on a plane to Europe and back twice, dragged it up and down over stairs and bridges in Venice, pushed it on concrete, grass and gravel and never had a problem with it. My son was very comfortable sleeping in… Read more

it when he was a baby and was happy to sit in up until he was ready to run around. The canopy offers great shade and you can lift the back pocket for extra air on hot days. My only complaint was that the bottom pocket is very hard to access when the chair is fully reclined and you end up giving the baby a bit of a jolt if you are trying to get things out while he is asleep. I bought it because it was the lightest pram I could find at a reasonable price

($250) & I would definitely recommend it to a friend.

Disappointed from the brakes – After 3 months I bought my valco baby snap 3, I got already problems with the brakes. I paid a lot because I thought it was meaning of quality. I am on my own, no relatives, no husband,no car. And now , no pram. The brake stops the left wheel and I can't push it anymore. I am very angry.

Snap 3 Handle Foam Split Again – Have been fairly happy with this product for 7 months until the foam handle split. This is a very common problem with the whole Valco range & after enquiring about a repair or replacement, was told the handle is not covered by warranty & also not replaceable either. How is the most used part of a pram not covered? This is unacceptable & will be taking it up with Fair Trading.

wheels get jammed as the break fails...good when it works – I really like this pram when it works well but we have had 2 brake damage. Latest one was few weeks ago when we got stranded in a theme par in Goldcoast with a broken pram and a very tired child. Is this a manufacturing defect? We don't even use it so much so not sure why it keeps breaking. Have to say when it is fine it works really well...light and easy to maneuverer . But becomes useless with the break issue

Great pram initially until wheels jam – I loved this pram initially after looking for an easier pram to assemble than my bugaboo. Initially the wheels/steering were great. Now it's like pushing a wayward shopping trolley where the wheels get stuck and you can't push the pram forward. Not an issue ... Until you need to push forward off an escalator or off a train and your pram doesn't… Read more

mve. Not sure what the issue is but it is dangerous. The issue started when the pram was about 18 mths old. Not great...

Light weight, brakes are fine! – I've had this stroller for nearly two and a half years. Had no problems at all! It is light weight, easy to fold up and throw into the boot of your car; easy to steer. It includes a carry strap which you can use to carry it around if you wanted to. The brakes are fine! Quality is very good. Very happy with it :) would highly recommend it!

Great pram. No issues at all – I found this pram very easy to use and easy to fold and carry. I've been using it for over 2 years and have not had one issue. My baby seemed very happy and now my toddler is still just as happy in this pram. If you're short on space when it's folded you can take the front wheel off for a little extra space to move it around.

Design Flaw – The pram has a design flaw where the wheel lock system is designed to break down just after 12 months (i.e. outside of warranty) forcing you to replace parts at inflated prices or you throw away the whole thing as it is unusable. This occurs because every time you lock the wheels and unlock them friction occurs between the wheel and the internal… Read more

string that pulls the locking pin. Eventually the internal string snaps with time and you are left with a locked pram that you cannot unlock. This has happened twice to us as we bought the Snap and the Snap Duo when we had our second child. Same thing occurred at around the 14-15 month of use.

Major disappointment – The Idea of this pram is amazing. Its light easy to wash, quick to dry. I've used it to Jog. I thought it was the best pram I've had or seen... Unfortunately after 6mnts one of the bolts at the back kept popping out. which is the bottom part of the harness keeping the child strapped in. then the other broke free so I tied them together to secure… Read more

my baby. Then we had the breaks fail mid walk! I had my 4year old on her bike, the baby in pram and our puppy. I was just stuck!!! ended up having to push it on 2 wheels it was a nightmare. now I have no pram and its less than 2 yrs old. Not happy!

valco snap 3 – I paid deposit for this pram to receive it next Friday as it was out of stock I really like it because it"s easy to fold, light weight and big seat but now after what I heard about the break problem I'm thinking to take my deposit back and buy a different brand as it's very annoying to stuck with your baby and bags anywhere because you can't move the pram.

Brake Failed Within First Year – The breaks failed on my stroller around the one-year mark. Upon inspecting how the breaks are assembled, it seems they use a metal cable inside the breaking system. This metal cable rubs against some other metal parts within the breaking system and over time the cable snaps (hence the name Valco "snap", kidding). When the cable inside snaps… Read more

(can happen on either side), the side that the cable snapped will remain permanently locked-in.

This is a product defect. Sure, it would take a year of actual testing to discover, but the cable isn't strong enough for everyday use and the way it sits in the fitting will cause it to snap over time as it rubs against other pieces. It seems the problem still exists even in the newer prams from reading reviews.

I would not recommend this pram. I think you'll see more complaints about these prams in the next year or so as more brakes start to snap.

Valco Snap 3 Stroller – I chose this pram for my second child has I had previously had several prams and strollers for my first child. When my first child didn't want to sit in a stroller anymore I sold my double stroller and looked for a single stroller. I did a lot of research and did not intend to buy the Valco Snap 3 but when I went into Baby Bunting and tried out… Read more

the various strollers I could not believe how easy this stroller was to swivel with one hand, fold, push and lift into the car boot. It is incredibly light weight but has all the comfort of a larger pram. As I had a C-section the lightness of this pram was fantastic. It folds and unfolds with ease. It is larger when folded than an umbrella stroller which could be a problem if you have a small car boot. It lies flat and is easy to adjust to a sitting position or recline when baby is asleep. It is very easy to move and turn corners with one hand which was important to me as often I was holding the hand of my first born.

This is by far the best pram/stroller I have owned. I highly recommend if you want something very practical and super affordable. I have had this pram for 4 years now as it takes a weight up to 22kgs which is another bonus. I don't use it often now as my 4 year old walks but if we have a long day out such as at the zoo it is still useful for a tired little one. It is the only pram I have needed for my second child. Fabulous value.

Excellent pram, especially when travelling – We chose this pram to take our 15 month old on a world trip after much research. It is very light weight and compact. It can be laid right back so baby can sleep and has a good sized canopy. It is not too wide, so easily fits in tighter aisles and can fit on trains and buses. When folded, it takes up very little room considering all of its… Read more

features. The only improvements would be if the footrest could lock in an up position and if the canopy were larger to completely block the sun (though a jacket or wrap slung over the front does the trick). It is very easy to manoeuvre. We now use this as our everyday pram and even take it when we go for a walk/run. Highly recommend!