Reasons I purchased the Sunshine kids randian XTSL are:
compact width wise. i have no doubt you can fit 3 car seats or 2 car seats and have an adult sit in a small to mid size vehicle without a problem. Diplomat is wider so with 1 diplomat in my wife's Toyota Rav 4 (small "SUV") 2 small 5'4" woman were cramped in the back seat with diplomat. And there's no way a person can sit in the back with 2 Diplomat, where as with XTSL it seems possible.
Holds an infant up to 45 lbs rear facing and 80 lbs foward facing so i know I can use it for a long time. (non-SL version- rear facing 35lbs vs 45lbs on -SL so get the SL) Britax has 35lbs rear facing weight limit. It is recommended that you keep the kids in rear facing for longer than recommended 1 year and 20lbs weight limit. My son's already 23 lbs in 9 months so it's good to know that I have that extra weight limit.
XTSL has bigger side impact cushion than the 80SL however Britax has a big side impact cushion.
Don't like about XTSL:
the car i bought this for does not have the latch so trying to install it correctly took awhile since the manual like most manuals has the jist of it but does not go into great details, so it took me a while to fiddle with it. The place to insert lapbelt was big small and me being a 6' guy with big hand had trouble inserting through the lapbelt hold and grab it from other side. My main car seat is Britax Diplomat is easier to install with lapbelt since you can lift the seat cushion and see where the lapbelt is going through.
Car seat is compact width-wise but not too compact lengthwise so it compromised some leg room in the front passenger seat. And I'm glad I installed it behind the front passenger seat since i'm 6' and would've made it cramped if i placed behind the driver's seat (if you're shorter or have the seat facing forward once baby reaches the age you probably won't have problem) Once again Britax Diplomat seems to be bit more compact lengthwise but Diplomat does take up more room widthwise.
XTSL's harness has to be unhooked and rehooked as the kid grows. Britax Diplomat carseats have this knob on the side that turns to raise and lower the shoulder seatbelt without detatching the harness. The other day I put him in the seat ready to buckle then realized that he grew and the shoulder belt is big low so I turned the know few times with him in it and presto. Very convineint. In addition the side impact cushion rises and lowers together with the twist of the harness knob so it is where the child's head is supposed to be compared to the XTSL which is stationary so if you place a infant right out of the hospital, I'm not sure the baby's head will be protected by the side impact cushion where as once they get older it won't be a problem
XTSL seems to be twice heavy as the Diplomat which really isn't a problem for me since the seats won't be moving. Just an observation since they seem to be big on being able to carry it around with a strap. They do have airplane installation guide.
My son hasn't sat in the XTSL yet so that'll have to come later. My son hated his infant seat with the base, always trying to get out of the seat. He loves his Britax Diplomat. No fuss putting him in the seat and puttnig on the harness.
Britax Diplomat - $169.99 from amazon (some freak sale i happened upon)
Sunshine Kids Radiant XTSL - $239 from ebay (it's still new so i'm sure the price will drop later) Reason for buying it on ebay vs amazon. Love amazon but this vendor, Healthcheck Systems Inc., notified me over a week after a purchase of when the car seat was supposed to arrive to tell me that they did not receive the item and i won't get it for another month. Would've been nice if they told me before I purchased it that they are waiting on a shipment so i can decide based on that information. But it saved me $60 bucks and i got the XTSL model with bigger side impact cushion (Originally tried to purchase 80SL since it was cheaper.)
So beware of the vendor Healthcheck Systems Inc. Might sell you something that they don't have then you'll end up just wasting time. Good thing it was my spare carseat. If it was going to be my main carseat and they've wasted my time I'd be furious.
I'll see how much he likes the XTSL after this weekend when we have to take him to the hospital. I just realized that I haven't checked the shoulder harness height with my son. The twist knob would come handy in time like this. Quick observation: XTSL seems to have big wider butt room compared to the Diplomat so might be better once my son gets bigger.
Verdict for now: Using Britax Diplomat for now in the Main Car. Love it. My son loves it. Got a great deal on it.
Sunshine Kids Radiant XTSL - time will tell but for now seems like a great buy... got like $60 off MSRP. It'll probablyl become the main car seat once my son gets bigger and will be around longer with 80lbs max weight limit compared to Diplomat's 60lbs
(2 customers reviews)Customers Rating=4.5 / 5.0
More Detail For
Radian XT SL Car Seat with Travel Bag- Comes with Free Radian Carrying Case
- Steel alloy frame and aluminum reinforced sides
- Energy-absorbing EPS foam panels on all sides
- Adjustable head support, reinforced for complete side-impact safety
- 5 shoulder and 3 buckle positions for proper harness fit
