Cybex Topaz

Best umbrella buggy, I would buy it again :-)

A bigger, high-quality buggy that is also suitable for larger children.

This Cybex is a real "buggy" - beautiful, absolutely comfortable for the baby. On the street, mums often turn their heads to have a proper look at it. The backrest has a length of 54 cm, and the seat is 21cm deep, which is ideal for a tall toddler. The seat width is 30 cm. My DS, although big (11 kg and 82 cm in 12 months, 13 kg and 85 cm in 15 months, over 16 kg and 91 cm in 2 years), loved riding there and enjoyed all the comfort.

The bumper bar is removable, far enough from the backrest. The belts are softly padded, and they feature an integrated cushion (head hugger) under the head part for better comfort of the child. They are also easy to adjust with just one hand. On the other hand, they have the same system as car seat belts, so, unfortunately, they don't disassemble into 4 pieces, and any accessories other than the original ones (like the footmuff) are super difficult to put in. The belts have to be pulled completely out of the backrest, which is not easy or pleasant. Even removing the seat cushion is not easy, e.g., for washing. However, the seat itself can be comfortably and easily adjusted, it has 4 backrest positions, including an almost completely flat one - the incline is really minimal. The sitting position is very upright. The footrest sports two positions.

The canopy is huge, features a built-in sunshade, and can be opened up to the handle, which is a wonderful thing, especially in summer. There is a viewing window for checking up on the baby. It can be stopped in many positions in between and slid up and down the chassis so that it will adjust to the height of the child, and there is no risk of the stroller being too small for a toddler, which often happens. Of course, the canopy can be removed, just as it can be lifted in the back and/or on the sides, where, thanks to the buttons, it will stay up to create better airflow in the summer when it's hot. Pleasant is also the weight capacity of 22.5 kg, which almost no umbrella pushchair has.

The shopping basket is on the small side small, but all the buggies have such, and nothing else can be expected from them. When the headrest is in the down position, you cannot put anything in there, which can sometimes be a problem - you need to take something out, and your baby is sleeping. The only thing left to do is put the baby up a bit and then lay down again.

The stroller features double plastic wheels. They get the used look quite quickly, but after that, they don't get to look worse anymore; surprisingly, they don't even get small stones inside the foam. Although the manufacturer mentions high-quality suspension, unfortunately there's almost none. The stroller is cushioning some impacts I guess, (there are two tiny springs on the rear wheels), and you probably will miss the suspension when driving the Topaz. On smooth surfaces, it's absolutely alright, on uneven ones it starts to creak and squeak horribly. Unfortunately, it bothered me. But this will probably be a problem for all umbrella-style buggies, so I don't want to complain about this one too harshly. It's just my feeling. The wheel brake, although it should be just pressed easily, is not so easy to activate. I don't know if we had a faulty piece, but I couldn't release the brake with my foot, and I had to bend to do it with my hand.

The stroller doesn't have a single handlebar; it has those golf-clubs-trype handles covered with foam, which is unfortunately quite soft and weak, so after a few months of occasional riding, it got scratched quite a lot. On the other hand, despite the double handlebars, it was quite easy to maneuver with one hand, with the child of course more difficult, but possible. However, the bigger and heavier the child, the more difficult it was to push the buggy. It was almost a superhuman task to ride with my 16 kg son.

Absolutely no accessories are supplied with the stroller; only a bottle holder was offered for free. You need to buy the rain cover, as well as the original footmuff, separately, which costs quite some money (if you don't want to bother yourself with those harness belts). You need a little practice to fold the buggy, at least in the beginning - but you'll get the knack for it after some time, and it will be much easier.

In conclusion, I would probably say that I was choosing so long, I probably overthought it, and my opinion is that for a lot of money, not the best choice after all. For that price, I was just expecting more - especially as far as the ride comfort. It is comfortable - for the child (my son really likes to ride in it), but I did not like to push it. I sold it after a year, and now I would rather choose a lightweight stroller or a jogger. If it would be a buggy, then something much cheaper.